Onedesire

GOD. PRAISE. WORSHIP. PRAYER. LIFE. ISSUE ONE.

THIS ISSUE

FEATURE ARTICLE THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PRACTICAL RESOURCES PRAYER

ONEDESIRE

Knowing what the Bible says about worship

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HATDOESITMEAN TOBECHRISTLIKE?

15TIPS

How to be a better Worship Leader

Connect through Prayer

FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST HOW TO DEVELOP A WORSHIP MINISTRY FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST RESTING PLACE

WHEN THE MUSIC FADES. THE STORY BEHIND...

ONEdESIRE

magazine

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t’smy pleasure to welcome you to our first ONEdESIRE Magazine a publication dedicated to the needs of worship leaders, musicians and choirs.

Our purpose is to place in your hands a magazine that is informative, down to earth, relevant and spiritual with ONEdESIRE to be who God has called us to be.

EDITORIAL TEAM Daniel Ayo Janet Ayo Yewande Hadassah

CONTRIBUTORS Daniel Ayo, Yewande Hadassah, Pastor Leke Sanusi, Asst Pastor Emmanuel Salako, Joshua Oyewole...

LAYOUT DESIGN & PRINT Trinity Multimedias Studios

ONEdESIRE CONTACT Phone: 07932 505 926 Phone: 07985 584 394

As a worshipper of the Most High God a lot has to be done to equip ourselves and also the people we are leading, this edition includes various aspect of worship ministry that i have learnt from experience and from other worship leaders and books, seminars etc. how to develop your worship minstry being a better worship leader, a worship musician’s guide and more are in this edition which will be a tremedous blessings to your life & ministry...be blessed.

www.trupraizeband.com daniel@ trupraizeband.com

It’s my expectation that God will pour out His anointing for a greater dimension in your worship ministry as you read this publication.

5 Congreve Street Old kent Road London. SE17 1TJ

Knowing that a kingdom lifestyle is about a wholesome body, soul and spirit, we added the “Healthy Lifestyle” section.

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Daniel Joy

Let us work together as ateam to bring this vision to pass. We value your comments, so please write or email them to us. //Daniel Ayo//

Don't be unhappy if your dreams never come true -- just be thankful your nightmares don't.

CREATED 2 WORSHIP PRESENTS

onedesire WORSHIP CONFERENCE 2012 MARCH 2012

REVEAL what God has planned for your worship ministry RELEARN how to include all aspect of the arts into your worship REIMAGINE how true worship can shape your congregation RECONNECT with all worship leaders who have a passion for worship worship seminar & worshop for Church Choirs, Gospel Band and musicians.

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CHRISTLIKE....?

As Christians, we need to be fundamentally different. As followers of Jesus, we ought to walk as he walked...

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KNOWING WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT WORSHIP

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WANTING GOD MORE THAN THE PRAISE OF MEN...

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WHERE WORSHIP STARTS

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THE STORY BEHIND HEART OF WORSHIP SONG

IN THIS ISSUE: Featured Articles What does it mean to be Christlike?..............................06 Finding your place in the Body of Christ........................09 The Power that lies in you..............................................23 Created to Worship.........................................................32

The Highly Effective Worship Leader...... 06-07 Resting Place A heart for worship Knowing what the Bible says about worship The worship musician guide

Prayer....................................................................... 08-09 Connect through Prayer Grow through Prayer 5 benefits of Fasting

The Worship Leader......................................... 10-11 Wanting God more than the praise of men...

Worship is a Lifestyle Going yonder in worship Where worship starts

Practical Resources........................................... 12-13 How to be a better Worship Leader How to develop a worship ministry Playing Keyboards in Worship

Health Matter....................................................... 14-15 Living a healthy lifestyle...

Song Story............................................................. 16-17 When the music fades. The story behind...

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PRAISE. WORSHIP. HUNGRY HEARTS. GOD’S PRESENCE

CREATED 2 WORSHIP

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what? We have been created to worship! It is in you and it is tha thing HATEVER ELSE WORSHIP IS, that gets stirred up in you whenever you enter the presence of God. I HAD TO COME TO THE FIRM When we say the presence of God, we say anywhere that His name is CONVICTION THAT WORSHIP being glorified. Do you take your purpose seriously? Your purpose being to worship? or would you rather work 9-5, 7 days a week, 365 IS PRIMARILY A MAT TER OF days a year to earn a couple of pounds, but no peace? You have been THE HEART. WORSHIP IS NOT PRIMARILY A created to worship!

MUSICAL ABILITY, BUT A FUNCTION OF THE HEART. I DON’T HAVE TO BE A MUSICIAN TO Created to Worship II, was one day that re-established the joy of being in God's presence and the sole and important reason why BE A WORSHIPER. MUSIC IS SIMPLY A TOOL we were created! Money will come and go, houses, cars, wealth FOR EXPRESSING MY WORSHIP. will fade away like the dust of the earth, but as long as you live and have breath in you, worship will remain forever! Here on MY MOST BASIC ACT OF WORSHIP IS TO earth and forever in heaven.

GIVE MYSELF TO GOD. WORSHIP BEGINS

WITH THE PRESENTATION OF MY BODY— The night was indeed a night to remember. The worshippers were ushered into the presence of God by various men and women of MY WHOLE PERSON, MY TRUE SELF —TO God that had one thing in common... A desire and passion to worTHE LORD AS A LIVING SACRIFICE. EVERY ship God regardless of who was around or what anyone thought.

SUNDAY I CAN SAY TO GOD, “ALL THAT I AM They were radical with AND ALL THAT I HAVE I their worship GIVE TO YOU.” OUR PURPOSE IS TO CREATE PEOPLE WHO WANT and put a new

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definition to A DEEPER LEVEL OF WORSHIP AND INTIMACY We gather every Sunday, lift up holy hands, self-less worWITH GOD. IT IS FOR THOSE WHO WANT THEIR sing songs that have now become our ship. The presanthem. we sing songs that mean close to LEVEL OF THIRST AND LONGING OF HIM TO INCREASE ence of God nothing to us; we sing without understanddown DAILY, WHO WANT TO QUIT SEEKING HIS HANDS, AND came ing why we sing the praise and worship mightyly and songs that the choir leads us to sing. It is INSTEAD, START CHASING, PURSUING HIS FACE AND people thre another task on the Sunday church list. caution and MANIFEST PRESENCE... CRAVING FOR TIMES OF UNIs that why you worship or even go to etiquette to church? Do you play church and say to BROKEN COMMUNION WITH GOD.” the wond and yourself... "As long as I do my bit of Sundid nothing but day service, God will be pleased with us, worship! till we meet again" - Is that what you think

it involves? Would you rather spend 3-4 hours complaining about Awesome worship leaders and Gospel Artists; Remi Odumesi, how long the Pastor preached for, than come to the presence of God Michael Pounds, Faith Child and Liane brought God and the host with joy in your heart because that is what you really want to do? Has of heaven down. It was a night no one could explain with words. worship indeed become a tiring chore? Let us go back to the drawing Pastor Segun spoke the heart of God and broke down what it board. Why do you decide to wake up early Sunday morning to probmeans to be a creature of worship! God's name be praised. ably get on the public transport or drive all the way to church? What

drives you to spare a couple of hours to fellowship with your fellow I was created to worship, are you? brethren? You might not be a worship leader or preacher- But guess

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What does it mean to be CHRISTLIKE? Ouch!

Pick up a newspaper and almost immediately you will be confronted with a story documenting another failure of human character. Every day another adulterous celebrity, a new abuse of power, more mindless violence. These days there is a dearth of good character, and this is not confined to unbelievers. It is a sad fact that in many nations of the world, the statistics for addiction, or divorce, or promiscuity differ little between believers and non-believers.

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This is simply not right.

As Christians, we need to be fundamentally different. As followers of Jesus, we ought to walk as he walked, striving to emulate his example. It should not be possible to say ‘I like Christ, but I dislike his followers.’ Rather, people should be able to look at our lives and see a depth of character that is Christlike, remarkable and attractive.

In his second letter, Peter writes to the churches under his care, saying: ‘Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 1:5-7).

Put simply, if we want to live effective Christian lives, we need to develop good character. This process of becoming more like Jesus, sanctification, is not an instant thing. Christian character is something that grows over time as we learn to walk with God on a daily basis. That’s why Paul calls it ‘fruit’ (Galatians 5:22-23).

Mahatma Ghandi famously declared: ‘I like your Christ.

I do not like your Christians.

Your Christians are so unlike your CHRIST.’ Let me give you just a few pointers for how we can begin to develop a DEEPER, CHRISTLIKE CHARACTER: LOVE. JOY. PEACE. PATIENCE. KINDNESS. GO ODNESS. FAITHFULNESS. GENTLENESS. SELF-CONTROL. THESE ARE SOME OF THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF A DEEP SPIRITUAL LIFE. And just like regular fruit, it takes time and investment before they begin to flourish. We need to prune, tend and water in order for the fruit to grow. Developing good character takes just as much commitment as cultivating an orchard.

Let me give you just a few pointers for how we can begin to develop a deeper, Christlike character: Decide which area you want to work on: Identify particular qualities you want to develop.

Don’t try to address them all at once! You may well know which character traits require

immediate attention, in which case begin there.

Otherwise pray, and then listen to the Spirit as he prompts you.

Decide to change: Once you’ve identified where you want to grow, commit to it. Knowing what you want to change and focusing on it is incredibly powerful. Repentance is a deliberate decision to stop behaving one way, and instead to act in a more Christlike manner.

Pray that God works in you: As Christians, we are often timid about praying for ourselves; as if there is something ‘unholy’ about asking God to work in our lives. The Lord’s Prayer serves as a great model for how we should pray for ourselves: ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.’ (Matt 6:13) Jesus expected his disciples to pray regularly for the deepening of their character.

Persevere: Change takes time. Don’t get discouraged if you find it hard at first, or you find yourself slipping back into old habits. Refocus, commit yourself again, and resolve to let God work in you.

Choose your friends wisely: Be careful about who you spend your time with, because you will become like them. Make sure that you spend time with people who challenge you, lift you to a higher level of character and keep you accountable where necessary.

But don’t forget to make sure that you are also influencing others, particularly those who don’t know Christ, or who are looking to grow in godly character themselves.

Good character doesn’t just develop by itself; it takes time and discipline. Make developing your character a high priority, so that in due course others may say of you that you are ‘truly a Christian who is like your Christ.’

