For thousands of years God's people had little choice concerning the style of worship they would engage in. For the most part they had two choices, attend the only place in town that worships the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or seek after pagan gods. When the early church became established, after the day of Pentecost, there were three choices the synagogue, pagan temples, or the only church in town that worships Jesus Christ.

Since then a multitude of churches have erupted and with them different worship styles, liturgies, traditions, and emphasis. Each of these churches developed their own rituals. Some adopted a rigid format and others a more spontaneous style of worship. Whichever style a church adopts you can be sure they will follow the same pattern week after week. The problem with all of this diversity is that we must decide which church to attend. By choosing, we limit our options and loose out on what is going on down the street. Our only other choice is to jump from church to church for the rest of our lives. However, we would never learn commitment and we would be of very little use to the churches in our communities.

Grass, as we know, is always greener on the other side. The result of all of the various worship greenery is dissatisfied and unstable Christians. The church becomes increasingly sterile spiritually because we have failed to understand the most basic of all spiritual lessons concerning worship. We must discover again who the worship leader is.

Contrary to popular belief the man waving his hands and arms in time with the music with an unending smile is not our worship leader. Neither is the highly polished Las Vegas quartet who is backed up by an orchestra and a very sophisticated PA system. Nor is the robed gentleman with somber face and demeanor who reenacts the religious rites from antiquity.

At best these men and women are but living icons directing the church to focus it's attention upon the true and only worship leader, God the Holy Spirit. Clearly worship is a process that demands the fingerprint of God if it is to be valid.

Except for the working of the Holy Spirit God's people would not be able to worship. Jesus spoke to the Samaritan women at the well and told her that we must worship in Spirit and in truth. To do this we must first be convicted of our sin, drawn to the Father through Jesus Christ His one and only son, sanctified for service, instructed in Godliness, and interceded for through powerful effectual prayers. All these events are the work of the Holy Spirit.

Holy men of old moved by and inspired by the Holy Spirit penned the words that are our Bible. This, however, was not sufficient for we are not able to understand the spiritual aspects of God unless the Holy Spirit first illumine our hearts and minds. As we study Psalm One Hundred we must do so with the realization that God's Spirit inspired this Psalm, is teaching us through this Psalm, and expects us to respond obediently to His Word. He must speak to us and we must listen if we are to learn.

Jesus said that the Spirit will teach us all things, and that includes how to maximize our worship experience in whatever church He has called us to serve in. Christ's Spirit will also enable us to maximize our worship of the Father no matter what the current style of service may be. As you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in your times of worship you will discover that any style, music, or ritual under His control will become for you a time of maximum worship.

It is time for God's people to FOLLOW THE LEADER