Pray Network Forum

A great controversy exists in the church at large today over how we “do” church. Should our worship cater to culture, or do we have a responsibility to remain counter-cultural? Is it acceptable to serve Starbucks and Krispy Kremes during a service or are we drinking disrespectfully? Are live worship bands and drums too noisy? Does God prefer doctrine-rich hymns? Before you pick a side, let’s agree (at least for the length of this article) not to judge, and to take a look at the real issues behind the controversy.

As a longtime Christian and more than an occasional worship leader, I have worshiped and served in denominations on both sides of the fence. I was raised a Presbyterian and worshiped God in a cathedral-style building. The choir numbered hundreds of voices, reverently singing hymns and anthems accompanied by a massive pipe organ. I have sung Negro spirituals with families in fundamental churches. I have had the pleasure of being part of a modern, up-and-coming worship team (yes, with drums!) in what is called, in popular leader Billy Hornsby’s terms, an “attractional” church. And I have taught schoolchildren in Africa to sing simple songs of praise to a God they were just getting to know. 

So who’s right? The answer is: nobody. We’re all got it wrong, and we will continue to have controversies until we find out what it is that God wants. Impossible? No, and it’s actually easier than we think!

The truth is that churches, like individuals, have callings, visions, and purposes in the Kingdom of God. A church in an inner-city slum area is going to have a different mission than the church on suburbia’s main street. Transient campus outreaches will worship differently from wealthy cathedrals. God’s mandate to go and make disciples didn’t include a “style” requirement; it did stress the importance of preaching the Word. We know from the Bible what God wants: He wants His Word to be preached to the ends of the earth through every available voice, instrument, church, and method. The “how” is largely up to us. The elements of a service, while controversial, are largely non-essential. When we focus on the things we don’t like, we sabotage the efforts of the community we are in to do the job they are called to do: preach the Gospel to this community, in this way, with these resources, at this time.

The real question is: where has God called you to be? Not whom has He called you to be, (you should of course know what your own gifts and callings are and be using them), but where has He called you to be spiritually? Discontent, if not discerned, leads to disagreement. When we find ourselves judging others’ methods, there are really only two possible causes: unforgiveness or vision. Both have to do with where we are, or our position in Christ. Let’s look at each of these separately.

Unforgiveness ultimately leads us into making judgments. The most important place God calls us to be is at peace with Him and others. But it’s not easy to stay there! When our superb vocal abilities have been pushed aside to make room for the hip, young worship leader the church just hired, we get offended. And if left to fester, this offense will take root and become bitterness. Once bitterness takes hold, the vine of discontent begins weaving its way out of our heart and mouth and into the congregation, where it poisons and divides. This division is of the enemy, and can only be stopped through the power of forgiveness, which is not just a decision of the heart, but also a spiritual location. Forgiving moves us from a place of opposition back to a place of right-standing with God and man. As the Christian band Point of Grace sings, “there’s a cross to bridge the great divide.”

Vision: We also know that our spiritual life is a journey, and there are times when God is making us discontent on purpose, like a mother bird trying to cause her baby to fly. It is rare that God will call us to leave a church (although if you are in a place that is abusive or not preaching the Gospel, then by all means get out quickly!). But as we mature, God often calls us to enter new seasons of growth with different visions and possibly a change of position or location. This change might be to something within your current church or to a different location altogether. If you are feeling discontent, take the time to pray and ask whether God is calling you to make a change.

Change doesn’t come easily; in fact, one of our funny expressions (“Get behind me or get out of my way!”) greatly resembles Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:23. Just before Gethsemane, Jesus began casting a new vision for his disciples: one that included violent suffering, death and resurrection. Peter disagreed and rebuked Jesus. This did not match his idea of what a new religious order should look like! Jesus, in effect, said to Peter, “Either get behind Me (My vision) or get out of the way.” Peter was in danger of yielding himself to Satan’s strategy. Thankfully, he repented and was restored to Christ’s purposes in the end. But this would not be the only time he struggled to follow his leader. We need to learn from Peter’s example and get into agreement with our leaders or get out of the way!

