In many ways, Christian worship begins with realizing and admitting what we have been worshipping our entire lives. We all worship something, whether we know it or admit it or not. We may not physically get on our knees before it, or offer it our voice of praise and love, but whatever we devote most of our time, attention, money, passion and energy to is what we worship. Therefore, it's easy to see that while we have the ability to worship God, we can worship our finances, or power, or a celebrity, or we can even worship a lifestyle. WORSHIP is more than an act of reverence and awe; WORSHIP is an attitude of the heart which exudes passion.
Our unbending belief is that worship is paramount to God. He created us to have inner desires to worship, but He requires us to focus our worship toward Him and Him alone. God can absorb the weight of being worshiped; on the contrary, human beings and benign objects cannot. The Bible makes it plain that there is only one God worthy of our worship:
"Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land" [Deuteronomy 6:13-15]
At Concord Liberty, we encourage all to follow the admonition of [Psalm 29:2] by turning away from what we presently or formerly worshiped and acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus. Our prayer is that the people of Concord Liberty will let the life we live be an act of worship to our Great God and King.
During our time together on Sunday mornings, worship is the attitude of our hearts in gratefulness for who our Lord Jesus Christ is and what He has done for you and me, and our commitment to express it with an attitude of commitment, passion and gratitude. We do of course use music to do this; however, true authentic worship is meeting with Him, our heart pouring out to His, and connecting with Him through the presence of the Holy Spirit. This expression is encouraged both outward and inward, but is always one that is personal in nature but edifying to the Body of Christ. In other words, we need each other’s worship.
The main focus during our time together is to express our love and passion for Christ as our Lord, and what He has done for us. The object of the worship experience is our Lord, not musical arrangements, talents, or individuals. The object is not is the style or the people who are singing and playing the instruments. We are not putting on a performance just to entertain others; we are performing for, and walking into the presence of, our Lord. The worship experience must never be just a show; we are committed to protecting the worship experience from becoming a concert. However, as leaders/pastors we are to perform our best for His glory, but not at the cost of the main thing!
Those who lead us in worship, lead the way as they worship - NOT only play music. A high emphasis has been placed on who are tasked to lead us into the presence of God and keep us there while He does His work in our hearts. Therefore, the passionate expression of love and commitment to Christ on behalf of our worship leaders is of utmost importance. We as a church will follow their lead and therefore they must be carefully intentional to lead us well in authenticity, passion, integrity, excellence and relentless pursuit of Jesus Christ.
At Concord Liberty we are dedicated to providing space for people of all walks of life, to authentically encounter the living God in a life changing way. Where we worship has been methodically designed to reflect a modern everyday space that feels extremely comfortable (wood, glass, metal, cloth, digital screens, coffee, food, etc.). It has the ability to feel like you are worshipping within a community, while dark enough to protect the anonymity of each person. Because we are a family of believers gathered together to worship, our space is intentionally referred to as, “The Living Room.” Our worship service has less formality or interruption and more of a free flowing, Holy Spirit-led, energetic and passionate atmosphere. Newer forms of music, arrangements, and instruments, while preserving our rich song history as The Church, provide the tone for our morning. We may incorporate some of the same aspects as a traditional worship service but with a craving to make it more personal (Creeds, Prayers, Readings, Poems, etc.). In all that we do, we are committed to creating a sense of closeness between the worshipper and God, not just singing songs or performing.
"Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness." [Psalm 29:2]