NCF WORSHIP LEADERS SEMINAR-JANUARY 25,2007

"NCF WORSHIP LEADERS SEMINAR"
WHAT IS WORSHIP?
The essential meaning of the word in the Old and New Testament is that of reverential fear (service)- a truth that we see illustrated by the conduct of the winged seraphs above the eternal throne.
Our present day English worship has evolved from the Anglo- Saxon Word weorthscipe, which mean to give worth to someone or something. Worship can best be understood by thinking of the word in this way worth- ship. The worship of God than is attributing worth to Him- and only HIM.

The primary reason for our existence on this earth is to worship God.When we understood all that is involved in this then our faith will throb with a new power an prove itself sufficient for any task. Our worship of God depends , as the word suggests on how much ‘worth’ we ascribe to Him. The greater ‘worth’ we see in him, the greater worship you will give to Him.

1. Worship is set apart for activity.
   


2. Worship is a celebration of God.
   
   
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   Worship is expression of our fulfillment in God.


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   When we are worshipping God , we are pursuing His presence.
   "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)
   These words were spoken by Jesus to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well as He taught her the truth concerning worship to God. He taught that there would no longer be just one place to worship God (such as Mt. Gerizim or the temple at Jerusalem) but that from the “hour” of the establishment of the New Covenant, the true worshippers of God must worship in a definite way and according to a fixed pattern indicated by this statement of Jesus, "in spirit and in truth."
   What does this mean in practical terms? Understanding that worship is doing homage to God, what does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth? Let us examine the subject of worship from this two-fold perspective, as we open the Bible and let it speak concerning what it truly means to worship God in spirit and in truth.
   
   Worship In Spirit?
   The apostle Paul in Romans 12:11 urges us to be "fervent in spirit." This means we are to have an attitude of zeal. To worship God in spirit is to do so with the right attitude or from the heart. The Bible heart is our mind and includes our intellect, volition, conscience and emotions. One's whole heart must be engaged in worship for it to be acceptable to God. As the Psalmist sweetly sang, "I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation" (Psalms 111:1).
   Worship in spirit involves doing those acts which please God with the right attitude. It is possible for one to be physically present at a worship service and not be worshipping God because his attitude toward worship may not be correct. Thus, he is not worshipping God in spirit. So it is vitally important that we understand the characteristics of worship that is truly in spirit.

• First, worship in spirit must be with understanding. Paul taught this is 1 Corinthians 14:15: "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." To worship with understanding, we must be able to comprehend what is said and done. We must appreciate the significance of each act of worship and think about what we are doing as we worship. For instance, we cannot be talking, daydreaming or sleeping during a prayer, sermon or song and be worshipping with understanding.


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  Second, worship in spirit is orderly. Some mis-guided members may like the "spontaneous" approach, which generally leads to confusion, but this is not God's way! Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:33, "God is not the author of confusion..." and later in the same chapter, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). We should have an expedient order to our worship services, so that all may know what to expect and do at the appropriate times. Order is right. It is commanded of God and therefore it is good.
  


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  Third, worship in spirit is reverent or respectful to God. The Psalmist wrote, "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him" (Psalms 89:7). Our manner of worship should reflect our respect for God and other worshippers. We are gathered to worship and praise Almighty God, therefore, we should act, speak and dress in the very best way of which we are capable. We should bring the best before God and show the highest degree of respect for Him.
  


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  Fourth, worship in spirit is sincere and springs from a holy life. We should assemble out of love for our Heavenly Father and a desire to praise Him and commune with Him. David expressed the right attitude in Psalms 122:1: "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." The time of our worship should be an occasion of great happiness and joy. We should look forward to the moment when we can assemble with the saints and worship God. Also, our worship is not done to be seen of men, but is offered to please God (Matthew 6:1,5,16).


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  Further, our worship should reflect a life of holiness. One cannot continue to live a sinful life and at the same time offer holy worship to God.
  


