The forlorn leader sat on a pile of ruins looking over what had been a beautiful city and the center of worship for his nation. Twelve years earlier 50,000 exiles returned to Jerusalem with permission from the king of Persia to rebuild the altar and the temple. However, only the altar had been rebuilt and work on the temple had stopped without any apparent way to get it going again. The leader of the Jewish exiles was Zerubbabel and he sat looking out over the rubble and the unfinished rebuilding with a growing sense of discouragement.
When the exiles arrived in Jerusalem they were excited and enthusiastic about what lay ahead. God had brought them out of exile back to their home and they felt surely they would quickly rebuild the altar and the temple. But things started to change as opposition arose from the neighboring Samaritans. Not only was there opposition but the pursuit of self-interest began to rise among the exiles. Families wanted to rebuild their own homes and their businesses; they had family needs that demanded attention and their interest and enthusiasm for the work of God began to fade.
Finally weariness set in among the people. After all, it had been twelve years, and when they arrived they had no concept of just how big the task was. First, all the destruction had to be cleared away before they could begin rebuilding. So after twelve years the task was unfinished—but the people were finished. They simply did not want to work on this anymore. No matter what Zerubbabel did, the people refused to go back to work and it appeared to be a hopeless situation.
Into this dreary mess of discouragement God sent a prophet with a message for Zerubbabel, for the exiles, and on down through the centuries it is a message for us. It is a powerful word for anyone who has ever faced the discouragement of an unfulfilled promise, the betrayal of someone close to you, the inability to finish a task that seemed so clear in the beginning. You could write your own list of discouraging and hopeless situations that you are currently facing, I’m sure. But Zechariah has a word from the Lord that is going to change your life.
“This is the word of the Lord . . . ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says the Lord of hosts.
Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!
And he shall bring forth the capstone
With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’” (Zechariah 4:6-7, NKJV)
As we understand the situation that confronted the leaders of the exiles, it helps us to understand the word of prophecy for Zerubbabel and the situation he faced.
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
This sentence has been a part of the vocabulary of the Spirit-filled church for as long as I’ve been alive. When I was a boy at least once a week we sang a chorus at church that began with those words. The truth this statement declares is fundamental to success in the things of God and I am not sure how well I have learned that lesson!
This slogan line of Pentecost affirms that our success will not be constructed on the arm of flesh but it will be breathed into existence by the Spirit of God. This does not demean well thought-out plans or education, but it does prioritize for us God’s involvement in all our plans. “Seek first the kingdom of God . . . and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, NKJV).
The prophecy then addresses the opposition that had stopped the work on the temple.
“Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain.”
“Just who do you think you are, ‘big mountain’? You are not going to stop the progress of God’s kingdom any longer. You are going to be reduced to nothing more than flat ground” (my paraphrase).
“And he shall bring forth the capstone.”
This is very encouraging. The capstone was the finishing stone of a construction project, the final stone to go into the wall. What this statement symbolizes is that the original vision will be brought to completion by the power of God working through His people!
“With shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”
You may ask, “What is this supposed to mean? Is this suggesting that we face our problem and shout ‘Grace, grace!’ at it? This seems too simple and rather undignified.”
Is this undignified? Absolutely, and that’s the point! In our quasi-dignified and overly culturally relevant church we have lost much of our identity and our power, and this story symbolizes that. Somehow in our rush to success we have forgotten that true success in the kingdom of God comes “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” Success in the things of God does not come from ideas copied from a best seller on business but from truths that are imparted to praying people who copy them down as heaven speaks them.
Is this exhortation to shout grace at the problem too simple? Probably for some who do not have ears to hear. To others, however, as the revelation comes they will realize that this is one of the most powerful truths we are given. Grace is defined as the “the unlimited and unmerited favor of God.” We can’t buy or earn grace—it is God’s alone to give.
Grace is miraculous and it reminds us, “It is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit!” Grace is the miracle that lifted Joseph out of prison and put him in the palace. Grace took David from being a lowly shepherd boy and constructed the path for him be to become the great warrior king. And grace took Daniel from the ranks of slavery to a man of influence in Babylon.
