Worship Redefined

On Friday, I had the privilege of attending one of the best worship services of my entire life. You would be surprised to know there were no instruments involved, no well-known artists, and no familiar tunes. Although all the seemingly necessary elements were missing, it was 2 hours of pure worship.

The Foundations for Counseling and Ministry School I am staffing is unique in that it is the first school of its kind, and will likely be the standard to which all counseling schools will be adjusting to. As part of the curriculum, each of the students is responsible to plan his/her own outreach. This is a crucial part of their grade which allows them time to practice the skills they have gained throughout the course of the school. As I was saying, on Friday . . .

I sat in the back of the room and listened to each of our students stand up and declare what they had each planned to do for their outreach. I am excited to share that this school is sending someone to nearly every continent: beginning in Los Angeles, and spanning across to China, India, Rwanda, the South Pacific, Russia, Israel, and even the red light district in Amsterdam.

I sat in awe as I listened to one couple share that they were going to be starting a ministry which would minister to victims of domestic violence, and would also work to equip indigenous men with the counseling skills needed to bring healing to their tribes.

I listened as Jonny, a student on summer break from Oxford, spelled out his plans to do a documentary on the war in Palestine/Israel, and how it has affected the daily lives of those living there.

I was appalled to learn of the "Black children" of China who have been deprived of their right to live, and are not even allowed the allotted grain ration given to others. I was surprised to learn that the biggest holocaust of our time is found in China, where "gendercide" has aborted the lives of over 50 million girls. One of our students will be going there to research about the gendercide and find ways to make a difference in that area.

Each student stood, shared about a pressing issue in the world, and their plan to effect those areas. It was beautiful - and I was proud. This is the Good News God wants our generation to know about - not just a message of salvation, but a message which, preached in its entirety, has the potential to positively impact every area of society. This is the Gospel - that God's desire for creation be released. This is worship, that we partner with God in fulfilling the dreams of His heart. Music is lovely, but action is preferable. God desires our obedience more than our singing, and that is why today was the best demonstration of worship I've seen in a long time.