"...I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also." - 1 Corinthians 14:15
If the worship leader is really sensitive to the Holy Spirit, then somewhere at some point in the worship session, there will be moments of spontaneous worship and praise. It may happen at the beginning, middle or end of a song; it can happen more than once during a session also.
When the worship leader senses the moment is right, and takes the risk of stepping forward in faith to release that spontaneous song, many times I have experienced that something more happens and it's a wonderful experience of the anointing!
Spontaneous Worship usually happens in one or more of the following ways:
- An additional line or two complementing or enhancing the theme of the song, usually done during the song itself. A brilliant recorded example is the Vineyard live recording of the “Come and follow” album. There is this song led by Andy Park “Who is like our God?” (Brian Doerksen, Brian Thiessen & Brian Duane, Mercy/Vineyard Publishing). After every verse, Andy sings a few spontaneous lines that beautifully enhance the feeling of awe we already feel with the written lyrics of this song.
It is so well done, that the attention is always on the Lord and at the same time we can’t help but notice the sincerity of the worship leader singing from the heart out of genuine love for Him.
- Free praise & thanksgiving – sometimes in word and sometimes in song. At times when nothing seems to be happening and inspiration seems far away, I like to start in this manner. I gently urge the people to lift their voices and join me to praise the Lord and just pour out our hearts together to Him.
Our God is always ready to make His home “in the praises of His people…” (Psalm 22:3) and things start happening now – the praising gets more intense, I start strumming a chord on my guitar, the words form into melodies and I get inspiration to start the song. This way, the people find it easier to be engaged right from the beginning of the session.
When a song or a medley of songs has helped people to worship God intimately, our hearts cannot help but express our feelings for Him in a spontaneous outpouring of praise and thanksgiving at the end of the song. Taking the same song example ("Who Is Like Our God"), at the end of it, you can listen to Andy leading this outpouring with the people joining in and it’s so awesome just to listen!
- Singing or speaking in tongues – Not advisable when the majority of the congregation is not familiar with charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit like tongues.
For me, it mostly happens when I am doing a song of the Holy Spirit and suddenly I sense the need for spontaneity and normal words are just not there – here speaking or singing in tongues becomes the offering of spontaneous worship. “…for when we do not know how to pray properly, then the Spirit personally makes our petitions for us in groans that cannot be put into words;” – Romans 8:26. Sometimes, a prophetic word or vision also comes out after an outbreak of tongues.
- The spontaneous song – this one's rare for me. When the session moves to a point where the congregation is in silent worship, the Lord sings over His people through the worship leader or someone else in the Worship team. Steve Kuban’s “I will fight for you” (Spirit And Truth Publishing) is a classic example of this. Or it could be the people’s song to the Lord too like “We will ride” (Andy Park, Mercy Vineyard publishing).
It’s good to practice this gift in personal Worship to know what kind of melodies or musical keys you are comfortable in. When on stage and the Lord inspires spontaneous Worship, you don’t want to be caught singing off-key!
So how do I know if it’s inspired by the Spirit of God or a spirit of performance? Well, if it inspires the people to deeper worship or helps them to draw closer to God, then it’s definitely a move of the Holy Spirit. Else, it’s a move of the performance spirit and it will only take the focus away from God and instead draw attention to me and the worship gets lost somewhere in between!
The important thing to remember is that spontaneity is not just a technique – it has to come from the heart (and people can usually tell when it is or isn't from the heart!) to inspire someone else to join in and celebrate the Lord with me.
Can you share your tips to bring in spontaneity into a worship service?
