(This post was written by Michele Stephens, Worship and Creative Arts Director)

On Earth As It Is In Heaven?

This past week I was with a mission team from Faith Promise that went to El Salvador with Open Eyes Ministry.  As with all mission trips there are always hearts stirred, lessons learned, thoughts provoked and the million dollar question, “Will I follow through with what I have seen and experienced?”

This trip was no different.  The majority of our team was made up of Faith Promise Worship Ministry people.  We did two worship venues per day—whether we were in schools doing evangelism concerts, leading worship services in different community churches, teaching workshops and outdoor Crusades.

Watching, leading and experiencing worship around the world is an awesome yet humbling experience to me.  We did our best to lead the songs we had learned in Spanish; and they sang in Spanish as the rest of our team sang in English.  It reminded me of what heaven will be like [as currently is] every tribe and every tongue worshipping the Lamb and the One who sits on the throne. 

As a creative person my mind immediately goes to images described in Revelation chapter 4.  I could see the Throne, the throngs of people worshipping, the 24 Elders bowing in worship and the Living Creatures.  I could almost audibly hear them singing/shouting “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.  Who was and is and is to come”.

I love worship – I love everything about it leading and personal experience.  As we were down in Central America leading out in worship, creating the atmosphere, I was overcome with the overwhelming thought of the one thing we can’t do in heaven and that is lead people to Jesus.  Worship began to take on a whole different perspective for me.  Were all these people going to be worshipping around the throne?  How many people that we talked to in the streets as we knocked on doors every afternoon would not experience worship around The Throne, how many people that came to “hear the Americans rock out” would not be singing “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come?”

Worship is more than singing – it’s about presenting myself as a living sacrifice unto Him in every way and every area of my life.  I was once again impacted of the urgency to get people to the Throne not just in corporate worship but so they could be in heaven one day worshipping around The Throne – Jesus their Savior.

It’s always funny to me that I have to go half way around the world to be reminded to “share with my neighbor” across the street, in Wal-mart, at the gas station or wherever God provides an opportunity.  Worshippers – let’s get them to the Throne!