For Peter, it was a heart issue that kept him from serving God’s greater vision. We need to check regularly to be sure that we are truly on board with the church’s mission. If we are sowing discontent, God could be calling us to repentance, or He could be asking us to enter into a new season. This is the great thing about God: He’s not upset about the drums being too loud! But He is upset when we disagree with each other. And His heart is for each of us to serve Him to our full potential, not always in areas where we are most gifted or comfortable, but surely with His clear direction and support.

Is this the community you are called to serve at this time in this way? If so, cater to your church’s culture by extending mercy and forgiveness when things upset you. If not, then be counter-cultural! Find out what’s on God’s agenda and ask Him to lead you a place where you can serve wholeheartedly. It’s time to bridge the great divide.

Copyright: Deborah Perkins 2014. You can follow Deborah on Facebook at His Inscriptions for more related articles.

In the 15^th century, Martin Luther wanted to renew genuine worship. For centuries monks had kept the scriptures and sacred music locked away in monasteries. But after printing press put the Gutenberg bible back in the hands of the common man in the 1450’s, Luther worked to put worship back in the hands, and minds of the common man to fuel the revival that swept Europe. History says that Luther wrote new hymns to bar tunes and folk songs. His goal to implant the seed of God’s word deep in the hearts and minds of his listeners centered around these common melodies. He hoped that when men  went about their daily routines, the Holy Spirit could bring to mind eternal truth. Charles Wesley continued this approach when we wrote over 6000 songs for Christian worship on the 18^th century.

Between Luther and Wesley’s day, the Protestant Reformation gave birth to another explosive renewal in the arts. Symphonic composers like Handel, Beethoven and Mozart rose to the forefront of their craft, and many of their works were dedicated to the King of Kings, and Lords of Lords. Today, concert hall audiences still stand and sing along at the climax of Handel’s Messiah. Imagine pipe organs and orchestras performing the Halleluiah Chorus on stately cathedrals and vaulted concert halls throughout the last 3 centuries. Classic music in the 21^st century, Handel and Beethoven were contemporary musicians of the 16^th and 17^th century.

In the 20^th century, the Jesus movement and the charismatic outpouring that flowed across the American church gave birth to another revolution in contemporary music. Even though the traditional church was hesitant to change, today contemporary Christian music is on its way to becoming traditions for the 21^st century church.

Worship is never about the outer form, or style of music. Worship is about the heart of the worshipper. Whenever our hearts are more concerned about what is on the outside than the whole hearted devotion on the inside, we are in need of another revival. Real worship must be genuine, contemporary worshiper, heartfelt, and surrendered.

Looking into the scriptures, another idea is essential to genuine worship. Abraham stood at the foot of Mt Moriah. He’d waited for 25 years for his son Isaac, raised him for another 13, and now he’d traveled three days to a mountain’s name whose name means “God will see” to offer him, at God’s request, as a sacrafice.

Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. (Gen 22.5 KJV)

Abraham’s worship included:

• He was obeying God, without hesitation.
• He was going with the full intent of sacrificing his son.
• His faith and relationship with God was so deep, that he knew that Isaac was the son that God had promised.
• He intended to kill his son, not to please god, but to obey him
• He knew that he would also return with his son, because God is faithful to keep his promises.

Genuine worship, praise and prayer that changes our hearts and pleases God includes personal cost. Abraham learned the lesson by obeying God, and trusting him with the results. David also said that he wouldn’t offer a sacrifice that didn’t’ come at personal cost to himself, and he learned these hard lessons the same way – by what he did.

And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, "To buy the threshing floor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people. And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee. And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. (2 Sam 24.20-24 KJV)

Genuine praise, worship and prayer aren’t about how we feel. These essential pieces of a Christ-centered life aren’t about the environment around us, or the music we listen to. Genuine worship flows from a heart that’s surrendered to God, loves Him, gives up your rights voluntarily, obeys Him and follows wherever He leads.

I’m an action-oriented person. I like to make things happen and get things done.

God knows this about me, of course. But it doesn’t seem to influence Him much in the way He orders my life. For instance, God currently has me in another season of transition.  He’s moving me out of one thing and into another—but the problem is, He hasn’t let me know yet into what! I am eager to know “the next thing.” I’m ready for Him to give me my marching orders. I want to get started already! Time’s a wasting!