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  Fifth, worship in spirit must be edifying and without pomp or gimmickry. One major reason we assemble is to “provoke unto love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). Paul wrote that in our assemblies, "Let all things be done unto edifying" (1 Corinthians 14:26). Every act of worship in the assembly should be for praising and glorifying God, as well as edifying or building up the saints. Worship is not for entertainment, satisfaction of the lust of the flesh or self glorification. Our efforts in worship should be to glorify God and be built up in the most holy faith. Our worship should be edifying to one another as we assemble to provoke one another unto love and good works. Any act of worship which is not directed to God is mis-directed and is not in spirit. This is one reason we do not have choirs and choruses or entertainment acts in our worship. These would fall into one of two possible categories: Worship or Entertainment. If they are worship, then where are we authorized to worship in this manner? They cannot be found in the New Testament! If they are entertainment, then where is the Lord's church authorized to provide entertainment? Again, this cannot be found in the New Testament! Therefore, we must reject such attempts of entertainment as being from man, rather than God.
  Of course, we recognize that there are some who want worship to be what they want it to be and desire to do as they please in worshipping God. Remarks such as "We like it this way" or "It sounds good to me" indicate the desire to please self more than God. Paul referred to some who were this way in Colossians 2:23, who were engaged in "will worship" or worship according to their own will, rather than God's will.

Worship In Truth?
True worship, homage that pleases God, is also to be in truth, as well as in spirit. What does it mean to worship in truth? First, we need to define "truth." Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" The answer to that question is revealed in the prayer of Jesus in John 17:17, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." The Psalmist in Psalms 119:142 wrote, "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth." So when we speak of the objective truth, the truth of the Bible, we speak of God's Word or His law.
In order for our worship to God to be in truth, it must be in harmony with His Holy Word. Certainly, we should understand that the law of Moses (the Old Testament) has been abolished (or taken out of the way) and we are not bound by its commandments today (Ephesians 2:14-15; Colossians 2:14). The New Testament, the law of Christ, is now in effect and is binding upon all men everywhere today. So the question in regard to this subject is: "What acts of worship does the New Testament authorize for the church to practice in order to worship in truth?"

First, worship in truth must include the teaching and preaching of God's Word. An example or pattern of this can be seen in the case of the apostle Paul at Troas. Acts 20:7 states, "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight." This is an apostolic example of preaching being in the worship assembly.

Second, worship in truth must include giving or laying by in store, as a contribution upon the first day of the week. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:2, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." This emphasizes the personal, individual responsibility of each member to give upon the first day of every week a part of that which God has prospered us.
Third, worship in truth must include partaking of the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice upon the cross in our behalf. The church at Troas is an example of those who kept this memorial supper upon the first day of the week. Paul even tarried in the city of Troas so that he could observe the Lord's Supper with the church there upon the first day of the week (Acts 20:6-7). We are to partake of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine (grape juice) in remembrance of the death of Christ upon the first day of every week.
Fourth, worship in truth must include prayer. In Acts 2:42 we read where the church at Jerusalem, "...continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." This passage includes the acts of worship which we have discussed so far. The "apostles' doctrine" refers to their teaching and preaching of God's Word. "Fellowship" refers to their giving. "Breaking of bread" refers to partaking of the Lord's Supper together. And, "prayers" refers to the common practice of the early church to pour out their souls unto God in prayer and supplication.
Fifth, worship in truth must include singing. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:19, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." This teaches that the instrument we use is our heart. We are not to attempt to worship God with a mechanical instrument or a machine, because God has specified the human heart as the instrument. Further, we are to sing and make melody in our hearts "to the Lord." He is the one worthy of our worship, praise and adoration.
We should point out that two of these acts of worship (giving and the Lord's Supper) are limited to the first day of the week, because this is the only time we find them commanded or practiced by the apostles. However, teaching, praying and singing can be practiced as acts of worship at any time the church is assembled.
God will accept only one kind of worship: true worship. "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." Let us ever seek to worship our Heavenly Father with the right attitude (in spirit) and according to Divine truth (in truth) that our worship may be acceptable to Him and that we may glorify Him.

THE EFFECTIVE WORSHIP LEADER

• Cooperation An effective worship leader realizes that he is an extended hand of the pastor and that the pastor is actually the worship leader. The worship leader must never assume that he is more in touch with the action of the Holy Spirit than the pastor is. God has placed the pastor in responsibility and the worship leader must never subvert that position. The worship leader must never feel that worship is incomplete if the pastor signals a time to end. To oppose the pastor's discernment is an arrogance that can only destroy the worship leader's effectiveness.Occasionally, I see worship leaders who feel they are in charge of the theology of the church and attempt to bring in their own set of teachings through their worship. Sometimes they succeed in supplanting church theology because they are popular and effective. When they do this, they have sacrificed their servanthood and sewn the seeds of division.
  Invisibility The best leader will try to become invisible as quickly as possible. He realizes that his best servanthood is to be merely a bridge to focus the attention of the people on God and will try to be as unnoticed as any bridge would be. Leadership does not mean an opportunity to show off skills or knowledge, only an opportunity to show the face of God.I once watched a leader stop a congregation twice during a song, because he felt we weren't singing it right. It was a painful time as we bent to his wishes. We finally sang it right, according to him, but he had destroyed the worship moment. An invisible worship leader will avoid beginning worship with a song people can't sing or try to teach a song at the very start. To do this makes people aware of their own inadequacy and resentful of the skill of the leader. I deeply enjoy having someone pull me quickly into adoration of God with a song readily known and singable and then let learning of a new song be the result of my desire to further worship rather than the need of the leader to teach me a new song.An invisible leader sees his skills in an humble manner. In worship, I believe music skills are for equipping, not for exhibition. Consequently, the leader should practice his musical abilities in order for him to feel so comfortable with his own skills that he doesn't have to pay them any attention--he can focus his attention on God and the congregation. Also, his skills, as he improves them, will become so congruous with the worship that it blends with the people rather than interrupts them.The invisible leader assumes that people came to worship and does not tell them that they should or need to convince them that they can. He beckons and does not shove. He invites, not threatens.
  
• Presence When I see a good worship leader I notice a difficult-to-define trait about him that I call "presence." This trait is noticeable in that he is fully "there" and given to God and the people and yet not lost in his own thoughts and agenda. Presence has several parts to it. One, is "resonance." Resonance is the ability to flow with the culture in which you are leading worship. Such a leader would instinctively know not to do a clapping song in a "high church" situation nor sing a funeral dirge at a child's dedication.A leader with resonance is as aware of the people and their needs as he is of his own music. Consequently, he can think of the need to reduce their anxiety about themselves and what is going on so that they can focus their attention on God. Indeed, the term "resonance" speaks of helping people be in communication with God. The good leader knows that his job is to become invisible. He is merely a bridge carrying the attention of the people to God and anything that interrupts that attention is a roadblock thrown in their way.Another facet of "Presence" is "tongue control." The leader must suppress anything that would divert a God-ward look, including any tendency to focus on the leader because of his voice. Whenever the leader decides to do any talking, he should consider every word to be a flat tire. Comments, explanations, exhortations from the worship leader wrestle my attention away from God himself. Nothing is more disconcerting that to begin worship, fix my attention on God, and then have the worship leader stop and encourage me to worship or berate me for not having done it well enough. Exhortation from a leader to worship better merely focuses my attention on what I am doing, not on God himself.One need not even say, "Let's sing this next song in worship to God." Of course we will! What is the purpose of the meeting, anyway? Or one need not say, "Sing this next song as a prayer." If it is a prayer, it will be self-evident and the words of exhortation only insult our intelligence.Another part of "Presence" is "Anxiety-Reduction." They are alert to disruptions of worship beside mere talk. With some frequency, I find worship leaders demanding that I turn and stare at someone else as I sing a certain song such as "I Love You with the Love of the Lord." Nothing sends my anxiety level higher and wrenches my attention from God more than that. When I see this happen, I assume the leader has his own agenda and does not understand what problem he has created in the congregation.Perhaps the most common disruption (which has both its pluses and minuses) is the practice of standing during the entire worship service. This is obviously easier for a young and muscular group. Many people who are unable to stand that long would feel themselves to be outside of the realm of acceptance. After the first fifteen minutes I begin to notice my feet and legs more than I am noticing the opportunity to worship. Also, because I have to stand for another hour to speak I don't want to tire too early.Also counterproductive is excessive standing and sitting. It is not distracting to me to stand at a certain point in worship or when it truly seems appropriate, but when it is popcorn up and down I begin to wonder if the leader is nervous. Also, I find that "presence" lacking when a leader has us stand at a certain point and I never can figure out why he did; or to tell us all to stand and then say we can sit down or stand up depending on what we like.If a leader chooses to have people stand, which is fine, he should be aware that there is also a need to tell them to sit down. "Presence" will be alert to the feelings of the congregation, not just to a preset agenda.One item of congregational action that has all the elements of excellence but can still fall into the category of distraction is for the leader to ask that everyone hold the hands of the persons on either side. Here is the potential problem: Though there is a command to take the hand of the person next to you, there is not a comfortable opposite command. When we are told to stand up, there is a comfortable opposite--"you may be seated." Not so with holding hands. What would you say? "Unhand each other?" So, if a leader plans to have us hold hands, he must think ahead and be sure that there is a natural moment soon when we can free each other from our sweaty palms.
  
