Posts in Revival
Writing Songs for the Nation
Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that the Lord quiets us with His love and rejoices over us with singing. When we lean into Him and listen closely, we can catch echoes and reverberations of His infinite love for us individually - do we believe that God's heart beats in the same way for the Nations of the World, too?
Most of us appreciate that in some broad way, God is Omnipresent and Sovereign over all the nations. But does He really have anything to say about what happens daily on a national level? Does He really care?
The (National) Anthem in God's Heart
In Deuteronomy 31, God tells Moses to write a song for the nation of Israel, and to teach it to them so that it may be passed down from generation to generation:
"…write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that… it may be a witness for me against the people of Israel."
As the story goes, the people of Israel had already forgotten how the Lord had rescued them from slavery, provided for and protected them as they journeyed towards the Promised Land. God wanted a song written so that it would bear testimony against them of their unfaithfulness towards Him as He anticipated their going astray - "This song will be there with them as a witness as to who they are and what went wrong".
It may initially seem harsh - the song functions like a witness testifying against them in God's Court. It hardly seems like the kind of tune that any modern day songwriter would be 'inspired' to write. If we look closer, however, we will find that the song was merely a medium and a way for God to reveal His heart towards the entire Nation. He cared about what He was seeing. He perceived whatever was taking place daily in the Nation and He had something to say about it. In Deuteronomy, God chose Moses to listen and to write the song on His (God's) heart. What if He's choosing us to do the same today? Are we tuning in to listen?
Co-writing Nation Songs with the Lord
The commission of Moses in Deuteronomy isn't just for the songwriters – it is for all the children of God. As Jesus told us:
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
As children and lovers of God, our commission is to make disciples of all Nations. Songs are a powerful tool for discipleship - taking place on an individual level, but also on a national scale as in Deuteronomy.
Songwriters have a special role in this endeavour because we are armed and equipped with a very specific skill-set: crafting lyrical and melodic hooks to retain attention, understanding the power of a song idea that will renew minds, appreciating the structure of songs and how best to order words with melody, so that we can truly take our songs to the paradigm that God is on. As we do so, our songs become a platform on which God reveals His heart to an entire Nation, even to disciple them.
In this process, we learn to become His faithful scribes (Psalm 45:1) - people who listen to Him, know His heart and express it faithfully. We become co-writers with God to pen the song on His heart. We listen in closely, asking Him as often as we perceive the happenings around us in the Nation: "Lord, what do You see? What do You think? How do You feel about this?" Imagine the impact we could bring to the communities around us and the Nations of the World if we care about what He truly cares about, and if we speak what He would say: "Lord, what are you thinking of when you look into our Churches, the marketplace and on the streets? Father, how Your heart cry out when we see the way we strive in this Nation for what doesn't fully satisfy us? Lord, what is on Your heart right now for this Nation? How are You moving, and how do You desire to 'heal our land'?"
Make no mistake - God does have something to say. The question is: do we want to know? Will we seek His heart in prayer and keenly study His word to discern His voice and find out? When we do, we must come ready to scribe and pen down what we hear from Him. In that place, we will find that He always faithfully responds and reveals His heart if only we seek Him.
Every Nation has its own spiritual climate and journey - one which God Himself in continually writing. I am reminded of that powerful Singapore National Day Parade (NDP) song which goes:
"There was a time when people said
That Singapore won't make it, but we did
There was a time when troubles seemed too much
For us to take, but we did
We built a nation, strong and free, reaching out together
For peace and harmony
Singapore our homeland, it's here that we belong
All of us united, one people marching on
We've come so far together, our common destiny
Singapore forever, a nation strong and free"
Just think about the incredible influence that a song like this can have in mobilising an entire Nation into greater purpose, if only we were to re-imagine it for present times and begin to pen our God-song with intimacy and sensitivity to His Spirit.
Ultimately, writing songs for the Nation isn't just about song-writing itself – it is about having such an intimate walk with the Lord that we begin to feel what He feels, think how He thinks, and have on our hearts whatever He has on His for the Nations of the World.
Behind the Scenes, Creative, Destiny, Revival, Songwriting, WorshipJon Cho April 9, 2019 Comment
My Call As A Worship Revivalist
"Worship Revival".
Those two words rang out in my spirit. My heart leapt, and my soul awoke. I propped up and inclined my ear toward the voice of Heaven, hoping to receive some form of elaboration. There was none. Nothing but the dull stillness and silence of the night that surrounded me. What was happening inside of me though, was the complete opposite. Because by now, the pounding within me was intensifying and everything internally was coming alive.
