Lift The Groom
When I was around 16 or 17, our local church worship team started to get invited to other churches and events to sing and lead worship. As a teen, I was having a blast and was just coming into my own as a vocalist and musician and our hard work and talent was being noticed around the church body in Puerto Rico. I’d love to say that we remained totally humble during the process, but in all honesty, I think we started to get a bit full of ourselves. Not in a malevolent way, but just enough that God had to knock us down a few pegs, and the way He went about it is still engraved in my memory.
It was a Sunday morning, and we had led worship as usual. I don’t remember too much about what we sang or how it felt in the room as we sang but suffice it to say, apparently it wasn’t memorable (doesn’t necessarily mean it was bad but it is worth noting for the story). My pastor at the time, a man I honor and esteem till this day, Bishop Hector Figueroa, asked one of the church mothers, a bit impromptu, to sing a song before his sermon. That was back in the day when you could still ask someone on the spot to sing a special song if needed! (I jest!) This church mother did not hesitate and said, “Yes, Pastor!” Now, two things were going to be true whenever Sis. Julia was asked to sing:
As a musician, this made life easy. We already knew what song she was going to sing and what key she would choose, and if we had to find the key, it wouldn’t take long because she sang well and on key. That day, however, things took an unexpected turn. Mother Julia began to sing the expected song, and the congregation began singing along as well. The piano player started looking to see what key the song was in and I noticed he was having trouble. I pride myself in having a pretty good ear, so I began trying to find the key on the bass which I was playing that day. When I tell you we tried every single one of those 88 keys on the piano (they repeat themselves anyway) and we could not find the key. She was singing on key through. It was like if God gave her a different key not found in our human frequencies. After a while, we stopped trying to accompany her and she kept singing, undeterred, focused on worshipping her God. As she and the congregation sang A Capella, the presence of God began to fill the church, a heavy and weighty manifestation of the Holy Spirit that was palpable. The worship team went from feeling embarrassed for not being able to find the key to falling prostrate before the Lord. In that holy moment, I felt the Holy Spirit clearly show me that this was a teaching moment. He said, “I want to use you, but I don’t NEED you to bring forth my presence and bless my people.” I have never forgotten that moment. I truly believe that God did not let us find the key she was singing on that day to show us Who is truly in charge and Who deserves all the glory, not in a mean way or shaming way. I felt the parental tough love of the Father who knew I would be leading worship many more times in my future and was like “We need to get this right now before you do damage to yourself and others.” Similar to when Peter had to be taught that if he was going to last long in the kingdom and be the minister Jesus was calling him to be, he was going to have to learn to serve i.e. letting Jesus wash his feet.
John the Baptist is a great role model for anyone in a leadership and people-facing position. He was very clear on who he was, and who he was not. John 3:28-30 ESV shows John’s clarity on the issue of who gets the glory: 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”[j]
It makes no sense for the best man to try to woo the bride (the church) and bring her attention to him when it should be placed on the groom (Jesus). As a worship leader, as a pastor, I am NOT the groom! I am just the friend of the groom and as such my job is to hype up the groom in the eyes of the bride. I am not going to tell or try to show the bride how good I am but do everything possible to bring to her attention how amazing, how wonderful, and how glorious Jesus is! John said it brought him joy to know the bride was encountering the bridegroom and when that happens, WE DISAPPEAR (as it should be). It’s when we see people in leadership make it all about themselves, and have the bride fall in love with the best man instead of the groom that we see churches where they follow the pastor but not necessarily Jesus.
Church, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the ONLY author and perfecter of our faith. We thank God for and celebrate our leadership, but we don’t worship them. Those in leadership, we thank God for the privilege of being able to serve God’s people as we remember that He wants to use us, but He does not NEED us to do what He wants to do. Let us walk humbly in that fact and rejoice as we partner with God to bring His bride closer to Him. God bless you!
In Christ,
Pastor Javier Batista
It was a Sunday morning, and we had led worship as usual. I don’t remember too much about what we sang or how it felt in the room as we sang but suffice it to say, apparently it wasn’t memorable (doesn’t necessarily mean it was bad but it is worth noting for the story). My pastor at the time, a man I honor and esteem till this day, Bishop Hector Figueroa, asked one of the church mothers, a bit impromptu, to sing a song before his sermon. That was back in the day when you could still ask someone on the spot to sing a special song if needed! (I jest!) This church mother did not hesitate and said, “Yes, Pastor!” Now, two things were going to be true whenever Sis. Julia was asked to sing:
- She was going to sing on key.
- She was going to sing the same song every time.
As a musician, this made life easy. We already knew what song she was going to sing and what key she would choose, and if we had to find the key, it wouldn’t take long because she sang well and on key. That day, however, things took an unexpected turn. Mother Julia began to sing the expected song, and the congregation began singing along as well. The piano player started looking to see what key the song was in and I noticed he was having trouble. I pride myself in having a pretty good ear, so I began trying to find the key on the bass which I was playing that day. When I tell you we tried every single one of those 88 keys on the piano (they repeat themselves anyway) and we could not find the key. She was singing on key through. It was like if God gave her a different key not found in our human frequencies. After a while, we stopped trying to accompany her and she kept singing, undeterred, focused on worshipping her God. As she and the congregation sang A Capella, the presence of God began to fill the church, a heavy and weighty manifestation of the Holy Spirit that was palpable. The worship team went from feeling embarrassed for not being able to find the key to falling prostrate before the Lord. In that holy moment, I felt the Holy Spirit clearly show me that this was a teaching moment. He said, “I want to use you, but I don’t NEED you to bring forth my presence and bless my people.” I have never forgotten that moment. I truly believe that God did not let us find the key she was singing on that day to show us Who is truly in charge and Who deserves all the glory, not in a mean way or shaming way. I felt the parental tough love of the Father who knew I would be leading worship many more times in my future and was like “We need to get this right now before you do damage to yourself and others.” Similar to when Peter had to be taught that if he was going to last long in the kingdom and be the minister Jesus was calling him to be, he was going to have to learn to serve i.e. letting Jesus wash his feet.
John the Baptist is a great role model for anyone in a leadership and people-facing position. He was very clear on who he was, and who he was not. John 3:28-30 ESV shows John’s clarity on the issue of who gets the glory: 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”[j]
It makes no sense for the best man to try to woo the bride (the church) and bring her attention to him when it should be placed on the groom (Jesus). As a worship leader, as a pastor, I am NOT the groom! I am just the friend of the groom and as such my job is to hype up the groom in the eyes of the bride. I am not going to tell or try to show the bride how good I am but do everything possible to bring to her attention how amazing, how wonderful, and how glorious Jesus is! John said it brought him joy to know the bride was encountering the bridegroom and when that happens, WE DISAPPEAR (as it should be). It’s when we see people in leadership make it all about themselves, and have the bride fall in love with the best man instead of the groom that we see churches where they follow the pastor but not necessarily Jesus.
Church, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the ONLY author and perfecter of our faith. We thank God for and celebrate our leadership, but we don’t worship them. Those in leadership, we thank God for the privilege of being able to serve God’s people as we remember that He wants to use us, but He does not NEED us to do what He wants to do. Let us walk humbly in that fact and rejoice as we partner with God to bring His bride closer to Him. God bless you!
In Christ,
Pastor Javier Batista
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