What sound do you make?
"Every church should have a sound." I heard a pastor say that recently, and it has stuck with me. As I've mulled it over, though, it's boiled down to the individual level - every person in the kingdom of God should have a sound.
But what does that really mean? "A sound?" What is that?
The Lord's Prayer, from Matthew 6:9-13, includes the plea: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
When you really think about that, it sounds great - but how do you really get that to happen? How do we get what's on heaven to come down here to earth?
We release it.
It would be wonderful if God just had to point His finger and BOOM! it's done, but that's not how He established it. He's chosen to use people.
And there are morals and good deeds and all kinds of great surface stuff we can do. But this goes deeper than that.
Or it can, if you're willing.
Every person has the opportunity to release the sound of heaven into the earth and see something change. But first you have to know what that sound is.
It's the sound of worship, of choruses of praise echoing back and forth, back and forth as thousands circle around God's throne in adoration.
It's the sound of war cries and clashing swords as the hosts of heaven follow the Lord of Heaven's armies into battle.
It's the encouragement ringing from the cloud of witnesses: "You can do it! Don't give up! Keep going!"
It's the cry from the very heart of God as He sees His children broken and bleeding, raped and slaughtered, lost and abandoned.
It's the joyful shouts as the lost sons and daughters run into the arms of the Father.
Can you hear those sounds? Are you willing? Maybe you're asking, "Why should I try?"
Here's the answer - when you're willing to hear the sound of Heaven, let it reverberate and shake everything inside you, and then release it, you have just bridged Heaven and earth. You have become the passage, a road, so to speak, by which God can act.
Your worship allowed the very Presence of God to invade the atmosphere and bring hope to the hopeless. Your cry for the orphan bridged the gap so the Father could draw him to Himself. Your battle cry strengthened your comrades.
And your willingness to weep with God opened a door in His heart you didn't even realize was there.
God released a sound into the emptiness before creation and life began. Jesus released a sound just before His death and it tore the veil separating people from God. A sound was released in the Upper Room and suddenly those who had fled from Jesus were now drawing thousands to Him.
What will your sound do?
But what does that really mean? "A sound?" What is that?
The Lord's Prayer, from Matthew 6:9-13, includes the plea: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
When you really think about that, it sounds great - but how do you really get that to happen? How do we get what's on heaven to come down here to earth?
We release it.
It would be wonderful if God just had to point His finger and BOOM! it's done, but that's not how He established it. He's chosen to use people.
And there are morals and good deeds and all kinds of great surface stuff we can do. But this goes deeper than that.
Or it can, if you're willing.
Every person has the opportunity to release the sound of heaven into the earth and see something change. But first you have to know what that sound is.
It's the sound of worship, of choruses of praise echoing back and forth, back and forth as thousands circle around God's throne in adoration.
It's the sound of war cries and clashing swords as the hosts of heaven follow the Lord of Heaven's armies into battle.
It's the encouragement ringing from the cloud of witnesses: "You can do it! Don't give up! Keep going!"
It's the cry from the very heart of God as He sees His children broken and bleeding, raped and slaughtered, lost and abandoned.
It's the joyful shouts as the lost sons and daughters run into the arms of the Father.
Can you hear those sounds? Are you willing? Maybe you're asking, "Why should I try?"
Here's the answer - when you're willing to hear the sound of Heaven, let it reverberate and shake everything inside you, and then release it, you have just bridged Heaven and earth. You have become the passage, a road, so to speak, by which God can act.
Your worship allowed the very Presence of God to invade the atmosphere and bring hope to the hopeless. Your cry for the orphan bridged the gap so the Father could draw him to Himself. Your battle cry strengthened your comrades.
And your willingness to weep with God opened a door in His heart you didn't even realize was there.
God released a sound into the emptiness before creation and life began. Jesus released a sound just before His death and it tore the veil separating people from God. A sound was released in the Upper Room and suddenly those who had fled from Jesus were now drawing thousands to Him.
What will your sound do?
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