July 20, 2009
I recently blogged about attending a worship conference in Carrollton, Texas, earlier this month. The event was called the Unveiled Worship Institute. It was hosted by North Church at the behest of its worship leader, Brian Ming - a remarkable young man who has stepped forward to take the baton passed on by the International Worship Institute, which exists to glorify God by edifying, encouraging, training and raising up worship leaders to prepare the Bride of Christ for her Groom's return.
One of the most inspiring speakers I've ever heard, Bob Sorge, closed the final session of that event. A former worship leader and pastor whose voice was damaged some 16 years ago, Bob is unable to speak save for about an hour a day - and that, at a painful whisper. I've heard him speak four times now; every time, I come away deeply enriched and refocused for ministry. (Follow his Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobsorge, or read more about him and his ministry at http://www.oasishouse.net/).
Bob's closing talk this year referenced Hebrews 10:19-22, which speaks about entering the holy place of God through getting sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus. Actually, Bob talks about "barging in with boldness" to the throne room, since the blood of Christ cleanses us and causes us to be declared righteous in God's eyes. That righteousness, he says, gives us the authority to draw near to God - and holiness is what happens to us when we get there.
As an illustration, Bob relayed the story of being a little boy who loved to get in the middle of his mom and dad's hugs. His father, he says, finally had to tell the growing boy that he was too big to squeeze between them any more. Nevertheless, Bob says, he still likes to be wherever that kind of love-in-action is.
His childhood analogy then points us to the love embrace between Father and Son in heaven.
"Notice what happens," Bob points out, "between Psalm 109 and 110."
Psalm 109 says that Jesus stands at the right hand of "the needy one" (us). Then look at the next sentence, which opens Psalm 110: "The Lord says to my Lord - 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'"
Bob says - "Do the math. If Jesus is on our right hand, and Jesus is at God's right hand, where does that put us?" Right smack in the middle of the Love Embrace between Father and Son!
Bob says that each day, he takes the time to "get sprinkled with the Blood, barge into the throne room, and wriggle into the midst of that Love Embrace" - just like he used to do as a child with his parents. Bob took us all through that mental/spiritual exercise, and I was surprised I could picture it pretty well as he talked us through it.
After I got home from the conference, I decided I would also commit to such daily time in that holy Love Embrace. On about day three of that discipline, an interesting thing happened: Upon awakening that morning, I was trying to recreate the mental (spiritual) exercise Bob put us through at the closing session: I am sprinkled by the blood of the lamb, and I barge into the throne room – it’s ME again, Lord!
So in my mind’s eye, I got sprinkled, and I put my hand on the door of the throne room to push it open. I was expecting after I did so to see holy fire and light, multitudes of swirling and praising angelic beings, the love embrace of Father and Son, like I was able to visualize fairly well at the conference…but this morning, no visual came.
Instead, before I could even push that door open, I immediately “heard” (or the thought was given me):
I AM IN LOVE WITH A DYNAMITE BRIDE OF CHRIST
It’s as though He met me at the door of the throne room - I didn’t even need to go in. He delivered the message, and we were done for the morning.
I was rather taken by surprise, and puzzled by the “dynamite” reference. But my sense is that God was greatly pleased with our sacrifice of praise at the Unveiled Worship conference…that the humble, God-focused, passionate worship we shared there was a holy and pleasing fragrance unto Him, and that perhaps He was saying in response, “This is more like it! I can do something with worship like this! I am in love with this Bride, who is again on fire for Me.”
Something was certainly re-ignited in my spirit at the conference – and, I suspect, in all of us who attended. We were undone by the palpable Presence of the Lord at our worship services. We were shown how we had lost our focus; we were broken and repentant…and sprinkled again by the Blood of the Lamb. And then, He invited us into the throne room to sit in the midst of that amazing Love Embrace, where we were filled back up to overflowing.
As I returned to lead worship at my home church after the conference, I felt like I’d come down from the mountaintop….like maybe my hair had gone white, or my face was glowing, or my feet weren’t quite making contact with the ground.
While my physical appearance may not have actually changed, worship has been different at my church since then; people are commenting about it, and saying how good the music has been. But I’m not convinced it’s really about the music. I think they’re feeling the spark – and I’m hoping that spark will ignite a Dynamite Bride of Christ, one who’s again on fire for her Groom.
