Spirit Led Worship | Tim Kirsch

A Summary for Transitioning to Spirit-Led Worship

Start with focusing on a life of worship before prioritizing how to use music for Spirit-led worship, as it starts from the heart, not creative production.

The authority of the ministry must be in agreement!

If you know you are sent somewhere, and they don’t want sincere Spirit-led worship: Pray for the leaders from a pure heart of compassion. Know there is power in worshiping with all of your heart within the bounds you are at liberty to operate within. Sincere worship from the heart helps with power being released that can set the captives free. Remember, you do it for the Lord and His people.

Ministry leaders, there is power in literally communicating to the worship leader that they are at liberty to be led by the Holy Spirit. There is also power in you being vulnerable to be like David, worshiping with all your heart.

We must be willing to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and be stretched. New wine doesn't work in old wineskins. I have gone places where they want the power they’ve seen or heard that God releases during worship, but realized they can’t twist God’s arm to do it "their" old way. He is with us, but remember HE is Lord, and we are to follow Him.

Help the team and congregation understand what worship is:

Key point being: Those who have given their lives to Jesus are worship unto the Father. We are worship.

We are living sacrifices, carrying our cross, living through the Father’s will.

Romans 12:1, Luke 14:27,33, Philippians 2:8, Matthew 6:10

We receive Jesus as Savior when we receive Him as Lord. Believing from the heart is not just mental acknowledgment, but includes giving Him our lives. Worship is giving Him all that we are.

Luke 13:3, James 2:19, Luke 6:46, Matthew 7:21, Hebrews 10:26

Are we worshippers? Do we live for the Lord? If so, then we want to do His will. Without Him, we can do nothing good. John 15:5

In our right renewed minds, we only want what God wants and leads.

Key point: Worship is a lifestyle. Music is a resource to express worship with all of our being.

A good simple yet very deep-to-discover-phrase is: to love God with all that you are.

When we go to worship during music ministry, the team must exemplify that it is safe to go in to this place of sincere worship, rather than merely singing songs. He doesn’t just want the fruit of our lips, he wants all that we are. Whether or not a ministry leader knows it, they have delegated authority in the atmosphere to worship team members. On the plus side of that, when they are sincere and passionately entering in, it helps others enter in! This is not the document to preach it in detail on (but consider the topic of authority, or even Moses holding up the rod), but I've also seen how when the ministry leader in authority is distracted, or not worshiping, nor wanting the move of the Holy Spirit, that it can quench the move of the Holy Spirit in worship.

Other good topics on worship to help them learn:

Before being born-again, the law was still just and good. But the people did not have the righteous ways of the Lord written within their inner man, so they had to operate from a law-based discipline of dos and don’ts. The Lord wants to mature us past that. Worship that pleases Him is not out of obligation, but from our own willing heart.
When we are born-again, inwardly, we love the things of God. We have the Spirit of the dear Son within us who loves all that comes from the Father, crying, Abba Father! When we sing the truth, it helps our souls be renewed to line up to the truth that is within us. So it’s not wrong to sing songs even if we aren’t yet feeling it in our souls, BUT, the Lord wants us to walk with Him as a lifestyle. Often, people aren’t really living conscious of the Lord, so when it comes time for “worship”, it’s a foreign moment that they are getting re-acquainted with. Those who abide in a place of worship are already in the water per-se… the water’s good, and if you jump in, you’ll find out! But if people aren’t already in the water, they may just want to tip-toe their way in. It’s good to help people know that the veil was torn, and they can stay there as priests unto the Lord. 2 Corinthians 13:14 is not a sometimes thing. We can remain in conscious fellowship (1 Thess 5:17 - pray (not just asking for stuff) without ceasing. But again, it’s a process, and we learn to recognize when we leave (in our affections), and in which case, we can command our soul to bless the Lord! Psalm 103:1
When we live as a sacrifice of worship, we become a consumable sacrifice, confirmed as true worship by the presence of God. He is enthroned as one upon the praises of His covenant people of faith. Recall how He consumed the sacrifices with fire when He was the author of what worship was, and they actually followed. Recall how He was able to fill the temple with His glory when the temple (which we also now are) was fully consecrated unto Him.
The more we surrender, the more we allow ourselves to receive Him. If we fear what people think (or denominations or anything else that is trying to resist the truth and the leading of the Holy Spirit), we are hindering ourselves and others from what God wants to do.