  
• Sensitivity Another somewhat-hard-to-define but you-know-when-you-have-it trait is sensitivity. The sensitive worship leader is one who can freely set the example by his worship but stay constantly alert to the signals of the pastor and the reactions of the congregation.Often I see worship leaders who have led a successful worship time begin to feel that they are "on a roll" and will push to maintain length and intensity of spirit as far as they can. I think they feel they are quenching the Spirit if they quit before the "roll" ends. The sensitive leader knows better. He knows that the important thing is that worship has truly occurred, not that it has gone on for a long time. The sensitive leader knows when worship has occurred and has no hidden agenda that demands that he do more than that.At the same time, the sensitive leader is not a slave to the clock so that he thinks worship must last fifteen, thirty or sixty minutes.
  
  
• Ethics A good worship leader will have a high sense of ethics in his relationship with the people so that he won't have a hidden agenda or try to "do" something to the people by manipulative methods. He will be careful not to be just a collector of ideas from other worship situations to "try" on the people. He will simply see himself as a servant who happens to have certain skills to lay at the feet of God and the people. I suppose it can all be condensed to a proper understanding of the two greatest commandments that Jesus seemed to feel were only one: "You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:37-40.

If a leader can help me love God and people and can maintain an honest relationship with the people who follow, the high wave of our new worship should roll on for a long time.

AREA BIBLE FELLOWSHIP-LEADER'S GET TOGETHER (JANUARY 20,2007)

PICTURE OF AREA BIBLE FELLOWSHIP LEADER

We are not called to work for God, but to let God work through us. What types of image the members want to see in a leader?

• Vision: Where there is no vision, people perish”- a powerful sense of what needs to be done and the initiative to take hold of it and work towards its completion. Vision is the ability of accurately assess current change and take advantage of them. “Vision is being alert to opportunities.

• Sensitivity & Understanding. People aren’t hungry for fancy sermons. They just want love. The leader should be sensitive towards the members. Jesus was a very sensitive person. In John 11:35 we read that “Jesus Wept” when Lazarus died. He was sensitive towards the needs of disciples. We also need to be understanding. We should understand God ( 1 John 5:12) and also understand people ( Prov 14:29)
  û People of prayer ( 1 John 5:14) Prayer is the slender nerve that moveth the muscles of understanding. As S. D. Gordon quotes “The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing but it is the chief thing. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer, nor those who I do not mean those who talk about prayer , nor those who say they believe in prayer, nor yet those who can explain about prayer, but I mean those people who takes time to pray”

• Encouragers of people- As encourager we must be slow to speak so that we can concentrate on what other are saying. Then our words will fit the concerns that the others have expressed.
  I Tim 1:2-7
  Paul encouraged Timothy from the Roman prison
  1. Paul’s love for Timothy (vs. 2)
  2. Paul’s prayer for Timothy ( vv 3-4)
  3. Paul’s confidence in Timothy (v-5)
  4. Paul’s gift for Timothy (vv 6,7)

• Committed to high standard in communication:

• A Reader- Reading God’s word along with powerful Christian books. “ The Bible is God’s chart for you to steer by to keep you from the bottom of the sea, and to show where the harbor is, and how to reach it without running on rocks and bars”
  - Henry Ward Beecher
  Oswald Chambers once said that the Psalm teaches you how to pray; Job teaches you how to suffer; the Song of Solomon teaches you how to love; Proverb teaches you how to live; and Ecclesiastes teaches you how to enjoy.”
  
  

GLIMPSE OF A.B.F. LEADERS' GET-TOGETHER

BETHANYS ISAL MANDALI, WAPUNG, JAINTIA HILLS- JAN 14,2007

l Bethany Isai Mandal,Wapung

(Message preached by Rev Prabhat Thapa)

RISE ABOVE YOUR LIMITATION: (Mark 10:46-52)

Bartimaues, the son of Timaeus (Son of Horror) was born blind. He was not only blind but also a beggar. There is something great inside the beggar, which Jesus saw.
Bartimaues was blind. He was limited so he had to depend upon other people.
Ps 139:14 “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. God cannot be limited. He was the last say in our life.
Mark 10:47 When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Though Bartimaeus was blind, he used what he had ie his vocal chord. He could shout and scream. He could not see, but he could hear.
Use what you have?
The Lord asked Moses “What is that in your hand?” Moses answered“A rod” (Ex 4:2) Then God said to Moses “You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you will do the sign” (4:17) Great miracles were accomplished with that rod when Moses obeyed the Lord. It was insignificant in itself but it became a power instruments when committed to the Lord.
What is that in your hand?

o Your identity
o Your influence
o Your income.