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THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE WORSHIP LEADER:

RESTING PLACE: ROOT YOUR SKIllS WITH THE HEART OF GOD

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, the question is: “Why is it important for your talents and gifting to line up with the heart of God?” As I teach around the country, I sense an urgency to talk not so much about the excellence of the art, but rather excellence of the heart. The heart is the wellspring from which everything flows. Webster describes a wellspring as “an original and bountiful source of something.”

Proverbs 18:4 says, “The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook” (KJV). While it is important to sharpen our musical skills, I believe an even higher imperative is making sure that on a daily basis our priorities are clear and that we have something good to offer not only to God but also to our congregations. Talent is never enough. When I look for worship leaders to mentor, I am more interested in their character than how gifted and anointed they are. Did you know it is possible to move in your giftings in a powerful way, yet your spiritual life can be desolate and detached from God? That is why it is so important to have the following components operating in your life daily.

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1. Accountability The degree I am accountable to others determines the degree of my spiritual maturity. Satan knows the power of what worship can do to transform a person’s life. Because we are in positions of influence, we are vulnerable giving all the more reason for us each to have a small circle of people who can speak into our lives. We all have blind spots and those close to us can help adjust our perspective if need be.

2. Commitment More than simply looking at what my team can bring to the table musically, I am committed relationally to them as well. I connect with my teammates on a regular basis. I value my relationship with them more than their gifts. Remember, out of great relationships, beautiful music happens.

3. A Servant’s Heart The word “minister” means servant. We as lead worshipers need to set the bar and raise the standard of being the spiritual foot washers on our team. What we portray as leaders will determine what we will see in the lives and actions of the people we serve. Jesus washed feet. Copy the Master, and our actions will speak louder than our words.

4. The Secret Place This has to be a daily priority. It is one-on-one time with God away from the noise. In 1 Kings 19, God wasn’t in the wind, the earthquake, or the

fire, but rather the gentle and quiet whisper. That whisper does not happen amidst my crazy, loud, busy life. I have to find the time to steal away and hear the whisper. Out of the whisper comes a word, a sense of direction and flow. Let’s be honest. The secret place many times is a sacrifice, but as King David put it, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Sam 24:24). You can’t take people where you have not been.

5. Worship Evangelism My passion is to regularly look for opportunities to take my mentees and church members out of the four walls to worship. The best places are the jails, the streets, and the homeless church.

The beauty of it all is that we are changed more than the lives we touch. I guess the bottom line to all of this is that I am always looking to raise up and activate a generation that understands the platform is not their stage and that when we connect with the heart of God, miracles, signs, and wonders can happen. Oh, and by the way, every generation should be shaping another. My walk with God is what I hold most closely and value most. It is a great honor to bring brokenhearted people into God’s presence on a weekly basis. In order to do so, my art needs to find its resting place daily in the wellspring of God, for out of the throne of God flows rivers of living water and much life! (Rev 22:1, Jn 7:38).

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2. Take a prayer walk. Walk around your neighborhood, pray for the family in each home you pass, take a ‘prayer walk’ around your school, office, borough.

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Ways To

Pray

PRAYER OF THE RIGHTEOUS When we pray we believe, we receive what we ask In his name all things are possible When we pray we tap into miraculous things And victoriously we declare That we know that the prayers of the righteous availeth much The prayers of the righteous prevails Yes we know the prayers of the righteous prevail His love never fails The prayers of the righteous availeth much We are victorious We are, we are You are miraculous You are, you are

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BY ISRAEL HOUGHTON

3. Pray over your calendar and schedule. Got exams or an interview coming up? God totally knows your heart.

Talk to him about what’s going on.

4. Pray the bible. Let’s say that during your Bible reading time you come across 1 Peter 5:7: ‘God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him’ (CEV). Turn that verse into a prayer: ‘Lord, I’m going to trust you and give you all my worries. I know you will take care of me.’ Do this with Bible passages that express needs and those that praise or thank God. 5. Pray about the news. When you read or hear about a troubling issue, pray for the people involved. Pray for politicians and other national and community leaders who make the news.

6. Partner up. Find someone to pray with regularly.

Plan to meet at a coffee shop once or twice a week, or get together before work. Praying with a friend is great for personal accountability.

7. Be quiet. If prayer is a conversation, then you also need to listen in silence. And silence means getting away from distractions like music and TV. A quiet, little-used corner at the library could be the best place.

As you listen, don’t expect to hear a voice. But do expect God to tug at your heart, move your conscience, help you realise something you need to do or change.

8. Keep a prayer on your lips. Dozens of thoughts pass through your mind daily.

You daydream. You may think bad or gossipy thoughts.

Turn those daydreams and not-so-great thoughts into prayers. Ask God to help a person hurt by gossip. As you learn to keep a prayer on your lips, you’ll come a little closer to understanding what it means to ‘pray continually’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV).

Connect Through Prayer

1. Journal your prayers. But don’t just journal requests.

Write out questions, heartaches and struggles. Don’t forget to journal praises, too. Be creative. Put your prayers into poems. Write a letter to God. Then go back and read your journal entries in a week or a month.

There’s a good chance you’ll be reminded of how God has answered your prayers. Listen for God’s answers and journal them too.

...MORE THAN THE PRAISE OF MEN.

WANTING GOD MORE THAN ANYTHING...

Few of us appear more "spiritual" than when we gather with the Church to praise God in song. Voices raised, faces bright, hands uplifted (or maybe holding a hymnal) - surely, worship is taking place, right?

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orship is definitely taking place.

The question is: To whom is it directed? It can be dangerous to assume that, if we're surrounded by other Christians exalting God, we must be exalting God, too. As you're probably aware, selffocused and ungodly thoughts can pass through our minds even as we sing worshipful words. Is it possible to worship God on the outside while worshiping myself on the inside? Sadly, yes.

Jesus confronted this type of hypocrisy among the religious leaders of his day. "Everything they do is done for men to see" (Matthew 23:5). What a sobering indictment. While others esteemed the piety of their clothing, prayers and teachings, Jesus detected their true motives. He pointed out how they loved the most important seats in the synagogues and enjoyed having others call them,

"Rabbi." What was the issue? "They loved praise from men more than praise from God" (John 12:43).

We shouldn't be too quick to comfort ourselves that we're not first-century Pharisees strutting about in flowing robes. The spirit of the Pharisees is alive and well in our generation. Let's take a moment to look at some of the ways it's revealed.

Ask yourself a few questions. What am I most conscious of as I'm standing in front of my closet on Sunday morning, picking out the clothes I'll wear? Have you ever thought, "Oh, I can't wear that old thing. It's so out of fashion." Or perhaps, "This new outfit is going to make people sit up and take notice!" Or maybe, "I just don't have anything to wear!"

Of course, wanting to look your best is not evil in itself. It's when we are more concerned with

how we appear to others than how we appear before God that idolatry has been exposed. Whose opinion matters most to you? That's the real question.

Here's another example. When we arrive at the Sunday meeting, what fills our minds? Do we eagerly look forward to expressing wholehearted devotion to the King of the universe? Or do our minds drift to checking out what everyone's wearing, taking note of who doesn't greet us or struggling with the attention that someone else is receiving?

I'm glad that while I sing praises to God, no one's projecting my thoughts on a screen. Sometimes those words could read, "I want people to praise ME like I'm praising YOU, O Lord." Lets be thankful we have a Savior who cleanses even our "holy" acts, as well as a Deliverer who can turn our hearts to truly desire His glory above our own.

Next week, we'll look at how desiring the praise of men can particularly affect those who have the privilege of leading others in the worship of God. For His Glory,

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GOING YONDER IN

WORSHIP

As I pray that you have a chapter 22 experience with GOD, the following 5 points come to mind:

YONDER SPEAKS OF A DISTANCE: Many today want to come into some form of experience with God but are not willing to go the distance with him. They are satisfied with the counsel of Pharaoh (Exodus 8:28) ....don’t go the distance. As worshippers we must be prepared to go the distance so we can have a genuine encounter with God and bring His children into such a glorious and heavenly encounter.

SETTING WITH DONKEYS: The servants of Abraham were satisfied with settling down with donkeys. They had no vision of advancement. No focus as to moving forward. As far as they were concerned they had done enough already; after all they had travelled for three days so the time for rest had come. Whereas Abraham who might have been older than them was still willing to go the extra mile. Beloved, what will separate achiever from non achievers is the ability to keep going and not settling for less. Other worshippers can be satisfied with where they are and are ready to sit down but not you. Don’t settle with donkeys.

KNOWLEDGE OF GOD This is important as the knowledge of the one you worship plays a major role in how you worship him. Abraham said...the Lord will provide... This is because he had known him as Jehovah Jireh. Do you know GOD as you ought? It is a major prerequisite for all worshippers to have a genuine knowledge of the One they sing about.

BY SEGUN SALAKO

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AM GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR THE PRIVILEGE TO SHARE IN THE INSPIRED MAGAZINE AND TRUST THAT THE MESSAGES WILL NOT ONLY INSPIRE WORSHIPPERS BUT THE ENTIRE BODY OF CHRIST. I WILL BE SHARING MY THOUGHTS ON THE ABOVE AND RELATING IT TO EVERYONE WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON WORSHIPERS.

AS WORSHIP LEADERS AND WORKERS IN GOD’S VINEYARD, IF THERE IS ANYTHING GOD IS EXPECTING FROM US, IT IS THE ABILITY TO GO A STEP HIGHER THAN OTHERS IN OUR WALK AND RELATIONSHIP

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THREE-DAY JOURNEY

WITH HIM. RELATING THIS TO THE SUBJECT OF WORSHIP, ABRAHAM OUR FATHER, THE PATRIARCH AND HERO OF FAITH LAID AN EXAMPLE WORTHY OF EMULATION. WE CANNOT CLAIM TO BE AN ACCEPTABLE WORSHIPPER IF OUR WORSHIP IS DEVOID OF THIS VERY IMPORTANT INGREDIENT EXEMPLIFIED BY THIS MAN, WHO GOD REFERRED TO AS HIS FRIEND. ABRAHAM HAS A TRACK HISTORY OF WORSHIPPING GOD. IN GEN 12:7, 13:4,18, 18:2 HE ERECTED ALTARS OF WORSHIP AND

BY CHAPTER 22, WHEN OTHERS HELD BACK, HE WENT YONDER IN HIS WORSHIP.

Many times we don’t like the results we have after worship. We wish someone receives from God or has a testimony traceable to the worship. However for us to have a genuine encounter, we must be willing to go on a 3-day journey to pay the price and to be committed to the course of worshipping God.

GOD SPEAKS When God’s people go yonder GOD will always speak. Anytime you worship God (even on your own at home) and you throw away the wristwatch and switch off your phone, there is every possibility of an encounter with God. Beloved as we all seek Open Heavens, let us learn to go the extra mile in our service, worship, giving and devotion to the things of God. Abraham could have turned back; imagine three days on the back of a camel on dusty roads and having to sleep in uncomfortable situations away from home, but it paid off.

Isaac also learnt lessons that he never forgot about God. “Let’s give up all we have to go yonder with God.” Be fruitful and be joyful.

THE POWER THAT LIETH IN YOU!!!

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he Holy Spirit lives in us... The Holy Spirit abides in us- Once we give our lives to Christ, we automatically invite the Holy Spirit (to come and take His rightful position in us) to abide in us – I notice that once the Holy Spirit is being activated in us, we begin to do things that we naturally would not/cannot do! We begin to act in ways that we normally would not act- This happens only when the Holy Spirit is been activated!!!! We get excited, more or less. I can testify of that very character- ‘an overwhelming boldness comes over me and my natural demure goes out the window and almost forgotten forever.’ It’s just like that story of the man at the pool of bethesda in

1 JOHN 4 :4 “YOU A RE O F G O D , LI T T LE C HI LD REN , A N D HAV E O V ER COM E T H EM , B E C A U SE HE W HO I S I N Y O U I S G REAT ER T HA N H E WH O IS IN T HE W O RLD .”

John 5:2-15.... Whenever the Holy Spirit came, He made His presence known by stirring the pool- “troubling” the pool more like and anyone that tapped into it at that particular time was healed or got a miracle..

Just the same way, when we feel the Holy Spirit in us is being stirred; when the fire has been ignited and thus we begin to do the extraordinary, let us take the opportunity to tap into the anointing!! Let us use the opportunity to do what we normally would not do and in the process get our miracles!! Let us stir our spirits (or the Holy Spirit in us, so much so, that we are able to accomplish more than what we can ever imagine.

I sometimes say that when I am so much in the Spirit or when the Spirit has been stirred so much in me, I act drunk! I act like I am high on something (yes, spirit juice! Loll)...

It is so amazing and a very direct similarity to the effect of alcohol! I notice that when people are drunk, they believe they can “fly”, walk through fire, dance with that “hot” girl or even speak to that “out of my league” person! >>It is amazing how under the influence, you can do the “undoable” (if that’s a word)>> you attempt to even sing at the top of your voice (lungs) when you know and I know that you cannot sing to save your life! I guess we get the picture... :) So, let us see it this way... if while under the influence you believe you can do all and I mean ALL things! What do you think you can do under the unction of the Holy Spirit??

What do you think you can do when you are drunk with the Holy Spirit (spirit juice)....

Just think about it for a second.....

Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the best in you comes out! The things that are buried inside you, in the depths of your soul are excavated and brought to the surface!

You begin to ooze greatness and everything

you set your mind to do, looks possible!

(Don’t know about you, but that’s what happens to me!:) The Holy Spirit brings out the best in you!

Only the Holy Spirit can reveal unto us what God has in store for us!! (1Corinthians 2:913) We need to go through the Holy Spirit to get to where God intends for us to be.... So imagine you doing things now that you think are amazing!!!.... When really and truly God has deposited something greater in you... But the key to unlocking that greatness is the Holy Spirit... Be wise and use Him!!!:) Nevertheless, if you have not activated the Holy Spirit in you, by giving your life to Christ, how can you do the impossible?? Trust me, we are naturally inclined to go by what we see... but when faith which is activated by the Holy Spirit sets in, we begin to see things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17) we begin to see the bigger picture, because the spirit is the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:9-13) and the mind of Christ is greatness, its all round possibility, all round success, all round potentiality, all round capability! That, my friend is what the Holy Spirit does!

So I bring that scripture verse again, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” My interpretation: Greater is He (which is the Holy Spirit in you, who is able to make you great, bring your greatness from inside out) that is in you, than he that is in the world... your mere flesh is in the world! Your flesh can just about achieve what your carnal mind can manage to make it achieve.”You” in the world are a weak person and everything seems impossible- But you in the spirit are great and can do exploits!

Stir the spirit and begin to do the “impossible”– stir the spirit and bring out the best in You! You are born to be great, because greatness Himself lies within you!!!

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FINDING YOUR PLACE Serving the Church with your natural talents, gifts, and abilities.

God didn't design church ministry for a select few with seminary degrees.

The best way to discover our gifts and abilities is to experiment with different areas of service.

Each of us has at least one gift, which we are to employ for the benefit of others. Whatever gift you have been given is the best gift God could have given you for the working out of His purposes in your life and for the benefit of the other people whose lives you will touch. We discover our gifts by serving and through the observations and confirmation of others.

Jesus measured greatness in terms of service, not status.

Servants think more about others than themselves.

Servants base their identity in Christ.

Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation Servants are available; pay attention to needs, do the best with what they have, do every task with equal dedication, are faithful to their ministry, and maintain a low profile.

How can we discover where we can best serve?

Your SHAPE is one-of-a-kind. It's a combination of your Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences. While knowing our SHAPE is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important. Our SHAPE reveals our ministry, but our servant’s heart will reveal our maturity.

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“ YOU R S HAPE IS ONE-OF- A- K I N D. I T’ S A C O MB I N ATI O N O F YOU R SPIRIT UAL GIFT S , H EART, AB I LI TI ES, PER SON ALI TY AN D E XPE R IENCES . WHILE KNO W I N G OU R SHAPE I S I MPORTAN T F OR SE RVING GOD, HAVIN G THE HEART OF A SERVAN T I S E V E N MORE IM PORTANT. OU R SHAPE R EVEALS O U R MI N I STRY B U T OU R S ERVANT ’S HEART W I LL R EVEAL O U R MATU R I TY. ”

IN THE BODY OF CHRIST SPIRITUAL GIFT. God gave you a special ability called a Spiritual Gift when you began following Him. He gave you this gift to help build up your church family and reach out to the world with Christ's love.

HEART. God gave you a unique passion for particular activities, subjects and circumstances. He gave you a Heart for the things you feel deeply about to help define how and where He wants you to serve Him.

ABILITIES. You have Abilities, given to you before you accepted Christ, that God can use in specific ways to assist you in your ministry.

PERSONALITY. God needs a Personality in ministry! He wants to use you whether you're an extrovert or an introvert; whether you enjoy routine or variety.

EXPERIENCES. God has placed a multitude of Experiences in your life to help mould you for ministry. He can use the experiences in your background to help heal the hurts of others in your church and your community.

(Family experiences, Educational experiences, Vocational experiences, Spiritual experiences, Ministry experiences, Painful experiences, Joyful experiences)

Biblical Truths about Spiritual Gifts “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”1 Peter 4:10 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. ”Romans 12:6-8 NIV

What is the Source of our gifts?

God the Father appoints the gifts (1 Corinthians 12:28), God the Son gives the gifts (Ephesians 4:7,11a) through God the Holy Spirit Who distributes the gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

What is the Purpose of our gifts?

The spiritual gifts are given for the common good of the church (1 Corinthians 12:7) so that God's people can be equipped for the work of service which will build up the body of Christ, the church, (Ephesians 4:12) and bring glory to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4;10-11).

Through the proper exercise of the diverse gifts the needs of the church and her members are met and each member receives honor and fulfillment. The church as a whole operates in unity rather than division. The members care for each other and do not think more highly of themselves than of the other members.

Each member is seen as a vital part of the church's mission (1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Romans 12:3-8).

When the members and staff of a church are fulfilling their responsibilities and exercising their spiritual gifts properly there will be a unity of faith, a growth in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, sound doctrine, discernment, truth spoken in love, balance, everyone contributing and a loving, nurturing attitude. This church would be fulfilling the purpose for which it was created. This church would be equipping its members while attracting the unsaved to Jesus Christ. God would be glorified.

What are the differences between spiritual gifts and fruits of the spirit?

In every church there will be gifts that differ (Romans 12:4-6a) because all believers are not given the same gift (1 Corinthians 12:29-30).

The fruit of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control -- should be evident in all believers at all times. But all believers will not exhibit all gifts at all times. Just as the natural talents and abilities given at our physical birth, these fruits of the Spirit compliment the spiritual gift making it more effective. All believers are to display the fruits of the Spirit through their actions while using their unique spiritual gifts for the overall good of the church.

Culled from Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren

“A SP I RI T U A L G I F T I S G I V EN TO E A C H O F U S A S A ME A NS OF H E L P I N G T HE EN T I RE C HU RC H. 1 C O R. 1 2 :7

REVIEWS

COMMAND YOUR ENLARGEMENT LEKE SANUSI

BOOKS BY LEKE SANUSI NONE SHALL BE BARREN This book details the personal testimony of the author and his wife as they battled with childlessness for eight years in their marriage.

It narrates the experiences of the author as he journeyed through darkness in search of solution outside of the true God.

COMMAND YOUR MORNING In Your Hand Is a Book For Daily Dominion “Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place, 13 So that [light] may get hold of the corners of the earth and shake the wickedness [of night] out of it?”

COMMAND YOUR FRUITFULNESS God has sealed a Covenant of Fruitfulness with every child of His. A covenant has a binding force. The Creator (Covenantor) binds Himself to specific duties and obligations towards the Created (Covenantee).

COMMAND YOUR MORNING & CONTROL THE DAY This book will help you understand the divine mystery of the Morning time from a biblical standpoint. By applying the principles in here, you will be able to practice early morning prayers and pray the scriptural prayers you will find in the book.

POWER TO BREAKTHROUGH This book is a prayer manual to help you break through every barrier to your breakthroughs in life. One of the greatest fruits of prayer is to experience breakthrough. Breakthrough in prayer occurs when the burden is lifted and you have that positive conviction that your prayer has been answered or when God grants your petition and you have what you prayed for.

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Enlargement means making room or becoming bigger. It refes to growth, increase and expansion. Divine enlargement is when God intervenes and brings about growth, expansion and increase in someone’s life, family, ministry, business or career. It is the antidote to stagnancy and limitation that are attacking the destinies of people.

When divine enlargement takes place, stars will arise and begin to shine, caged destinies are loosed, fallow grounds are broken, yokes are destroyed, captives are set free, territories are possessed, and there will be revival, recovery and restoration.

NONE SHALL BE BARREN LEKE SANUSI AUDIO CD This book details the personal testimony of the author and his wife as they battled with childlessness for eight years in their marriage. It narrates the experiences of the author as he journeyed through darkness in search of solution outside of the true God.

THE WONDERS OF COVENANT LIVINGLEKE SANUSI For over ten years now, the Congregation of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Victory House, London where I serve as Pastor, has gathered in January of every year to observe days of Prayer and Fasting. During these days, we met to share the word of God, particularly on His Covenant promises.

At this annual altar of prayer and fasting, we have always activated or reactivated our covenant with God based on the scripture in Ps. 50:5 which says: “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice”.

This book is a documentation of the Principles and Practice of Entering into Covenants with God and it contains over 300 powerful prayers that will help the user to provoke the Covenant Keeping God to action. The book also contains encouraging and faith lifting testimonies of the Wonders of Covenant Living.

BENEFITS OF

FASTING FASTING LEADS TO MORE TIME INVESTED IN PRAYER.When we get hungry, we remember

we’re fasting, and that motivates us to pray at that moment. So the physical sensation of hunger increases our God awareness and guides us to commune more frequently with God. We are thus able to more fully “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17)

FASTING HELPS PURIFY THE HEART.

Scripture prescribes fasting as means of humbling ourselves before the Lord (Lev 16:31, Psalm 35:13, many others). By fasting, we make room in a very practical way for God to cleanse us. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 ESV

FASTING INCREASES OUR ABILITY TO SEE GOD. There is a dullness of spirit that is enlivened by our desire to draw close to God. Jesus promised that the pure in heart will see God. (Matthew 5:8) FASTING INCREASES OUR SENSITIVITY TO THE LORD. We can have greater confidence to hear from God as he makes us more sensitive to His heart.

FASTING INCREASES OUR SPIRITUAL HUNGER. God rewards those who fast unnoticed, in an unpretentious way, with a right spirit. (Matthew 6:17) It’s important to approach fasting with “a right spirit” Namely, God does not “respond” to what I’m doing, but by fasting, I’m responding to the truth of God’s ways by re-aligning my appetites so that I may know Christ and the power of his suffering (Phil. 3:10).

If you fell off the bandwagon, there’s grace to get back on the plan. Just decide to do it.

ARE YOU FASTING? It’s been a struggle for me. Since we’re in the middle of Lent, maybe you’re like me and need encouragement to keep at it. Fasting is “declining food for a spiritual purpose” or an “appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God”. Jesus warns us not to “make a performance out of it.” So with fear and trembling, I submit some things I’m learning.

5 WAY S FA S T I N G H E L P S U S G R O W M O R E S P I R I T U A L LY M AT U R E:

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We

Worship is a L

often hear the phrase "Worship is a lifestyle". What does this really mean? It simply means to live a life of love. To love extravagantly. The first commandment, to LOVE the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, and with your entire mind, means exactly that. You make a heart and mind decision to continually seek first the Kingdom of God, and to OBEY the Spirit of God in your life, as He calls you on to a greater and deeper knowledge of Himself.

Worship requires something of you, and that is OBEDIENCE. Why do people cringe away from obedience? I believe it is because it requires a response. John 14:12 says, "Whoever has my commands and OBEYS them, he is the one who LOVES me. My Father will love him who LOVES me, and I too will LOVE him and show myself to him."

And verse 23 says, "If anyone LOVES me, he will OBEY my teaching. My Father will LOVE him and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not LOVE me will not OBEY me. These words you hear are not my own, they belong to my Father who sent me." LOVE and OBEDIENCE are tied together.

Every time you open up your heart in obedience to God and worship Him with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul, our beautiful Lord responds with His magnificent presence. You need to continually be in the presence of God. Not only on Sundays, in a corporate place of worship, but in that secret place that maybe only you and the Lord will ever know about.

It's in this place of worship that you find yourself needing to respond to the Lord, to whatever He is asking, as WORSHIP PULLS BACK THE LAYERS OF YOUR HEART – TO EXPOSE WHAT'S REALLY THERE. CONFESS In Isaiah 6… when Isaiah caught sight of God he was moved to confess his sin.

When your humanness is confronted by the magnificence and holiness of God, you are made SO aware of your need for God’s grace and his cleansing power in your life. If you have unforgiveness, anger, jealousy, bitterness… ask God to forgive you. Romans 12:1 teaches us how to live this life of worship and love.

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TRANSPARENCY Psalm 51 says it so well, that when you are in the presence of the Lord, you become totally transparent and honest and your heart and soul cry out to pray "create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me". Read the Message Bible translation – it will inspire you to greater heights.

CLARITY As you simply and wholeheartedly LOVE and ADORE your God, you receive revelation and understanding of your kingdom purpose. Romans 8:28 reveals that "… in all things God works for the good of those who LOVE Him, who have been called according to His purpose". Many Christians spend their lifetime frustrated at never knowing their Kingdom purpose. I challenge you to get in the presence of God, have an open heart to hear His voice, for He desires ALL He has planned for you even more than you do!

HUNGER Another heart response is that your hunger for the things of God, your hunger for His Word and His truth increases. John 7:37! If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scriptures have said, streams of living water will flow from within him. Say YES to the Lord calling you to know Him more through his Word. It is LIFE to your soul.

REST COMES Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty."

Joy and strength are found in His dwelling place, in His presence. If you feel like you are continually running on empty, then again, you need to respond and obey the Spirit of God and GET IN HIS PRESENCE. If I have learned one thing, it is that we were never meant to live this supernatural call, with purely natural ability. You will not make it… BUT if you take God at His Word, live in His presence, live a life of love, and respond to His voice, you WILL live your entire lifetime growing in the knowledge of Christ, always fresh and strong in the Word, and living a life that people will want to follow. ... And you thought worship was all about songs!

LIFESTYLE

YOU NEED TO CONTINUALLY BE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. NOT ONLY ON SUNDAYS, IN A CORPORATE PLACE OF WORSHIP, BUT IN THAT SECRET PLACE THAT MAYBE ONLY YOU AND THE LORD WILL EVER KNOW ABOUT.

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1. WORSHIP IS A SACRIFICE

In the story of Abraham and Isaac, we catch a glimpse of the worship God requires. Just as Abraham had to be willing to sacrifice His only Son, our own worship needs to be a sacrifice.

It must cost something.

“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you” (Gen. 22:1-5).

2. WORSHIP IS OBEDIENCE

Worship is not worship without obedience. We can’t say we love God if we don’t do what He says. For the redeemed heart, obedience is not just a duty, it’s a joy.

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?”

(Deut. 10:12-13).

KNOWING WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT

WORSHIP

THOUGH THE TERM “WORSHIP LEADER” MAY NOT BE IN THE BIBLE, WORSHIP IS EVERYWHERE. LITERALLY. THE CANVAS OF GOD’S WORD IS PAINTED WITH WORSHIP. IN THIS ARTICLE WE HIGHLIGHTED SOME FEW PASSAGES AND DESCRIBE WHAT WORSHIP MEANS THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE. THIS IS BY NO MEANS AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST, BUT SIMPLY A

3. WORSHIP IS A RESPONSIBILITY

The organization that went into the Tabernacle of David astounds me. The worship of God was more than an isolated event. It was a massive production and a weighty responsibility. David knew the worship of God was of supreme importance and he structured his kingdom to reflect it: “David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men. ‘Twenty-four thousand of these,’David said, ‘shall have charge of the work in the house of the LORD, 6,000 shall be officers and judges, 54,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the LORD with the instruments that I have made for praise.’ And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD, and likewise at evening…” (1 Chronicles 23:2,30).

4. WORSHIP IS ABOUT THE GLORY OF GOD When the people of God worship, the presence of God descends. When we set our heart upon His glory, His glory will manifest.

I love this picture of worship in the Old Testament: “As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house” (2 Chronicles 7:1-2).

5. WORSHIP LEADS TO BREAKTHROUGH

It’s amazing what happens when the saints worship. When we elevate our vision above circumstances, above “getting an answer”, above our comfort, God moves on our behalf.

We should never worship in order to get something but oftentimes the breakthrough of God is welcomed through our worship.

Consider the story of Jehoshaphat: “And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as

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THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE WORSHIP LEADER:

WHEN THE PEOPLE OF GOD WORSHIP, THE PRESENCE OF GOD DESCENDS. WHEN WE SET OUR HEART UPON HIS GLORY, HIS GLORY WILL MANIFEST...

8. WORSHIP IS WITHIN

When we see the glory of God, we worship.

When we experience the goodness of God, we worship. Worship is not a striving in our flesh to please God. It’s simply the natural response of a heart that has seen Him. Every day is a response to the grace and mercy of our God. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits…” (Psalm 103:1).

When Jesus came, He introduced a whole new paradigm of worship. No longer was it about a place. It was now about spirit and truth. The Holy Spirit lives within us and worship is a matter of the heart.

This doesn’t discredit the importance of the corporate gathering, but it surely is not dependent on it.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth’” (John 4:21-24).

7. WORSHIP IS HUMBLING

9. WORSHIP IS A WITNESS

they went before the army, and say, ’Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.’ And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed” (2 Chronicles 20:21-22).

6. WORSHIP IS A RESPONSE

When you experience God; when you taste His goodness, pride disappears. You don’t think as highly of yourself. It’s humbling.

Consider Isaiah’s response to God’s glory: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

(Isaiah 6:1, 6).

Layers of truth are contained within the story of Paul and Silas in the Philippian prison. One of those truths is worship as a witness. The sheer fact that they were singing hymns to God around midnight was testimony to the jailer and other prisoners.

When we respond to injustice with worship; when we respond to our own trials with worship, the world sees that peculiar faith and wonders.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them…”

(Acts 16:25).

10. WORSHIP CENTERS ON CHRIST

I believe the greatest picture of worship in all of Scripture is the vision of the throneroom in Revelation. The Lamb upon His throne is worthy of unending songs of praise and adoration.

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

Consider this post a challenge, worship leader. Every time you open Scripture to read, let it fill you with affections for Jesus. Let it stir your heart to worship.

