The Four Step Approach - A Greater Understanding

The Four Step Approach to worship set planning is very intentional on moving us from being internally focused and subjective to being externally focused and objective.

Come with me to a typical Sunday morning in many churches . . .

The worship leader steps up to the microphone on the first song and loudly proclaims, “Let’s give God the highest praise just because He is deserving of all our praise.” That sounds great and it is certainly theologically accurate but it may not connect with the real life of many of your church members when they first come in the door.

That morning the family in the back row:

·      Had a hard week of illnesses, missed homework assignments, and rough days at work as they worried about layoffs in the company.

·      Didn’t get enough sleep the night before.

·      Dad slipped on a bar of soap in the shower and forgot that all the bath towels were in the dryer downstairs, sending him streaking to the laundry room, much to the horror of his wife and children.

·      They ran out of milk for cereal and the entire family is complaining.

·      Little Johnny threw his shoe at Mom and left a welt on her forehead as she tried to get him out of bed for church.

·      Everyone scrambled into the family car and drove across town to make it in time, only to get a speeding ticket.

·      Finally, when they show up at church they looked down to see that little Marcy is wearing her rubber boots and has tracked mud all the way down the aisle . . . leading right to her spot with an undeniable path of incrimination.

As wonderful as this family is, they’re not yet ready to respond when the worship leader calls out, “Let’s give God the highest praise just because He is deserving of all our praise.”

And that’s OK.

We need to acknowledge where people are really at when they come into our worship service.  They are often very self-conscious and obsessed with the day-to-day “stuff of life.” 

Why is that OK?

God is a God of grace. He understands what we are made of. He knows our weaknesses and yet He loves us fully and accepts us completely.

God describes our fragility in the scriptures:

“A voice says, “Shout!” I said, “What shall I shout?” “These people are nothing but grass, their love fragile as wildflowers. The grass withers, the wildflowers fade, if God so much as puffs on them.  Aren’t these people just so much grass? True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade, but our God’s Word stands firm and forever.” - Isaiah 40: 6-8 (MSG)

So – if “God’s Word stands firm and forever” what does His Word say?

• “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” – Isaiah 42:3a (NIV)
• “For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.” – Psalm 103:14 (NLT)
• “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” – Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

• “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1 (NIV)
• “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” – Romans 8:26 – 28 (MSG)

If God, who is to be the focus of our worship and exalted above all, approaches us with such understanding then surely, we as worship leaders within the church can extend grace to our people when they come into worship bedraggled, unfocused, self-consumed and broken.

The Four Step Approach brings this understanding to worship set planning. It reaches into our common frailty with God’s grace and understanding, meeting us where we are at and gently but intentionally encouraging our people to focus on the God of glory.

The intention of the Four Step Approach is to move our people from a focus on “what God has done for me” and change this to a focus on God, not just for what He has done for us but just because He is worthy of praise. 

However, this doesn’t happen instantly.  We are human and we often need help in changing our focus. 

In the next post, I’ll share practical pointers on applying the Four Step Approach to Worship Set Planning.

In the meantime, if you feel like one of the bedraggled today that I described above, rest in this; God is for you and not against you. He looks at you and smiles with warmth and love beyond compare. Your disconnected feelings, unkempt heart or disheveled spirit don’t affect his love for you one bit.

Doesn’t it make you grateful to know we have a God where we have nothing to prove to Him? He’s already taken care of that – on the cross!

Stay tuned . . . practical helps are on their way.

Superstar of Radio, Stage, TV and movies, George Canyon will be singing and sharing about his Christian faith at Break Forth Canada 2013. While George is internationally renowned with more a jaw-dropping number of radio hits, sales and awards in the mainstream (“secular”) world, he never hides his faith. Here's his invitation to you. Just click on the image to the right: