Worship - A Gift From God
by Caleb Quaye
Worship is a gift from God by which a broken humanity can stand in the presence of the Father, in the name of the Son, and by the Holy Spirit find wholeness through the singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. The main point of contention between Pharaoh and Moses was the issue of worship. Pharaoh thought he was a god to be worshiped, but Jehovah had other plans, resulting in an enslaved Israel delivered from the dominion of Egypt, into the freedom of worshiping the Lord who would reveal His presence and promise. The enslaved Israelites never knew God by his name. They only knew him as God Almighty. His name and character were revealed to Moses, who in turn was commanded to bring them to the mountain to worship God as their first order of business. Could it be that the first order of business in the heart of the Father, concerning a culture that is desperately struggling with dysfunctional issues of identity and low self esteem; would be that we would come and worship Him? I believe so because both His written and Incarnate Word has revealed to us His character as that of a Father who loves his children. It is His joy to tell us who we are, and our joy to live in the truth which sets us free from the lies of our adversary. For he has created us and not we ourselves, we are the sheep of His pasture the people of His hand.
The gift of worship is also the means by which we can relocate our spiritual address. Instead of living in a constant state of negativity and confusion, we can change our spiritual address! Worship brings us to dwell in the secret place, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty, where we find Him to be our refuge and our fortress. The terms “refuge and fortress” from Psalm 91, are words of antiquity that are synonymous with castles. They are not merely places to hide or retreat to, but primarily places of re-equipping or re-loading. These were the places where the weapons, ammunition and armor were stored for warfare. Spiritually it is the place of renewal for the believer.
Worship is the key to a healthy intake and retention of the Word of God, thereby enabling the Word to dwell in us richly. The overflow of the Word into our thoughts, words, and deeds creates a lifestyle of worship; the result of which is the giving of thanks in whatever we do, to God the Father through Jesus the Son. It is a lifestyle of worship that produces authentic discipleship, evangelism, missions and pastoral ministry. It is God’s design and desire that the life and witness of the church, the Bride of Christ, should flow from a lifestyle of worship which is His gift to help us follow Him.
Worship is the key to our provision for the journey. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 that our heavenly Father knows what we need but to seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you. In the wilderness wanderings of the Children of Israel, worship was at the center of their journey and God provided all their needs in spite of their complaining. So too it is with us on this side of the Cross. Jesus has provided all that we need in righteousness so that we can have access to the Father and his amazing grace.
Worship is our destiny where one day we will join the hosts of heaven and every tribe, every tongue and every nation in the most amazing worship that sounds like the oceans roaring. We will rejoice with the cloud of witnesses as we see the twenty four elders casting their crowns at His feet declaring Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. We will ascribe worth in all its fullness; as we lift our voices with the multitudes of believers from every tribe, every tongue and every nation to the only one who was found worthy to open the Scroll, Jesus Christ our Savior.
The Spiritual Significance of Music
By Caleb Quaye
Is there a spiritual significance to music? and if so what
is the spiritual significance of music? As a lifelong musician I have to say without
a doubt that yes there is a spiritual significance to music, and the following
five points will hopefully serve to clarify what that significance is according
to scripture.
1. Music in Creation: in Job 38:5-9
God asks Job where he was at the time of creation when “the morning stars
sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy”. The implication is
that at the time of creation there was music going on around the throne of
God. Hebrew thought interprets this passage as God enjoying this music so
much that at the climax of the music, He who is love, was so blessed that
he spoke the words of creation “let there be light etc…” Science today has
discovered that the planets have notes that they emit from there rotation
in space. Rhythm and notes are part of the fabric of the created universe
all of which comes from a God who loves music and sings (Zephaniah 3:17)
2. Music in The Wilderness: God has
given us the gift of music to celebrate freedom from slavery and bondage.
This was first revealed when Moses broke out into song after they had
successfully crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 15). In Isaiah 54 the Israelites
are commanded by God to start singing in the midst of their Babylonian
captivity. Their worship and music would keep them centered on the
Redeemer who was to come and the deliverance that he would bring.
