What should the ministry of Worship and Creative arts at Oakwood Baptist Church look like?
It is the desire of the Worship and Creative Arts Ministry to be a ministry of praise. Our goal is to offer to God, a life of worship that is pleasing to Him in every way.
Praise is a powerful force. Praise is not merely the singing of songs or an emotional experience, but rater the heart that overflows into expressing its joy and confidence in God.
True biblical praise originates in the believer's heart, not on his lips. This kind of praise gets God's attention. The family of God at Oakwood desires nothing more than to praise from our hearts. The Bible tells us that God is present, inhabiting the very praises we express and we desire to be in His presence.
We also know that praise can free us from the prison cell of despair. Isaiah 61:3 (NKJV) tells us that we can exchange a "spirit of heaviness" for the "garment of praise."
Do you ever feel heavy, sometimes with no reason? Praise is a guard against the despair that can overtake our hearts. The key is… praising God regardless of the circumstances.
David did this in Psalm 13. Despite the hopelessness he felt in his circumstances, he chose to praise God for His love, deliverance, and goodness. All these he rejoiced in with no outward sign of God's relief in sight. By the end of the psalm, we find David joyfully singing the praises of God-again with no deliverance evident around him.
Praising God only in good times, and then complaining in hard times, shows that we know very little of God's sovereignty.
Therefore, it is the mission of the Worship & Creative Arts ministry at Oakwood Baptist Church to foster into the hearts of all believers, this understanding of praise. We desire to lead by example in every aspect of this ministry, making sure that our praise is heartfelt, joyful, and ceaseless.
We desire to model a heart of praise before everyone we meet. We hope that our very lives are a sacrifice of praise and that we live out a lifestyle of worship. In His presence, Christ Jesus takes center stage and is the very focus of our praise. We desire no glory or the praise of man, but we hope that in all we do, Christ is edified and exalted.
