Audience Participation(Follow up to "Audience of One")

Acts 16: 25. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. (colors coordinated with points below)

I believe that our greatest moments in worship take place when the focus is about the One. With the technical enhancements and sophistication that we have been allowed to bring to our services, it is easy to get distracted. It all has to be about God. We have to able to strip service down to it's most simplest core, worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Therefore, when the mics go out, drums are off beat or the congregations stares at you, you can focus on the Audience.

The above text I believe gives an excellent stage for how worship can effectively flow. In the text we see how focusing on The Audience can bless the congregation.

• Power of Agreement - Matt 18:20 "Where 2 or 3 are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." - It's vital to find other people that can touch and agree in spirit with you to worship The Father. The ability to join together for corporate worship creates an atmosphere for His Spirit to dwell.

•  Who hears you? - This scripture speaks of the attendees of the service. In this case it was prisoners. Everyone was a prisoner. Everyone was in the same predicament, but the responses of these 2 worship leaders determined the posture of the jail. Think of what you walk into when you serve on any given Sunday or service. Don't get consumed in your personal life struggles because your response will be highlighted for others to see and follow suit. When you are freed, they are freed.

• Audience Participation - God is our audience. The most awesome thing is that HE responds like no other audience can. When HE claps, shackles are broken. His standing ovations shakes foundations. He responds to corporate heart felt worship; especially in restricted and uncomfortable places.

• Crowd Participation - The other great thing about this worship for our Audience, the crowd takes part in the freedom afforded to the worshipers. The crowd walks in the same liberty that worshipers experience. The crowd gets to look into our interment moment with our Father and as one we all walk away with liberation. Foundations are shaken and shackles are broken. Glory be to God!

Let us focus on the Audience so the crowd can participate and be blessed. An Audience of One equates to a blessing for many. 

B. Gregory Moore

www.bgregoryspeaks.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Love is Listening

Finish this statement......"If you love me then you would......"

Our responses to this question I'm sure would be diverse because we all have different interpretations of what love looks and feels like. Interpretations that result during our younger years when we didn't even know we were being trained on how to love and receive it. Molestation, abuse, spoiling, over-protection, media, culture, religion and other factors have been used in guiding us to discover the meaning of love in our lives. When you think of the array of factors we have individually experienced and consider the clashes of these interpretations when we try to give and receive love amongst each other, then you see how love can become war; both internal and external.

With the diversity of life's lessons, where do we find commonality to base our collective journey? For love is a needed requirement for relationships of any kind. Where do we build from? What's the safe place we all can go without defensiveness and clashes? Listening! Before you give your heart, give an ear.

Without the art of listening, our relationships are doomed to be either destroyed or distorted.

James 1:19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

"If you love me, than you would listen to me as I listen to you"

Father helps us to LISTEN. Help us to materialize our love first in listening then in action. Helps us to be heard when we scream. Helps us to know that you are listening when no else seems to be. I pray especially for my brothers that are summed up to be just angry and all we are asking for is an ear. Protect us from the wrath of our outburst, by protecting those around from physical and emotional pain. Help us to love ourselves enough to hear the little boy that screams out.........HEAR ME. And when needed help us to hear each other. Who better to understand a man, than a man. Help us find Safe Brotherhood again.



www.bgregoryspeaks.blogspot.com

Audience of 1....Sunday Morning's Drama A Tragedy

The intoxicating tragedy of Sunday Morning is that many have mastered the major performance of the multitude, but minor in the devotion of One. The One true and Living God has watched us all week and will sit with folded arms as bodies perform with no heart and no Spirit. Bodies animated by the electrical emotionalism of the congregation. The congregation is happy but The Audience isn't clapping. In some cases we may be so caught up in acting that we haven't realized that Audience has left the building. He is waiting for you after the make up and custumes to comune with the character behind the mask; the one He saw all week. Despite the wardope, all He sees is the character; even on Sunday Morning.

When God claps, we sit! Every knee bows and we all do the same thing differently. We honor him in expressions diverse but motives collective. The tears, lifted hands and bowed downed heads all lift Him up. If that is our motive let us consider the following:

Psalms 51:16. For thou desirest not sacfrice; else would I give it: thou delightest no in a burnt offering. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not depise 19. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thing altar.

Our righteousness is the performance of Character He seeks. Our Audience desires only that we live righteous or be repentive when we are unable to be right. For even in our repentance His hands applaud us with grace. Though we might be many tomorrow, don't forget its really about the audience of 1.

1 Voice 1 Sound

http://bgregoryspeaks.blogspot.com/

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Nuttin But Love! Reflection of Heavy D and 90s Music

"Nuttin But Love" was a hit of Heavy D. The song was average to me at the time though I enjoyed the video that featured Talent and Chris Tucker. The title however captures perfectly my reflections of The Overweight Lover and an era of music that played in the background of some of my most developmental stages of my life.

The song speaks of the expectation of Gold Diggin women wanting the monetary and natural benefits of a man. Though being able to provide those things, Heavy D preached I have "Nuttin But Love". Despite the message, the female voice sarcastically responds "Whatever". To me this sums up Heavy D. His life left a love that so many will miss like the vibe of the 90's musical era.

