About nine years ago, they found that their worship service had lost its spark Senior minister Mike Pilavachi says, “We seemed to be going through the motions, but I noticed that although we were singing the songs, our hearts, were far from Him.” They became too focused on what they liked about the worship service and had forgotten that they were not the audience. God is the audience.
Pilavachi says, “We were challenged to ask ourselves individually, ’When I come
through the door of the church, what am I bringing as my contribution to worship?’ The
truth came to us: worship is not a spectator sport, it is not a product molded by the taste of the consumers. It is not about what we can get out of it; it is all about God.”
They did away with the usual format. Even did away with the musicians. They began
to focus on things that would please God. People began to participate in the worship
instead of just being a spectator. Pilavachi comments, “The excitement came back. We were not having Church; we were once again meeting with God. With all the comforts stripped away, we worshiped from the heart.”
He tells that after the lesson was learned, they brought the musicians back. It was at
that point that their worship leader, a young man by the name of Matt Redman,
introduced a song that he had written out of this experience
Listen very closely to the words:
When the music fades,
All is stripped away, and I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that’s of worth
That will bless your heart
I’ll bring you more than a song
For a song in itself is not what you have required.
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear;
You’re looking into my heart.
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about you
All about you Jesus.
I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about you,
All about you Jesus.
King of endless worth
No one could express
How much you deserve.
Though I’m weak and poor
All I have is yours, every single breath.
I’ll bring you more than a song
For a song in itself is not what you have required.
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear;
You’re looking into my heart.
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about you
All about you Jesus.
I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about you,
All about you Jesus.