A group from church returns from an amazing conference totally on fire, and more passionate than they have ever been at your regular services, but the drive only lasts for a few weeks. A big-name artist just came through town and pulled off an amazing worship set at the local civic center, and the attendance was more than we have ever seen and the zeal in the arena was electrifying. But, the church service without the big-name artist was dull and like revving up a lawn mower; the whole first song was wasted reminding the church body why they came to church in the first place.
Three things will create an incredible atmosphere to facilitate your church’s heart for worship and jump start your community to a passionate worship culture:
- Be Relational—meet with people from your team, your church, and all over the community. Meet with them outside of church and get to know their hearts so that you can better champion them in worship.
- Make Room for It—if you are buying a new couch but have no room for it in your house you really aren’t going to use it! Same goes with creating culture. Create environments that encourage people to dive in. Create a safe place to try new things in worship. Be it at an extra service, house worship, or just longer practices.
- Pray—prayer is the fuel behind every movement. Let the Lord know your heart and pray with the community around you. Prayer stirs hunger, desire, zeal, and over-all anticipation for God and what He has planned for your church.
What will you do?
What will you do to ignite worship? Just as true worship doesn’t just happen, neither does growth in the greater depths of worship. It’s not a by-product of showing up at church on Sundays or even singing all of the songs that they flash up on the screen. It’s not something that you just come by passively at all. But it’s something you pursue passionately—just as you pursue Him passionately.
It’s something that will naturally pour out of your being as you seek Him first…love Him first…choose to bow before Him first. And since our worship is offered to the unsearchable, unfathomable God, we can never out-seek, out-love, or out-worship Him. There will always be greater depths. And exceedingly more wonders.
What can I do to grow in the greater depths of worship?
How will my worship life look differently? What will I do to deepen my knowledge and love of God that will ignite my desire to pour it back out at His feet? God is never satisfied with stagnant. He loves new. “Behold, I will do something new, Now, it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert” Isaiah 43:19. (see also Lamentations 3:22-23; Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22-24). “And even when it comes to worship: “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD” Psalm 40:3.
Igniting the worship we offer God
We need to commit to spend more time in the Bible and in prayer to grow in our knowledge and intimacy with Him. Dig deep in the Word to learn from the Lord about His plans for us as worshippers. We need to work on worshipping in the tough times of our lives. Learn to fight the distractions that prevent stillness and worship intimacy. Determine to spend more time worshipping throughout the week. There are a few steps can take to enter into the greater depths worshipping Him:
Memorize Scripture—Scripture passages that relate to worship will play a greater role in being able to enter into the Holy Place and a deeper more anointed worship in your Christian walk.
Memorize the Names of God—Several years ago Pastor Larry Lea published a Bible Study on “The Lord’s Prayer.” It was called, “Will you not tarry one hour.” In the prayer… “hallowed be thy name,” Pastor Lea instructed us to pray the names of the Lord. In doing so, it would release accolades to His throne and stir His heart toward us.
The names/titles of God are powerful and they exalt Him in the Holy Place; the temple of our bodies. The Lord desires that we grow concerning our worship life. Let your small groups at church commit to take steps together to pursue Biblical worship. Wait and see what new work God will do in your life in response to your humble obedient act of responding to His glory.
“Engage in this incomparable journey with all your might. The humble privilege is beyond comprehension—the ultimate reward exceeds description. It’s the deepest hunger of your soul. And it’s a taste of glorious eternity here on earth. Let the passionate pursuit begin!” —Worship and the Word
Igniting Spirit-Led Worship and Prayer
The Bible paints a vivid picture of what it’s like when the presence of the God encounters man. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s interactions with His creation are recorded in detail.
Moses on the mountain longed to see his friend, crying “Show me Your glory.” And God graciously passed before Him and proclaimed His name: “Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before Him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation” Exodus 34:5-7.
This memorable encounter has forever expanded our understanding of the relational possibilities between God and man. In this moment we receive a great understanding of God’s nature. The I AM that I AM is merciful, just, and patient and every aspect of His character works without contradiction. As God declares His name, Moses’ natural response is much like our own; “So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped” Exodus 34:8.