Dismantling things:

Using our gifts for our own will is not worship of God.
Using music to draw people to ourselves is not worship of God.
A congregation singing the lyrics on the screen louder doesn’t of itself infer that they are truly worshiping.
Our musical excellence does not produce the power of God, but our attitude to prepare in excellence should be from worship unto God.
When we have a start-stop approach with music, the culture of the world often fills the gap with clapping for the song, rather than praising the Lord. It is often wise to keep a flow musically so people adjust out of that pattern of spectating and clapping for the band as they would at a concert.
If we try to produce a service by our understanding, we are quenching the Holy Spirit. He can lead a willing worship leader to the right songs. God knows what the people need, and what leads well unto the message and everything else He wants accomplished. When it is Spirit-led, often it does look like the worship leader and speaker collaborated, but sometimes how the Lord wants to orchestrate things isn’t as obvious. Ministry leaders can learn to discern the will of the Lord as they live a lifestyle of caring about the will of the Lord moment to moment. Sometimes people wrongfully call coming in unprepared being Spirit-led, but also sometimes the Lord intentionally doesn’t tell us everything we think we should know, in part because He knows that we will be quickened in one accord at the right moment to cooperate with Him and one another at the right moment. If we want to tell the musicians exactly what to do, we are booking studio musicians and robbing them of the joy and opportunity to worship from their own hearts and learn to be led by the Holy Spirit.
Creativity is a gift, but take care not to assume to call spontaneous creativity being Spirit-led.

Co-operating with the Holy Spirit:

Starts with your personal life. THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT on this document.
How can two walk together unless they be in agreement? God is with us, but are we with Him? If I do the wrong thing, He is still with me, and is still kind, but He is testifying of the truth, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit knows how to lead us as God’s sheep, so His leading may include songs that aren’t as passionate in abandonment of direct worship, but yet still He is especially going to confirm the name of Jesus in power when we plainly praise Jesus Christ.
Again: Train your soul to stay in the place of worship. Songs can be involved, but you have to want to be led by Him as a lifestyle. Some people are experienced in being quickened due to the anointing upon them, but they don’t live for the Lord, and the atmosphere bears witness of the contamination. We don’t want to merely be used by God for the greater good, because yes the Holy Spirit will confirm the name of Jesus, even through pretenders. We want to be worshipers in truth, and one of the results is the purity of the glory of His presence resting upon those who welcome Him.
What does your voice/sound sound like when you are actually singing or playing in sincerity straight to Him? Train your soul (and thereby sound) to stay there. If people are used to performing, they have to allow themselves to be vulnerable to sing/play from the heart, and not over think their next move. Prepare in excellence to know the chart (if it is not a spontaneous song by the Holy Spirit), so that you are not clenching onto chart while trying to engage with the Lord with all your heart. The chart can help everyone be in one accord with the chords, but remember we are not trying to duplicate other’s expressions of worship as heard on a recording. Allow the sincere sound of worship to be the sound, rather than trying to be the best cover band, copying all the nuances within a recording.
Worship team members have to want to let the Holy Spirit lead them. They have to be willing to be stretched out of pre-production, or someone besides the Holy Spirit speaking into their ears. The worship leader is anointed to drive along with the Holy Spirit, so it’s not wrong for that person to communicate what’s next, but believe for the team to live a lifestyle of worship so they learn to be sensitive to the nudges of the Holy Spirit. The Lord can help the worship leader learn to know what needs to be communicated, so the team members have some room to be led by the Holy Spirit.
Cooperating with the Holy Spirit is also cooperating with those He anoints as leaders. Worship leaders cooperate with the pastor. Music ministry members cooperate with the worship leader. They are anointed to carry certain things that He will not cause others to be aware of.
Again, without Him we can do nothing that He calls good. If we come in knowing we need Him, it helps us receive His empowerment. Of course He gave people the ability to develop a musical gift, and they may be proficient in that, but I’m communicating that we must recognize that without it being sincere worship, thereby giving access for Him working through us, it’s nothing but a clanging cymbal.

