Worship Revolution, Part 2 by Carol Kiger-Rice

Part 2: Worship and the Prophetic
In part 1 of the ‘Worship Revolution’, we discussed worship as a priority. This article will focus on worship and the prophetic.

What is Prophetic Worship?
That is the question! King David seemed to know, because the record of his life records that he set apart for service, “..some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals…” (I Chronicles. 25:1). Note that the verse says they PROPHESIED, according to the kings’ commandment. Verses 2, 3 and 5 of the same chapter, also speak of the worship leaders being prophetic, and seem to indicate that instruments were to prophesy, and that worship itself would be prophetic. These worship leaders were assumed to be prophetic in their duties. Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary defines prophecy as, “the inspired declaration of divine will and purpose”. To prophesy means, “to utter, by divine inspiration” (also Webster’s Ninth). It was supposed, that these worship leaders would be declaring and speaking forth, what the Lord was inspiring them to say.

The tendency in most church worship services, has been to pick a song list, and stick to that list all the way through, with no change, no shift, no lingering. Even if the Holy Spirit comes and we sense that He is really doing something in our midst, we must move on and stay with the program… after all, time is of the essence, isn’t’ it? Well, the truth is, the Lord is not in a hurry. Shouldn’t’t we desire to linger in His presence, especially if He is doing some work during our time of worship? This is what I would consider the prophetic flow. It is allowing the Lord to lead us, as HE sees fit, rather than sticking to our programs come “hell or high water.”

Here is an Example
What if we plan on doing a set list that focuses on warfare. But, after we start, we see that there is a greater need for intimacy in the room. What do we do? Do we stick to our program and muscle through the songs, losing sight of the fact that the Lord is really doing something else that day? Or do we possibly decide, in the moment, to throw out those last 3 songs, and spontaneously put in a song of intimacy that leads to a powerful, and transforming work within peoples’ hearts. THAT’S A PROPHETIC ACT!!!! It’s following the leading of the Lord, for that moment, and acting in to what is on HIS heart right then, for the people!!

Perhaps we’ve decided to focus on the love and personal connection between individuals and Jesus. What if, as we start that day, the Lord wants us to be in intercessory mode, and desires us to pray for a breakthrough in our community (note that worship and intercession are linked in Revelation 5:8, and 8:3,& 4)? Do we stubbornly choose to stick to our agenda’s and miss what the Lord has for the city?

Trusting the Lord
Are you terrified yet? Are you wondering if mass chaos and pandemonium will break out if we relinquish that kind of control? And by the way, how do we even KNOW if that’s what the Lord wants? I think alot of this has to do with trusting the Lord and His guidance. If we ask Him for bread, will He give us a stone? No way–He is good Father!!! The Best!! He will not leave us or forsake us. If we are asking Him to come into our worship services, and our hearts are willing to let that happen, He WILL come, because He desires to be with us.

The other safeguard is that the Lord is in every believer (Eph. 4:4-6). That being the case, we also are reminded of I Cor. 14: 26, Eph. 5:19, and Col. 3:16, which all basically assume that each gathering of believers will include a contribution from each person (by the way, the size of the gathering isn’t mentioned …could be large or small). This includes the area of worship with, “songs, hymns, spiritual songs”. So, everyone contributes. And, if we have one Spirit, He is going to lead each one to contribute what is on His heart for the day. As we worship together, He will lead each one. And, at the end of the day, hopefully, we will have experienced what was on HIS heart for the time allotted. Of course, all of this is risky, and requires leaders who are willing to take those risks. But, if we truly want to see the LORD take back His church, and guide US on the way, we have got to be willing to take some risks as we gather together. Yes, people will make mistakes, because we are human, and fallible. But I would rather be known for trying to hear the voice of the Lord, and missing it sometimes, than simply shutting out His voice altogether.

I think, at the root of most of our programs, is that we simply don’t know how to do it any other way. We think we are serving people by setting such a strict agenda and sticking to it. At some level, maybe we ARE serving the PEOPLE. But are we serving the LORD? It takes a major adjustment to reconsider doing worship in a more free and prophetic style. But the rewards are sooo worthwhile, because we start to experience GOD’s heart and desire, rather than always focusing on our own. And remember, worship is for GOD, not for us.

It’s Biblical
If, in the Bible, Scripture equates worship and worship leaders with being prophetic, shouldn’t we also? The prophets would speak forth what the Lord was telling them. Remember Isaiah, Ezekiel, Moses, Stephen, Hulda, Deborah, and the daughters of Philip? They spoke what the Lord said. And the worship leaders were known to be prophetic. They would have spoken/sung/played what the Lord was saying. David was known as the ‘sweet psalmist of Israel’ (II Sam. 23:1). He wrote over half of the songs known as the book of Psalms. Many, many of those Psalms are prophetic, and point to the coming of the Messiah. Note Psalm 2, 16, 22, 69, 110, among others.

Less well known are the psalms/songs written by some of the temple worship leaders. Among these, you will find Asaph, Heman, Ethan (Jeduthun), and the sons of Korah, who were an organization of singers and songwriters. Check out Psalms 73 through 89. If you read these works, you might notice the interactive and intercessory nature of these Psalms. There is a prophetic cry for the Lord to have mercy on the nation of Israel. We see the responsive voice of the Lord in Psalms 50, (written by Asaph), 75, 81. These songs have a tone similar to that of the prophetic books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. There is even a cry for revival in Psalm 85! Among the minor prophets, Habakkuk, was possibly a Levite who performed the service of worship in the temple. Chapters 1, verse 1, and 3, verse 19, seem to indicate both a prophetic and a worship role for him. It seems pretty plain that worship was known and expected to be a prophetic act within the nation of Israel.

Even Jesus was a prophet (Prophet, Priest & King). Aren’t we to be like Jesus? Oh, most definitely!!! How did we get so far away from prophetic worship in our Christianity today? That is probably a topic for another conversation. But for the purposes of our discussion here, and with the Bible being our standard, it seems clear and Biblical that we should be prophetic when we gather to worship. This means giving the Holy Spirit access to our hearts, and then to our services, letting Him direct us, even if it means we never do one single song that we picked. Hey, it just means you’ve got to get a bigger repertoire of songs! Or, learn how to interact as a band with prophetic sounds that come in the moment. It also means helping the congregation learn how they can contribute, because our skills in sharing in the church service have become pretty dormant, I’d guess. Imagine the pastor, or other leader, holding a mic in the congregation, and if someone has Scripture the Lord has given them for the moment, he or she comes forward to share it. In response, the worship leader and worship team, might move into a song that perfectly fits that theme! OR, they move into singing a phrase or verse of the Scripture, so that the whole congregation can sing with them!! OR, they model the sound of the Scripture, or prayer. For example: drums symbolize the authority of the Lord, so if the Scripture or prayer speak of GOD’s authority, the drums play more freely & authoritatively. Keyboards/piano often reveal the sense of the grace of GOD flowing upon us. Violins might bring forth the cry of the heart, be it the Lords’ or ours. Flutes might bring a sense of child likeness and light. Now you’ve just moved into GOD’s prophetic call for that moment!! How exciting! In addition, you’ve just allowed your congregation to contribute to the whole flow, and to GOD’s heart for the day also.
Does this mean no one has any direction or plan for the day? No. Hopefully, what we plan is of the Lord. We can plan, praying that the Lord is in it. But we just need to be more open to the move of the Lord in the moment. In other words, give our services back to Him, because they belong to Him anyway, right?!!

Be encouraged. It’s time!!

Our next article will discuss the relationship between prophetic worship, and community, and how the two are mutually dependent upon one another, both within a worship team, and within the gathering of peoples known as the ‘congregation’.

Worship Revolution by Carol Kiger-Rice

We are called to give the Lord everything we have. Our lives belong to Him, as does our heart. He is worthy of everything we have. As I share what I feel the Lord is showing us regarding worship in this day, my primary concern is in addressing our corporate times of worship, and, later, the worship community itself. May it be said that our whole life is an act of worship unto the Lord our GOD. It doesn’t start or stop with our corporate expressions. This is, however, a time when the larger community of Jesus Christ, can potentially come together & see lives changed & the atmosphere of heaven invade the place where we are. I truly believe that a revolution occurs within a persons’ heart & soul, when they encounter the Living GOD, both inside, & outside of the church. So then, IS that happening when we gather? That is the question to be asked for our purposes in these next articles. My ultimate goal in documenting, what I’I’ve felt the Lord to be saying, is to address four areas of concern for the worship ‘revolution’ today, in hopes that people will encounter the Living GOD & He will receive the glory due His Name.

Number one: Worship should be a priority.

Number two: Worship should be prophetic.

Number three: Worship should include relationship between people rightly related to each other.

Number four: Worship should be creative, because we worship the Creator of the Universe.

In this particular article, number one will be addressed, with the other areas being addressed in future articles.

Worship as a Priority
First, let me say that I believe all of the above are related and interconnected. In my opinion, you can’t have one without the others. Worship should be a priority, I believe that is Biblical. It should be prophetic. That, I believe, is also Biblical. And the very act of worship itself, implies some level of creativity. Without creativity in worship, it becomes stagnant, & unchanging. If our times of worship are stagnant & unchanging, are we then allowing the Holy Spirit to come & speak prophetically as He sees fit? And without authentic, committed relationship, often the atmosphere for the prophetic and the creative flow of worship is unsafe, if not nonexistent. Everything we do, as Christians, should include honest, loving, accountable relationship. True life flows out of such. After all, the GODhead itself, is a relationship in the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. So, I believe each area is of primary importance to the flow of worship in these days.

