Have you had the desire to see a multicultural and multiethnic worship event occur in your church, neighborhood, or city? Do you see the need for a worship event like this at your church?
Many times we have a vision for events like this, but don’t know how to turn that vision into reality. Things like this can be frustrating, but they don’t have to be impossible.
One step that we all must take when considering turning a dream from God into an actionable step is to spend time in prayer.
Praying about your goals for a worship event like this can do two things:
1. It will help you to not be so stressed about the many details which go into introducing and organizing an event like this.
2. It will give you clarity of mind and align your heart with God’s to see this dream turn real.
Really, we can do nothing without the power of God in our lives. As John 15:5 records Jesus as saying: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing….”
It is in prayer that we find the reality and power that the Apostle Paul is speaking of in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
The most important fact is that we must not leave Jesus out of the event. He is the power found within such a worship event, and He is the purpose for such an event.
Leaving Jesus out of a Christian worship event sounds ridiculous, but it can and does happen. The key here is to remain in such a state of prayer that guards you and all others involved from forgetting the reason for the event. When Christ is the center of all that you’re planning, you’ll find the power of God working in you and through you to see your vision accomplished.
Here are some ideas for prayer in sparking a multicultural worship event at your church:
- Seek God’s face.
1 Chronicles 16:8–36 records a psalm of thanksgiving to God. The context of the passage is that the Israelites have created a tent for the ark of the covenant and are thanking God for all that He has done for them. In this passage, we find many relevant verses, but one stands out for our purposes here: “Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually” (1 Chronicles 16:11).
When we seek God’s “face,” we are seeking to know God more and by default are becoming more and more like Him. We are gaining the heart of our Creator in seeking Him always. To bring a diverse worship experience to your church, like Unified By One does, all people involved must continually seek the “face” of God. We must seek God for strength, wisdom, and purity of motive. For only in that seeking and intimate relationship with God do we find the reason for such an event. - Be confident that God hears your prayer.
“The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29). Throughout scripture, we are continually reminded that the Lord hears the prayers of the righteous. This verse in Proverbs is one instance of that reminder. Seeking God’s face allows for a purity in our own hearts. This purity will then lead to a better relationship with God which will in turn lead to God hearing your prayers and giving you strength and help. God responds to the prayers of the righteous because the prayers of the righteous are aligned with God’s heart. Align yourselves even more with God’s heart before working to bring a worship event to your church. - Be willing to ask for the goodness of God.
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11). God is good and will give good things to His children. Rest in that fact and allow God to work. Ask for help from Him to get this worship event moving. Ask for God’s goodness to reign supreme over every aspect of the event. Know that God will give good things to you. - Never give up praying.
Luke 18:1–8 records Jesus sharing a parable with His disciples “to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1b). The parable is about a widow who continually pleads with a judge for justice. Eventually, the judge relents and orders justice in favor of the widow not because it was the right thing to do but because she annoyed him. Christ differentiated the unrighteous judge with Himself, the righteous judge. How much more quickly, Jesus says, will He bring justice than that judge? We must never lose faith in our vision and goals for the Kingdom of God. For those goals are given to us by God. Rather, we must remain steadfast in our goal to see the Kingdom of God occur in our churches and cities. Keep praying and never give up. God is with you.
These are only a few ideas that will help you in your quest to bring a multicultural, multiethnic worship experience to your church. There are plenty more ways, to be sure, but these will get you started. If you want more help, get in touch with us. Also, be sure to read our about page and more to find out how Unified By One can work with you to bring such a worship experience to your church. Together we can see God’s Kingdom established here and now.
