Our Many Hats

I stumbled upon this short story on the Internet the other day. It somewhat moved within my heart to share it. It was a story about a mother who was also a worship leader in the local church. She admitted that she woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was feeling “blegh” ever since. As the night came, and as she was about to step on stage to lead worship, she mumbled this under her breath, “Okay, mum’s hat off, worship’s hat on.” The elder of the church overheard her and lean over saying, “The problem is that worship hat should have never came off in the first place.”

When I first read that story, I began to reflect upon my life and my heart and began to wonder whether or not have I fallen victim to that scenario. Throughout our Christian lives, we sometimes do that without even realizing it. We put on our “leaders” hat when it is time for us to lead our cell group. We put on our “preaching” hat when it is time for us to speak behind the pulpit. We put on our “worship” hat, when it is time for us to lead worship.

But in fact, those hats should have never came off in the first place. Why? This is because live our lives as leaders. We live our lives as preachers of the Word, proclaiming His love. We live our lives as worshippers, adoring our Creator.

I think the elder of the church couldn’t have said it more clearly, that those hats that we wear in church should have never came off in the first place. 

So, how are we living our lives from Monday to Saturday, the days we spend outside of church?


- Josh

Grace for Serving the Lord Acceptably

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. (Hebrews 12:28)

We who follow Jesus dwell in a unique kingdom, the kingdom of God. "For our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). In order to serve the Lord acceptably, we must learn to serve in a unique, heavenly manner-by grace.

We all began in a different kingdom than the Lord's. We were under the powerful influence of spiritual darkness. We existed in a realm devoid of true love. Then, our great God rescued us, bringing us into a kingdom of light and love: "giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He hasdelivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Colossians 1:12-13). Furthermore, in that former kingdom, we were easily threatened by every manner of instability. Our lives were built upon the sand of philosophical speculations and human inadequacies. Now we are in "a kingdom whichcannot be shaken." We entered this kingdom by the rock solid provision of grace, and we stand in this same grace today: "justified freely by His grace…we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Rom 3:24; 5:2). When circumstances change, we need not be shaken. Our King and His grace are constantly available and always sufficient."Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

When we received the King as our Lord and Savior (see John 1:12), the full resources of His kingdom became our portion forever. God "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Yet, in a profound sense, we are still receiving His kingdom. "We are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken."This process of receiving involves the daily appropriation of His kingdom provisions, by faith. The provision of grace is especially strategic, since this is how we serve God acceptably. "Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably." We are called to serve our King. We cannot serve Him by merely attempting to do the best we can. That would be law performance, energized by the flesh. We need to have grace as our empowering resource, just as the early church had. "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all"(Acts 4:33). Desiring to minister by grace allows our service to flow forth acceptably as worship unto the Lord: "with reverence and godly fear."