|PIC1|I would gather that many of you reading this would know that WORSHIP, when it comes to the fullness of what the word actually means, consists of all we are, at all times, in all we do, being lived as an act of worship... living to please the heart of God. As Augustine said... 'Our lives should be lived as a Hallelujah from head to toe'.... Living our lives in RESPONSE to the great love of God... our 24/7 thank you.

But probably one of the most frustrating things that sadly is very alive in the leadership of worship today, is the struggle with DIVERSITY in the body of Christ... this struggle for one stream or style of music in worship to be seen as superior, that struggle to be RIGHT!!

So, if you would allow me just to share about this today, and I ask you to firstly RELAX, and just hear my heart. I am absolutely no expert per say, but I am a leader who is PASSIONATE and absolutely committed to the Kingdom of God FLOW, the strength of us as a whole, for these are such strategic days we live in, and if we spend our time and expend our energies on matters which have no eternal significance... all I know is that there are REAL issues at stake where this lost and broken world is needing us to reconcile differences wherever we can, and get on with taking Jesus to the world.

1 Cor 12:22-31 basically says it all.

Every single one of us is uniquely different, on average we have 10 trillion cells in our lovely intricate human bodies, and if you were to stretch them into a line, they would circle the earth 47 times! We are so VERY different... CONFORMITY is certainly not what God was thinking during Creation... but UNITY is what it is all about. This is a very strong word, allowing for differences in method, but setting a standard for issues of the heart... a yearning for the reality of God in our midst, a continued supernaturally revealed understanding of the things of Christ and the work of Jesus on the earth today (see Psalm 133).

So when it comes to a gathering of worshippers and a time of worship through song, you must always remember that there are SO many responses that will accompany these times of faith and reverence. Lifted hands, face down in awe, shouts of praise, exuberant dancing, quietness and stillness, on bended knee, with unceasing prayer, songs of thanksgiving, songs of lament, feasting and celebrating.... and as many of you read, some of your hearts leapt, and some of your hearts shuddered, as our diversities came into play. Our preferences, our personal wiring making its entry....

Diversity can certainly make us very uncomfortable... but lets look at Psalm 122... as David said, 'I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord!' It speaks of how we love to go to the house of the Lord, that ALL the tribes will go up (and all our complexities as well! ) but in His presence we rejoice that He has saved us, redeemed us, and desires relationship with us, He provides for us, has set us free... and in WORSHIP, our commitment is announced again - I WILL do my best for You... powerful responses of adoring people, to a faithful God.

I believe the strength of diversity IS our differences! They say in marriage, if the two of you are too much alike, well, one of you is unnecessary! That's how it is with diversity...

The church, the bride, born out of so many different REVELATIONS, not just merely preferences...wow, she is beautiful, colourful... how could we ever dream to fully express in ONE way the awesomeness of our God?

I think of some of the songwriters... Wesley, Jack Hayford, the Gaithers, Andrea Crouch, Keith Green, Graham K, Chris Tomlin, Michael W, Martin Smith etc... IMAGINE if our expression and revelation were one and the same.... oh what a monotonous sound that would be.

With contemporary worship, traditional hymn based worship, liturgical worship... all of them have dangers, but you cannot dismiss ANY of them as they are all a powerful way to unlock the heart of the harvest. I read a great book recently called 'Exploring The Worship Spectrum' by Paul Engle and Paul Basden... and if you want to read great theological reasoning and comments behind specific styles, this is a good read.

A more specific danger is a CRITICAL SPIRIT... it often cloaks itself in self-righteousness, but it actually is very nasty and damaging, it is a voice that wants to be heard no matter how damaging, no matter the cost... and is often very dangerous. I actually believe that we, the body, should always be in pursuit of relationship, for often what you perceive to be true, and the actual truth are two very different things.

Another danger is pride... which comes in many forms, but often is simply unteachable, unreachable, and always eventually twists and turns into a similar shaped evil, and will take a wonderful hope-filled future and fill it with drama...
John Piper... an absolutely stunning bible teacher says this, 'If God's reality is displayed to us in His word or His world, and we do not then feel ANY grief or longing or hope or fear or confidence, then we may dutifully sing and pray and recite and gesture as much as we like, but it will not be real worship. We cannot honour God if our hearts are far from Him. The engagement of the heart in worship is the coming alive of the feelings and emotions and affections of the heart. Where feelings for God is dead, worship is dead'. Wow... there it is.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said this... 'Differences are not intended to separate, or to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realise our need of one another.'

As always, when we speak of worship, it gets back to the heart intent... Matt 7:6&7 simply says this... 'people honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me, and in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and the precepts of man.'

Now, if there are real issues, issues that abuse the souls of men, manipulating people's minds, man made theology etc... then these things need to be challenged. BUT, let's challenge it in a way that honours the Word, go to your brother, don't gossip about him - my friends, this is not a game and God will not be mocked. I have always appreciated honest conversations even though they are hard to have at first, through relationship, they are pure life..... LOVE is where it's at! Devotion, wholehearted service... giving away our lives so that others can find it. Worship, like prayer, is critical, but lets never let OUR preferences get in the way of what God is doing on the earth. It's not about us, it's about Him, THEN HE makes it about us, and we are transformed in HIS presence to take the love of Christ to a love starved planet.

Music is a language.. I believe the most underrated language there is, this is why the enemy loves to use it to bring discord and confusion.

I pray you hear my heart and these thoughts.. FULLY loving does leave you at the risk of being hurt, but I want to live like this... Jesus says to come to Him like a little child, uncomplicated, trusting, open armed, accepting and believing the wonder that surrounds you. And before you jump to be critical next time at a style or sound that is different to yours, take a breath, be slow to speak, and ask the Holy Spirit to keep working on your capacity to love even the things you don't understand...

Ok... thanks for reading... IMAGINE what we could do if we did some things together, despite our differences!! Ok, now I'm getting excited...Love you and totally believe in you...

Darlene Z.

PS... I was standing next to a great production guy in the US during an alter call the other day, and as people came forward to receive Christ, he simply turned to me and said... 'Ahh, that's the sweetest sound there is... pages being turned in the lambs book of life...' SELAH...love you.