BLOG #4 – CHOIR OF PRAISE

Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.  (Revelation 14:1-3)

The first year we did Worthy in Bailey Hall we ended up with exactly 144 singers in our choir & leads.

I think God was organizing His choir!

We want to show Him how much we love His Word by raising a powerful 144-member choir of praise on earth as it is in heaven!

And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:13)

BLOG #3 – The Worthy Concerts: Our Calling & Purpose

MULTI-MEDIA DIMENSION

Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. (1Pet 4:10)
Saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” (Rev 5:12)

OBJECTIVE:
• To give blessing, honor, glory and dominion (submission) to the One who is worthy
• To worship our Savior King with all that we possess
• To proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the full range of creative worship expressions

MULTI-DISCIPLINE DIMENSION (Worship, Prayer & Repentance)

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2Chr 7:14)

OBJECTIVE:
• To seek God and His active presence in our churches, communities, campuses and nations
• To humbly confess our own inability to meet the problems of the world without God

MULTI-DENOMINATIONAL DIMENSION

“That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:21)

OBJECTIVE:
• Unity: To fulfill the Lord’s agenda and desire for unity in the Body of Christ
• To worship together as one body in Spirit and Truth

GOD’S PROMISE:
• The world will know and believe Jesus is alive and real (our primary evidence)
• God’s glory will rise upon His church

MULTI-CULTURAL DIMENSION

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” (Rev 5:9-10)

OBJECTIVE:
• In a world flooded with division, hatred & fear, to demonstrate a ‘more excellent way’
• In Christ, the dividing walls and enmity is taken away for He is our peace and reconciliation with God and one another

Call to Worship!

“Blessed are the people who recognize the festal call!
They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.
In Thy name they rejoice all day long,
And through Thy righteousness they are exalted.”
(Psalm 89:15-16)

The Festal Call is the trumpet blast calling God’s people to worship.

The ancient Jewish festivals—Passover, Pentecost, Trumpets, Booths—were a time of celebration, consecration, and remembrance. All the tribes and people of God would come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. These holy feasts offered a place and time for the people of God to come together as one body in renewal of covenant with God and one another.

As Christians, we “have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And like the Gentiles at the Passover the week before Christ’s crucifixion, we come with a expectant desire that cries, “We would see Jesus!”

The WORTHY worship concert is a unique event—the largest annual gathering of our regional Church unified in worship satisfying something deep in God’s heart. We are given the distinctive opportunity to come together as family and with one voice proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to assemble as worshipers across all denominational lines, generations, musical expressions, and ethnicities in unabashed confession of the Gospel of God’s Kingdom. This unity will be the chief attribute of the mature bride.

“That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”  (John 17:21)

This is our greatest witness that Jesus is real.

We seek His presence. To be a dwelling place for His Spirit. And as we worship Him, we become like Him.

Worthy has one agenda. Jesus.

Joe Salzano
Thursday January 2, 2020

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”  (John 12:32)

Why Worthy?

Personal— On 1-11-00, Jesus set me free from the deepest of darkness, addiction, bondage and sin. As I surrendered my life to Him, I was born again in His power, mercy and grace. His love has consumed me and compels me to no longer live for myself but for the One who died and rose again on my behalf. I love Him. And even in my imperfection and failures, I know He is with me and in me. His Holy Spirit draws me to continually seek Him, worship Him, and serve Him. Because I know who I am without Christ I cannot help but give God all the glory and due recognition for anything I have accomplished.

The Calling— Despite not having a degree, I was invited in 2010 to join the teaching faculty of the Cornell Dept. of Music. It was obvious to me that, like King David, God had established me for the sake of His people. On a stone bench in front of Day Hall, I surrendered fully to God’s call and agenda. This led to the start of our Thursday night Worship Workshop and eventually the annual Worthy concerts. God has continued to confirm His call by opening every door and providing all provision. It’s been exciting to see God move here in such wonderful and powerful ways!

God’s Heart— I saw something in God’s heart. Just as He desires that I love Him with a single heart, mind, soul and spirit, His ultimate pursuit is a Church—a glorious Bride—coming together in unity with one accord, one voice and one heart in love. This happens when we place our focus solely on Him, when we worship Him, and when we stand shoulder-to-shoulder beholding our bleeding Savior. Seeing this desire in my Father’s heart has stirred me to pursue the ‘heavenly vision’ of an extravagance in worship for the One who is Worthy.

Worship— Worship is the one thing we do that is for God alone. As I seek first His kingdom and His righteousness with a worshipful heart all other things become an act of love rather than duty—bible study, prayer, walking in obedience, leading people to Christ. All flows out of worship and relationship. Our Father seeks worshipers who worship in spirit and truth because He knows we become what we worship. He has clearly revealed in His Word that God pours out His blessing when we place the 1st Commandment first—“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”—whether individually or corporately.

Come! Let us bow down and worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!

Joe Salzano

Thursday December 26, 2019

“And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”  (Revelation 5:9)