I recently blogged about attending a worship conference in Carrollton, Texas, earlier this month. The event was called the Unveiled Worship Institute. It was hosted by North Church at the behest of its worship leader, Brian Ming - a remarkable young man who has stepped forward to take the baton passed on by the International Worship Institute, which exists to glorify God by edifying, encouraging, training and raising up worship leaders to prepare the Bride of Christ for her Groom's return.
One of the most inspiring speakers I've ever heard, Bob Sorge, closed the final session of that event. A former worship leader and pastor whose voice was damaged some 16 years ago, Bob is unable to speak save for about an hour a day - and that, at a painful whisper. I've heard him speak four times now; every time, I come away deeply enriched and refocused for ministry. (Follow his Twitter at http://twitter.com/bobsorge, or read more about him and his ministry at http://www.oasishouse.net/).
Bob's closing talk this year referenced Hebrews 10:19-22, which speaks about entering the holy place of God through getting sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus. Actually, Bob talks about "barging in with boldness" to the throne room, since the blood of Christ cleanses us and causes us to be declared righteous in God's eyes. That righteousness, he says, gives us the authority to draw near to God - and holiness is what happens to us when we get there.
As an illustration, Bob relayed the story of being a little boy who loved to get in the middle of his mom and dad's hugs. His father, he says, finally had to tell the growing boy that he was too big to squeeze between them any more. Nevertheless, Bob says, he still likes to be wherever that kind of love-in-action is.
His childhood analogy then points us to the love embrace between Father and Son in heaven.
"Notice what happens," Bob points out, "between Psalm 109 and 110."
Psalm 109 says that Jesus stands at the right hand of "the needy one" (us). Then look at the next sentence, which opens Psalm 110: "The Lord says to my Lord - 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'"
Bob says - "Do the math. If Jesus is on our right hand, and Jesus is at God's right hand, where does that put us?" Right smack in the middle of the Love Embrace between Father and Son!
Bob says that each day, he takes the time to "get sprinkled with the Blood, barge into the throne room, and wriggle into the midst of that Love Embrace" - just like he used to do as a child with his parents. Bob took us all through that mental/spiritual exercise, and I was surprised I could picture it pretty well as he talked us through it.
After I got home from the conference, I decided I would also commit to such daily time in that holy Love Embrace. On about day three of that discipline, an interesting thing happened: Upon awakening that morning, I was trying to recreate the mental (spiritual) exercise Bob put us through at the closing session: I am sprinkled by the blood of the lamb, and I barge into the throne room – it’s ME again, Lord!
So in my mind’s eye, I got sprinkled, and I put my hand on the door of the throne room to push it open. I was expecting after I did so to see holy fire and light, multitudes of swirling and praising angelic beings, the love embrace of Father and Son, like I was able to visualize fairly well at the conference…but this morning, no visual came.
Instead, before I could even push that door open, I immediately “heard” (or the thought was given me):
I AM IN LOVE WITH A DYNAMITE BRIDE OF CHRIST
It’s as though He met me at the door of the throne room - I didn’t even need to go in. He delivered the message, and we were done for the morning.
I was rather taken by surprise, and puzzled by the “dynamite” reference. But my sense is that God was greatly pleased with our sacrifice of praise at the Unveiled Worship conference…that the humble, God-focused, passionate worship we shared there was a holy and pleasing fragrance unto Him, and that perhaps He was saying in response, “This is more like it! I can do something with worship like this! I am in love with this Bride, who is again on fire for Me.”
Something was certainly re-ignited in my spirit at the conference – and, I suspect, in all of us who attended. We were undone by the palpable Presence of the Lord at our worship services. We were shown how we had lost our focus; we were broken and repentant…and sprinkled again by the Blood of the Lamb. And then, He invited us into the throne room to sit in the midst of that amazing Love Embrace, where we were filled back up to overflowing.
As I returned to lead worship at my home church after the conference, I felt like I’d come down from the mountaintop….like maybe my hair had gone white, or my face was glowing, or my feet weren’t quite making contact with the ground.
While my physical appearance may not have actually changed, worship has been different at my church since then; people are commenting about it, and saying how good the music has been. But I’m not convinced it’s really about the music. I think they’re feeling the spark – and I’m hoping that spark will ignite a Dynamite Bride of Christ, one who’s again on fire for her Groom.
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