Worship Team Devotional: “Servanthood Vs Stardom” from “Heart of the Artist”

I prepared this short devotional outline for my worship team at Standing Stones Community Church in Phoenix, AZ. The following is a summary of some key points in chapter two, “Servanthood Vs Stardom” of Rory Noland’s Heart of the Artist. Click the following links to read my devotional outlines for the book’s introduction and chapter one. 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4)

Last week, I challenged all of you to ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin and then find an accountability partner as you battle against sin. This week, we’ll delve into a specific area of weakness for many: servanthood. As Noland puts it, “We artists can be very selfish and self-absorbed at times. We like the attention that our talents bring us. We like feeling a little more special than most folks, who can’t perform or create the way we can” (p. 53). Yet 1 Corinthians 4:1 says that people should regard us as servants of Christ. We should be more concerned about pleasing our Audience of One than marveling a crowd of a thousand with our talents.

Noland notes four barriers to servanthood:

1. An Attitude of Superiority: He describes a hypothetical prideful musician—she thinks of herself as better than others, so she distances herself relationally, misses rehearsals without calling, reacts impatiently toward the sound technician and other musicians, and comes to rehearsal unprepared (p. 54).
2. Selfish Ulterior Motives: Is your goal for others to notice you and your skills, to be applauded and recognized? Or is your goal to be a mirror that reflects God’s glory through you?
3. Confidence in Our Giftedness Alone: Do you leave the stage more worried about how you looked or sounded or about whether God used you? Is your goal technique or substance?

Remember that even Jesus, the King of the Universe, came to serve and not to be served (Mark 10:45).

Ordinary Volunteers or People Called of God

1. Volunteers see their involvement at church as mere community service, but people called of God see it as ministry.
2. Volunteers whine about the cost to serve, but people who are called count the cost and joyfully commit. They try to schedule around their service commitments instead of just working them in.
3. Volunteers shrink back when relational conflict arises, but people called of God seek unity and restoration.
4. Volunteers see rehearsal as a duty they must fulfill, but people called of God look forward to rehearsals as another opportunity to be used by God.
5. Volunteers do no outside practicing or preparation, but people who are called of God come to rehearsals and a performance as prepared as possible because they want to glorify God with their best.
6. Volunteers find it hard to handle constructive criticism, but people called of God are grateful for the feedback because they want to give their best.
7. Volunteers feel threatened by the talent of others, but people called of God praise Him for distributing talents as He chooses.
8. Volunteers want to quit with adversity, but people called of God persevere.
9. Volunteers find their main source of fulfillment in their talents, but people called of God know that being used of God is the most fulfilling thing you can do with your life. 
10. Volunteers don’t like to be in situations where they’re stretched, but people called of God respond to stretching situations with humble dependence on God. 

Based on the above, are you more of a volunteer or a person called of God?

Healthy Boundaries

It is possible to serve too much. Some artists allow themselves to be used and abused. Since I can’t guess what is healthy for you, it’s up to you to let me know what you can and cannot do. I expect that you will say, “No” when you need to. With unhealthy boundaries, your relationships, spiritual life, and physical health can be compromised. With unhealthy boundaries, you may end up overbooked, double booked, or in situations where you have to cancel on your important commitments last minute. Ask God to show you where your healthy limits should be.