Worship

As the Ruach is the central force and heart of the Seven fold Spirits resting on Messiah, so do we understand that our commitment and dedication to training up an army of worshippers is a central aspect and indeed, even the reason we still exist as a community despite all of the intensity of the restoration process for those having come through ritualistic abuse.

Though we recognize that there is an aspect of worship when all of life is ordered around the Living Torah, Messiah Yeshua, we also maintain that attention to time presenting ourselves to Him, our Husband and King, as a living sacrifice of praise is the mainspring of our strength and ability to persevere. We are careful to maintain our awareness that we are a fellowship through our desire to honor and be in relationship with Messiah, and not simply a "social-ship" of people who enjoy one another’s company.

Therefore, we remain committed to including some time of praise and worship in all of our activities, as well as a weekly Shabbat gathering that begins with the shofar call and with an extended time specifically focused on Him through music, song, Hebraic dance, banners and flags with attention to the spiritual significance of color, and corporate prayer led by a different person each week. Beginning our time together with concentration on praise and worship of our Messiah has been instrumental in clearing the way for us to leave behind the cares of the world and for greater understanding of the study of the Word. Our focus has been on group participation, rather than pageantry or soloists, encouraging all to participate in the ways they are able and led to do so. Though we encourage each one to express themselves as they feel comfortable to do so, whether that be by singing or dancing or quietly meditating, we also emphasize that praise and worship is not a "spectator sport." The very act of joining together in coordinated worship movement is in itself an aspect of individual developmental restoration of brain function within our mind, will and emotions as well as an opportunity for us to develop echad both horizontally with other participants and vertically with YHWH. This time of praise and intimate worship of our soon coming King has been a discipline that has grown as we have practiced it. It does require a measure of understanding and willingness to lay aside personal thoughts, conversation, needs, and concerns for several hours which does not always come easily. As we learn to give ourselves more fully to Him in this setting, we are strengthened and encouraged, knowing that we must decrease as He increases. Being accustomed to actively resting in Him in praise and worship has given us greater understanding of the pairing of His high praise in our mouths and His sword in our hands.

These are some of our friends at Yahweh's Set Apart Ministries in Limuru, Kenya while in praise and worship of our Messiah Yeshua. The drum maker was kind enough to give us one of his drums to use back here in the States.

Worship and Warfare

As I have come to understand more about the neurobiology of relationships and how our brains were designed, it became more evident that the inclusion of music provides an opportunity for both sides of the brain to come together integrating intellectual awareness with emotional awareness through the release of our will.

The subject of worship and prayer is and has been a controversial one as people deal with different preferences of style and application. One of the best descriptions I have ever heard of this came to me through a presentation done by Dr. Warren Wiersbe at an International Conference on Spiritual Warfare in the late 1990s. An audio recording of this presentation is available here:

• Worship and Warfare: The Churches Neglected Weapon Part 1
• Worship and Warfare: The Churches Neglected Weapon Part 2

Dr. Warren Wiersbe, in his humorous yet blunt style wrote at length about these matters in the following book which I wholeheartedly recommend for your consideration.

Worship: Playground, Battleground or Holy Ground

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