Now, on to addressing the idea of worship as being a priority. Let’s start with the source of everything we do–Scripture. Look at I Chronicles. This book of the Old Testament, which generally seems so dry with all the lists & so on, is full of information about the priority of worship in both the tabernacle of David, &, later, in the temple. It is here, where we see David appointing worshipers to work full-time. Note I Chronicles chapter 15, verses 16 through 24, which speak of the appointment of singers & musicians. Next see I Chronicles, chapter 16: 4-7, which, again, speak of the appointing of worship leaders. Also, verse 37, which states that King David (a man after GOD’s own heart), left Asaph & his relatives before the ark, to ‘minister continually, as every day’s work required.” Check out verses 41 & 42 of the same chapter. Now look at I Chronicles 23, verse 4. David appointed 4000 Levites to praise the Lord. By the way, note that David made the instruments used for giving praise! Basically, we get that worship was a REALLY important thing to David. So much so, that he made thousands of instruments just for that purpose!!
The Psalms are an excellent example of the importance of worship in the culture of the Hebrew nation. Psalm means song, & here we have 150 of them! And, the warrior king, and sweet psalmist, David, himself, wrote over half of these psalms. You might particularly want to check out Psalm 108: 1-3; Psalm 149, especially verses 3,5,6,and 7; and Psalm 150, as these psalms, or songs, are full of the praises of GOD.

Notice Isaiah 30:31, 32. This is a revelation of the importance of warfare through worship. As is II Chronicles, chapter 20, where the godly King Jehoshaphat, sent out the worshipers before the army. And, while they were “singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes” against the enemies of Judah, & they were routed!!

Also, look at how the godly kings of Judah, reappointed the worshipers for the service of the Lord, after the ungodly kings allowed idolatry to invade the nation. See II Chronicles 29, verses 25 – 36 and chapter 30, verse 21 through chapter 31: 2. These passages relate how King Hezekiah brought about the restoration of the temple worship. Chapter 35 describes Josiah’s reign, as another godly king, & how he reestablished the Passover, the priests and Levites to work in the temple, & the singers to their ‘stations’ (35:15).

Later, after the exiles return to Israel, note how Ezra restores worship to the people in Ezra 2 and 3. And in Nehemiah, 12, notice how significant the worship of the Lord was in dedicating the wall in chapter 12. Nehemiah even records the fact that:
“Judah rejoiced over the priests & Levites who served. For they performed the worship of their GOD, and the service of purification, together with the singers & the gatekeepers in accordance with the command of David & of his son Solomon. For in the days of David & Asaph, in ancient times, there were leaders of the singers, songs of praise & hymns of thanksgiving to GOD…” (vs.44-47).

It’s just everywhere, the priority & importance of worship. And, lest you think there isn’t’t much in the new testament about worship, look up Ephesians 5:19, 20, Colossians 3:16, and I Corinthians 14:26. Of course, we would be totally remiss if we didn’t notice exactly what is going on in heaven, day & night, night & day, 365 days a year (as if heaven has any time concept…hmmm…food for thought??). Try reading Revelation chapter 4 and 5. The four living creatures, never cease saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord GOD Almighty, Who was, and Who is, and Who is to come.” In other words, these guys never stop worshiping!!

Then notice chapter 7, verses 9-12. You’You’ve got people from every tribe, tongue & nation, all the angels, & the 24 elders, all falling on their faces & worshiping!! There is so much in this book. It’s FULL of worship activity!! You get the idea!! The very activity of heaven is WORSHIP!! So, when we pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, here on earth, as it is in heaven,” do we really understand what that means?

See, the thing is, we seem to know worship is important. But how important is it? Why do our “worship” services focus more on the spoken ‘message’, then on the worship of the Living GOD? That’s not to say that a message is not important. It just seems, more often than not, our time of worship is only viewed as the prelude to something “more important”. Why is that? Does that even seem Biblical? Or maybe it is something that has just become a ‘form’ we’ve gotten stuck in over the centuries How much of a priority, in reality, is out time of worship? Do we give it the weight that Scripture seems to? What if, as we relinquish our programs, & give ourselves over to radical, passionate, life-changing worship, the Lord comes & moves in our midst? What if people’s lives are changed during this time? What if, by our very act of worship, the atmosphere of our city is changed, & people who wouldn’t normally, find it easier to think about GOD, & Jesus Christ? (Revolution!) And yes, this is something that should be going on in our lives, both corporately, as well as, individually. How can we NOT make worship a priority in these days? If the Lord truly inhabits the praises of His people, as His word says, wouldn’t we want to give Him more to inhabit?!! By the way, since all Christians now have the Holy Spirit living in them, what about the idea that everyone can participate in worship at a whole new level? Check out Gary Goodell’s articles on that very subject.

I know that’s a lot of questions to answer. But we must be willing to ask the hard questions, if we want to see people’s lives radically changed for the glory of GOD. I don’t know about you, but we can’t settle for anything less… …revolution…..

Thanks for being interested. I can’t think of anything more important than giving the Lord of Hosts EVERYTHING He is worthy of. Can you??