The Centrality of Worship
11 May 2010
Prayer and Fasting in January Evening Session
By now many of you will know that I am really being stirred about the vital role that worship plays in almost everything. I have spoken in several settings to leaders recently about making personal worship a priority once again in our lives and ministries. Judging by the response that I have been getting I seem to have "touched a nerve". I think there is definitely a correlation between being a worshipper and an effective leader. If worship changes your perspective of God and therefore of everything else, if it ushers in more of the presence of God, fills you with joy and peace, lifts your burdens, brings solutions to problems, raises your faith level; why would any leader think that he could continue to lead without it? Sadly, many do, citing being too busy with other things as the reason! It's time for a radical rethink... watch this space for more on this subject.
At prayer and fasting I made the comment that worship should be something that becomes more central corporately as well. I also said in passing that whilst we go through times of transition (and we do not know what is going to happen next) we should just stop everything and just worship. I said this may seem a bit of a "non-strategic thing to do" but still looks a good thing to do. Later another leader came to me and pointed out Acts 13:2 which says "while they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said ‘set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’"
So it seems I was right after all. The context for one of the greatest transitions in the New Testament was a context where people were just worshipping. Keep it central!!
Dave Holden: The Centrality of Worship
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