Welcome to August 2013! It is hard to believe that the summer is just about over. Michele and I are settled into our new home in the Raleigh area. Our office is organized, and our garage is even organized enough to get Michele’s van into it. I simply have to work with her Driver Education to help her learn how to drive in and back out of the garage; which is no easy task!
We were able to get moved and settled before we hosted Throne Zone Carolina! This was our fourth year of hosting TZ Carolina and I believe we have finally found a home from which we can begin to build this event. Each of the previous years we held the event not only at a different venue, but also in a different city. When we began planning TZ Carolina here at The Worship Center in Durham, we quickly realized we are basically beginning from scratch. Even though we were new to this city, we still averaged close to 200 during the day sessions and almost 400 for the nights which we were very encouraged by. Everyone loved the new venue. A special thanks to Joe and Sarah Call (founders of The Worship Center) and the Rotella family who serve as the Facility Directors and staff of The Worship Center.
Our sights are now set for Throne Zone New England this fall, and we are moving with great diligence seeking a venue that we can secure for this gathering. Please watch the website for that information. We are tentatively looking at November 7-9, so you can pencil that date down on your calendar to help us pray for this event.
I would like to share a word that God spoke to my heart for Throne Zone Carolina. I will not finish it in this month’s partner letter, but hope to conclude it in next month’s issue. My topic is 3D WORSHIP.
Psalm 66:1-2 states, “Make a joyful noise to God, all you lands: Sing forth the honor of His name: make HIS praise GLORIOUS”.
This is a challenge issued to you and myself and every other believer who loves God. God has called us to release extravagant worship upon Him. We know the scriptures say, “To much has been forgiven, much is required…” And so we begin this journey of 3D Worship with the simple question, How Glorious and Extravagant should your worship be?
We sing songs about “I want to scream it out, from every rooftop sing, your love amazes me…” We sing “Shout to the Lord” and even encourage people to “Jump into the River”. But 3D indicates there are compound dimensions involved for our worship.
This month, I would like to focus on the One Dimensional Worshiper.
One dimensional is relating to a single dimension or aspect. It is often categorized as superficial and singularly focused. Since I have dealt most of my ministerial career with singers and musicians, I see this manifested in what I call a Pre-Madonna attitude. Everything is about them and revolves around them. (My Song, My solo, My key, My arrangement, etc). And as I often state (and restate) to these gifted individuals, God has a difficult time using them because He must get past their egos, this can take a long period of time. Yet God is patient and longsuffering and therefore He begins the season of testing and challenging one’s motives and focus.
As one-dimensional worshipers we make the worship all about us. We don’t mean for it to be that way, it just happens as we are endeavoring to offer Excellence in making His praise Glorious. But inevitably, we make the focus of worship upon us rather than upon God. This is Egocentric worship- where our worship revolves around us…our ego. We are at the center of this sacrifice of praise as opposed to Theocentric, where God is at the center.
As a worship leader, I will often ask God, “What do you want to hear today?” or “How would you like to present yourself to the congregation today?” And what is really cool is how He responds. I have heard His response in some unique places and in clear terms in which I could understand His expectations.
As prophetic musicians, we have the opportunity to release a song that describes how our God and King enters a service; for example, when we sense Him wanting to show up as The Majestic King, or the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He may wish to release a sound describing Him as the Mighty Warrior who wars on our behalf. We must be sensitive to discern worship is not just a bunch of songs we sing to warm up the congregation. It is a time when we get to make His praise Glorious, but also a time when He chooses to reveal to us who He is!
The caution if we remain one-dimensional worshipers, we will become more concerned about the people in our service and we can miss an entire dimension that God wants us to enter into. The danger: our leadership begins to plan the worship services around individuals likes or dislikes rather than concentrating on what The Lord wants to hear.
We must realize that God is calling us to more than one-dimensional worship. He wants us to encounter Him in greater dimensions and experience His glory like never before. There is more, and He is inviting you and me to explore the depths and dimensions of His glory and presence.
It is our desire to expose people to the fact that God has so much more of Himself He desires to be revealed, and worship is the access portal by which we can make these discoveries. This is why Throne Zone gatherings are very important! We must create safe places and set aside time to allow people the opportunity of exploring the various dimensions of worship. It is a process, and people must understand the “How-To” of the journey, but then be given time to practice what they have learned. Simply stated, this is the main core objective of the Throne Zone. We want to create these wells so people can discover the presence of God in a new dimension, and allow them the safety to respond to that dimension of God knowing that no one will judge them based upon their response to the King. We must realize that the worship of the Cherubim and Seraphim continues through eternity because with each bow, they see and discover a new dimension of God they never realized before, and all they can do is bow in worship for this new revelation of who God is and the fullness of His majesty and glory.
By standing with us each month with your prayer and financial support, you help us dig these wells. I wish you could see all the emails and phone calls that we receive from people crying out for a safe place to worship. A place where Pastors are not threatened by worship or the worship leader; a place where worship leaders egos are not an issue, and where they have the freedom to respond to God as they feel deep within their spirit without any rebuke from individuals. Michele and I cry each time we receive a call or email asking us to bring a Throne Zone to their part of the world.
As I shared at this past Throne Zone, we are Worship Missionaries. We must raise our own financial support through partner support such as yours. We hear the call, and we are doing everything possible within our powers to answer that call. Your monthly gift enables us to say YES when they do call, and for that Michele and I say thank you.
I have asked the Lord for 100 new Kingdom Covenant Monthly Partners for 2013. We just received six of those 100 this past conference. Please help us pray for these additional partners so that we can move into the next phase of answering His Call. The more support we raise, the more of these doors we can walk through. THANK YOU for standing with us faithfully each month. For every seed you sow into this ministry, you are entitled to a harvest, and we pray that it will be a strong and healthy harvest for you, your family, your church and your community.
Next month, we will focus on 2D Worship. Blessings until then.
Digging the Wells of Worship, Keith Duncan http://www.HisCallMinistries.org http://www.KingdomWorshipInstitute.com
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