Who Is the most successful Worship Leader?

When I'm on the road, so often I hear the same type of sentiment from the worship leaders at the churches I visit: "I want to do what you do. How do you get out and get noticed?" Harmless perhaps in and of itself. But after so many such questions it has made me wonder... Why do so many people feel the need to travel and "be noticed"? What drives this compulsion for 'bigger' and 'better'?

I think it may be derived from our human misguided notions of what it takes to be great. We live in a world that measures greatness with human accolades. Who's name is on everyone's tongue? Who won at the Dove Awards? Who's songs are getting sung in churches, topping the CCLI charts, and selling records? We forget that our earthly benchmarks of what SUCCESS is are man-made and have ZERO heavenly or eternal value. We make the mistake of buying into the hierarchy and measuring ourselves and each other by those standards, when really God is simply measuring us by one standard; Obedience. He asks, "Are you doing what I told you to do?" "Are you being faithful with what I gave you where I placed you?"

Simple and plain: The truth is Chris Tomlin will receive no more heavenly reward for having the most songs in the top 100 on CCLI and leading thousands than "Joe hometown worship leader" who no one knows exists. Chris Tomlin will be rewarded in heaven based on whether or not he was obedient to what God told him to do. So will "Joe". We often forget that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. Chris's obedience and "Joe's" obedience are equally applauded by our God.

If you are "Joe" leading worship in your church you need to understand God does not value you the way the world might. God's hierarchy is most often upside down from ours. He uses the weak and foolish things to shame the strong and wise. He values the humble and the least and He says one day they will be first. You need to understand that the role you play in your obedience is VITAL and NOT LESS than the one who leads from the glow of 12 focused beams of intelligent lighting. HE knows your name, and HE is so proud of you. Take a breath and take that in.

If you are intended by God for a few beams of intelligent lighting too then He'll bring you there without your help. Keep surrendering your dreams and gifts to Him and if that's where He's leading you He'll keep bringing it back to you. Just stay surrendered along the way and you'll be in good shape. Jesus said The Father is searching for worshippers. If you're being obedient to Him where He placed you, you are already a worship superstar in His eyes. If we can learn to get our validation directly from Him and not through the human hierarchy we can be content and fulfilled to serve in the space God places us - big or small.