When Zechariah spoke this prophetic word, I believe he was saying:
“This promise, this vision, is going to be brought to completion not through the strong arm of flesh but by the Spirit of the Lord. You are to turn and face the opposition, this mountain of difficulty that has stopped your forward progress—“the mighty mountain”—and you will watch it turn into flat ground. Be encouraged, child of God, because the promise is going to be fully completed. Right now begin to declare that the favor and blessing of God is upon this promise; this was His vision, born of His Spirit. Go ahead and shout to the opposition, to every problem that is in your way. Shout, ‘Grace, grace!’ Go ahead, don’t just mutter it under your breath, child of God. Say it—shout it like you mean it!”
I first heard this truth taught by our pastor, Dr. Jack Hayford, when we lived in California. Dr. Hayford taught this all over the world in conferences and pastors’ gatherings. Pastor Jack would finish his teaching by leading the group in singing “Amazing Grace.” At the end of the song he would have the musicians continue to play but would instruct the congregants to bring to memory problems they were facing and begin to shout the words, “Grace, grace to it!” He testifies that he has received testimonies from all over the world of miraculous answers that have come because God’s children simply and humbly followed the prophetic word and shouted, “Grace, grace to it!”
Friday, January 27, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
RING THE BELLS!
On Easter morning, 1799, the people of the little Austrian city of Feldkirch awakened to find their peaceful community surrounded by the invading army of Napolean. The city leaders knew they could not defend against an army the size of Napolean’s so they quickly called a meeting to decide if they should raise the white flag of surrender.
A pastor of one of the city churches was the first to rise and speak to the quiet and somber crowd. “This is Easter Day, the day of our King’s resurrection,” the pastor said. “We must have one moment of triumph! Let us at least ring the church bells and then if the town falls, it falls. But we must ring the bells of Easter!”
After much discussion the counsel of the pastor prevailed and soon, from the church towers, the bells began to ring out their joyful sound. The hills and valleys surrounding the village were filled with the joyful bells of Easter, the celebration song of resurrection.
Napolean’s army was camped not far from the town and the sound of the bells ringing out stunned and confused them. Why on earth could the people be celebrating? The generals of the invading army concluded that the town had secured help, that the Austrian army had arrived during the night to fight beside the townspeople against the French. The confounded French army immediately broke camp and turned in full retreat before the bells of Easter stopped ringing.
This legendary story reminds me of what happened in 2 Chronicles 20 when Judah was attacked by an overwhelming force of enemy armies. At first, King Jehoshaphat responded in fear and then he began to seek the face of God for an answer. The king called the people of the nation together to fast, pray and ask God for help.
Jehoshaphat’s prayer is summed up in this statement: “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you” (20:12, NIV). The king and the people acknowledged that in the natural there was no hope, but their confidence was in the Lord.
In response to their heartfelt prayer, God answered by sending His spirit to “clothe Himself” with one of the Levitical choir members who then began to prophesy (2 Chronicles 20:15-17). The essence of the word of the Lord was, “Do not be afraid. It doesn’t matter how big the attacking force is. You will not need to fight in this battle. Follow My directions, stand still, and see the deliverance I will bring. Do not fear, because I am with you.”
The king responded to the prophecy in humility, bowing his face to the ground and worshipping the Lord (v. 18). The priestly tribe of the Levites joined in the response of worship by standing to praise the Lord “with voices loud and high” (v. 19, NKJV).
The next morning the people of Judah did as they were instructed. As the nation faced its enemy, the king encouraged the people. “Listen to me, Judah . . . Have faith in the Lord your God and you will stand firm; have faith in the word of the Lord and you will be successful” (v. 20, my paraphrase).
Then the king did something many in the church of today do not understand—he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him for the splendor (beauty) of His holiness. The singers were positioned closest to the enemy in front of the warriors of Judah and began to sing and praise the Lord.
What happened next is difficult to conceive in the natural.
“The king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:
‘Give thanks to the Lord;
his faithful love endures forever!’
“At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
“The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they turned on each other. So when the army of Judah arrived . . . there were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped” (2 Chronicles 20:21-24, NLT).
Our enemy hates worship and will go to extreme lengths to keep God’s people from worshipping “in spirit and in truth.” He hates worship because he knows what it does to him and to his armies. The enemy knows that God responds to the praise and worship of His people and He comes to be with them when they worship. Worship causes the enemy and his army to be confounded and to fight among themselves. Worship causes the weaponry of the enemy—anxiety, fear, sickness, poverty—to retreat and in many cases destroys them outright.
The church of today is under attack by a powerful enemy. Anyone who thinks that is not true has his or her head deeply buried in the sand.
