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Chapter 1: The Calling to Come Out

And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at
the foot of the mountain.
Exodus 19:17

Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God. If there is any singular verse representing the purpose of a worship leader or music minister, this is it. As I was reading through Exodus and Mark, the Lord began to reveal to me how important it is to both personally and corporately set aside time to worship God. Reflecting upon the revelation of the scripture, the philosophy of ministry that I have come to embrace became solidified in my mind and reinforced as a principle.


So you’re called to lead worship; but what is your purpose as a leader? Who are you to lead, how are you to lead, and where are you to lead them? These are all questions that you need to contemplate and answer. We see from the teachings of the Bible that the purpose of any leader in the Kingdom of God is to cause the people to turn and walk more closely with the Lord. In Exodus 19:17, Moses demonstrates this principle: we are to take people out of the camp and bring them into the very presence of the Lord.

The camp is society, even our church culture, full of the goings on of people and their plans. Although the church society’s purpose is to minister and equip, it can still be full of distractions. The world system, Egypt, has a tri-fold approach to conform us into its pattern by taking advantage of our weaknesses. That is, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). This is why submission to God’s plans is crucial; we need to come out of this world system. Yes, we have to be transferred from the kingdom ofdarkness into the Kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13); however, we have to choose to make this our reality on a daily basis. The Lord has always called us to come out. First we are to come out of the world, Egypt, then we are to come away from our peers to be alone with Him. He has desired to have a people set apart for Himself-for His purposes.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own
special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light;
1Peter 2:9

The Greek word for church, ekklesia (Strong’s #1577) is defined as “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.” The church is comprised of the called-out ones. In fact, Romans 12:2 warns us to not be conformed to the pattern of this world. The Bible tells us that the god of this world blinds people’s minds from seeing the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Before worship can occur, we have to individually make the choice to leave the world and to go outside of the camp. This is the aspect of the Christian that makes us peculiar, different, and strange in the world’s eyes. The beauty of worship and the privilege that is given to one who leads worship is the ability to reach out your hand and say to the congregation, “Hey! I’ve been with the Lord and it’s been great. Why don’t you come and join me?” You have the awesome responsibility to give the people a taste of Christ so that they, in turn, would choose to leave the camp and meet with God.