In Psalm 96:8-9 it says: “Give unto the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.”
Well, how do we enter into His courts? Psalm 100:4 answers that question: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”
When a worship leader sees a congregation that is not focused on the Lord and respecting the holiness that comes with worshiping Him, it is their responsibility to correct the people lovingly.
In a video uploaded recently to YouTube, that is exactly what worship leader Dr. Ron Kenoly does.
As Kenoly leads the congregation in worship, he notices behavior that is due for correction. How he does this is an example to all Christians, including those in positions of leadership and authority, about being submissive and yet authoritative at the same time by asking the pastor of the church for permission before moving forward and stopping the worship in its tracks.
“Pastor, how much authority do I have?” Kenoly respectfully asks. After being given the greenlight that he has the authority, Kenoly explains why the worship must stop.
“One of the things that bothers me the most is that when I am trying to get intimate with God and somebody’s taking pictures of me,” Kenoly explains.
This action, which may be done in innocence and ignorance, takes the focus of worship off God, and places it onto the person being recorded.
“I want to get something clear: I am not an artiste. I am a worship leader. And my goal, my only goal, my only gift…was to teach you how to worship Him properly,” Kenoly explains.
Continuing to make his point clear as to the honor and reverence God is supposed to be shown, Kenoly explains the proper way to address a king and how to act in front of one, but not just any king, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
“Now the Bible tells us the appropriate behavior when we experience His manifest presence. And it says it right here in the song: ‘You deserve the glory, You deserve the honor.’ So, we lift our hands in worship. I don’t mind teaching you, because I [would] feel like I failed if I didn’t teach you,” Kenoly says.
All of this teaching, instruction and rebuke comes from one place in Kenoly’s heart: love.
“I am rebuking you because I love you,” Kenoly shares, who then proceeds to lead the congregation in pure, unadulterated worship of the Most High.
Taking the worship of the Lord seriously is a principle Christians must re-learn if they truly want to experience the manifest presence of God pouring out over their congregations, homes and communities.
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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
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