Divine Virtues of Music Leaders

When the gospel of Jesus Christ is embraced by a music leader (e.g., worship leader), the union produces a culture marked by the fruit of the gospel. As such, all music leaders that have come to know the grace of God should prioritize and pursue those qualities that are in keeping with the message of grace: humility, joy, gratitude, encouragement, generosity, servanthood, and godliness.

No one perfectly demonstrates these qualities. Yet, we believe that those who serve on the front lines of praise and worship of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ should press forward toward a fuller expression of these virtues in their public and private lives. We understand that it is God alone who graciously creates and grows these qualities in His children, and He has promised to bring to completion every good work He has begun in us.

It is our prayer that, as you labor to keep Jesus Christ at the center of all your activities in music, praise, and worship, these divine virtues will be present and increase within the arenas you touch for generations to come.

1. Humility
   The Lord promises to bless the one “who is humble and contrite in spirit” (Isa. 66:2). Humility is an accurate view of the God shown us in Christ and ourselves. It is foundational to all other virtues because, without humility, we will experience neither the desire nor the grace necessary to cultivate these divine virtues. The gospel humbles us as we come to grasp that “by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). This humility before God prompts humility toward others. In keeping with Jesus’ example, we are commanded, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but, in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).
   
   
2. Joy
   The gospel is “good news of great joy…for all people” (Luk. 2:10). As believers hear and embrace the good news of salvation by grace alone, the natural response is to rejoice. In the gospel, God gives us Himself and. ‘in His presence, there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore’ (Psa. 16:11). Music leaders, therefore, abide in the commandment to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4) because their relationship and union with Christ is a source of joy that can’t be touched by any circumstance in life. These know that, even in suffering and sorrows, we can rejoice knowing “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). It is this kind of joy that must protrude all musical forms of praise and worship, and be a sought after contagion in corporate and private expressions of faith.
   
   
3. Gratitude
   All we receive in union with Christ MUST be accepted as benefits and gifts undeserved. And, in response, knowledge of God’s generous grace toward us MUST produce abounding gratitude toward Him that “give[s] thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart” (Psa. 86:12). Such a thankful heart is cultivated the more we remember, understand, and appreciate all the ways the Lord has blessed us in the gospel, through his common grace toward us, and by the means He “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Ti. 6:17). We MUST also be grateful for those God has presented to us to serve, encourage, and provide for our journey of faith: “We give thanks to God always for all of you” (1 The. 1:2). Thus, those involved in the ministries of music must serve Jesus Christ through a community of gratitude, giving thanks to God in everything we do, sing, elevate, and praise: “And whatever you do, in words or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17).   
   
   
4. Encouragement
   God is “the God of… encouragement” (Rom. 15:5) who strengthens and sustains his people through the ministry of encouragement. Encouragement is the means God uses to fortify us to live in the light of what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8). And, it is through Christ that we have been given all the precious promises of God, and a treasure trove of encouraging truth. So, the emphasis of encouragement in Scripture falls upon the those who lead praise and worship through music to personally recognize the privilege, joy, and responsibility we have to discover and point out evidences of God’s grace in lives of others, reminding them of the truth to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 The. 5:11); and, “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb. 10:24).   
   
   
5. Generosity
   The gospel of Jesus Christ is an act of cosmic generosity. The cross is the pulpit of God’s love and the overflow of his grace and mercy to undeserving sinners. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jhn. 3:16). The demonstration of divine generosity continues because, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). Thus, as beneficiaries of such divine generosity, we now have every motivation and the fullness of all grace to be equally generous with our time, money and talents for God through Christ on behalf of God’s people. For we know ‘all things belong to God, the giver of every good and perfect gift’ (Jas. 1:7). We therefore give joyfully and freely, knowing “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Co. 9:7) who gives as we have been given.
     
6. Servanthood
   The gospel saves us into a life of service first to God and then, as an expression of that service, to others. “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Co. 4:5). Jesus, our faithful Lord and Shepherd, defines service as true greatness: “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (Mar. 10:43-44). The level and degree of our service was demonstrated to all mankind through the laying down of Christ’s life for ours, while sinners: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mar. 10:45). In innocent servanthood to God the Father, therefore, Jesus asks those who wish to follow after Him to follow His example to serve not simply “in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 Jn. 3:18), in love and care for one another in practical ways (Rom. 12:13; Gal. 6:2). And, in this servanthood, the Holy Spirit is given to empower us for a life of service by distributing gifts to every Christian: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Pe. 4:10).
   
   
7. Godliness
   In justification, God has declared each of us, as sinners, to be made righteous through faith in the finished work of Christ and has done so “by his grace as a gift” (Rom. 3:24). Thus, those who are freely saved through the gospel are also called, empowered, and motivated to live a life that reflects and pleases God through Christ. Motivated by a desire to please and honor our Lord, believers in Christ MUST strive after holiness (Heb. 12:14) and be doers of the word (Jas. 1:22). We MUST put to death the sins we recognize in our daily lives (Col. 3:5), and live out our faith in all we do, and through all people we meet, for God alone (Col. 3:17). In so doing, our lives testify to the goodness of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Further, compelled by His grace, believers in Christ MUST grow in the knowledge of God, obey Christ’s commands, walk by the Spirit alone, mortify sin, and pursue God’s priorities and purposes (Mar. 12:30-31; 1 Co. 10:31; 1 Jn. 5:2-3). Such a pursuit results in godliness that progressively increases in the believer’s life.