There’s no better way to prepare for Sunday

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PRACTICAL RESOURCE:

TIPS ON WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BE A BETTER WORSHIPPER, CHOIR MEMBER AND WORSHIP LEADER 1. PREPARE AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. There are numerous benefits to being well prepared. It gives you peace of mind, confidence and calms the nerves. Remember the adage “prepare as if everything depends on you, pray as if everything depends on God.” Don’t just rehearse your set, also practice the presence of God. 2. MEMORIZE THE SONGS IF POSSIBLE, OR BIG CHUNKS OF THEM. Practice until the music and singing is second nature. You’re training your brain’s muscle memory for your fingers and ingraining the tonal pitch center for your singing. This will free you up to be more spiritually sensitive and engaging with the congregation.

3. TRANSITIONS: Work on your transition game.

Think through the songs so they flow smoothly. Practice the transitions between songs.

Rehearse them over and over until they are clear in your mind. Visualize them.

4. SPEAKING: Write down what you’re going to say and where. Use bullet points. Rehearse talking and playing your instrument at the same time.

5. BE A GOOD HOST. Imagine you’re inviting guests into your home. Be warm and welcoming. Then, take them on a journey that draws them closer to God. 6. RELAX. Breathe. When we get excited the tendency will be to rush the tempo. Pace the songs at a sing-able tempo.

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7. BE YOU. Don’t try to be like somebody else.

David didn’t take out Goliath wearing Saul’s armor. Use your strengths. Don’t kill yourself trying to copy a song’s recording. Simplify your arrangements.

8. USE GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT. If your church has a tight time frame, rehearse using a stopwatch or timer. Work out the timings.

9. GET IN THE GOD ZONE. For the days or hours leading up to the service, position yourself so you can receive from God. We minister from the overflow of the heart (Luke 6:45). So, sow to the spirit (Gal 6:8 ). Eliminate distractions.

Try to organize your other responsibilities so you can be focused on this one thing. You may want to fast or eat lightly. Invest a little more time with God. 10. PRAY. Pray for the congregation, the team, the pastor and message, and your role. God will work through you. Ask for intercessors to pray for you too. See also this post on discernment, The Standard Answer.

11. WARM UP YOUR VOICE. All vocalists should do this. Check out Vocal Coach for great voice resources.

12. PROJECTION: Double check all the song lyrics with the projectionist and review the flow with him/her.

13. INVEST IN YOURSELF. Buy books on worship and praise by popular writers e.g. Tommy Tenny, A.W Towzer, and Bob Sorge etc. Invest in CDs; worship ones that edify the mind and soul. Remember, the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins’ God will ask how you developed the talents He gave you.

14. For worship leaders, be prepared and armed with your songs before you get up on stage, BUT be open to the leading of the Spirit because at times. He may just decide to use a complete set of different songs! All He requires is that you show a sense and level of preparation for each service!

15. (BONUS!) Finally, bring your “A Game”.

Lead clearly, confidently, and with authority.

God has called you to this role, in this place and at this time. So, feed the sheep. Help the people in your community express their worship. They may not know how to do that until you show them. Model it.

As a choir member or back up singer, it is part of your duty to uphold the leaders in prayer as they lead the congregation in worship. Remember, it’s all about team work. If the leader fails you fail as well.

Common bad practices found and heard of in the choir should be far from you such as fornication, lying, back biting, envy, two fascism, jealously, doing things with the wrong motive etc. they hinder God’s presence from flowing and draw back the choir all together

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GROW IN OUR RELAWITHOUT CULTIVATING AN EFFECTIVE PRAYER LIFE. AND, ONE OF THE WAYS TO DO THIS IS TO PRAY W ITH OTHERS.

WHEN WE PRAY WE ARE CONNECTING WITH GOD IN A VERY REAL AND PERSONAL WAY. WHAT AN HONOR! WE NEED NO PRIEST TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH, WE CAN INSTEAD GO DIRECTLY TO HIM. PRAISE GOD FOR THIS PRIVILEGE. AND, MAY WE TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO BE INTERCESSORS FOR CHRIST.

LEARN HOW TO USE THE ACTS METHOD to pray during your quiet time.

START A PRAYER GROUP

There are several methods available for praying over requests (whether it be the church-wide requests or ones that your group/family come up with). You can find great tools to help with this on the Prayer MinistryTable located near the Adventure City section of the church building. Send us an e-mail and let us know if you are doing this. It's an encouragement to us to know that Prayer Groups are forming at Crossroads.

ACTS Prayer Method During your prayer time, observe the principles in this simple acrostic:

A - FOR ADORATION

Lift up the many names and attributes of God, Praising Him for who He is. Feel free to reference the below partial list of God's attributes.

Alfa & Omega - the first & the last, All-knowing, Awesome, Changeless, Comforter, Compassionate, Counselor, CreatorDeliverer, Faithful, Flawless, Forgiving, Fortress, Glorious, Good, Gracious, Great, Healer, Helper, Hope, Hope, Horn of Salvation, Joy, Just, Kind, Longsuffering, Loving Unfailing Love, Majestic, Merciful, Mighty, Most High, Omnipotent, Omni-present, Only God, Perfect, Pure, Redeemer, Refuge, Restorer, Righteous, Rock, Salvation, Savior, Shield, Slow to Anger, Sovereign, Strong, Support, Sustainer, Trustworthy, Truth, Unique

C - FOR CONFESSION Confess or agree with God for specific issues or instances where you were out of His will.

T - FOR THANKSGIVING Lift up praises to God for specific things that He has done.

GROW THROUGH PRAYER

TIONSHIP WITH GOD

S - FOR SUPPLICATION

Submit your requests to God. This is where you pray for personal needs, family needs, the needs of friends, co-workers, and the leadership of Crossroads and even our Nation.

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THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE WORSHIP LEADER

WORSHIP MUSICIAN GUIDE

I

T’S PART OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MUSICIAN. WE STAND ON A STAGE. PEOPLE LOOK AT US. PEOPLE LOVE US. WE’RE TOO AWESOME. AT LEAST THAT’S WHAT WE THINK. BUT THE WORSHIP TEAM IS MUCH MORE THAN A GIG. MATTER OF FACT, VIEWING IT AS SUCH IS DEVASTATING. FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE ARE SERVANTS. WE CONTRIBUTE OUR GIFT TO HELP FACILITATE PEOPLE’S ENCOUNTER WITH GOD. THAT’S WHY WE PRACTICE, PREPARE, AND INVEST HOURS IN THIS MINISTRY. YOU SEE, PREPARATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR WORSHIP TEAM MUSICIANS. BUT YOU KNEW THAT. YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T JUST SHOW UP COLD TURKEY; HOWEVER, IT’S MY SENSE THAT WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO PREPARE.

HOW CAN YOU, A WORSHIP LEADER OR WORSHIP MUSICIAN PREPARE FOR SUNDAY? HERE’S MY BEST ADVICE: 1. FOCUSED PRAYER When you pray, pray with intention. Matter of fact, I would suggest making a list.

Pray for your Pastor – pray for God to fill him with encouragement and revelation. Leading a church is no small feat. Pray that he would stay close to the heart of God and lead with wisdom.

Pray for your Worship Leader – you knew I would say this, right? Beyond supporting your worship leader with musical preparation, pray for God’s anointing and strength upon his or her life. Pray for strength to lead people in genuine, authentic worship.

Pray for your Congregation – anything is possible in the presence of God. This Sunday could be a catalyst of change in many people’s lives. Pray for that. Pray for the lost to be saved.

Pray for people to encounter God.

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2. INTENTIONAL LISTENING You can tell when a musician is prepared or when they’re winging it. I want to challenge you in your musical preparation. Before you pick up your instrument to practice, become an intentional listener.

Here’s how: Pull out a pad of paper, listen to the songs for Sunday, and create your own charts as you listen. Chart EXACTLY what you hear on the recordings, measure by measure.

The goal here is to know the ins and outs of every song in the setlist.

Don’t make your worship leader tell you what to do. Don’t just fumble through a chord chart. Chord charts don’t tell you enough about the structure of the song and what your particular instrument is doing.

Listen very closely and ask yourself these questions: When does my instrument ENTER the song?

When does my instrument NOT play?

What type of tone does my instrument sound like?

How is my instrument complementing the other instruments?

Believe me, the more you do this, the more your musicianship will excel. Have everything charted out? Good. Now pick up your instrument.

TO PREPARING FOR SUNDAY 3. PLAY IT After you’ve created your own charts of entire songs, play them through a few times. Play along with the recording. Shut off the recording and play the whole song by yourself. Close your eyes and play it through again. Stand up and play it again.

You don’t have to do this for 6 hours a day, unless you have the time. I would recommend taking a day to chart and another day to practice BEFORE rehearsal. You want to enter each rehearsal 100% ready.

4. PRACTICE STAGE PRESENCE This may be a larger conversation you should have with your whole team, but it helps for you as a musician to think through how you look. I know that may sound vain, but it’s anything but. People may not always recognize if you’re musically prepared, but they can see…you.

Do you look like a bored, lazy bum in your pajamas with Cheetos on his face? Are you as stiff as a board? Time for a change.

It’s my belief that stage presence in a worship setting originates in your desire to worship God. Sure, you and your band may synchronize some movements, but it’s all for the worship of God. Are you worshiping? Is it visible? If you’re on stage, it’s your responsibility to visibly worship.

No excuses. Prepare for it.

5. SET UP EARLY There’s nothing more frustrating than a musician showing up late, especially if he or she has a lot of setup to do.

Refuse to be like that. If you can’t commit to showing up early, step down until you think you can.

Early setup is essential. Not only are you prepared musically, you’re ready to begin when rehearsal starts. Sublime.

6. PREPARE YOUR AT TITUDE I know. You’re a musician. You have strong opinions about music. You may have more ability than the worship leader. But remember, you’re here to serve.

Before you even show up, decide beforehand that you’ll do whatever it takes to serve your pastor, your worship leader, and the congregation. It’s not about you having your musical way.

Not only will you humble yourself musically, you’ll engage with the entire service. You won’t consider yourself “exempt” from the sermon or too important to talk to people. Prepare your attitude.

Question: What other tips would you add to improve a worship musician’s preparation?

- “If I think what I do on Sunday’s is true worship, I have missed it.

- If I go to church to see what I can get, I have missed it.

- If I judge my worship by how I feel, I have missed it.

- Worship is living a life of obedience to the Lord in all things. It’s not only about singing to Him. - When I have obeyed His will for my life on a daily basis, when I seek Him with all my heart, soul and mind, - When I come before Him in my private and corporate worship with all I have (not seeking what I can get), then I have not only worshiped, but I have become a worshiper.”

WHY PREPARE? We don’t prepare because our musical reputation is on the line.

We don’t prepare because Joe Worship Leader said so.