So I try to help Him out and hurry things up. I analyze. I research. I seek counsel. I strategize. And of course, I pray. I practically make a pest of myself, asking Him over and over again what He wants me to do.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that God is not in the big rush that I am. He reminded me of that again this morning when I was reading in Joshua 5. The Israelites had just crossed the Jordan River. The long-awaited Promised Land was finally in sight—it was theirs for the conquering. And conquer, Joshua was ready to do.

As you may recall, Joshua, was Moses’ successor, and the commander of Israel’s army. He was a man of action, a strategist, somebody who liked to rally the troops and get the job done. I like Joshua. He didn’t let grass grow under his feet.

So one day, as Joshua no doubt was planning his strategy to take over Canaan, he encountered a formidable stranger. A mysterious man stood in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.

Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”

“Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.”

At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said.

Then, Joshua said what any action-oriented person, get-things-done kind of person would say:

“What do you want your servant to do?”

I came to a dead stop in my reading. I knew the Lord was speaking directly to me. Joshua’s words could so easily be my own. How very often God hears me asking, “What do you want me to do, Lord?” “What’s my assignment, Father? Just tell me what to do, and I’ll get right on it!”

It was as if I’d never read the story before. I honestly couldn’t remember what came next. So, slowly, I returned to the page and resumed reading:

The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told. (Joshua 5:13-15, NLT.)

Stunned, I let the Bible slip from my lap. This was a call to worship, not to war. There were no marching orders for Joshua. Instead, the commander of the LORD’s army ordered the commander of Israel’s army to take off his sandals and worship. The grass growing under Joshua’s feet was holy grass on holy ground.

And, in those sacred moments in my living room this morning, I realized that God really isn’t interested in rushing me into my next assignment. He wants my worship. He wants me to be still and know He is God. He wants me to sit at His feet while somebody else works in the kitchen for a change. He wants me to let holy grass grow under my bare feet.

"If crises or grocery lists are the motivation for our prayers, we will be woefully inconsistent.  Ultimately our prayers should not be spurred simply by our circumstances, but by His character."

"He is Worthy! We Are Needy!"

Peter Lord, one of my heroes and mentors in prayer, often says, “Most Christians pray out of crisis or from a grocery list.”  His wisdom reveals not only the reality of our prayer behavior, but the flaw in our mindset and motivation in prayer. 

Crisis and Grocery List

Crisis praying is certainly focused in the right direction.  When we are in urgent situations we should look to the Lord.  Psalm 34:6 says, “This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”  However, when the primary and sporadic motivation of our heart for prayer is triggered by the pain of our circumstances, we have reduced God to a heavenly rescue squad that exists chiefly for our emergencies.

Grocery list prayer, while very common, is an approach to God that stems from our persuasion that prayer exists for us to inform Him about our problems, hoping He will order the universe according to our expectations.  These expectations are usually rooted in our desire to avoid suffering or difficulty.  God is reduced to a heavenly vending machine that exists for our temporal satisfaction.

The Model Prayer

Over the years I have taught on the model prayer Jesus prescribed in Matthew 6:9-13 (often described as “The Lord’s Prayer”).  Sometimes the series has been deep and thorough, taking 10-12 weeks to complete.  On other occasions, I have reduced the teaching to a one-sermon summary.  Recently, I was asked to teach on this model prayer at a church in Calgary and was impressed that the prayer can be reduced to two primary ideas: 1) He is worthy, and 2) We are needy.  

He is Worthy

The model prayer is essentially divided into two parts.  The first segment is entirely Godward in focus.  When we pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are exalting God.  We are declaring His worth.  As John MacArthur notes, "This is a prayer that in every phase and every petition, beginning and closing and all in between focuses on God.  His person, His attributes, and His wonderful works are the thrust of this prayer.”

We Are Needy

The second segment is a declaration of God as our source.  We recognize and declare that we are needy.  In prayer we resolve that we trust Him for our physical, relational, and moral needs.  “Give us this day our daily bread (physical), and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (relational), and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (moral)."  

Consistent Motivation

Every believer has experienced the confluence of positive surges and negative declines in prayer.  Our motivation can wane and wander into the weeds.  If crises or grocery lists are the motivation for our prayers, we will be woefully inconsistent.  Ultimately our prayers should not be spurred simply by our circumstances, but by His character. 

