IAN JOHSNON www.papelim.org.nz
When Israel was ordered by the Lord, into ranks and tribes
When they crossed the red Sea
Whenever they moved forward and travelled on (Numbers 2)
Whenever they went to war (Judges 1:1-2)
Whenever they were called to stand before the Lord
One tribe always took the lead position JUDAH
Judah means praise
So what the Lord was saying by asking Judah to take the lead role is that Praise always leads us into the things of God!
Even though God is Omniscient ~ He can and does manifest his presence in a tangible way in a place or in the midst of His congregation.
Psalm 22:3
3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of your people.
When God turns up the Atmosphere changes! Things happen! Substance changes.
Consider Psalm 29
1 Give honor to the LORD, you angels; give honor to the LORD for his glory and strength. 2 Give honor to the LORD for the glory of his name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. 3 The voice of the LORD echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The LORD thunders over the mighty sea. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf and Mount Hermon* to leap like a young bull. 7 The voice of the LORD strikes with lightning bolts. 8 The voice of the LORD makes the desert quake; the LORD shakes the desert of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD twists mighty oaks* and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!” 10 The LORD rules over the floodwaters. The LORD reigns as king forever. 11 The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.
When we release a sound of praise, the Earth must respond. There is a tangible change in the Atmosphere! The God of creation extracts a response from his creation!
Joshua Mills tells the story of a drought breaking in Chennai India as a result of Praise to the living God! To release a response from the Earth
I can verify this testimony because I was in Chennai at the time. It was January 2004, the rains had failed in the monsoon season and water was very scarce. The large rivers and the water reservoirs were almost dry. Unbeknown to us Joshua had called for a time of Praise to break the drought. My friend and I had just returned from Bangalore and it started to rain when we got to Chennai. Now the thing that needs to be understood is that it never rains in great amounts in January in Chennai. Before the day was over Chennai was flooded with rain. The rivers were flowing the reservoirs were filled and the crisis was diverted. In February I met Joshua Mills in New Zealand and he shared about the rain in Chennai which came as a result of sustained praise.
The Earth must respond to the Lord, and the Lord responds to our praise.
Getting back to Judah,
Judah was selected by way of the patriarchal blessing from Jacob to lead the way.
Genesis 49:8-11
8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will defeat your enemies. All your relatives will bow before you. 9 Judah is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who will dare to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,* the one whom all nations will obey. 11 He ties his foal to a grapevine, the colt of his donkey to a choice vine. He washes his clothes in wine because his harvest is so plentiful.
Judah must go first!
Praise must go first in our lives, in our Church, Ministries, cities and Nation!
He washes his clothes in wine because his harvest is so plentiful
Wine speaks of joy and the promise to Judah (PRAISE) is a promise of abundant harvest and joy.
Recently I was watching a DVD about the Facedown project by Matt Redman, in it they explained that there was a time when their Pastor had become disillusioned with the worship, and the questions people were asking after the worship service. Like “What did you get out of the worship today” This made him realise that people were coming to the place of praise and worship out of their own needs, not in order to give praise to whom praise is due. So they stopped the music one Sunday night and just waited until praise began to rise in the hearts of the people.
Guess what? God turned up! And one of my favourite songs of all time came out of this time. Matt Redmans “Heart of Worship” which starts; “When the music fades, and all is stripped away, and I simply come, longing just to bring, something that’s of worth, that will bless your heart. I bring you more than a song, for a song in itself is not what you have required, you search much deeper within, than the way things appear, you’re looking into my heart! I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and its all about you, its all about you, Jesus. I’m sorry Lord for the thing I made it, cause its all about you, all about you Jesus!
Its not our singing that brings a change in the Atmosphere!
Its our praise and worship
Last weekend I went to a cook Island Church, the worship and singing was entirely in the cook Island Language, but their heart for lifting God was in the universal language of praise. I was carried away by the presence of God because He came to dwell in the midst of the praise of His people the atmosphere changed.
There is a cost to coming to the point of praise that will change the Atmoshere
Will we choose to enjoy the efforts of others (the band)
Or will we enter into the sacrifice of praise or to even offer a sacrifice of praise. Its easy in the good times to offer praise, but when things are tough or the trials are strong, it becomes a sacrifice.
Will we “spit the dummie” when times are tough or will we offer praise
The greatest praise comes in the midst of great trial or difficulty, grief, sickness, demonic attack, temptation, relational difficulties or financial difficulties
These are the times when our praise changes the atmosphere, because God comes down to look into the sacrifice which is pleasing to Him!
You see when Leah bore Judah, she had already given birth to three sons hoping to win the affection of her husband Jacob, but to no avail. When she became pregnant with Judah she turned her heart to the Lord and as a result she was greatly blessed, she named her son Praise to YWAH or Judah.
From this response of sacrifice Leah became the mother of the Law “Levi” and also the Messiah through Judah. Now that’s a blessing.
Send Judah first! This is Gods way and His plan to bring us into victory
Judah wasn’t the wisest or the strongest, but Judah must go first!
God’s favour is always on the one who will lead off in praise
Psalm 30
4 Sing to the LORD, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.
5 His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 When I was prosperous I said, “Nothing can stop me now!”
7 Your favor, O LORD, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.
8 I cried out to you, O LORD. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
9 “What will you gain if I die, if I sink down into the grave?
Can my dust praise you from the grave? Can it tell the world of your faithfulness?
10 Hear me, LORD, and have mercy on me. Help me, O LORD.”
11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!
Judah goes first through the wilderness
Judah goes first in war
Judah goes first into new territory
Judah goes first when the cost is great
Genesis 49:10 Judah shall lead until Shiloh comes
Shay Loh means The one to whom tribute is brought! Or to who dominion belongs.
Ruth Heflin always said.
“Praise until worship comes ~ worship until Glory comes!”
Really she was just reiterating the prophecy of Jacob. Judah shall lead until Shiloh comes!
There is power in corporate praise & worship, because when we come together in unity God commands a blessing. Psalm 133.
One can put a thousand to flight but two can put ten thousand to flight (Duet 32:30)
I often look back to a significant evening in 2003, when Judy Garden was leading a meeting in Pukekohe NZ and asked the 14 Pastors in the room to stand in unity for revival. To some this may have been a sacrifice, but all 14 stood. The room filled with the Glory of God, flashes of lightning from the throne, Angelic appearances, and finally Oil flowed down the four walls of the hall, the stains of which are there to this day as a reminder, that God commands a blessing where there is unity.
Praise & worship will only become a significant part of your life when you realise that Judah must lead! Offer a sacrifice of praise.
Every part of our lives is set before us, just as the land of promise was set before the Children of Israel on many occasions! Judah must go first to gain the victory.
Today I encourage you to make a sacrifice of praise! The atmosphere will change and the earth will rejoice!
Ian Johnson
Ian & Joye Johnson are leaders of Papatoetoe Elm Church in Auckland New Zealand www.papelim.org.nz and travel encouraging the body of Christ to seek the Glory of God and release an end time harvest.