The revelation of the beauty and holiness of YHWH provokes us to wonder and awe, and our only response, from our innate weakness, can be worship. Some of the most striking passages throughout Scripture are God’s response to man’s worship, even in his weakest state. One very clear example occurs after the ark of the Covenant is brought to the temple built by Solomon. “Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, for His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God” 2 Chronicles 5:13-14.
We marvel at these moments that occurred so long ago. But for the body of believers in the earth and for the Living God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, these days are not solely part of the past. In this time before Jesus returns, the Spirit is maturing His church, causing it to walk out the reality of the first commandment. One display of this is ongoing adoration of our King through night-and-day prayer and worship in anticipation of the Advent.
Jesus is worthy of all worship and adoration. And yet He has designed us so that worship benefits us as well. Worship allows us to have a clear perspective of who God is and who we are in Him. Whether it’s in the quiet of our own homes or in a massive convention center with thousands of believers, the power of worship impacts us more than we know.
In atmospheres of corporate worship, we are often able to more easily agree with truth that God speaks over us through the prophetic voice brought forth in worship. During these moments, as we draw near to God, He faithfully draws near to us. Although our God is always present, the One who is near becomes noticeably tangible, making us aware of how close He has always been. This simple act of thinking upon truth, particularly during times of corporate worship, can help ease the weight of burdens from everyday life.
We often think of expressions worship can take instead of what actually is—the conforming of our will to God’s will, our agreement with God. That’s why Abraham was able to pack his belongings and lead his son and his servants on a journey to surrender his son to God and still confidently say , “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you” Genesis 22:5.
When we outwardly express the inward conforming of our will, we choose words of surrender, submission, and agreement. We lift our hands and declare truth to be greater than brokenness of our own souls, the disappointing actions of loved ones, the hurtful statements from those we’ve trusted, or the injustices of life. This is not easy, in a world in which the impact of sin is evident on a daily basis in the form of hatred, lies, and violence. But the truth remains; God is greater.
In a world marked by war, famine, injustice, and fear He is great and greatly to be praised. We don’t worship because we feel good and everything in life is perfect. We worship God because He is worthy of being worshiped. Despite the confusion and terror in the world around us, the Lord is cultivating intimacy through prayer and worship and strengthening the hearts of His followers. Our eternal hope is doing what He does best—drawing hearts into the place of love and truth amidst the turmoil of the day. And in that secret place, He shows us His glory and everything changes.
Just as He met Moses’ request to reveal His glory, the Lord is yet again revealing His name to His children. Just as He drew David into that place of knowing Him intimately, the Lord is doing the same in our day, particularly among worshipers. Although songs led by talented and trained musicians and singers aren’t required to lead a group of people in times of corporate worship, they are effective in calling masses to times of unified worship. In response to followers worshiping in Spirit and truth, the Lord reveals His nature, truth, and love. “[I pray] …that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me” John 17:23-24.
From this place the Lord is strengthening the church to move into fully living out the second commandment. As we love the body, we reveal His glory to a broken and dying world: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” John 13:35. In these moments the Lord opens our hearts that we might see Him as He truly is—great and glorious yet closer that a breath. Just as Moses did, we too cry out, “Show us Your glory!”
When His Glory Fills the Atmosphere
Ignited worship is not necessarily a shouting and dancing event. In most cases, prophetically, the glory of God fills the atmosphere when we have quieted ourselves before Him. Even though His anointing in our services can and does at times lean to a shout and a dance, when His glory fills the room, we are usually rendered quiet. A sense of awe envelopes us and His train has covered us in the splendor of His attributes. The King of Glory has chosen to become our habitation and His visitation is worth every aspect of life.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” Ephesians 6:12
In this time of His visitation, He will use the gifts of His children to become a witness to the lost and dying. We begin to receive revelation, visions, and dreams. I recall a recent service I attended when the worship team was so tuned in to the anointing of God that His glory began to fill the atmosphere. I immediately began to see a vision of future events for the region. God showed me a darkness over the land that had been sitting in the seat of spiritual government for generations. I was shown in the distance a bright light moving towards the darkness and dispelling it as it approached. As I looked closely into the light, I could see the cross of Christ and the work of the cross was emitting the light across the darkness. Behind the cross I could see millions of saints walking in victory and approaching the land to settle it and to harvest the fruits of the gospel. Angelic forces were separating the tare from the wheat in the land. An atmosphere of revival was in the land and a great harvest was taking place. The Spirit of the Lord was instructing me to tell the church to get ready a great harvest of revival and the salvation of souls was near. The Spirit was saying, “REVIVAL, REVIVAL, REVIVAL IS IN THE LAND! Will you answer the call church?” I cried out to God, “Lord, when will it happen in Connecticut? In New England?” The Lord said to me, “Tell the church to get ready, prepare their houses, and set My strategies in place to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
It was then I realized and received revelation that
- ignited worship is a strategy!
