How To Be The Greatest
Matthew 20:26-28 | NIV
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Can you even fathom the reality that the one who breathed galaxies into existence came to earth with the intent NOT to be served? What kind of God does this!? Only Jesus.
One of the dangers of modern worship with the heavy emphasis on professional production—stage, lights, cameras, recordings, etc.—is that it’s ridiculously easy to fall into the trap of thinking if I look or sound better, then I AM better. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Of course excellence matters. But the pendulum has swung hard in that direction as of late and it needs a course correction.
Jesus defines greatness on a scale of servitude. The more we embody the role of a slave, the greater we are in the Kingdom of God. Period.
So what does it actually look like for you, as a worship guitarist (or any team member for that matter), to embody the role as a servant on your team and church? What if others on your team/church viewed you as one of the chief servants in the church? Here are some scattered ideas:
For your team:
Show up early for rehearsal and on Sunday and help set up.
Pray for the other members regularly.
Bring a treat to share to rehearsal.
Drop an unmarked envelope of cash on a team member’s doorstep with the exact amount you were about to spend on your next pedal.
For the church:
Be a holistic participant in the life of the church. One of the biggest ways to be a servant of the worship movement at your church is to attend, participate and engage in off-stage activities. If people only see you on the stage and nowhere else, what do you think that communicates to them?
Go to Mexico. Or whatever other mission trip your church offers next. Someone needed to hear this. Stop scrolling and sign up.
Clean the bathrooms. Seriously. Get caught wiping the countertops, mirror…or get extra credit and clean the toilets. Or don’t get caught and get extra EXTRA credit. 🙈
Bring your Bible to church and sit with the congregation for the message (for at least one service)
Don’t pack up your gear so fast. Walk out in the lobby immediately after service and meet people.
We all know practice is essential for greatness and it wont happen all at once. So pick one of these ideas (or a better one the Spirit just put on your heart) and start with something this week.
I’d love to hear more examples of how to serve your team so drop the suggestions in the comments below. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