Jesus wants us to experience consistency in our spiritual pursuit in prayer.  A daily conviction that He is worthy and we are needy provides a pure and passionate motivation in prayer.  One person may make a seven-figure income, live in a multi-million dollar home, and have perfect health – but He is still worthy and that person is still needy.  Another person may be jobless, homeless, and friendless.  God is still worthy and that person is still needy.  One person is young, another is old.  One person is a seasoned Christian while another is a brand new believer.  He is still worthy and we are still needy.  The motivation never changes. 

The Ultimate Purpose

As we mature, we advance to fully embrace the ultimate aim of all of our prayers, fueling the depth of our motivation.  The model prayer says it clearly: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”  Prayer exists to advance His kingdom through our lives, exhibit His power in our lives, and extol His glory in everything.   

When Paul wrote his epistles from prison he relied on “prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19).  His heart passion was clear when he wrote, “According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (vv. 20-21).  This is the motivation of a clear-headed, pure-hearted, and eternally-focused Christ follower.

Motivation for a Lifetime and Beyond 

So when you wake up tomorrow morning feeling weary and discouraged, remember: He is worthy and you are needy.  Pray.  When you come home from a hard day at work, exhausted and frustrated – and you are not in the mood to attend the prayer meeting – remember: He is worthy and you are needy.  Pray.  When things are going smoothly and life is feeling problem-free, remember: He is worthy and you are needy.  Pray. 

One day when we stand in His presence among the saints of all the ages and myriads of worshiping angels, we will still declare that He is worthy.  “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!" (Revelation 5:12).  We will even then continue to rejoice that we encountered Him when we were needy. “For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).  All things will consummate in His glory.  “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!" (Revelation 5:13). 

With all this in mind, let’s pray the right way, for the right reason, and for the right purpose.  We will be encouraged, equipped, and empowered to live as true disciples in this world as we consistently grow to know Him and make Him known.

Copyright © 2012 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.

"Whatever the issue in your life is, the key is to worship a holy God who created you and knows everything about you - your failures, shortcomings, insecurities, besetting sins and fears. He sits on His throne, omniscient, and says something like this: 'I know your final destination, and I know how to get you from where you are now to where I want you to be. I know why I created you. If you'll worship Me, I will visit with you. I can tell you how to get untangled from the snares in your path and how to move forward. I can even reveal to you things to come that are pertinent to your life and world.'" Chuck Pierce with John Dickson

There is power in worshipping God. If we want to see breakthroughs in our life and in the lives of others, than this is the time to enter into deeper levels of worship both personally and corporately. It is only as we ascend to the throne room in worship that we can descend back into the harvest field here on earth, praying and warring for victory in every area of life. When you and I come boldly to God's throne in worship, He gives us His plans and strategies for our lives here on earth. There is no way that we can walk in His peace, power, and perfect plan without a lifestyle of worship.

To ascend is to arise, come up, increase, recover and restore. God wants us to rise up. He knows what He is doing here on earth. He can make sense of things that are happening and can show us the way through challenges. He can strengthen us in prayer and intercession and give us keys during our seasons of worship that unlock the path before us and bring glory into our situations here on earth. It's time to devote our self to a greater worship of the Lord.

Worship changes our lives and how we see our circumstances.

It is amazing to see life from God's point of view instead of our own. Living for many years on a missionary ship, at sea I would often feel seasick. Some voyages could be quite long and very stormy. If you’ve had the flu, you can imagine how uncomfortable that could be. One day on a rough voyage would
seem like an eternity! There was no way to escape the up and down or side to side motion of that ship.

But I did find one way to lessen the pain. My solution was to walk out on deck with my worship music and praise God as I gazed intently at the ocean. After an hour on deck worshipping God, my situation would seem very different - I would even feel better physically. It seemed like a miracle at sea, and in a very real sense worship does bring forth miracles.

A lifestyle of worship is the key to life.

We are entering turbulent waters, and we must lay hold of this reality so that each one of us may stand firm, hold steady, and pray fervently as the days unfold before us. There is no storm that Jesus will not be able to
conquer. If we worship Him in the midst of resistance, we shall see His victory. He can break through any obstacle when we make worship our lifestyle. The Psalms are filled with worship. Psalm 96:1-3 is a good example.

