Scott Box
The Foundation For Jesus’ Heroic Worship:
I always take my pills. I exercise, eat right and see my therapist. But understanding and practicing Jesus’ form of Christian worship—what I call heroic worship—has become the single greatest tool in my regular battle to maintain health and manage my Bipolar disorder. The H.E.R.O. tool has provided me with years of success, not perfection, but consistent success (Look below for the H.E.R.O. tool).
As I studied the Gospels, I recognized that Jesus’ definition and regular worship practice weren’t based on music like my understanding of worship—and I was a professional worship leader. Instead, Jesus’ model of worship involved service and being laid bare before God from the deepest part of Himself, His spirit. So, for someone like me, someone who was dealing with mental sickness, I felt like I was always “laid bare”…or hiding. Regardless, I was looking for tools to help me manage my Bipolar disorder and live a healthy life. So, Jesus’ understanding and practice of worship made sense for me to try:
“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”—John 4:23-24 MSG
Jesus lived His life in desperation for God, His Father. The heroic spirit inside Jesus desperately desired to serve His Father (see scripture above). Every. Single. Moment. Jesus was dedicated to living, speaking and restoring God’s truth and relationship to humanity. Jesus wanted to bring salvation and new life to all men and women. Today, as I regularly reflect on Jesus’ form of worship, I am massively humbled but inspired to live heroic as He is heroic—to worship as He worships. Every day, I try to regularly integrate Jesus’ heroic worship into my way of life (Again, feel free to peek ahead at the H.E.R.O. tool).
The Foundation For the H.E.R.O. Tool:
Jesus viewed Himself as the Great Hero, the perfect human, and God’s Son, the Messiah. He lived with the perspective that He was solving the human problem of sin and separation from God the Father. These two things were the foundation of His heroism. But Jesus also had an utterly desperate dependence and expectation on God the Father and God the Spirit—This was His moment-by-moment practice of worship. These three qualities are part of what shape God’s eternal ideal for achieving worship. Jesus, the Great Hero, was my/our model and exact icon of worship. In other words, Jesus Christ modeled perfect worship—heroic worship—and Heroic worship is the foundation of the H.E.R.O. tool.
As I was learning to manage my Bipolar disorder, Jesus and His heroic worship became a life-altering tool for me. Jesus’ heroic worship of His Father became the language I used to help distinguish Jesus’ form of worship from the confusing and often contradictory forms of worship that surround me in my life and even in the Church. Jesus’ heroic worship has helped me dedicate myself to living the lifestyle Jesus lived so I might tell a heroic story with my life, a story a bit like Jesus’.
” I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. “—Galatians 2:20 NASB2020
What I am saying is that Jesus’ heroic worship has expanded the spectacular mystery of worship to include “living my worship” rather than just “singing my worship.” On top of that incredible revelation, heroic worship also created a handle for me to grab for emotional stability. It helped me gain clarity in my journey of faith in Jesus and the management of my mental health. It has helped every time I have pulled it out of my tool belt.
Here’s a brief introduction to the H.E.R.O. tool I developed based on Jesus’ worship in the Gospels.
To Start Shaping a Heroic Story—Use the H.E.R.O. Tool:
H—hope
E—expect
R—rest
O—obey
Hope, expectation, rest and obedience are four of the most significant qualities I observed in Jesus’ regular operation throughout the Gospels. He was always hopeful and expectant that God’s will would be done. He was almost always at rest in His spirit or stepping aside to rest, and He always obeyed His Father. Heroism defined Jesus’ story, His mission, and His life of worship.
So, is H.E.R.O. way too convenient? Yes. Grin. And that’s the reason it’s so powerful. The H.E.R.O. tool is a portable and memorable device for calling upon Jesus when the “stuff hits the fan” and chaos abounds in my life. It’s the primary “hammer” I use to adjust my heart, mind, and soul to things that remind me of Jesus’ promise of my salvation. The H.E.R.O. tool, based on Jesus’ heroic model of worship, keeps my spirit grounded to the truth—to Him—instead of getting regularly upended by the idols I am tempted to bow down to or some other person’s strong opinions or preferences about “worship.” Ultimately, it was Jesus’ H.E.R.O. focus that kept his humanity from bowing down to the temptations of Satan from the very beginning of His ministry. I longed for Jesus’ kind of control in my life. I eventually realized I wanted Him to take control.
Jesus’ heroic worship has given me guardrails to keep me focused on my relationship with Him and regularly leaning toward health. Furthermore, heroic worship protects me from selfishness, ignorance, or superstition—All these things have led me to false worship, fear, and hopelessness—But no more. Most of all, Jesus’ heroic worship keeps my attention on others rather than my selfishness. And for a selfish guy like me who also manages Bipolar disorder, well, uncovering a tool like H.E.R.O. feels a bit like a miracle every day.
I welcome any other selfish or broken person to discover the H.E.R.O. tool, too—And aren’t we all selfish and broken? Regardless of your “issues,” let’s become heroic like Jesus is heroic. Take the next day, week or month, and run your thoughts and prayers through Jesus’ heroic lens: hope, expect, rest, obey. Also, never stop taking your medication.
Let’s become healthy together, hero.
Scott and Kariann Box live in Redmond, Oregon. Scott serves as Pastor of Development at Shiloh Ranch Church and has been a worship leader for over twenty-five years. Kariann works as a Realtor in Central Oregon and supports Scott’s…creative spirit. They have two children, a one-hundred-pound Labradoodle and a four-pound Shih Tzu without teeth. Scott is the author of HEROIC DISGRACE: Order out of chaos. Hope out of fear. ― A Worship Hero Story