A few years ago, I stood at a crossroads that involved making a crucial decision in my life. I sought clarity and direction from God for my future. I thought I was asking about where my next job would be; instead, God responded with a vision for my life that gripped me even till today. When my concern was vocation, the Father brought me higher and revealed destiny and purpose. I have been marked ever since; by two words that were uttered in a moment. It was a divine download that flew past my head and straight to my heart. I wish I could say I knew exactly what God meant by "Worship Revival", but I didn't. My spirit, however, responded immediately with a resounding "YES". It set me on a course of discovering what's in the Father's heart as He calls me to be a Worship Revivalist.
At first, I thought God was calling me just to be a Worship Leader in big revival meetings, but I was wrong. While our corporate worship and meetings are great, He is looking beyond that. Our goal is not the worship we induce, but the worshippers we produce.
I believe the greatest revival that is coming, will be ushered in and marked by worshippers arising from every tribe and tongue – the kind that the Father seeks in John 4:23. It will be a nameless, faceless generation of worshippers who will carry His supernatural presence into every area of society, culture, and life. These are the ones who hunger and pursue the Presence like no other; who worship with the same vigour that David did. They will be sent as forerunners to release unparalleled manifestations of His Presence. The most powerful meetings will be those centred around the Presence of God. In authentic worship, there is no division. Racial, political, cultural, language, and denominational lines will be erased. Worship is the activity of Heaven, after all. His Kingdom is established where His Presence inhabits.
I see God redeeming music and intercession from every culture and restoring to the nations their rightful inheritance. Consider this: we are the most musical generation in history. We are surrounded by music constantly. Never before have we had access to music as we do today. Music affects and impacts us more so than any other generation in history. Most importantly, music has the unique ability to touch our hearts, and the Lord wants to use that to advance the Gospel. I believe worship will be the key activity through which people will be drawn to the Father and where hearts open up to the Gospel. At the same time, God is raising up prophetic songwriters who would bring articulation and language to the dreams in His heart for the present and the future. They will pull to today what was meant for tomorrow by giving the Bride of Christ the songs of Heaven to sing.
As I step back and comprehend the vastness of God's heart and plan for His church, I know my part is small to play. My desire is to raise and equip not just musicians and songwriters, but worshippers who will prepare the way of the Lord in this hour. There is an invitation for you and me to be part of the narrative and storyline God is writing in the nations. If reading this has in any way resonated in your spirit, I pray you will indeed stand and have your life count for Him.
Destiny, Revival, WorshipIan Chew February 14, 2019 revival, worship, destiny, calling, purpose, gospel, nationsComment
Revival Nights: Why We Do It
By Ian Chew
Looking back from 3 years ago when Awaken Generation hosted its first Worship Night to today, I am humbled and thankful for how God has moved powerfully in our meetings every single time. We've seen many touched by the tangible presence of the Lord, people getting healed and set free, and even non-believing friends encountering God's peace and love. One of my favourite moments was when over 20 different churches represented in the room started praying for one another. It was truly a "glory to glory" experience.
This year, we've rebranded our Worship Nights to "Revival Nights", and here's why: We believe there is a significance when worship and prayer converge unto Singapore's vision for revival in the nations. We earnestly echo the dreams and desires of the generations in seeing Singapore fulfill its Antioch call, and in witnessing a spiritual outpouring as never seen before. Just to add, I am personally convinced and convicted that the next great revival of our time will be ushered in and marked by worship and incense that rise from the united Bride of Christ.
"The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:
"He is good; his love endures forever."
Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God."
– 2 Chronicles 5:11-14
We love to see the body of believers coming together in worship; regardless of church or denomination. When we gather "regardless of divisions" and come to a place of agreement in the spirit, there is a corporate anointing that is released from heavenly realms that permeates throughout the body of Christ (Psalm 133). God is attracted to unity. In fact, when the priests, musicians, and singers, stood together to minister to the Lord, His glory so filled the temple it became overwhelming. What transpired in this event led to an unprecedented rule and reign of peace for Israel in King Solomon's time.
As Bill Johnson says in his book Experience the Impossible, "Worshipers are positioned by God to summon nations to their destinies." When we host the presence of the Lord on earth, it influences and shifts spiritual atmospheres over our city. In worship, we are essentially recreating the conditions of Heaven here on earth; and anyone who comes into it has the opportunity to be transformed by it. The level of faith created in such an atmosphere of worship is unlike any other.
Most importantly, we strive to never forget to keep the main thing the main thing. We worship God simply because of who He is. Doxology is the ultimate goal. At the same time, we recognise that our Revival Nights are not an end in themselves – rather, they serve as a rallying point, a launching pad, an incubator of dreams; that God would awaken, stir, and set believers off on a trajectory towards the revival narrative He is writing in the nations today.
We consider ourselves incredibly blessed that we get to be a part of the story, and my prayer is that you will fulfill yours too. Amen.
Click here to register for our next Revival Night!
Behind the Scenes, Destiny, Revival, WorshipIan Chew April 18, 2018 Music, praise, revival, Worship, Worship MusicComment