Revival Worship & Warfare |
Mag. Claudia R. Wintoch |
Kathy Gray |
WRSM Summer 2002 |
1.
The Making of a True Worshipper & Warrior
As a young boy, David spent many
hours on the fields with his sheep. He had his little harp with him and spent
many hours praising the Lord God of Israel. In that season he learned to
worship God, drew close to Him, got to know His presence, grew an intimacy with
His God that was the foundation of everything he would do later in life. But he
did not only learn to worship, but to fight. He was responsible for the sheep
and learned to protect them, fight away dangers. He had to defend them against
wolves, bears and lions. He learned not to be afraid, but to look to the good
of the sheep and his God who would give him the strength and ability.
It was this season that prepared him
for the giant. David was consumed with the fire of God. He could not tolerate
the name of His God being dishonored. And, having slain the lion and bear, that
heathen man did not intimidate him; he knew his God, and he knew that He would
honor David.
The number one key element in us is
intimacy with God. We need to spend time in the presence of the Lord, soaking
and letting Him transform us, worshipping Him and getting closer and closer to
Him. Many do not know how to do that, so we must help them in our
congregations. We must make room for ample time of praise and worship, teach
them how to spend time with Him at home, create a hunger in them to know Him
more. In Kansas City, we can encourage them to spend time at the International House of Prayer and
simply love on Him.
Another key from the above passage
is learning to overcome to small things and challenges in our lives, that
prepare us for the bigger ones to come. We need to teach our people how to
resist the enemy, how to overcome, how to be victorious, and coach them in the
midst of their battle, helping them along and letting them know it is okay to
fail, that we will not condemn them, but help them up and help them to
understand what went wrong. People in our congregation need to know that they
are in a safe place to learn, grow, make mistakes and mature.
Another principle in David’s life is
his integrity. Saul was king and David – knowing he would be his successor –
respected that and did not dare touching “the Lord’s anointed”. He did not talk
evil about Saul, he did not touch him, but even praised him and mourned for him
after his death. We also must guard our heart and our tongue – if we slander
God’s sons and daughters, we touch His anointed ones and will lose our
spiritual strength. We must not allow that; and we must not allow any evil talk
in our congregation for it to stay healthy, victorious and pleasing to the
Lord.
Another principle is that of
accountable relationships. David, a leader, had a very close relationship with
another leader to be, Jonathan. He drew strength from that relationship, where
he could be himself, open and vulnerable. As pastors we also need those
relationships, finding others in the pastorate or the like to be vulnerable with,
where we can pour out our hearts and be strengthened. It was not from among his
own followers that David found an intimate friend. The same way we must careful
who we choose to be close with, and should consider twice the wisdom of doing
so with someone in authority under us.
2. A Worship Service in a Local Church
Setting: Open
air service in rural West Africa
Theme: Healing
& Salvation
Songs: (translated
into local language)
Jesus,
God’s Righteousness Revealed
Jesus Is Lord, Creation’s Voice Proclaims
It
Come,
Now Is The Time
Holy
Ground
Let
Your Healing Water Flow
Thank
You For The Cross, Lord
We
Exalt Thee
I
Believe in Jesus
Welcome,
Holy Spirit
Sermons: short:
Paralytic through Roof – Luke 5:17-26
main:
The Cross – Hebrews 12:2
Because people heard about the
miracles taking place, they are starting to gather early in the morning, hoping
they will be healed. There is a high degree of anticipation and desperation,
but they don’t know anything about Jesus. For that reason most songs will
include the name of Jesus.
Worship starts with a song that
lifts up the Lord and makes Jesus known: Jesus,
God’s Righteousness Revealed, followed by the hymn Jesus Is Lord, Creation’s Voice Proclaims It. Then I have a few
testimonies from locals who have been healed and who gave their lives to Jesus,
which helps those who have no clue whatsoever to see what Jesus does for
people, after having learned a little about Him in the songs. The testimonies
are very emotional, and faith rises among the people, as they wonder if they
could be next. The Holy Spirit starts brooding, and we sing another worship
song: Come, Now Is The Time To Worship.
Some people get healed spontaneously, as they come to Jesus (as the song invites them to come), some running forward
healed. Some of them are testifying also. Then I give a short talk on healing,
sharing how Jesus healed the paralytic man his friends brought to Him, stirring
up people’s faith and anticipation. After that, we are singing Holy Ground, followed by Let Your Healing Waters Flow, during
which I encourage people to reach out to Jesus to be healed. I go down into the
crowd, touching people and releasing God’s healing power into their lives,
while the worship team continues praising the Lord, transitioning to Thank You For The Cross, Lord after some
time. I return to the platform and join the worship team, thanking the Lord and
lifting up His name with We Exalt Thee.
Then it’s time for the sermon to start. I start preaching about the cross, from
Hebrews 12:2, sharing the agony He went through, His purpose, His resurrection
and ascension. I conclude with an invitation to make Him Lord over their lives,
as the worship team starts singing I
Believe In Jesus. People start crying, falling on their knees. We invite
them to come forward, where I talk about the Holy Spirit and His baptism for a
few minutes, before starting to pray for them, while the worship team is
singing Welcome, Holy Spirit. The
following hour(s) are spent with praying for people, healing and delivering
them.