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

Best-selling prayer author, Stormie Omartian, shares about an extremely difficult time in her life when she felt empty, paralyzed, and depressed. During that time the Lord spoke to her and said, “Simply worship Me.” This radically changed her life. In her book, The Prayer That Changes Everything, she says,

“We were created to worship God. It’s a state in which our soul finds true peace, rest, and purpose. But it must become a condition of the heart, a way of life, a pattern woven into the fabric of our being. Worship must become so ongoing that it is no longer even a decision that has to be made because the decision has already been made. Worship must become a lifestyle. When you make worship a lifestyle, it will determine in whose image you will be formed and what you become. Sometimes praise and worship will be the only thing you do in a situation. You will stand and praise God while the tornados of life whirl around you, and you will see God move on your behalf. And then you will understand the hidden power of praise. When you understand that concept, it will change your life.”

We all go through difficult times. In the midst of them, God loves persevering worship. Do you find it easy to worship God when facing difficulty? None of us do. This week we are moving out of our home in Virginia Beach after living here for 15 years. It is not easy packing, selling cars, or saying good-bye to so many people. It is not easy for my husband to drive a truck loaded with all our belongings to a place where we do not yet have a home. But the solution is praise and worship. God has it all figured out, and worship opens the way before us. There is power in worshipping God.

John Dickson was a man who faced an oppressive cloud of difficulty. He operated a Christian bookstore that went through a terrible financial crisis. Here is his testimony of how God broke through in his life.

"Sometimes we just have to tell our soul what to do. Our soul does not always feel like praising God. As I praised Him as an act of my will, my spirit began to awaken inside me. As my soul began to line up with my proclamations, a flow of anointing began to be released. The oppressive cloud would lift, and the presence of God would come into my store. Over time my business turned around, and I knew it was not because of my keen business… It was the Lord. He turned my business around because I praised Him in the hard place."

Are you overwhelmed by the troubles of life?

Are you overwhelmed by your circumstances?

Then praise and worship God with all your heart. Be radical and see the enemy flee. As you press through the heaviness, a transformation will take place. You will begin to see the beauty and greatness of God. Your faith will rise up. Your spirit will begin to sing. But you must take the first step. Open your mouth and begin. He can turn any darkness into light. Here is a breakthrough prayer and song to help you cultivate a lifestyle of worship.

Blessed be Your Name - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qp11X6LKYY&feature=related

A Breakthrough Prayer for a Lifestyle of Worship

“Lord, I choose to praise and worship You today. You know how to break through the difficulties in my life. I choose not to be overwhelmed with circumstances, but instead I choose to behold your beauty and greatness. I choose to say blessed be Your name. You are my victorious God. I will praise Your name and proclaim Your salvation day after day. I will declare Your glory among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among all peoples (Psalm 96:1-3). I will sing to the Lord a new song.

Teach me to ascend to Your throne room in worship and then descend back into the harvest field here on earth, praying and warring for victory in every area of life. Help me to have a lifestyle of worship, thanking You in every situation. I believe that worshipping You is a key to breakthrough in every area of my life. I believe in the power of worshipping You. I know that Your truth dwells in a worshipping heart. I offer You a sacrifice of praise right now. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Notice the transformation that took place as John Dickson began to praise God right in the midst of a crisis. God brought victory and breakthrough. We can easily be overwhelmed by personal trials, but instead let’s be overwhelmed by the beauty of God. He loves it when we persevere in worshipping Him. He breaks through in
our situation when we do this.

"When things are wonderful, we praise Him. When things are horrible, we praise Him. Whether we are happy or sad or terrified or bored, we are determined to offer to God our sacrifice of praise. Everything in us should give praise to the Lord.”

This is from my new e-book called Breakthrough Prayer: Praying God’s Truth - overcoming Enemy Lies. To purchase this e-book, see http://intercessorsarise.org. Be sure to put 1 for quantity. The paperback version is not yet available.

Written by Debbie Przybylski

deb@intercessorsarise.org

http://wwwintercessorsarise.org