J.W. Johnson writing on this theme imagined the following conversation “what is that in your hand asked the Lord?’
A sling! said David. The Lord said, “It is enough, go up against the giant, and the giant Goliath fell before the shepherd boy David.
A pen! Said John Bunyan as he spoke from the Arches of Bedford Prison. “It is enough” and he wrote the story “Pilgrim Progress” which will live while the world endures.
What is in your hand?
Don’t keep talking of what you don’t have. Stop complaining of what you don’t have. It does not take great people to do great things but unselfish ones.
Someone has said, “The world is yet to see what one person can do if He is totally committed to His will”
What is in your hand? Don’t sell yourself short. It God has called you to a task. He will equip you for it. Use what He has given you and you’ll see what He can do with little things. Where God guides, He provides.
What am I doing what has been given. God uses ordinary, insignificant tools to perform extraordinary and large tasks

The Jubilee Trumpet

"Jubilee" is an interesting word. It’s the source of the English word jubilation—fervent rejoicing. In the spirituals of the Negro slaves in America, the Year of Jubilee became a code word for emancipation.

The Hebrew word for Jubilee, yobel, is also the word for trumpet, particularly the ram’s horn trumpet. At the close of the Day of Atonement on the 49th year, the trumpet was sounded throughout the land to announce the coming Year of Jubilee (Lev.25:8-11). This was a year of holiness unto the Lord (25:12,17), when God’s people were reminded that they were aliens in the land (25:23) who belong to the Lord.

According to Leviticus 25, the Year of Jubilee is a year for

-->forgiving debts,

--> a year of release from bondage,

--> a year of thanksgiving to God and

-->depending on God for provision.

Both literally and symbolically, the trumpet call is the means by which the Lord summons His people. In Numbers 10:1-10, God’s people in the wilderness were given their marching orders. The priests were to blow the silver trumpets for these four purposes:

(a) to call the people together; (b) to begin the march; (c) when going into battle, to call forth the power of God; (d) during festivals, as part of their worship.

The probable root of yobel (Jubilee, trumpet) is yabal, meaning "to bring forth." Just so, the prophet brings forth God’s word to the people. Amos gives us a vital teaching on this subject: (3:6-8)

When the Lord has plans regarding the judgment or salvation of humankind, He always reveals those plans beforehand through His prophets. For the prophet himself, when the message is one of judgment, it becomes a burden of excruciating knowledge which he is obliged and compelled to announce, even though it makes him weep with anguish, and even though the Lord may have told him his warning would fall on deaf ears (for example, Isa.6:9-10, Jer.5:20-21). Mercifully, the Lord’s announcement of judgment is almost always followed by a promise of gracious forgiveness for those who repent.

"If the trumpet does not sound a clear call," Paul wrote, "who will get ready for battle?" (1Cor.14:8) This statement comes in a chapter where Paul is emphasizing the importance of prophecy within the church (see verses 1-5, 39). For us, under the New Covenant, to sound the trumpet is to speak clearly and forcefully what God is saying to us here and now: it is to speak prophetically, to prophesy. The trumpet of true prophecy will accomplish the same purposes as the priestly trumpets in the Sinai desert: to call God’s people together, in the unity of the Spirit; to set them in motion, as the Spirit directs; to call forth God’s power in spiritual warfare; and to lead the people into fervent worship.

In coming days, this trumpet call for repentance will go forth more loudly, clearly, and often, until the church hears and responds.

-->The first fruit of repentance is heartfelt worship, and in the Old Testament the trumpet call was often associated with worship. When the ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem, seven priests blew trumpets before the ark, and "so all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of ram’s horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps." (1Chron.15:24-28) Later on, when the ark was brought into its new home in Solomon’s temple, 120 priests blew trumpets as part of the sacred celebration (2Chron.5:12-13). Still later, when the reforming King Hezekiah purified the temple after years of idolatrous abuse, he had the priests sound the trumpets again (2Chron.29:25-28). On all these occasions, the trumpets were announcing the presence of the Lord with His people. That’s what all the excitement was about.

