Unbridled Worship of the One Who Matters - Matthew's Story

Matt Lim grew up in a Christian home, but it wasn't until he entered high school that he developed his personal passion for Christ. He had always known his parents believed, but his faith became his own during those teen years. Matt attended both Middle School and High School youth group at Ventura Missionary, and late in his senior year he began to serve on the Tech Team for Student Ministries. As a freshman in college, he began to play bass guitar for youth group as well.

Matt has been influenced by pastors and worship leaders at Ventura Missionary who each championed a similar message: the more we realize what God has done for us, the deeper our worship will be.  Matt has experienced the reality of that truth. He says, "It's hard to worship someone that you're not close to, so how can you be ready to worship God if you're not praying and connecting with Him?"

Matt now serves as one of our Youth Interns.  He says that it is so rewarding to watch the students put into action the spiritual things they have been learning through opportunities that Ventura Missionary offers. He says, "It's so neat to see the students actually becoming closer to Christ." And he says it's a two-way street. He learns from them, too.

Matt continues to play bass, not only at youth group, but sometimes during services on Sunday mornings. As part of his role, Matt and fellow intern, Grace Tyner, facilitate the Youth Prayer and Worship nights. Together they determine a theme, choose worship songs that reflect the theme and are meaningful to them. They engage a gifted team of students to help them create prayer stations where our students can connect with God in a stirring worship environment.

As Matt has become more involved in ministry and has continued to go deeper with God, he has learned so much, especially in the last couple of years. He considers himself to be impatient, and yet lately he has been able to wait on God's timing. He trusts God more and more, realizing that He is the One with the best plan. Matt has also been struck lately by the fact that we don't hesitate to go to concerts and cheer and raise our hands with uninhibited enthusiasm for a human singing a song, and yet we fail to have the same excitement and response toward the One who created that human being, not to mention the rest of the universe. If you spend any time with Matt, it is clear that his love for God and passion to worship Him are genuine and unbridled. But the, King David danced with undignified praise before the Lord. Why not worship like a king?!