Obedience is not something we are born with and it is certainly not something that can be achieved under law; Hebrews 7:19. It is a tool of survival that is 'learned' in valley of hard knocks, Hebrews 5:8-9.

In spirit world, there are only two forces. One is good; other is evil. There is no third option. I repeat, there is no third option. Obeying God results in blessings and all else results in a curse, Deuteronomy 11:26. Every choice comes with a consequence, be it positive or negative, Galatians 6:7.

Obedience is a conscious and deliberate choice to stop dead in one's tracks for purpose of, immediately, seeking God's direction, then to follow it; as that is only path Satan cannot defeat. Then, once we begin to see benefits, we finally actually get it and obedience truly becomes our choice. (God is not a dictator. He is our protector.) Only then do we begin to grow into spiritual maturity as we, finally, realize it is a joy to obey and we choose to seek God more; for protection in everything!

© 2004 by Joyce C. Lock http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/

This writing may be used in its entirety, with credits in tact, for non-profit ministering purposes.

Now some will debate whether music is a gift. I tend to believe that music is a tool rather than a gift. You are able to take our Spiritual Gift and apply it to music. If you are a teacher - use music to teach. If you are an evangelist - then use music evangelize.

The best way to learn about spiritual gifts is by reading Bible. Reading and learning should be helpful in discovery of your spiritual gifts. First read following bible verses:

Romans 12:4-8 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 1 Corinthians 12:27-30 Ephesians 4:7-12 1 Peter 4:7-11

Each of these verses categorizes each gift that makes up Church body. Each one is important.

God Given Responsibility

Matthew 25:13-29 Tells is a story about a man who gave his servant each a talent according to their individual ability. Two out of three invested their talent and it grew. The third one who happened to have smallest portion did nothing with his talent. This did not please man in story. What I glean from this is that we are responsible to take what God gives us in talent and use it.

Responsibility is about stewardship. Stewardship is effective management of resources that God gives us. It is a matter of "taking care of business" for Kingdom. In kingdom of God you have no rights. That's opposite of our society today. We are led to believe that our rights are paramount in everything. But, in reality God has given us worship leaders a responsibility. The Bible makes it clear that we are to be "Doers of Word". Responsibility requires commitment to do what God has called you to do.

We can look at parable of talents and see that God requires us to be responsible steward of what He has given us. The main lesson here is that you must take what God has given you and make it profitable for Him. Otherwise there will be severe consequences. You have spiritual gifts and natural abilities. Now it's time to take those gifts and use them for God purpose. Of course, nothing is done in a vacuum. Therefore you must take responsibility for your action. Both good and bad.

To serve a specific group of people

John 13:13-15 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

Jesus was perfect example of a servant. He washed feet of disciples. This was a radical move on part of Jesus. The lowest person on social scale did washing of feet. It was Jesus who came to serve us. And by His example we are to serve others.

Look around you - Who do you see? People! At least I hope that your church has some people in it. This is your specific group of people. God in His wisdom and Glory placed you in exact spot that He chose for you to minister.

Now we can examine people a little closer. There are big one and small ones - There are young ones and old ones - There are men and there are women. People come in all shapes and sizes.

Moses was called by God to serve a specific group of people. He took Israelites out of Egypt and delivered them to Promised Land. As you know there were a few snags along way that caused these people to wander in desert for forty years. But, these were exact people that Moses was created to serve.

As a worship leader in your church, you have a responsibility to serve that group of people for season of time God keeps you there. Spiritual Leaders are servants to those around them. Jesus was perfect example of this.

Directing this group of people toward God's Purpose

Help people become effective tools for Kingdom - do these three things…

1. Help them to Discover their place in Body of Christ
2. Help Them Develop spiritually
3. Help them Deploy their place in church.

Three things to remember… Discover -> Develop -> Deploy Once you know your team member's individual Spiritual Gifts it is your responsibility to help nurture those gifts. Discipleship is key in development phase.

Nothing is worse than unrealized talent. Or talent that is wasted sitting on shelf. Therefore it is vital that each person deploy. That is "go into all world." You see someone with a calling on their life; you do a disservice to church by hindering execution of that part.

To Bring Glory to God

The ultimate Goal it to bring Glory to God. As musician it is tempting to pursue ego gratification. Your performance in judged not by how well you did - It's based on how well you related to God and His purpose. The object of your worship is God. It is our job to take our Gifts and Talents and use them to give God glory.

There are entertainers and there are worship leaders. Each one has a different objective. An entertain often times bring glory to themselves. And music is entertaining. Yet it is also a tool used by God to be used by Church to worship Him. There is a distinct dividing line between doing something by our own strength or allowing God to do it.

You bring glory to God when you die to self and serve people with song. You bring glory to God when people are able to focus on their Creator and Savior. In many respects you are a tour guide. Helping people to have an intimate relationship.

This article is an excerpt for the new book by John Pape, Jr titled "Building a House of Worship" You can get a copy of this book at...

http://www.mediatunes.com/bhow/