“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”
— Acts 9:31 (NKJV)
Learning to Notice What God Is Doing in His Church
If you have served in worship ministry for very long, you know how easy it is to focus on what still needs to be done. There is another worship service to prepare. Another rehearsal to lead. Another musician to encourage. Another problem to solve. Another conversation that needs to take place. Another Sunday coming. And sometimes, in the process of continually looking ahead “to yet another Sunday,” we forget to stop long enough to look around and recognize what God has already done.
Acts 9:31 has become one of those verses that reminds me to stop and pay attention. The early chapters of Acts have been filled with movement, opposition, persecution, miracles, conversions, and remarkable demonstrations of the power of God. Stephen has been martyred. Believers have been scattered. Philip has carried the Gospel into Samaria. Saul, once the great persecutor of the Church, has encountered Jesus Christ and become a follower of the very One he had opposed.
Then Luke pauses.
Almost as though he is inviting us to catch our breath, he looks across the churches in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria and gives us this beautiful summary: The churches had peace. They were being built up. They were walking with God. They were experiencing the comfort of the Holy Spirit. And they were multiplying.
God was at work. And that was reason to rejoice. I wonder if those of us who lead worship sometimes need to learn to do the same thing:
Rejoice in Seasons of Peace
Luke, the writer of ACTS, tells us first that “the churches...had peace.”
For a season, the persecution subsided. Warren Wiersbe paints a wonderful picture of the Church during this period. He says they used the opportunity to repair and strengthen their sails before the next storm came.
I love that picture. The Early Church obviously knew something about storms. More would come. But when God gave them a season of peace, they didn't waste it. Neither should we.
Worship pastors understand ministry storms. There are seasons when almost everything seems difficult. Staff transitions. Church conflict. Family struggles. Health concerns. Disagreements about worship preferences. People we love leaving the church. Musicians who need shepherding. Sundays when nothing seems to go as planned.
But there are also seasons when God graciously gives us peace. When He does, enjoy it. Thank Him for it. And use it well. Take the opportunity and make the time to strengthen relationships. Invest in your team. Spend quality time with your pastor. Disciple your musicians. Pray together. Teach your people why they worship. Prepare spiritually for whatever God may bring next.
Peace is not an invitation to complacency. Peace is an opportunity for preparation.
And sometimes, worship itself is simply stopping long enough to say, “Lord, thank You. You have been so good to us.”
Rejoice in Spiritual Maturity
Luke then tells us that the churches “were edified.” They were being built up. Something deeper was happening than numerical growth. God was strengthening His people. I really like what Luke says next. He describes them as “walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.”
What a beautiful picture of a healthy church. Reverence for God and reliance upon the Spirit. The fear of the Lord kept them faithful. The comfort of the Holy Spirit kept them encouraged.
Worship pastor, don't miss this. It is easy to measure the things we can see. Attendance. Participation. How many people are on the platform. How many songs were learned. How many services were conducted. How many people responded.
Those things may tell us something. But they don't tell us everything. Some of God's greatest work happens where statistics cannot reach:
The choir member who is becoming more like Jesus; The teenager who is beginning to understand that worship is more than music; The instrumentalist who has learned to serve rather than perform; The family that has remained faithful through suffering; The volunteer who has discovered the joy of using his or her gifts for Christ; And the worship team that has learned the joy of rehearsing and praying together.
Fellow worship leader, THAT is growth. That is edification. That is God at work. And it is worth celebrating.
Sometimes the most important question after a season of ministry is not, “How did we do?” Perhaps it is: “What is God doing in us?”
Rejoice in Kingdom Multiplication
Finally, the Bible tells us that the churches “were multiplied.” Notice the movement. There was peace. There was edification. There was a deepening walk with God. There was the comfort of the Holy Spirit. And there was multiplication. The Church was growing deeper and larger.
I find that order significant. The believers weren't manufacturing growth. They weren't building their own kingdoms. They were walking faithfully with Christ, depending upon the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the Gospel, and God was multiplying His Church. And notice where it was happening: Judea, Galilee, and Samaria.
Does that sound familiar? Jesus had told His disciples in Acts 1:8 that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and eventually to the ends of the earth. Now Luke pauses in Acts 9 and essentially says: Look! It is happening.
Jesus is doing exactly what He said He would do. That may be one of the most encouraging truths a worship pastor can remember.
Jesus is still building His Church.
We have a responsibility to prepare carefully, lead faithfully, shepherd lovingly, teach biblically, and serve wholeheartedly. But the Church belongs to Christ. The ministry belongs to Christ. The people belong to Christ. And ultimately, the results belong to Christ.
That truth takes an enormous burden off our shoulders. We don't have to manufacture what only God can produce. We simply need to stay faithful. Perhaps this week, before you begin planning the next service, solving the next problem, or preparing for the next rehearsal, take a few minutes and look around.
Where has God given your church peace? Where are people growing? Where is the Holy Spirit bringing comfort? Where are relationships becoming stronger? Where is someone becoming more like Jesus? Where is the Gospel advancing? Where is God multiplying the influence of your church in ways you may not have noticed? And then do what worshipers have always done when they recognize the activity of God.
Rejoice.
Give Him thanks. Tell your team what you see God doing. Celebrate His faithfulness. And give Jesus the glory that belongs to Him alone.
There will always be another Sunday. There will always be more ministry to do. There will always be something that could be improved. But don't become so preoccupied with what still needs to happen that you miss what God has already done and is presently doing.
Acts 9:31 reminds us to stop occasionally, look across the landscape of our ministry, and recognize the unmistakable fingerprints of God's grace. The Church is His. The work is His. The glory is His. And what a privilege that He allows us to participate in what He is doing.
So faithfully do your part, worship pastor. Then trust Christ to build, strengthen, and multiply His Church.
And whenever you see Him doing it, don't forget to stop and rejoice.