We prepare because the people of God are coming together to meet with their Maker.

It’s not enough to just show up. It’s not enough to wing it.

Preparation means different things to different people. To some, it’s simply listening to the songs as they drive. To others, it’s something much more thorough.

So I’ve decided to do you a favor and outline what good preparation looks like.

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PRACTICAL RESOURCE:

How To Develop A Worship Ministry

6 Key Concepts As we begin, we’ll need to be on the same page regarding key concepts which will shape our ministry values. These are: 1. Leading worship is … primarily a spiritual activity. ”God is spirit. He is looking for worshipers in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 “Worship of the true and living God is essentially an engagement with him on the terms that he proposes and in the way that he alone makes possible” David Peterson, Engaging God (20, 283).

2. Leading worship is secondarily a musical activity. Nevertheless it is to be done skillfully (Psalm 33) 3. The leadership aspect varies according to your role. Not only do you lead with your instrument or voice, you also lead with your whole countenance and how the congregation experiences you.

4. Leading Worship is a combination of art forms requiring skill, talent, aptitude, knowledge, understanding, insight, wisdom and discernment.

Music is an art.

Leadership is an art. So is preaching of the word.

Leading Worship is a unique art form converging these aspects with spiritual sensitivity and “anointing” – that is, the power God to do His work, His way.

5. As a leader of worship therefore, you are called to a lifestyle of personal spiritual growth and maturity that is, discipleship.

No, you don’t have to suddenly become “super spiritual”.

You do however, need to understand that your role is much more than learning and playing music.That’s where this is going. Leading worship is primarily a spiritual activity.

There is grace for you to start as you are, where you are, right now. You just have to be headed towards growing in the Lord.

6. To lead spiritually therefore, by definition, you can not take people where you have not gone yourself. So you have to lead yourself deeper spiritually in order for people to follow your leadership.

You lead by the overflow of your heart. (Matthew 12:34, Luke 6:45) David is a primary example of a heart that pleases God. He is a “man after God’s own heart” and is commended as a model to imitate (Is 55:4). Therefore we will reference regularly how to cultivate a heart of worship like David’s. This is the type of heart God is looking for.

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THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE WORSHIP LEADER:

A HEART FOR WORSHIP

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HAVING SERVED AS A WORSHIP LEADER FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, STRUGGLING THROUGH CHURCH STYLE DIFFERENCES, AND BREAKING THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE—I’VE MADE TEN CONCLUSIONS ABOUT CORPORATE WORSHIP.

ALL ABOUT GOD I had to learn first that worship is all about God. I gravitate toward what I like—music that appeals to my taste, styles that fit my personality, moods that move me. That’s the problem, however. Worship is not about me. Worship is all about God.

A MATTER OF THE HEART Whatever else worship is, I had to come to the firm conviction that worship is primarily a matter of the heart. Worship is not primarily a musical ability, but a function of the heart. I don’t have to be a musician to be a worshiper. Music is simply a tool for expressing my worship.

GIVING MYSELF TO GOD My most basic act of worship is to give myself to God. Worship begins with the presentation of my body—my whole person, my true self—to the Lord as a living sacrifice. Every Sunday I can say to God, “All that I am and all that I have I give to You.”

AN ACT OF MY WILL After presenting myself to God, I can then say, “Lord, I set my will to worship you today!” Some Sundays I don’t feel like worshiping God. So I remind myself that worship is more than a feeling. Worship is an act of my will, because God is worthy of my worship.

EVERYTHING FROM THE FIRST NOTE PLAYED TO THE LAST WORD PRAYED Worship includes the music, the offering, the prayers, the testimonies, the sermon—everything. All are parts of a service of worship. Of course, it’s hard to be a worshiper on Sunday morning if I’m not a worshiper all week long. But if so, then the worship of God’s people is a climax of my daily personal worship, everything from the first note played to the last word prayed.

AN INTIMATE EXPRESSION OF MY LOVE TO GOD While a worship service is public, it is also very personal. At every worship service, I aim to worship the Lord with all my passion and prayer and intelligence and energy—to know God intimately, to love Christ supremely, to be filled with the Holy

Spirit completely.

A JOURNEY TO THE CROSS I’ve had to take more than one trip to the cross to die to all my bad attitudes.

Attitudes such as declaring cold those whose worship is more interior. Or looking disparagingly at those whose worship is more demonstrative. I’ve concluded that worship styles that seemed foreign and uncomfortable to me were not wrong, just different.

A FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION TO THE LORD When I stopped looking at others and wondering what other people were thinking, I started getting caught up in God’s delightful presence. I’ve learned the freedom of expressing my heart worship to God through the whole me—kneeling, lifting my hands, raising my head, standing before God, or just communing with the Lord in silence.

THE HEART LANGUAGE OF A WHOLE CONGREGATION Worship is further an expression of the entire church. I’ve discovered that worship works best when the whole congregation expresses their “voice” in worship—their heart language of worship. As the combined vocals, instrumentation, flavor and ethnicity is given in adoration of God, their heart language of worship is beautifully expressed and I too have worshiped.

AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD I now nurture a holy expectancy to meet God every Sunday. I choose not to be distracted by the mechanics or participants of a worship service. I allow all the leaders and aspects of a worship service to be vehicles in drawing me to encounter the true and living God. My overflowing heart often affirms: “God is real. Jesus is alive.

The Holy Spirit is working in power.”

How can I make God’s presence real in my life?

Realise that even when you don’t “feel” God’s presence, he’s there. (Ezekiel 10)

T

he Bible reveals God is everywhere at all times, so you know, with your intellect, that God is always with you. Sometimes you’re especially aware of his presence—like when a truck almost hits your skidding car or when you’re worshiping him intently at church.

Other times, perhaps for long periods, you seem unable to feel God’s presence. You search your heart for sin and confess what you find. But God seems absent. You continue in regular worship and prayer. Still, God seems absent. At times, God may bring this sense of his absence to teach you not to depend on what you do and what you feel, but on God himself. As you endure this dark time, trusting God even when you can’t feel him, you know that eventually you’ll again enjoy feelings of his love.

Is it possible to offend God so completely that he refuses to make himself available to you? Yes, because this is what the people of Jerusalem did in Ezekiel’s era.

Chapter 8 records a horrifying picture of spiritual leaders using God’s holy temple to worship pagan gods. Then, in one of the most tragic scenes of Ezekiel, the Lord’s glory lifts from that temple and departs.

This passage teaches you should never take God’s presence for granted (as if you can turn him on or off). You must value that holy presence—whether or not you can feel it at that moment in time.

(See also 2 Chronicles 29:20-36; Romans 15:14-21; Ephesians 3:14-21; Colossians 3:10, 11.)

Good Words to Remember: Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them. Ezekiel 10:18, 19.

Today’s Challenge: How do you treat God, even when you can’t “feel” his presence?

Realise that even when you don’t “feel” God’s presence, he’s there. (Ezekiel 10)

Once these ten attitudes of my own heart were locked into place, I was amazed at how much our worship services changed.

Of course the worship hadn’t changed, but God changed me.

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Exercise One of the biggest problems in America today is lack of activity. We know it's

good for us but avoid it like the plague either because we're used to being sedentary or afraid that exercise has to be vigorous to be worth our time. The truth is, movement is movement and the more you do, the healthier you'll be. Even moderate activities like chores, gardening and walking can make a difference.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Just adding a little movement to your life can: Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes Improve joint stability Increase and improve range of movement Help maintain flexibility as you age Maintain bone mass Prevent osteoporosis and fractures Improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression Enhance self esteem Improve memory in elderly people Reduce stress

So, even if you opt for small changes and a more modest weight loss, you can see the benefits are still pretty good. One study has found that just a 10% weight reduction helped obese patients reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and increase longevity.

Eating Well Eating a healthy diet is another part of the healthy lifestyle. Not only can a clean diet help with weight management, it can also improve your health and quality of life as you get older. You can use the new Food Guide Pyramid to determine how many calories you need and what food groups you should focus on or, if you're looking for smaller changes, you can use these tips for simple ways to change how you eat:

Eat more fruit. Add it to your cereal, your salads or even your dinners

Sneak in more veggies. Add them wherever

you can--a tomato on your sandwich, peppers on your pizza, or extra veggies in your pasta sauce. Keep pre-cut or canned/frozen veggies ready for quick snacks.

Switch your salad dressing. If you eat full-fat dressing, switch to something lighter and you'll automatically eat less calories.

Eat low-fat or fat-free dairy. Switching

to skim milk or fat free yogurt is another simple way to eat less calories without having to change too much in your diet.

Make some substitutes. Look through your

cabinets or fridge and pick 3 foods you eat every day. Write down the nutritional content and, the next time you're at the store, find lower-calorie substitutes for just those 3 items.

Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to mean drastic changes. In fact, drastic changes almost always lead to failure. Making small changes in how you live each day can lead to big rewards, so figure out what you can to be healthy today.

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YOU HEAR A LOT ABOUT LIVING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IN GENERAL, A HEALTHY PERSON DOESN'T SMOKE, IS AT A HEALTHY WEIGHT, EATS HEALTHY AND EXERCISES. SOUNDS SIMPLE, DOESN'T IT? THE TRICK TO HEALTHY LIVING IS MAKING SMALL CHANGES...

TAKING MORE STEPS, ADDING FRUIT TO YOUR CEREAL, HAVING AN EXTRA GLASS OF WATER...THESE ARE JUST A FEW WAYS YOU CAN START LIVING HEALTHY WITHOUT DRASTIC CHANGES.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

else in-between)…get the point? I’ve learnt that I need to leave room for the other musicians (and that includes the vocalists, too!).

Another important lesson I’ve learnt, no, still learning is that I must be sensitive to the STYLE of the person leading the worship AKA worship leader. I’m a “supporting cast”. I’m not on stage to promote myself or my own agenda. The worship leader has been designated to LEAD. My job is simple – FACILTATE whatever s/he’s doing in a confident and UNOBTRUSIVE manner! An example in our church, Jubilee, comes readily to mind.

Recently, I’ve fallen in love with the fine guitar sounds on a lot of western worship albums, and since we don’t have a guitarist in our team (yet) I feel “obligated” often to double as the missing guitarist! Well, Pastor Wale finds my guitar playing less than suitable to his style. I personally think my “guitars” are not so bad…so what happens? I recognize his authority as the “boss man” in the group so if he doesn’t flow with the sound or whatever, I drop it. (Of course I’m still secretly working on perfecting my “guitars” for release sometime in the near future. Watch out pastor Wale!!). Get the point. SUPPORT the leader. Don’t COMPETE with him or her.