3. Music in Prophecy: Samuel and the
School of the Prophets in is a great example of music being used in the
impartation and activation of the prophetic gift. This was the case of
Saul who had just become king and had a radical encounter with Samuels’s
prophetic musicians. The result of this encounter was that “the Spirit of
God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.” (1 Samuel 10:5-10)
4. Music and Fellowship With God: Of
the sixty six books of the Bible all but one are primarily a prophetic
revelation of God talking to man. The book of Psalms is the one exception
whereby we have a prophetic book that primarily deals with man talking to
God. It is highly significant that the one book that speaks of man talking
to God was written by a musician!
5. Music in Eternity: Music was there
in the beginning and it is also forever in eternity. After the Lamb of God
steps forward to unseal the scroll it is recorded that “they sang a new
song saying: You are worthy…” (Revelation 5:9-10). Also John records that he “heard a voice from heaven, like the
voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the
sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were a new song
before the throne…” (Revelation 14:2-3) John apparently heard both the
voice of God, instruments playing, and voices singing in Heaven!
Suffice it to say music has a deep spiritual significance
because it is connected to God from creation to eternity. Somebody once said
that music is prayer without words, I believe it is. Music has often been spoken
of in terms of a joyful noise, but I prefer to see it in the ministry of the
believer as prophetic prayer that brings heaven to earth, and transforms the
earthly into its intended heavenly state and significance.
Seeing and
Hearing
By Caleb Quaye
In life’s
journey we all see the same scenery but get to articulate it or describe it
through different giftings. The work of art is to describe the journey of life.
What you see is what you get! Individual perception determines the aliveness of
creation. The Gospel sets us free to see and hear God’s handiwork. Even though
the scenery has been created and named (a tree is a tree) it does not mean that
creation is dull or mundane or static, but the aliveness of creation is revealed
by perception. Shared perception (Community) reveals the multifaceted nature of
God in creation as we see the same things differently. The creative gifts are
given by God so that we might be able to see, hear and know and in turn
interpret the journey for the encouragement and comfort of others. The
implication here is that the artist is a prophet to culture and of the Kingdom
of God to the church.
It says in James
1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from
the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
The creative
gifts such as music, painting, dance, drama etc. are perfect gifts that are
given by God and he is not repentant of these gifts. This means that once the
gift is given it is not taken back. The artist is thus faced with a dilemma; he
or she has been given a gift that cannot be switched off therefore it is
incumbent upon the artist to come to terms with the purpose of the creative
gift. If not then the very gift which was intended for blessing can become a
curse. The reason for this is that relationship with the giver of the creative
gift is of the utmost importance for a healthy functionality of that gift
because God is the creator of the journey and the scenery that we strive to
articulate or describe. I have found in my own journey of interacting with
musicians and artists who were far more gifted than me that there seemed to be
an exponential mystery happening in their lives. The more gifted and talented
an individual is if they are not in right relationship with the giver of their
creative gift then the more cursed their lives are because there is no peace
for them because they cannot turn the gift off! This is the fundamental reason
why many gifted musicians turn to drugs and alcohol because deep down inside
they are trying to get some peace. This is why there is so much distortion in
the world of art because so much giftedness is separated from the giver of the
gift.
With these few
thoughts in mind let’s look at the question that the artist must come to terms
with, which is WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CREATIVE GIFT? My answer to this
question is: the purpose of the creative gift is to reflect something of the
goodness and character of the creator in this world via the good and perfect
gifts that he has given; so that the recipient, the hearer, onlooker and
participant will be motivated to look up in hope instead of looking down in
despair. It is said of Jesus in the Bible that he led captivity captive and
gave gifts to men! He is also described as the Prince of Peace. To know Him is
to know and be at peace and to know him is to no longer be cursed by a creative
gift that you cannot switch off, but in knowing Him our creative gift finds its
correct place of functionality and prophetic blessing to both culture and the Church
as God seeks to use every good and perfect gift in the reconciliation of all
things unto Himself.
