Your move!

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

Sometimes I think we get things backwards. We seek the presence of the Lord in worship and expect that as he prencences himself he will sort out the relationships in the church.

I'm sure it can, and sometimes does, work that way. Wonderful breakthroughs can happen in a moment in the presence of God that would have taken months or years with man's efforts.

So why do I think it's backwards?

Well, simply, because that's the pattern I see in Scripture... everywhere!

Live in peace and [then] the God of love and peace will live with you.

Elijah is known as the prophet who called down fire from heaven. But before he had this great demonstration of God's presence poured out from on high he first had to repair the altar. An altar of twelve stones. Twelve stones for twelve tribes. It represented the people of God.

Ezekiel was the prophet who "prophesied to the breath" and saw a great outpouring of the Spirit of God upon his people. But before he prophesied to the breath he first had to prophesy to the bones! The bones first had to come together joint to joint before the Spirit could be poured out. The bones, again, represented the people of God.

Psalm 133 speaks of an anointing that is poured out on all God's people from the head right down to the hem of his garment. Where does God command such a blessing? Where brothers dwell together in unity.

And what does Jesus himself say...

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 5:23-24 ESV

Judge for yourself. Which comes first? The encounter with God or the reconciliation between brothers?

Whose move is it then? God's or ours?

If we are truly those who earnestly seek and desire transformational encounters with the Lord in our times of worship then perhaps it is time we focused less on the quality of our musicians and more on the quality of our relationships!