Unlocking the Heavens: Release the Supernatural Power of Your Worship (13 page)

In other words, the pathway to exercising our rightful dominion and authority is through the warfare of worship.

One day, when I was in the throes of one of my worst personal struggles, I was listening to a podcast by Bill Johnson, who is an insightful man of God and a well-known pastor in Redding, California. He made a statement that confirmed what God was already saying to me at that time about worship: “We must learn to work out of rest and to wage warfare out of worship.” This is a supremely powerful spiritual principle! Worship chokes the enemy to death; it represents one of the primary scepters of authority that has been given to every believer and to the Body of Christ as a whole.

Satan hates worship! The enemy of our souls knows what worship does in the heavens—how it affects God, how it affects the worshipper, and of course how it affects him. He knows all too well that revelation about and application of worship comprise a spiritual weapon with which he cannot reckon. Worship renders him helpless.

I hope by now that every believer who is reading this book is starting to connect the dots concerning why worship is so significant. Never forget the effect of worship in the spirit realm and the authority it pours into the life of the believer.

Chapter 12

RESTORING THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID

“On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says the Lord who does this thing
(A
MOS
9:11-12)
.

Y
ou will remember from Chapter 2 that the tabernacle of David was a special tent that was made by David to house Moses’ Ark of the Covenant (which had been housed in earlier times by the tabernacle of Moses, and Moses’ tabernacle foreshadowed the temple in its design). Whereas the style of worship in the tabernacle of Moses had involved animal sacrifices, the style of worship in David’s tabernacle was different. David instructed the people to come in—everyone was allowed to come in, not only the priests—and make
sacrifices of praise
or joyful songs of thanksgiving to God for His greatness and mercy.

The Davidic sacrifices of praise have never been replaced among God’s people, although they have been sorely neglected. I believe that we are seeing in this day a restoration of the tabernacle of David, a revival of true worship and a resurgence of the many ramifications of Davidic worship.

The prophet Amos prophesied that the tabernacle of David would be restored, and the apostle James quoted him in the presence of the leaders of the early church:

James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: ‘After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things’”
(Acts 15:13-17, quoting Amos 9:11).

A controversy surrounds the interpretation of this passage. Some people believe that the tabernacle of David refers to the original Davidic kingdom and its future reestablishment on the earth. Others believe that it refers to an end-time reemergence of the Davidic order of worship. I believe it refers to both, and that the most active application for our purposes concerns the revival of the Davidic practices of worship.

OLD TESTAMENT TO NEW

All through the New Testament and therefore, throughout the history of the Church, the theme of Davidic worship is strong. John wrote that Jesus had tabernacled among us (see John 1:14). The new church is called the “temple of God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:19-22). Songs and hymns and spiritual songs speak of “Zion,” “God’s holy temple,” and “the mountain of the Lord,” all of which refer to the placement of David’s tabernacle on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.

Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to perceive know that a tremendous move of the Holy Spirit has been promised to the world and to the Church in the last days, and we are seeing evidence of His work. At the present time, Jesus, the head of the Church, is emphasizing specific spiritual truths in order to mature His Church and to bring it like a bride into proper spiritual alignment so that He can “present…to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27 KJV).

One of the great emphases of the last days before the Lord’s coming is the divine order of worship. Because human beings have been created to worship but they suffer from ignorance and lack of discernment about God’s ways, they tend to worship the wrong things in the wrong ways. I see a real need to discover what the Word of God says about the matter. God promises that worship will be a major key to the last-day moving of the Spirit, and we can summarize the reasons as follows:

Worship develops a strong, tough spirit.

Worship polishes the life of the believer.

Worship reveals the nature and holiness of God’s character.

Worship is the foundation of the believer’s walk with God.

Worship provides protection from enemies.

Worship creates a habitation for God.

Worship gives the believer discernment of the times and seasons.

Worship is not just something that we do on Sunday mornings when we gather together in our churches.
Worshippers
equals our identity as believers—worshippers of the Triune God who cannot help but praise Him, pray to Him, and proclaim His mighty strength everywhere we go. God wants us as worshippers not to merely regurgitate somebody else’s worship songs or sounds. He wants us to participate with His Holy Spirit to restore prior songs and worship sounds and to create all-new ones.

SONGS OF PRAISE, PRAYER, AND PROCLAMATION

I am passionate about the restoration of David’s tabernacle, and I know that in order for all of us to participate in the restoration of the tabernacle of David we need to take a look at the book of Psalms, because they are the songs that were composed to be used in the original Davidic worship.

The psalms were written to be sung aloud to the accompaniment of musical instruments. The instrumentation is as important as the voicing of the lyrics. Every time the words and melodies and cadences of one of the psalms rings out, a clear message is released into the atmosphere, a message that almost always falls into one of three categories—Prayer, Proclamation, or Praise.

Many of the psalms have come down to us with their original musical and literary notations intact. At the beginning of Psalm 17, for example, you will see the words, “A prayer of David.” This is an example of a prayer-psalm. The words express the speaker/singer’s heartfelt desires toward God:

Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit. From you let my vindication come…. I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
(Psalm 17:1-2,6-8 NRSV).