God’s instructions to us are the same as they were to Judah and are mirrored by the little city in Austria. It’s time to ring the bells of Easter! It’s time to sing and declare the celebration song of resurrection—Jesus Christ is risen and He is Lord of all!
A pastor of one of the city churches was the first to rise and speak to the quiet and somber crowd. “This is Easter Day, the day of our King’s resurrection,” the pastor said. “We must have one moment of triumph! Let us at least ring the church bells and then if the town falls, it falls. But we must ring the bells of Easter!”
After much discussion the counsel of the pastor prevailed and soon, from the church towers, the bells began to ring out their joyful sound. The hills and valleys surrounding the village were filled with the joyful bells of Easter, the celebration song of resurrection.
Napolean’s army was camped not far from the town and the sound of the bells ringing out stunned and confused them. Why on earth could the people be celebrating? The generals of the invading army concluded that the town had secured help, that the Austrian army had arrived during the night to fight beside the townspeople against the French. The confounded French army immediately broke camp and turned in full retreat before the bells of Easter stopped ringing.
This legendary story reminds me of what happened in 2 Chronicles 20 when Judah was attacked by an overwhelming force of enemy armies. At first, King Jehoshaphat responded in fear and then he began to seek the face of God for an answer. The king called the people of the nation together to fast, pray and ask God for help.
Jehoshaphat’s prayer is summed up in this statement: “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you” (20:12, NIV). The king and the people acknowledged that in the natural there was no hope, but their confidence was in the Lord.
In response to their heartfelt prayer, God answered by sending His spirit to “clothe Himself” with one of the Levitical choir members who then began to prophesy (2 Chronicles 20:15-17). The essence of the word of the Lord was, “Do not be afraid. It doesn’t matter how big the attacking force is. You will not need to fight in this battle. Follow My directions, stand still, and see the deliverance I will bring. Do not fear, because I am with you.”
The king responded to the prophecy in humility, bowing his face to the ground and worshipping the Lord (v. 18). The priestly tribe of the Levites joined in the response of worship by standing to praise the Lord “with voices loud and high” (v. 19, NKJV).
The next morning the people of Judah did as they were instructed. As the nation faced its enemy, the king encouraged the people. “Listen to me, Judah . . . Have faith in the Lord your God and you will stand firm; have faith in the word of the Lord and you will be successful” (v. 20, my paraphrase).
Then the king did something many in the church of today do not understand—he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him for the splendor (beauty) of His holiness. The singers were positioned closest to the enemy in front of the warriors of Judah and began to sing and praise the Lord.
What happened next is difficult to conceive in the natural.
“The king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:
‘Give thanks to the Lord;
his faithful love endures forever!’
“At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
“The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they turned on each other. So when the army of Judah arrived . . . there were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped” (2 Chronicles 20:21-24, NLT).
Our enemy hates worship and will go to extreme lengths to keep God’s people from worshipping “in spirit and in truth.” He hates worship because he knows what it does to him and to his armies. The enemy knows that God responds to the praise and worship of His people and He comes to be with them when they worship. Worship causes the enemy and his army to be confounded and to fight among themselves. Worship causes the weaponry of the enemy—anxiety, fear, sickness, poverty—to retreat and in many cases destroys them outright.
The church of today is under attack by a powerful enemy. Anyone who thinks that is not true has his or her head deeply buried in the sand.
God’s instructions to us are the same as they were to Judah and are mirrored by the little city in Austria. It’s time to ring the bells of Easter! It’s time to sing and declare the celebration song of resurrection—Jesus Christ is risen and He is Lord of all!
Friday, January 13, 2012
THE HONOR CODE
“Honor the Lord with your possessions, and the firstfruits of all your increase: so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).
This passage of Scripture is widely used to encourage people in their giving—and rightly so. Most of us need to be encouraged to be generous givers, to break out of the status quo in giving and to move into the blessedness of generosity.
It is important to remember that the reason we give is not to get. The fact that God blesses the giver is not relevant to the reason God blesses him—not because he gives but because giving is an act of obedience and honors the Lord. As the Word says, God blesses the giver who “honors the Lord with his possessions and the firstfruits of all his increase.”
Honor is not a widely used word in today’s church vocabulary. We talk about faith, miracles, blessing, increase, relevancy, worship, joy and praise but rarely is the subject of honor and honoring the Lord raised.
The root of the Hebrew word honor as it is used in Scripture means “heavy or weighty.” Proverbs says that we are to “honor the Lord,” which means that we are giving the Sovereign Creator and loving Father the important, weighty place in our life—by putting Him first!