Trumpets are also a primary Biblical instrument of warfare. In Joshua 6, at the battle of Jericho, the ram’s horn trumpets were sounded repeatedly, just as they were again in Judges 7 in the battle against the Midianites. The purpose of the trumpets was to call on the Lord and, again, to announce His presence. The principle that "the battle is the Lord’s" (2Chron.20:15) pervades the whole of Scripture. When the people of Israel were trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, Moses prophesied to them, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Ex.14:14-14) When Nehemiah was directing the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem, he had trumpeters sound the alarm when an enemy threatened, and told his fellow workers, "Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" (Neh.4:20) It is His presence that makes all the difference in battle, whether physical or spiritual.

What the Lord’s presence accomplished at the battle of Jericho was to throw down the city walls. The book of Hebrews furnishes another insight on this: "By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days." (11:30) The power of God’s presence brought down the walls, but He was acting in response to His people’s obedient faith, a faith they demonstrated by taking the risk of looking mighty foolish after walking around in circles for seven days right under their enemies’ noses.

It’s exactly the same today: sounding the trumpet—prophesying in faith at the risk of being considered a fool—still brings down walls. "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall." (Prov.18:11) But God’s prophet warns against this sort of pride: "God will bring down their pride despite the cleverness of their hands. He will bring down your high fortified walls and lay them low; He will bring them down to the ground, to the very dust." (Isa.25:11-12) The main instrument the Lord uses to bring down walls is the trumpet of true prophecy.

What kind of walls? For one,

Prophecy can break down the walls of separation— racial, ethnic, or class walls—that people have erected between themselves. Christ has overcome the bitter division between Jews and Gentiles: "For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility . . . ." (Eph.2:14) No walls of prejudice can remain standing between believers who truly love and obey the Lord—but it may require a prophetic word, from the pastor or another member of the body who listens to God, to break down such walls that have been a part of many people’s "baggage" all their lives. Likewise, the prophetic trumpet sounds the call to the church’s unity in Christ (John 17:20-23, Eph.4:3-6), breaking down the denominational divisions that have fractured the church ever since Paul wrote to the Corinthians (1Cor.1:10-13, 3:1-9). This prophetic call to unity is very high on the Lord’s agenda right now.

-->A major wall that true prophecy breaks down is the wall erected by false prophets. This is the subject of a lively passage in Ezekiel 13, where the Lord likens the false prophets’ efforts to someone building a flimsy wall and covering it with whitewash to conceal the defects. Then, speaking through His true prophet Ezekiel, the Lord says: "In My wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in My anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare." (13:13-14) Paul warned Timothy that in the last days, false prophets and teachers, claiming to be speaking for God, would lead people astray (see 1Tim.4). Timothy was currently ministering in Ephesus (1:3), and Paul urged his young protege to warn the Ephesian believers, with true prophetic authority, to shun the false prophets and their doctrines. In our own day, many systems of false prophecy and doctrine have taken root, and some have flourished and become worldwide in scope.

-->Finally, and most importantly, the trumpet of prophecy breaks down the walls we have built to separate ourselves from God. In Ezekiel 43, the Lord brings this accusation against His people: "When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger." (43:8 NKJV) On the literal level, the reference is probably to one of Solomon’s palaces that was built right next to the temple. That was bad enough, but the "abominations" that went on in there (after Solomon’s time, most likely) made it even worse.

How does this apply to us? The connection is that we, the body of Christ, are now the Lord’s temple. Our Lord jealously guards His prerogative of building His church His way. When we get involved in the ambitious fleshly business of "churchianity," presuming to build His church using our own ideas and energies and strategies—that is, the world’s way with a religious veneer—we wind up with a "building" all right, but it’s not His and there is a solid wall between Him and us. A bad scene. But God is merciful, and He enables His prophets to identify the differences between what He builds and what we build, and then, like a clear trumpet, to call us to repentance. Brothers and sisters, may we respond to that call! Hardly anything is worse than to be separated from our Lord and not even be aware of it. What most separates believers from the Lord is sin, but religion comes in a close second.

--->As the day of the Lord draws near, the trumpeter’s responsibility becomes all the greater:

Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on My holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming. (Joel 2:1)

When that Day finally comes, it will not be men who blow the trumpet: "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matt.24:30-31)

NCF LEADERS RETREAT-JAN 5-6,2007