Bob Sorge's Visit to My Church

Wow, I was so touched and I believe led to another level of worship and faith on Saturday, August 21, 2010 at 1:00-2:30 pm. Bob Sorge, the author of Exploring Worship did us the immense honor of speaking to our choir on Saturday and our church on Sunday. He does not speak much because of damage to his vocal chords. He writes on a pad to answer/converse/socialize when he is not on the podium. I had the supreme pleasure of being in his company for a few minutes prior to his message to us.

God is so big and so wonderful... and He knows what we need and puts people in our path to help us towards understanding and growth.

I was given the book Exploring Worship some years ago, maybe five or six, don't really remember. As I read it I started highlighting the parts that spoke to me and that I thought I would someday want to read again. In the part where he was talking about the start of the tribe of Judah, I wrote a note "I see myself as a Judahite". Probably not correct terminology, but trying to say that I love praise and worship, that I felt connected to that in a spiritual kind of way. The word Judah means "praise". And I have a passion for it. I love the phrase "born to praise, created to worship". It strikes a deep, rich, resonant chord.

I have always doubted my worthiness to be up on that platform on Sundays. Being passionate about something doesn't mean you are worthy. I asked Bob Sorge to sign my book and showed him what I had written so many years ago, and commented that I was not sure if that was still a complete truth in my life. He looked me in the eyes and wrote on his pad that his message would correct me today. That he would speak to me. I really did not know just what that meant so I smiled and said Okay with a sense of expectancy.

He spoke of so many things, the angels, the prophets, the rocks, the modern day church and its problems. He talked about worshipers and gate keepers. He spoke about what we should be doing, what we do wrong in innocence, out of habit and misunderstanding. He echoed so much of what I believe but cannot put into words and have not come close to accomplishing.

He confirmed some of my basic understandings. I believe God spoke to me long before I knew Him. He protected me long before I accepted Jesus as my savior. My prayers were answered before I was a forgiven sinner, when I shouted out to Him, acknowledging my inability to protect my family and my need of His mercy and grace to save my children and their children.

I came away feeling like I am truly a Judahite, and I should not doubt my love and my passion for praise and worship, I should continue to feel that when I am on that stage I am NOT a leader (which I have never felt to be accurate despite what everyone tells me). When I am up there, I am ministering to my God asking that He minister to those who walked through the doors. I pray for the people in the church, I pray for my family, I pray for everyone I can think of who has a need and shout out their names during that time... but I am talking to my God, I am thanking my God, I am totally His for that time and space. If someone is touched by my worship, hallelujah, that is sweet frosting on the cake of worship.

He explained that gate keepers have two principle duties. One is to make sure nothing unholy touches the holy parts of the church/temple. When we go up to the platform to sing His praises and worship Him, that becomes a holy place. We are inviting His presence into The Sanctuary... Hoping that He finds all that we do pleasing to Him. We cannot expect that He will be there if we are offending Him.

My first reaction to even consider becoming a gate keeper was "fear". Too enormous a responsibility for this humble servant. That would mean judging other people as worthy or unworthy, holy or unholy. What soon became clear to me was that each one of us is a gate keeper, comes with the territory. We should be responsible for making sure that we are not the "unholy" in the holy places. I have the supreme privilege of worshiping Him from a holy place. If my heart is not right, if I do not confess and repent of my sins before climbing up those stairs, I am permitting unholiness onto holy territory. I might be the reason that God does not show up... no matter how wonderfully, energetically, and sincerely I sing His praises and worship Him. It is as clashing cymbals to him... and I can see Him turning His face away.

I cannot go up there anymore unless I have confessed and repented. I know that so truly and deeply now. I am thinking I may find myself unable to go on stage one of these days. I usually ask God to find our humble offering of praise and worship pleasing to His ears and not as clashing cymbals when I go up there. It will mean more than ever from now on.

It also means that I can shed my fears about what people think of my form of praise and worship. I can look deeper into what I am truly supposed to be doing to fulfill His will no matter what happens to me, just as Bob Sorge is doing. I can feel more and more of His joy and openly share that will every person God puts in my path.

Oh, thank you Bob Sorge. Thank you my Abba Father. S'agapo poli Xristo.

In the end, it is always about love.