BY THEO EMMANUEL

PLAYING KEBOARDS IN

WORSHIP A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

P

erhaps the most profound thing I’ve learnt about playing the keyboards in worship is that, it’s NOT about playing keyboards (only)! It’s all about WORSHIP. And worship is all about God who sent Jesus to buy us back from slavery to sin and ultimate destruction. Many times as musicians we get enamored with our instruments so much so that we lose focus of the object of our worship – God himself. It’s a tricky balance, but once we accept that worship is NOT about music primarily, but an attitude – spelt “LIFESTYLE” – it becomes easier to grasp.

Secondly, I’ve found that it’s not about how many augmented, flattened diminished major 9ths you can play that matter. If anything, in worship LESS is often MORE! A dear brother impressed this so strongly on me while I was engaged in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme in Nigeria in 1992 – 1993.

I found myself working with Panam Percy Paul’s ministry then, in Jos, Plateau State. This

brother, Ahide “Bassman” Adum would tell me, “Femi, keep it simple”. Back then, I was so hung up on playing ALL the “high-tech” chords, that I easily lost focus on the most important part of the music – GOD. Eventually, I got the message, and I’ll be eternally grateful to God for teaching me a life lesson through my brother and Friend.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should throw out your chord charts and restrict yourself to playing only I-IV-V-VI chords. No. Far from it! What I’m saying is if your focus is to impress yourself or whoever else for that matter with the technical wizardry of your playing then you might as well be playing in front of a mirror…

In addition, most times we keyboardists are a PART of a team of other musicians. We need to play with SENSITIVITY and CONTROL so that we don’t get the music all muddied up with an overcrowded keyboard competing with the guitars, the drums; the horns (and everything

Having a humble spirit is a downright essential attribute of the worshipper in the first place, and more so as a keyboardist. What is humility?

It’s NOT about kow-towing to every suggestion or instruction like a mindless robot. Humility is about NOT thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to (Insert scripture that says not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to). NOTE, that also includes NOT thinking of ourselves LESS than we ought to.

A humble person has a realistic (GODLY) perspective about himself and place in the general scheme of things. S/he’s not intimated by other peoples attitudes, criticisms or talents.

Finally, perhaps the most profound (SCARY?) thing I’ve learnt or still learning is that the anointing of God or the manifest presence of God during our times of corporate worship is NO sign of God’s approval of our persons.

There have been times when my heart / life was not right with God, yet those were times when God would show up BIG TIME during worship in our Church services. It’s easy to mistake the manifestation of God for His approval of us.

I’ve come to the grim realization that without me, God’s will for man would still be fulfilled.

Therefore the smartest thing I can do is to carefully align myself with HIM as best as I can at all times.

It would be a disaster of mega-galactic proportions if after all our struggles here on earth we meet The Master face to face and all He has to say to us is, “Depart from me, ye worker of iniquity. I know ye not!”. HELP!!

Actively living right for Jesus is the bedrock of a meaningful “practice” as a keyboard player in worship.

Phew! So that’s the article. I hope you’ve been blessed.

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SINCE 1993, GOD HAS BEEN DOING SOMETHING SPECIAL IN A WORKING CLASS TOWN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF LONDON - SOMETHING CALLED SOUL SURVIVOR. WHAT STARTED AS AN EVANGELISTIC OUTREACH TO YOUTH IN WATFORD, ENGLAND, HAS SNOWBALLED INTO AN ANNUAL YOUTH CONFERENCE, A LOCAL CONGREGATION, AND NOW A WORLDWIDE INTERDENOMINATIONAL YOUTH INITIATIVE ORGANIZATION. LED

BY ITS’ FOUNDER MIKE PILAVACHI, SOUL SURVIVOR HAS SINCE SPREAD TO CANADA, HOLLAND, SOUTH AFRICA, AUSTRALIA, AND THE UNITED STATES.

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MATT REDMAN

When the Music Fades...

The eternal Truth behind “The Heart of Worship”

by Paul Martin

Matt

Redman, writer of such well-known worship songs as "Heart of Worship," has emerged as one of the worship leaders for Soul Survivor ministry in the United Kingdom. Centering themselves on the values of worship, relationship and getting out there and "living the life," the conferences in England currently draw 17,000 people over three weeks from across the globe.

To bring to light the story of what God has done in Soul Survivor and the lifechanging lessons He has taught them, WLW Magazine has asked Paul Martin, leader of Soul Survivor here in the United States, to write our feature article.

Our intent is that in reading this feature, you will be compelled to move beyond being "connoisseurs" of worship to full-fledged participants.

We are a culture of critics.

Movies, music, television, restaurants - it seems nothing is safe from our analytical eye. But what happens when that same mentality creeps into our worship of God? It's amazing how similarly we answer these fundamentally different questions: "What did you think of that movie last night?"

"How did you like the worship this morning?"

"I think it was great."

"Kind of boring."

"I fell asleep."

"WE HAD FORGOT TEN THAT WE ARE ALL THE PERFORMERS OF WORSHIP AND THAT GOD IS THE AUDIENCE." Is this dynamic normal? Is it right or wrong, good or bad? Shouldn't people, especially the worship team, engage in expressing their views?

Pastor Mike Pilavachi, from London, tells the following story of a season in which his church wrestled with this very issue:

We were challenged to ask ourselves individually, ‘When I come through the door of the church, what am I bringing as my contribution to worship?’ The truth came to us: worship is not a spectator sport, it is not a product molded by the taste of the consumers. It is not about what we can get out of it; it is all about God. We needed to take drastic action. For a while, in order to truly learn this lesson, we banned the band. We fired Redman!

Then we sat around in circles and said that if no one brought a sacrifice of praise, we would spend the meeting in silence. At the beginning we virtually did! It was a very painful process. We were learning again not to rely on the music.

After a while, we began to have some very sweet times of worship. We all began to bring our prayers, our readings, our prophecies, our thanksgiving, our praises and our songs. Someone would start a song a cappella and we would all join in. Then someone else would take it on to another song. The excitement came back. We were not having Church; we were once again meeting with God. With all the comforts stripped away, we worshiped from the heart.

When we had learned our lesson, we brought the band back. It was at this point that Matt began to sing the song he had written out of this experience.

I wept as we sang it for the first time. The words expressed exactly what was going on.”

When the music fades, All is stripped away, and I simply come Longing just to bring Something that’s of worth That will bless your heart

“Since it began, Soul Survivor has always given plenty of time over to worshiping through music. Over the years, people have poured out their hearts to God through it, and there have been plenty of examples of great things happening as a result. However, there was a season when we realized that something was ‘up’ with our worship.

I’ll bring you more than a song For a song in itself is not what you have required.

You search much deeper within Through the way things appear; You’re looking into my heart.

At first, it was difficult to put our finger on the problem. On the surface, everything was just fine: the musicians were tuning their instruments and the soundmen were getting out of bed on time. Each service contained a block of songs that focused on the cross and gave people the chance to get down to business with God. To make this easier, the music was (nearly) up-to-date, the chairs had disappeared and the lights were low - What better atmosphere for young people to worship God?

I’m coming back to the heart of worship And it’s all about you All about you Jesus.

I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it When it’s all about you, All about you Jesus.

“Yet, we seemed to have lost the spark. We seemed to be going through the motions, but I noticed that although we were singing the songs, our hearts, were far from Him. Was it Matt Redman’s fault? I listened. He wasn’t singing any more off notes than usual. Then one day it clicked; we had become connoisseurs of worship instead of participants of it.

In our hearts, we were giving the worship team grades on a scale from one to ten: ‘Not that song again,’ ‘I can’t hear the bass,’ ‘I like the way she sings better.’

We had made the band the performers of worship and ourselves the audience.

We had forgotten that we are ALL the performers of worship and that God is the audience. We had forgotten that sacrifice is central to biblical worship.

We are called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices - this is OUR spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1). We are called to offer our sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15).

King of endless worth No one could express How much you deserve.

Though I’m weak and poor All I have is yours, every single breath.

When I [Paul Martin] first heard this story, it nearly knocked the wind out of me! As a musician who had been very involved in worship training and recording for years, I regretfully realized that church had become more like a night out at the movies, an opportunity for me express my expertise, and to rank “how good it was.”

If you are involved in worship at your church, I would humbly ask you to search for a balance between heart and sound. Yes, we are encouraged in scripture to “play skillfully” before the Lord. But this must always follow a heart that is yearning to bless Him.

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Cross Word Puzzle:

How well do you know your BiBLE

DOWN

1. Jacob said unto ____, Give me my wife (Gen 29:21) 2. Bring my sons from ____ and my daughters (Isa 43:6) 3. the wringing of the ____ bringeth forth blood (Prov 30:33) KJV 4. being not a forgetful hearer, but a ____ of the work (James 1:25) 5. and out goes ___; quarrels and insults (Prov 22:10) 6. About ten days ____, the LORD struck Nabal (1 Sam 25:38) 7. to him who divided the Red Sea ___ (Ps 136:13) 8. Abner son of ___ , the commander of Saul’s army (2 Sam 2:8) 9. daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in ___ (Judges 21:21) 10. there is only ___ ___ between me and death (1,4) (1 Sam 20:3) 11. In God we ____ all the day (Ps 44:8) 12. and they shall set themselves in ____ against her (Jer 50:9) 13. the roebuck, and the fallow ____, and the wild goat (Deut 14:5) 21. appointed priests from all ___of people (1 Kings 12:31) 23. the sword, not of ___ ___ man, shall devour him (1,4)(Isaiah 31:8) 26. and to ___ them with the towel (John 13:5) 27. the poison of ___ is under their lips (Rom 3:13) KJV 28. shake the dust off your ___ when you leave (Matt 10:14) 30. Reuben, Simeon, ____, and Judah, (Exodus 1:2) 31. do not reap to the ___ edges of your field (Lev 23:22) 32. At midnight the cry ___ out: Here’s the bridegroom (Matt 25:6)

