shaping history via the Song of the Lord…

Why do we do what we do? …so we’ve been in Kansas City for 2 years now and we believe that we are shaping history through worshipping the Lord, speaking and singing prayers to the Lord. this sounds silly, right? …what do I mean? well…the Biblical concept is this – God primarily establishes His purposes, His plans, His desires, and His Kingdom through men and women (young and old) singing worship unto the Lord and praying prayers to the Lord. Of course I would not submit that this is the only way God establishes His will, however I would submit that its the most significant and primary means by which His purposes, His plans, His desires, and His Kingdom come forth. (Gal 4:19, Col 4:12-13, Matt 9:37-38, 2 Chron 7:14, Rev 22:17, Luke 24:49-53, Rev 4:4-8, Rev 5:8-9, Psalm 27:4-6, 1 Chr 16:23, Psalm 2:7-8, Acts 1&2, Matt 7:9-10, Jer 33:3, Dan 10:12, the list could go on and on…)

how does this relate to singing songs? well, the common misconception is that “history shapes the songs of the day,” however the reality is that “the songs of the day are shaping history” …and this is becoming more and more apparent.

in both the Old Testament and New Testament you see examples of the people of God lifting up prayers, worship, and specifically songs which go forth to release the purposes of God in a various contexts.

Today, we live in a day where much of the secular industry is blatantly releasing songs to propagate certain values which directly impact the public. the unfortunate truth is that in most cases the secular industry is releasing songs in direct contradiction to Biblical values. This is strikingly apparent in today’s #1 song on iTunes and Billboard 100. Today’s #1 hit is a song performed by a female artist that expresses enjoying her experimentation with homosexuality. it is songs such as this which are emboldening and empowering my generation (and other generations) to embrace an un-Godly lifestyle …the more stunning fact behind this #1 song is that the artist who recorded and performs it was only a few years ago an up-and-coming Christian artist recording and performing songs glorifying God which goes to show the crisis that we face as a Church and also the seriousness of my next statements.

the point is this – there are two growing worship movements (both are based in the medium of song) that are shaping history as we know it and they are becoming more and more clearly identifiable in the mainstream. there are those emboldening and empowering a generation to pursue that which draws oneself away from God and then there are those who are emboldening and empowering ones to wholeheartedly pursue Jesus and partnering with Him in intercession to birth His Kingdom on the earth in fullness. make no mistake about it: there is a wholesale war going on for man’s worship and praise.

so, why am I doing what I do? because Jesus has invited me (and all born-again believers) to shape the course of history through worshipping Jesus and partnering with Him in prayer! When this occurs with a sincere heart and genuine repentance God breaks forth across the earth and changes the course of history!