Sometimes being Spirit-led doesn’t mean we know we are being Spirit-led. We may literally hear or feel or see what to do, and we may not. When it comes to consciously knowing you are being led by the Holy Spirit, it goes from His Spirit, to your spirit, to your soul. SO, when you are worshiping with all of your soul, it actually helps you become more sensitive to His leading because your soul (and thereby your awareness) is involved.

Ministers through Music:

Should want to live a life of worship, which includes wanting to live a consecrated life. Ideally, they are already using music in private to worship the Lord. If not, the ministry can help build a bridge to help them grow and be ready to be public ministers. If they aren't worshiping in private, they are not worship leaders (or, an example of worship to the body of Christ). It's ideal that they feel safe to communicate when they need help, rather than fearing they will be embarrassed on sat down if already on the team.
If they want to live a lifestyle of worship, they will want to be Spirit-led. It may seem musically intimidating to go off of a script. There are ways to help them. The most important thing is the heart. If they have a willingness to grow in being Spirit-led, then they will allow for the stretching into going deeper in living by faith and not by sight. The musical stretching can be gentle. His yoke is easy and His burden is lite!
If they don’t want to live as worship unto God, then they want to be performers, whether for the love of music or attention. There are plenty of places outside of ministry for that. The ministry can be available to help them grow to be ready. If they aren't ready, they are more easily hijacked by darkness to quench the Spirit and cause division.
It’s good to keep a united focus as a team on the vision for worship, and to be pastored so they are equipped to let the Lord help them experience the triumph of God through the warfare that resists Spirit-led worship. Spirit-led worship means the anointing is at work. The enemy is anti-the revealing of Christ, which includes His majestic glory in power.

Musically:

A good transitional approach is to have some extra chord patterns ready on the charts in case the worship leader feels led to go off the normal chart and into a new song. That person can name the chords by number if the chords are simple. A step past that can be the worship leader receiving the inspiration for the charts, then the worship team can follow. A great further goal is that the team is so immersed in worship, it all happens in a holy organic way.
- - Spontaneous chords can also be communicated over a talk-back mic or via hand signals. Sometimes one person can carry the chords while others purpose to let the Lord release Spirit-led melodies through them.
Encourage musicians to prepare before practice. Practice should be to practice what is prepared. When someone is under-prepared, they tend to be overly focused on a music chart, rather than the Lord. Preachers are quickened to use scriptures they already know. Similarly, what a musician allows themselves to train in musically becomes a resource that God can quicken at the right moment… and thankfully He absolutely can cause a worshiper to go far beyond their trained talents.
It's helpful for a worship leader to lead from an instrument, as they are anointed as the leader to perceive dynamics, tempos, where to go next, etc... Dynamics and tempos are easier to lead from a piano or guitar, and the leader's voice and instrument should be loud enough for the others to hear clearly. If the title of worship leader is not someone on an chordal instrument, it's good to be aware that whoever is the music director in the moment has likely has a strong worship leading role as well, and that they should be nurtured to be healthy as a leader (as all team members should of course willingly be).
Have the team minister to the Lord together in private, and get experience going off the charts. And let them know it’s okay for there to be a "mistake." Peter may have started sinking, but no one else actually got out of the boat. The main mistakes we want to avoid is a matter of the heart. More power is released through a sincere worshiper off pitch than the most skilled-musician lacking the heart of worship.
As a team grows in a lifestyle of worship, I've more commonly seen evidence in the riding the waves of the leading of the Holy Spirit in one accord in ways such as: spontaneous melodies and rhythms syncing up, and where the worship leader doesn't have to say stop, or get softer or louder, slower or faster, but we live out our unity in the Spirit.
Know that the Lord wants to lead them. Pastors help people learn to crawl, then walk, then run the race. Healthy pastors want people to learn to depend on and walk with the Lord, not to depend on the pastor as their main source. Music ministry leaders with a healthy mindset want others to learn to receive the leading of the Holy Spirit. When it’s the Holy Spirit, He doesn’t contradict Himself. In my experience, even if a ministry leader (guest or whoever) is out of the holy flow, the Lord will vividly lead me to cooperate with them. This goes back to the first point of the importance of leadership wanting the leading of the Holy Spirit. Consider how God Himself gave mankind dominion and authority here on earth, so much so that we actually have to pray for His will to be done. Worship is from a willing heart. He does not force us, we must willingly surrender.

Worship Leader Anchor