- Being quiet before the Lord is a strategy.
These spiritual practices enhance our spiritual senses to receive a revelation of His will and future events through visions, dreams, and prophetic declaration. Not praying out loud but soaking up the atmosphere of worship music and the presence of God, relaxing our minds and bodies increases our spiritual senses to His presence. Often times God speaks to us when we are still.
I was ministering at a Full Gospel Business Men’s meeting in Westfield, MA several years back. The night before I was to minister; I was in deep prayer before God. The Lord began to show me the faces of two particular women who would attend these services. He had given me specific instruction of what He wanted done for these two women. As I was preaching, I had an altar call, this is a usual practice for my prophetic ministry, and the two women came forward for prayer. God had given me their names and I began to lay hands on one of them calling her name, Corrine. I gave a word of knowledge to her concerning her infirmity. The Lord immediately healed her. The second women, Janice, had a more difficult infliction. She was possessed of a demonic sexual spirit. As I began to pray for her the demon showed its ugliness and began to speak to me that I will never have the power to rid her of it. I spoke to her never addressing the demon until she was willing to release it. “I said, Janice, do you want to be made free?” Once she gave an affirmative response of yes. I commanded the demon to release her and come out. Immediately the Spirit of God fell upon her and she was made free.
The practice of ignited worship in the service that day released the gifts of healing throughout the meeting. That day I laid hands and prayed over many in the service but one in particular after seeing the two women delivered of their afflictions was a certain man with emphysema. He was burdened with carrying an oxygen tank with him wherever he went. As I laid hands on him the Lord showed me his lungs. They were black as coal. I immediately began to see the Lord peeling back the blackness and replacing his lungs with a healthy pinkness to them. I instructed him to remove the oxygen tubes. When he did, the Spirit of God fell upon him and he took a big gasp of breath. He no longer needed the oxygen. God had healed his emphysema. A few days later I received a phone call from his pastor telling me he had been to the doctor’s office and tests were done to his lungs. The doctor was baffled. His lungs were as new as a newborn baby. He was healed.
If we are willing to step outside the box of our limited understanding beyond our deductive reasoning and trained scientific minds [science creates spiritual doubts to the miraculous], the Lord will move in an atmosphere of anointing and His glory will manifest miraculous events. I ask you, if God can create the universe, the stars, the heavens, the earth and all that is in it in six days resting on the seventh, if He can raise Jesus and others from the dead, why do we doubt His desire to manifest the miraculous in our midst?
The Lord wants to manifest His gifts in our services. Why do we doubt? Several years ago, I was ministering in Garden City, GA. I was prophesying in a friend’s church. It was a Church of God denomination. Sitting in the front row was a woman distraught with fear and anxiety. Her teenage niece had gone missing several nights before. They overcome with the fear of an abduction or worse. The woman did not ask for prayer. God had given me a word of knowledge about her situation. I walked up to her and told her what the Lord had just revealed to me about her niece. I was not given this information beforehand. I as spoke she began to weep uncontrollably. So as not to shout over her I bent down, she had fallen prostrate on the floor, and whispered in her ear, “Go and call your mother. Your niece has been there for several days.” Apparently in anger the niece ran away from home making the grandmother promise not to say anything. I lieu of this, no one in the family had knowledge of what had happened to her. After that word, it was quickly resolved.
Ignited worship releases the ever-present power of God in our midst. If we are willing to be stretched for His glory, He will cause supernatural things to happen.
Dr. Steve Rocco
Dr. Steve Rocco Ministries 