While honor is an attitude of respect and reverence, it must be accompanied by our attention and obedience. Without our willingness to be attentive to Him and His direction, honor is little more than trash talk, or as the Bible puts it, “lip service” (see Isaiah 29:13-14).
This subject of “honoring the Lord” came to be a focus for me several months ago. While I was in prayer, the phrase “a new season” was impressed upon me by the Holy Spirit. As I pondered the phrase, the Spirit directed my attention to the first few chapters of 1 Samuel where we read about the birthing of a new season in Israel.
At that time, Israel was in a very dark period as a nation. We read in 1 Samuel 3:1 that there was no open revelation of the Word, as only a few true prophets preached righteousness and repentance to the people. The religious leaders of the nation were typified by Eli, the chief priest, a passive leader who was not responsive to the voice of God. Busy enjoying the fruits of being the head priest, Eli did little to turn the people away from their sin. His two sons, also priests, were blatantly corrupt. As a result of being led by sinful, immoral religious leaders, Israel was in a pathetic state.
A new season began in Israel when a brokenhearted, barren woman named Hannah cried out to the Lord for a child. God heard her cry and she became pregnant with Samuel, who later became a prophet. With Samuel’s birth, a new season was born for the nation. As the child grew to manhood and prepared for his time of leadership as a prophet and judge over Israel, God began to remove the corrupt religious leaders.
An unnamed man of God brought a prophecy (see 1 Samuel 2:27-36) saying that what had been happening in Israel was not His (God’s) plan. He stated that because of Eli’s disregard for God and the blatant carnality of his sons, they would all be removed from their priestly offices.
Within this prophecy is one of the most incredible statements regarding honor in the Bible. As I read and pondered this passage, these words struck me with great force: “Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed” (v. 30). This colossal statement made by the Sovereign Creator just blows me away! God is saying, “When you honor Me, I will return the favor and honor you. If you disregard Me, however, as Eli and his sons did by disregarding My Word and My plans, My blessing will not be upon you.”
Understanding this truth totally clarifies the meaning of verses like Proverbs 3:9: “Honor the Lord. . . .” The blessing of the Lord is not on the firstfruits. The giving of the firstfruits is the act of obedience and the blessing is on the honoring of the Lord—so clearly the blessing comes because we honor Him.
Honor is an attitude of respect and reverence and in order to be complete, it must be accompanied by obedience. God is honored when people do things that please Him (see 1 Corinthians 6:20 in which the word glorify means “honor”).
Jesus teaches this to His church when He says “Whoever serves me must follow me . . . My Father will honor the one who serves me” (John 12:26, NIV).
We honor the Lord when we follow His leading for our lives. We honor the Lord when we take time out of our busy lives and spend time with Him. We honor Him by being generous—as He is!
"Those who honor Me I will honor.”
This passage of Scripture is widely used to encourage people in their giving—and rightly so. Most of us need to be encouraged to be generous givers, to break out of the status quo in giving and to move into the blessedness of generosity.
It is important to remember that the reason we give is not to get. The fact that God blesses the giver is not relevant to the reason God blesses him—not because he gives but because giving is an act of obedience and honors the Lord. As the Word says, God blesses the giver who “honors the Lord with his possessions and the firstfruits of all his increase.”
Honor is not a widely used word in today’s church vocabulary. We talk about faith, miracles, blessing, increase, relevancy, worship, joy and praise but rarely is the subject of honor and honoring the Lord raised.
The root of the Hebrew word honor as it is used in Scripture means “heavy or weighty.” Proverbs says that we are to “honor the Lord,” which means that we are giving the Sovereign Creator and loving Father the important, weighty place in our life—by putting Him first!
While honor is an attitude of respect and reverence, it must be accompanied by our attention and obedience. Without our willingness to be attentive to Him and His direction, honor is little more than trash talk, or as the Bible puts it, “lip service” (see Isaiah 29:13-14).
This subject of “honoring the Lord” came to be a focus for me several months ago. While I was in prayer, the phrase “a new season” was impressed upon me by the Holy Spirit. As I pondered the phrase, the Spirit directed my attention to the first few chapters of 1 Samuel where we read about the birthing of a new season in Israel.
