Every week millions of earnest sales personnel do their best to coax consumers into buying. From the eager, young clerk selling shoes at a mall to the whiz kids of Madison Avenue, they constantly look for new ways to sell a product. Some spend their time designing new ways of presenting their wares, enthused not so much with their product, but rather with the stunning packaging they hope will attract new customers. Others put their energy into dazzling ad campaigns, hoping to arouse interest by creating new spins on the product. Still others spend a great deal of time studying the consumer himself - what kind of atmosphere will put him in the mood to buy; what kind of approaches a sales person should take to secure a purchase; what perks should be offered to increase the chances of a bite.

As a church, we have sometimes approached evangelism and worship in the same way. We've tried 101 ways to repackage the Gospel; we've sponsored snazzy campaigns to arouse interest in our message; we've tried to attract seekers by enhancing our programs and services, from specialized care ministries to the very best in facilities. Surely, these pursuits are right and appropriate. But at the end of the day, what will infuse us with passion to share the Good News is to rediscover the thrill of God himself.

Worship and praise sensitizes us to the presence of the Kingdom of God. Remember, the Kingdom really means Christ's rule. Wherever Jesus is in charge, the Kingdom of God is manifest. In Psalm 22:3 we read, The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. That passage
is better understood, The Lord's rulership is experienced wherever God's people praise Him. Several years ago, as I was conducting evangelism campaigns around the country, I spear-headed an outreach in Washington, DC. With over two hundred kids, we targeted a park riddled with violence. We had been ministering at this park for just a little while when we realized we were confronting very real demonic powers. As many of us attempted to share our faith, we were rebuffed with threats and obscenities. At that point, we felt the Lord directing us to gather the musicians in the center of the park to simply worship Him. As we worshiped, the whole atmosphere of that park dramatically changed. Within a half hour, what had been a bastion of violence became an oasis of peace, as students began to share the love of Christ. Twelve people gave their hearts to Him that afternoon. And we learned a powerful lesson: as we praise the Lord, demonic spirits do indeed flee and the presence of Jesus does come to bear on that locale in that situation for that period of time.

Worship and praise is often the way God garners the "first fruits" of the harvest. For example, 3,000 people were added to the Church on that celebrated Pentecost day recorded in Acts 2. But was it due to the effective preaching of Peter alone? No, for Peter's inspired sermon came on the heels of an explosion of praise and worship. The Holy Spirit had filled the disciples, and they began to speak in other languages declaring the wonders of God! They were worshiping God! The curiosity of many was aroused and Peter's sermon simply threw out the net to catch the fish. Likewise, when Joshua took Jericho, he did it not by his military prowess, but by simply marching around her walls in obedience to God's word. And when, on the seventh day, their march was complete, the Bible says they lifted up a shout. No doubt that shout was an exclamation of praise to God's greatness. The walls collapsed and the victory was won. In both these instances a praising people were central to God's strategy of evangelism. Yes, there were going to be campaigns and crusades calling for detailed planning and conventional tactics, but at the outset in both Acts and Joshua, it was as if God was saying that effective evangelism is not a matter of the panache of our programs or the strength of our skills, but the release of God's power. A lifestyle of worship tethers us to this truth.

Steven Fry is a conference speaker, author, worship leader and songwriter who songs include "Oh, the Glory of Your Presence," "Jesus, You Are My Life," and "Oh, I Want to Know Your More,"  This article is adapted from the Lighthouse Movement Handbook, compiled by Dr. Cornell Hahn, ©1999.  Reprinted by permission of Multnomah Publisher, Inc.