“Nuttin But Love” was acted out when Heavy made so many appearances on other people's song to drop a verse. From Veterans like Janet Jackson to rookies like Soul For Real. He was also instrumental in the success of Diddy and Usher. Usher recalls a time when he first came to NY and Heavy made him feel comfortable. He also paved the way for his cousin Pete Rock. Nuttin But Love!

This love was not only outward but was internal as well. He never ran or masked what others might have considered visual distractions. From his eye to his weight, there was enough to prevent him from being the Iconic performer he is remembered as. His obvious acceptance of his natural short comings allowed Heavy to display a man who loved life and the people around him. Both naturally and spiritually he danced with what God gave him; the abundance of love that over came any flaws in himself and ultimately in others.

Heavy D is labeled as the "ONE" that put Mount Vernon on the map. The action of one birthed a chapter in Urban Music Culture that would be further steered by Diddy producers and executives that many of us may be unfamiliar with. Yet despite the lack of public acknowledgement, no one linked to this movement would feel slighted because in 90's it was about the Love first. Wasn't about 1 out of 100, but 1 leading the way for 100. Music was love; Love for yourself, love of life and love of family. “Nuttin But Love!”

In the video of “Nuttin But Love”, Heavy D is surrounded by women that just want what his status can do for them. The other options the women have are 2 rejects played by Talent and Chris Tucker trying to flash what little they have to bait them. Despite it all Hev just stays himself. All he had to offer was Love. I'm afraid today's music has raised the question, What's love Got to do with It? I think Heavy had a lot to say to that through his life and music....Everything.

B. Gregory Moore

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Heavy Video

Very thought provoking video

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The Voice of Frustration, Your Next Level is Calling

It’s the anger boiling up at times unexpected. It’s the headache from the weariness of the same ole, same ole. It’s the outburst against the innocent that have no idea of how they offended you. It’s the driving force behind absent-minded thinking, folly resulted deeds entertaining a life in need or progress and satisfaction even if only temporarily enjoyed. That stuck feeling that works against our most energetic efforts to move forward in progress that is measured little to nothing. Frustration! Though experienced mostly in bodily breakdowns, outward emotional explosions and implosions, and spiritual stagnation; frustration is positive when deciphered by our spirit’s ear. In 1 Kings 19:12, the Prophet Elijah experienced the outward performance of the elements yet the message was not in these acts but the Still Small Voice of God. Likewise, the performances of our responses can be misleading because we have not taking time to see what the real message is. Times of frustrations are speaking a message to our spirit that we can miss if we sell our attention short to what we can see and not what we should hear. Our world is visual. This world is controlled by carnal forces that we often are out of tune with spiritually. Therefore, let us attempt to prophetically decipher messages through our hearing as true prophetic beings. This is why the Bible says, “We walk by faith, not by sight”. This means that our progress isn’t visually measured. It further states, “So then faith Comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. Hearing therefore increases our faith to spiritually understand and connect to God for direction and confirmation. The carnal world says “seeing is believing”, but the spiritually prophetic community must quietly live attentively understanding that “hearing is faith”. Our kingdom is audible and we must rid ourselves of the screaming distractions our eyes transmit because without faith it’s impossible to please Him. I encourage you to listen to your frustration. In it the voice of destiny is sending you a message. In it is the action of ONE violently waking you from the mundane comfort of your present. It brings to your attention that you no longer fit today and tomorrow is requiring some growth. It challenges you to look inward to address the blockage of progress. The voice warns you to limit the overflow of outward responses to people and twisted desires that comfortably whisk you back to sleep in soft sheets of stagnation and pillows of detachment. A detachment of reality because you don’t want to wake and face maturity's challenges; you would rather rest in faithless dreams. In this season, hear beyond what you see. Frustration Speaks. B. Gregory Moore

The Contradition of Seasons

OLDER POST FROM MARCH

So it's the second day of spring and there is snow on the ground. Freezing weather, truck shovels and school is closed. The calendar would say the sun should be out and temperature should be above freezing. Yet, when we look at the reality of the day it looks like December. Yesterday in church my pastor spoke concerning the Children of Isreal being forced to take a detour by the leading of God because there was something in them that was still alive that made it impossilbe to cross into the "Promised Land". The life of that defection in their heart would have proven deadly in the soil of their promise land. We are not allowed to have Egypt's heart in God's promise.

Today is like part 2 of this sermon, because like the season and time relationship of today, we too wonder why is there snow on the ground after we have seemingly endured great measures of hardship in our lives? Isn't it supposed to be spring time in our lives? Yet God has chosen to hold us in the season of winter until something dies in us. Specifically in our hearts.  This may seem cruel until you understand how "Germs" work. They spread in warm weather but are inactive in cold weather. If you knew the spring of your life would cause more harm than good, how eager would you be to enter into it? Germs can represent the deadly traits and strongholds foriegn to the body of our destiny. Winter then serves as a grace to still the spread of these germs so we can prayerfully deal with the removal of these contrary agents of our soul.

In closing, there has been one wierd development in my observation of this weathery scene. Dispite everything I see, I hear a bird chirping in the distance. A reminder that even though you may not see your season, there is a sound that excites your spirit to the idea that your promised season is moments from manifestation. So even in the winter of your life, The Voice prevails. ONE VOICE ONE SOUND!