At that time, Israel was in a very dark period as a nation. We read in 1 Samuel 3:1 that there was no open revelation of the Word, as only a few true prophets preached righteousness and repentance to the people. The religious leaders of the nation were typified by Eli, the chief priest, a passive leader who was not responsive to the voice of God. Busy enjoying the fruits of being the head priest, Eli did little to turn the people away from their sin. His two sons, also priests, were blatantly corrupt. As a result of being led by sinful, immoral religious leaders, Israel was in a pathetic state.
A new season began in Israel when a brokenhearted, barren woman named Hannah cried out to the Lord for a child. God heard her cry and she became pregnant with Samuel, who later became a prophet. With Samuel’s birth, a new season was born for the nation. As the child grew to manhood and prepared for his time of leadership as a prophet and judge over Israel, God began to remove the corrupt religious leaders.
An unnamed man of God brought a prophecy (see 1 Samuel 2:27-36) saying that what had been happening in Israel was not His (God’s) plan. He stated that because of Eli’s disregard for God and the blatant carnality of his sons, they would all be removed from their priestly offices.
Within this prophecy is one of the most incredible statements regarding honor in the Bible. As I read and pondered this passage, these words struck me with great force: “Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed” (v. 30). This colossal statement made by the Sovereign Creator just blows me away! God is saying, “When you honor Me, I will return the favor and honor you. If you disregard Me, however, as Eli and his sons did by disregarding My Word and My plans, My blessing will not be upon you.”
Understanding this truth totally clarifies the meaning of verses like Proverbs 3:9: “Honor the Lord. . . .” The blessing of the Lord is not on the firstfruits. The giving of the firstfruits is the act of obedience and the blessing is on the honoring of the Lord—so clearly the blessing comes because we honor Him.
Honor is an attitude of respect and reverence and in order to be complete, it must be accompanied by obedience. God is honored when people do things that please Him (see 1 Corinthians 6:20 in which the word glorify means “honor”).
Jesus teaches this to His church when He says “Whoever serves me must follow me . . . My Father will honor the one who serves me” (John 12:26, NIV).
We honor the Lord when we follow His leading for our lives. We honor the Lord when we take time out of our busy lives and spend time with Him. We honor Him by being generous—as He is!
"Those who honor Me I will honor.”
Friday, January 6, 2012
THE INHERITANCE OF THE SONG
In our previous article we discussed the singing cry or shout of praise and worship that breaks the spirit of barrenness (see Isaiah 54:1). Our intense praise and worship brings the presence of the Lord and with Him comes His strength and power that sets us on our walk of victory.
Psalm 22:3 teaches us that praise brings the presence of God: “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” The Hebrew word enthroned or inhabit (as used in the King James Version) means “to sit down, to remain, to settle, to marry.” In other words, our praise causes God to take up residence. One Japanese translation of this verse reads, “When God’s people praise Him, He brings a big chair and sits there.” I love this! What a marvelous visual image. (Special thanks to Dick Eastman and his excellent book, “Intercessory Worship.”)
Isaiah 54:2-3 continues this teaching and speaks of the inheritance that comes to the barren who enter into praise and worship crying aloud.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.”
Our family was a part of Dr. Jack Hayford’s church, The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, CA, from 1977 to 1990. Those were exciting years of spiritual and numeric growth for the church and affected all of us who were there. In the late 70s a new sanctuary was built to accommodate the growing attendance. At one stage of the construction, all of us active leaders in the church were invited to take a brief walking tour through the construction site. Accompanied by one of the associate pastors, we embarked on our tour.
About halfway through the new building, the associate pastor stopped and asked, “What is the Lord saying to you about this building—right now?” In a flash, verses 2 and 3 of Isaiah 54 came to my mind and I answered, “Enlarge the place of your tent, strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left—from Isaiah 54.” The associate pastor smiled and said, “David, those verses came first to the pastoral staff and have now been confirmed by many of our leadership like yourself.”
What I didn’t realize at that moment was that as a church we had already been taught to sing, to worship. We had already learned to “sing” and now, as a body of believers, we were beginning to reap the inheritance of worship. Fruitfulness follows worship—the inheritance follows the song—and worship leads the way to victory.
“Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.” This means that the church or individual believer is not to sit back and revel in the growth and fruitfulness that comes because barrenness has been broken. No, this is an injunction to strengthen ourselves and those whom the Lord has entrusted to us. For Israel, the tent was a symbol of their dwelling place. Increased fruitfulness could put stress on their dwellings and barns and so they were to enlarge and secure the dwelling so that the increase would not destroy them.
