[notice]In this article posted on his blog today, Burn 24/7 movement founder Sean Feucht who was in South Africa last week, reflects on the centrality of worship and unity in the heart of God — and on SA’s potential to “break the demons of genocide, perversion and corruption through a unified sound”.[/notice]
How Good and Pleasant It Is….We have been singing this song all over the world for the past year. It has been featured on YouTube videos from rooftops in Brazil (with 70k hits and climbing) and resounded in the mega churches of Jakarta, Indonesia. Somehow God has been breathing on this simple song and the call for widespread unity. It was written with my covenant friend Rick Pino during our Hillside Intensive worship school a few years ago.
It is always super fun when it is layered with the sound of giggles and the ukulele. My kids also helped create some simple motions to the song that seem to free people everywhere we go. Maybe it is my youth camp Assemblies of God roots roaring back out – but I LOVE IT! Even those commonly “stoic” societies like the Germans and Swiss are getting in on the action. Watching them dance and “do the down, down, down” motions to the song brings so much joy to my heart.
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Sometimes the most powerful and profound revelations in the Bible can only be properly conveyed in the context of childlikeness. It is what disarms our complex strategies and leans us into the ease of God. I believe so it is with the massively complex call for unity across the body of Christ. There is a lightness and accessibility that comes where we sing and “act out” the motions of the truths while they set our hearts free. This is all our response to the John 17 cry of Jesus to BECOME ONE.
The climax
The very last words, challenge and impartation from Jesus before performing the greatest miracle the world has ever known involved both worship and unity. Out of ALL of the subjects, issues and theology to focus on, those two things seemed to represent the climax of what He came to live and die for. In John 17, He intentionally calls for us to “be with him where He is…and behold His glory (verse 24) which echo’s forth the heart of David for “One thing I ask…to gaze upon your beauty all the days of my life…” (Psalm 27:4). His greatest desire is for us to live lives centered around His presence, His nearness and His love.
He also strongly contends a few verses earlier “they would be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (verse 21). Here we see the unrelenting passion for a unified bride to emerge from such a dark and divisive world. Knowing that the enemy is the original architect of division (taking 1/3 of the angels with him), Jesus knew the onslaught aimed at destroying unity would come. He also knew that the level authority of the Church would walk in after his departure was connected to their breadth of unity.
We are still on wild pursuit today after these two fascinating calls from the heart of God to the heart of man. Worship and Unity continues to become the focal thrust of all that we do through Burn 24-7 across the earth.
Dancing Priests and Breaking Xenophobia
The past month has been one for the books for me. I have seen and experienced quite a bit in almost 70+ nations around the world, but nothing ever like this. It blew away my prior boxes on what unity looked like and caused me to dream for greater days of cohesive worship across the nations! We gathered in Slovakia with over 1 500 mostly charismatic Catholics who were some of the loudest worshippers I have ever had the privilege of leading. Not only were they fully engaged and filling this very large room with the sound of boisterous praise, but they were far more protestant in their approach to worship than catholic – even the priests were dancing and laughing during worship! I’ve rarely had the privilege to worship together with our beautiful brothers but pray this was the start of more times to come! The burn leaders in Eastern Europe are gathering protestants, Catholics and hungry lovers across denominations to unify around One man! One thing I do know is that it was beautiful and full of God’s pleasure.
Here is a full music video showing my two oldest children (4 years and 2 years) helping lead thousands of Catholics in wild dancing worship – A CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM!
The journey continued to a nation I’ve poured my heart and soul into the last 5 years with over a dozen separate trips. I’ve even brought my entire family (and 13 checked bags) to here four separate times! If there was ever a nation that carried the potential to break the demons of genocide, perversion and corruption through a unified sound – South Africa is it! Our leaders in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg are doing a PHENOMENAL job spearheading this and are changing the landscape of worship in the nation! At a time where anti-immigrant violence is on the rise (xenophobia) in the region, we are kicking up the volume of our unified sound! Here is a picture of my multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and extremely talented band from Port Elizabeth. Even singing simple songs with this crew shakes the ground of injustice and releases the harmony of unity!
