Worship Renewal Articles and Essays

Links to www.StevePhifer.com

Jesus told the woman at the Samaritan well that our Father in Heaven was looking for worshipers who would worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

John 4:23-24 NKJV
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

All too often some other pair of nouns will take the place of “spirit and truth” in the worship we offer to the Lord. Perhaps, “emotion and opinion,” or “preference and tradition,” or even, “style and presentation,” but the Father is looking for those who would worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. When we sense that some other set of motivations and content have taken the place of Spirit and Truth in our worship, something must be done! Both the leaders and the people must bow before the teachings of the Bible to reform and renew our worship. This worship renewal process is the essential step toward revival. This process of worship renewal has been the primary focus on my writing ministry for several decades now.

We all know that change is not easy. In fact, when poorly led, it can be destructive. Strong churches have crumbled when poorly planned changes in how the People of God are led in worship are forced on an unwilling congregation. On the other hand, weak churches have been strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit as their worship was centered on Jesus and informed more by His Word than by personal, generational, or cultural ideas.

Toward this end, I have established this ministry:

At StevePhifer.com you will find an abundance of articles and essays to assist both the Lead Worshiper, (the Pastor) and the Worship Leader, (The Chief Musician) in the exciting processes of change. This will be an adventure and not a trauma! I want to bring some of these resources to your attention in this space.

At the heart of the process of Worship Renewal is the concept of a Renaissance of the Worship Arts. Joel’s prophecy and Peter’s Pentecost sermon promise that in the last days the Lord would pour out His Spirit on all of us. Across all human divisions of gender and age and origin we will have dreams and visions from the Lord. The result will be this: “And they shall prophesy!” The “dreams and visions” promise has a special meaning for those gifted by the Lord in the arts. Everything we create begins as a dream and/or a vision that only we can see. We go to work at whatever art the Lord has given us to bring that dream into the world so others can share it. This is what is happening when worship artists lead a worship service: Songs become truths; rhythms become joy, and love expressed to the Lord as the church crowns Jesus with praise and worship. Renewal of Worship must involve those whom the Lord has called to the worship arts and anointed with His Spirit.

Understanding the Problem

Before we begin to dig into the biblical details, we must take a detailed look at the challenge before us. Toward this end, I offered an extended essay detailing this challenge: “The Calamity of Culturally Driven Worship.” It is posted in two parts.

The Calamity of Culturally-Driven Worship – Steve Phifer

The Calamity of Culturally-Driven Worship Part Two: The Solution – Steve Phifer

Praise God, there is another side to this calamity! In the follow-up to this essay, I lay the groundwork for the solution–Worship Renewal!

The Power and Glory of Culturally Expressed Worship Part One – Steve Phifer

The Power and Glory of Culturally Expressed Worship Part Two – Steve Phifer

Finding the Solution

The Apostle Paul delivers to us a most amazing promise: As we “behold the Lord, we will be changed!” How does he describe this process of change? He describes it as “from glory to glory!” That sounds like an adventure to me! Based on that promise, I present this essay:

From Glory to Glory: Leading Change in Public Worship – Steve Phifer

Understanding the Biblical Principles

Leadership is a process of actions based on principles. The actions must be thoroughly understood by everyone, both by leaders and by those who are led. These two essays summarize these essentials.