In the years we were a part of The Church on the Way, it went from being a moderately successful local church to an internationally-known megachurch. Over the years thousands of pastors visited to see how Jack Hayford and the church did things. Often, pastors would fly in and visit the church for a few days to “watch and learn.” The well-meaning pastor would see a few things that were different and rush home to put these “revelations” into practice. What often happened to those who only took a brief glimpse at this move of God was that they rushed home and adjusted a few things and then . . . nothing happened! They made a few changes—which meant they just rearranged the furniture!
Many of these well-meaning pastors who were hungry for breakthrough failed to initially understand the reason for the fruitfulness of that church. It was not because of some different approaches to home groups, or offerings, or teaching; good or bad, those things did not affect the fruitfulness of the church body. What released that congregation into fruitfulness was the foundation that God had led Dr. Hayford to teach to the church about prayer and worship. The Church on the Way was a worshipping church—and worship led the way to victory and fruitfulness.
The song, as I call it, breaks the back of the spirit of barrenness and leads us to the inheritance of worship.
Get ready for growth, singers of worship! The more you worship, the more your inheritance is being released, and the more you worship, the less you will care that it is happening. But it will happen—and God will release the inheritance through you to the needy around you.
Are you ready to sing?
Psalm 22:3 teaches us that praise brings the presence of God: “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” The Hebrew word enthroned or inhabit (as used in the King James Version) means “to sit down, to remain, to settle, to marry.” In other words, our praise causes God to take up residence. One Japanese translation of this verse reads, “When God’s people praise Him, He brings a big chair and sits there.” I love this! What a marvelous visual image. (Special thanks to Dick Eastman and his excellent book, “Intercessory Worship.”)
Isaiah 54:2-3 continues this teaching and speaks of the inheritance that comes to the barren who enter into praise and worship crying aloud.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.”
Our family was a part of Dr. Jack Hayford’s church, The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, CA, from 1977 to 1990. Those were exciting years of spiritual and numeric growth for the church and affected all of us who were there. In the late 70s a new sanctuary was built to accommodate the growing attendance. At one stage of the construction, all of us active leaders in the church were invited to take a brief walking tour through the construction site. Accompanied by one of the associate pastors, we embarked on our tour.
About halfway through the new building, the associate pastor stopped and asked, “What is the Lord saying to you about this building—right now?” In a flash, verses 2 and 3 of Isaiah 54 came to my mind and I answered, “Enlarge the place of your tent, strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left—from Isaiah 54.” The associate pastor smiled and said, “David, those verses came first to the pastoral staff and have now been confirmed by many of our leadership like yourself.”
What I didn’t realize at that moment was that as a church we had already been taught to sing, to worship. We had already learned to “sing” and now, as a body of believers, we were beginning to reap the inheritance of worship. Fruitfulness follows worship—the inheritance follows the song—and worship leads the way to victory.
“Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.” This means that the church or individual believer is not to sit back and revel in the growth and fruitfulness that comes because barrenness has been broken. No, this is an injunction to strengthen ourselves and those whom the Lord has entrusted to us. For Israel, the tent was a symbol of their dwelling place. Increased fruitfulness could put stress on their dwellings and barns and so they were to enlarge and secure the dwelling so that the increase would not destroy them.
In the years we were a part of The Church on the Way, it went from being a moderately successful local church to an internationally-known megachurch. Over the years thousands of pastors visited to see how Jack Hayford and the church did things. Often, pastors would fly in and visit the church for a few days to “watch and learn.” The well-meaning pastor would see a few things that were different and rush home to put these “revelations” into practice. What often happened to those who only took a brief glimpse at this move of God was that they rushed home and adjusted a few things and then . . . nothing happened! They made a few changes—which meant they just rearranged the furniture!
Many of these well-meaning pastors who were hungry for breakthrough failed to initially understand the reason for the fruitfulness of that church. It was not because of some different approaches to home groups, or offerings, or teaching; good or bad, those things did not affect the fruitfulness of the church body. What released that congregation into fruitfulness was the foundation that God had led Dr. Hayford to teach to the church about prayer and worship. The Church on the Way was a worshipping church—and worship led the way to victory and fruitfulness.
The song, as I call it, breaks the back of the spirit of barrenness and leads us to the inheritance of worship.
Get ready for growth, singers of worship! The more you worship, the more your inheritance is being released, and the more you worship, the less you will care that it is happening. But it will happen—and God will release the inheritance through you to the needy around you.
Are you ready to sing?
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