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34. But in the first ____ of Cyrus the king of Babylon (Ezra 5:13) 36. Roman emperor (54-68 A.D.) 37. he has appeared once for all at the end of the ___ (Heb 9:26) 38. God made them ____ and female (Mark 10:6) 40. The altar will be split apart and the ___ on it will be poured (1 Kings 13:3) 42. and does not eat the bread of ___ (Prov 31:27) 45. Surely he will have no ___ from his craving (Job 20:20) 48. Like a club or a sword or ___ ___ arrow (1,5) (Prov 25:18) 50. So God created man in his ___ image (Gen 1:27) 51. Neither is ____ any creature that is not manifest (Heb 4:13) 52. the avenger of blood might pursue him in ___ ___ (1,4) (Deut 19:6) 53. the home of a man known as Simon the ___ (Matt 26:6) 55. like an archer who wounds at random is he who ___ a fool (Prov 26:10) 56. my brethren, and their flocks, and their ____ (Gen 47:1) 57. ___ you nullify the word of God by your tradition (Mark 7:13) 59. the woman had ___ ___ calf in the house (1,3) (1 Sam 28:24) (KJV) 60. As a ____ is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit (Jer 5:27) 61. unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been ___ with (Jer 3:2) KJV 64. had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and ____ trees (1 King 9:11)

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39. wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will ___ it (Prov 16:14) 41. A jar of wine ___ was there (John 19:29) 43. Foxes have holes and birds of the air have ___ (Matt 8:20) 44. very dry (Luke 11:24) 46. because thou didst ____ on the LORD, he delivered them (2 Chr 16:8) KJV 47. rabbit (Deut 14:7) (KJV) 49. Cutting ___ the anchors, they left them in the sea (Acts 27:40) 51. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ ___ (1 Tim 4:7) 54. Wilt thou not ___ us what thou meanest by these? (Ezek 37:18) KJV 57. You will ___the mountains and crush them (Isa 41:15) 58. and setteth him on a ___ of the temple (Matt 4:5) KJV 62. I will make Jerusalem a ___ of ruins (Jer 9:11) 63. stood around ___ ___ they had made to keep warm (1,4) (John 18:18) 65. and came to a place called ___ Havens (Acts7:8) 66. the Pharisees began to ____ him vehemently (Luke 11:53) 67. according to all the ____ of it (Num 9:3) 68. Even on the ____ you laid a very heavy yoke (Isa 47:6) 69. “I am the ___ ,” Samuel replied (1 Sam 9:19) 70. the ___ is full, the fats overflow (Joel 3:13) KJV 71. captains over fifties, and captains over ____ (Deut 1:15)

There are many ways to help make TruPraize Magazine happen, and everyone has a part to play in the work. If you are interested in serving or having any questions please feel free to fill out the form and pass it to the Publisher.

1. We have mortgaged our ____, vineyards, and houses (Neh 5:3) 6. He that tilleth his ____ shall be satisfied (Prov 12:11) KJV 10. Like ___ ___ tooth or a lame foot (1,3) (Prov 25:19) 14. like a broken tooth, and ___ ___ out of joint (1,4) (Prov 25:19) 15. looked like ___ ___ of glass, clear as crystal (1,3) (Rev 4:6) 16. if the ____ has faded and has not spread (Lev 13:6) 17. took unto them certain lewd fellows of the ___sort (Acts 17:5) KJV 18. I will ____ their mourning into joy (Jer 31:13) 19. the devil threw him down, and ___ him (Luke 9:42) KJV 20. down and fallen: but we ___ ___, and stand (3,5) (Ps 20:8) KJV 22. In those days ___ Augustus issued a decree (Luke 2:1) 24. They crossed at the ___to take the king's household over (2 Sam 19:18) 25. I looked at the earth, and it was formless and ___ (Jer 4:23) 26. and a cake made with oil, and a ___ (Exod 29:23) 29. Above all ___ , guard your heart (Prov 4:23) 32. Awake, and ___ to my defense! Contend for me, my God (Ps 35:23) 33. Hiram king of ___ sent messengers to David (2 Sam 5:11) 35. a people for himself, and to make ___ ___ for himself (1,4) (2 Sam 7:23)

I’d like to

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GET INVOLVED.

"If you don't like the way you were BORN, try being BORN AGAIN.|

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something to eat tonight INGR EDIENTS: Serves: 4 300g sliced chicken/turkey breast 200g fresh mushrooms 150g leeks 1 apple 2tsp oil 1-2 tsp curry powder or curry paste 200g frozen green beans 200g frozen broccoli Ÿtsp ground black pepper ½tsp salt 1-2tbsp Fruisana Fruit Sugar 100-200ml water, cream or coconut milk

METHOD 1. Start to cook the rice. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the dish.

Mixed Stir Fry

2. Slice the mushrooms, split the leek and rinse carefully, then slice.

3. Peel, core and dice the apple.

4. Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok, then quickly fry the chicken. Add the curry powder.

5. Add the mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes, then stir in the leeks and cook for a further five minutes.

6. Next, stir in the diced apple, frozen beans and broccoli. Cook for a few minutes, stirring continuously.

7. Season with the salt and pepper, add the Fruisana and some of the water or coconut milk. Cover and simmer for about five minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.

Add more liquid and adjust seasoning as necessary.

8. Serve with basmati rice.

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The Worship Leader

WHERE WORSHIP STARTS KEEP YOUR FAMILY IN THE LOOP So you have a vision and a passion for worship? Let your family in on it. Give them the opportunity to catch your vision. Make sure that your spouse is on board with what you believe God is calling you to do. The more they understand of the reasons behind your actions, the more supportive they can be when there are hard choices to make.

PRAYER IS A POWERFUL TOOL A friend of mine who is a former pastor regularly points out that families of church leaders are extremely vulnerable to attacks from the enemy. Satan is well aware that one of the easiest ways to derail a Christian is to disrupt the home life. We need to constantly lift up our families in prayer. We may never know the effects our prayers will have on them. The effect on us will be more evident, because our prayers will enlarge our hearts, sensitizing us to the needs of those closest to us.

FIND A GOOD SOUNDING BOARD Sometimes what you really need is a friend who sees right through you and is unafraid to call you on the carpet when the need arises. Invite someone you trust to act as your accountability partner. When faced with conflicting situations between ministry and family, use this person to offer an objective opinion.

YOU ARE ONE SMALL PART OF A LARGE ORGANISM While you’re focused on your personal need for balance, the rest of your family is going about their own contributions to the kingdom. As important as worship leading may be, we are not the center of God’s universe (Surprised?).

Not even our families revolve around us. Each member has important relationships with other people where significant ministry takes place. Family decisions should consider not only how they impact your ministry, but also how they affect the ministries of your children and spouse.

SCHEDULE FAMILY TIME ON THE CALENDAR For some of us, if it isn’t on the calendar, it doesn’t happen.

We can’t expect to enjoy quality family time if we’re not being intentional about planning for it. Commit to specified times and resist the urge to cancel those appointments.

THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER...

Not everything about leading worship needs to be seen as clashing with family values. In fact, you can find a unique joy as a family through worshiping together.

Seeing your child participate wholeheartedly in corporate worship is perhaps one of the greatest rewards a worship leader could hope for. Those kinds of moments put your relationship in a new perspective where you are able to view yourselves not as parent and child, but as fellow believers, joint heirs in a much larger family. And the Father we worship together gladly makes time for us all.

To be sure, there are genuine sacrifices that a family will undoubtedly have to make if having a parent (or parents) involved in ministry. Obedience always comes at price, and that sometimes impacts loved ones who aren’t making choices for themselves. Worship leading will at times require us to say “no” to our families. How can we refrain from adding any unnecessary burdens to an already heavy load? Here are some helpful reminders to help you balance family and ministry.

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Where worship

To

besure, there are genuine sacrifices that a family will undoubtedly have to make if having a parent (or parents) involved in ministry. Obedience always comes at price, and that sometimes impacts loved ones who aren’t making choices for themselves. Worship leading will at times require us to say “no” to our families. How can we refrain from adding any unnecessary burdens to an already heavy load? Here are some helpful reminders to help you balance family and ministry.

KEEP YOUR FAMILY IN THE LOOP

Starts...

So you have a vision and a passion for worship? Let your family in on it. Give them the opportunity to catch your vision. Make sure that your spouse is on board with what you believe God is calling you to do. The more they understand of the reasons behind your actions, the more supportive they can be when there are hard choices to make.

family is going about their own contributions to the kingdom. As important as worship leading may be, we are not the center of God’s universe (Surprised?). Not even our families revolve around us. Each member has important relationships with other people where significant ministry takes place. Family decisions should consider not only how they impact your ministry, but also how they affect the ministries of your children and spouse.

PRAYER IS A POWERFUL TOOL

SCHEDULE FAMILY TIME ON THE CALENDAR

For some of us, if it isn’t on the calendar, it doesn’t happen. We can’t A friend of mine who is a former pastor regularly points out that families expect to enjoy quality family time if we’re not being intentional about of church leaders are extremely vulnerable to attacks from the enemy. planning for it. Commit to specified times and Satan is well aware that one of the easiest ways resist the urge to cancel those appointments. to derail a Christian is to disrupt the home life. We “SEEING YOUR CHILD PARTICIPATE need to constantly lift up our families in prayer.

WHOLEHEARTEDLY IN CORPORATE We may never know the effects our prayers will THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER... have on them. The effect on us will be more eviWORSHIP IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE Not everything about leading worship dent, because our prayers will enlarge our hearts, needs to be seen as clashing with famGREATEST REWARDS A WORSHIP sensitizing us to the needs of those closest to us. ily values. In fact, you can find a unique joy LEADER COULD HOPE FOR.” as a family through worshiping together.

FIND A GOOD SOUNDING BOARD Sometimes what you really through you and is unafraid need arises. Invite someone ability partner. When faced ministry and family, use this

need is a friend who sees right to call you on the carpet when the you trust to act as your accountwith conflicting situations between person to offer an objective opinion.

Seeing your child participate wholeheartedly in corporate worship is perhaps one of the greatest rewards a worship leader could hope for. Those kinds of moments put your relationship in a new perspective where you are able to view yourselves not as parent and child, but as fellow believers, joint heirs in a much larger family. And the Father we worship together gladly makes time for us all.

YOU ARE ONE SMALL PART OF A LARGE ORGANISM While you’re focused on your personal need for balance, the rest of your

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Our purpose is to create people who want a deeper level of worship and intimacy with God. It is for those who want their level of thirst and longing of Him to increase daily, who want to quit seeking His hands, and instead, start chasing, pursuing His face and manifest presence. . . craving for times of unbroken communion with God.

A NEW SOUND OF

WORSHIP...REVIVAL...INTIMACY

CREATED TO WORSHIP Annual Worship Conference...Watch Out this Winter