Reviving Intimacy: The Power of Exuberant Worship

The sermon begins with a reflection on the importance of exuberant worship and the intimacy it represents between the believer and God, likening it to the closeness shared between a bride and groom. The speaker shares a personal encounter with someone who questioned the necessity of such expressive worship, which led the speaker to explore God's perspective on the matter. The speaker emphasizes the need for a revival of intimacy with God, urging the congregation to return to their first love and seek a restoration of that closeness. They suggest that a lack of praise could indicate a deeper issue of lost intimacy with God.

The speaker then delves into the limitations of human strength and the humbling lessons of the pandemic, which showed that our efforts are not what God desires. Instead, the importance of praise is highlighted as the means to experience God's presence, as exemplified by David, who praised God with all his might to ensure His presence followed him. The speaker concludes that when our strength fails, it is through praise that we can prevail.

Addressing the different perspectives within the church, the speaker shares a prophetic insight that God intends to baptize His church with joy, confidence, and passion in the end times. This baptism will make God's people stand out to the world, and the speaker encourages the congregation to embrace being "weird" for the sake of true biblical joy and being a light to others.

The origins and purpose of the Book of Psalms are discussed, highlighting their compilation during the Israelites' captivity in Babylon. The Psalms allowed the Israelites to mentally connect with God's presence despite their physical circumstances. The speaker encourages the congregation to compile their own Psalms to find solace and worship God, expressing belief in an upcoming revival that will bring joy and unity.

The speaker shares a personal story of a friend who, during the pandemic, had a profound experience while worshiping alone in a church. An angel appeared to him, questioning the whereabouts of the praisers, indicating that true praise is recognized in Heaven. This story underscores the significance of the church and the impact of intimate worship.

Key Takeaways:

- Worship is a profound expression of love and intimacy with God, akin to the closeness between a bride and groom. It is not merely an emotional display but a deep, spiritual connection that reflects our first love for God. When we engage in heartfelt worship, we rekindle that first love and draw closer to the divine presence. [01:16:17]

- Human strength and ingenuity are insufficient in the pursuit of God's presence. The pandemic served as a reminder that our reliance should not be on our own capabilities but on the power of praise. Like David, who understood that God's presence follows praise, we too must learn to praise with all our might, especially when our own strength fails us. [01:14:28]

- God is preparing His church for an end-time outpouring of joy, confidence, and passion. This divine empowerment will distinguish God's people from the world, and we should not fear appearing "weird" to others if it means being filled with true biblical joy and shining as lights in the darkness. [47:55]

- The Book of Psalms serves as a template for connecting with God's presence, even in the midst of hardship. By creating our own "Psalms," we can maintain a worshipful heart and prepare for the revival that will bring joy and unity to the nation. The Psalms remind us that worship is not confined to a physical location but is a state of the heart. [45:43]

- The impact of genuine worship extends beyond the physical realm and into the heavenly. The story of the speaker's friend encountering an angel while worshiping alone in a church illustrates that Heaven takes notice when we show intimacy with God through our praise. This intimacy is crucial for the church to move Heaven and fulfill its divine purpose. [01:26:55]

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **2 Samuel 6:13-15 (ESV)**
> "And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn."

2. **Psalm 22:3 (ESV)**
> "Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel."

3. **Revelation 5:9 (ESV)**
> "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.'"

#### Observation Questions
1. What actions did David take as he brought the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem? ([50:10])
2. How does Psalm 22:3 describe God's relationship with the praises of His people?
3. What is the significance of the new song sung in Revelation 5:9?

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why did David dance with all his might before the Lord, and what does this reveal about his relationship with God? ([50:47])
2. How does the concept of God being "enthroned on the praises of Israel" in Psalm 22:3 relate to the sermon’s emphasis on the power of praise?
3. What does the new song in Revelation 5:9 signify about the role of worship in the heavenly realm, and how does this connect to the sermon’s message about the importance of worship on earth? ([24:44])

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt distant from God. How might engaging in exuberant worship help restore that intimacy? ([16:17])
2. The sermon suggests that human strength and ingenuity are insufficient in pursuing God's presence. How can you shift your reliance from your own efforts to the power of praise in your daily life? ([12:39])
3. The speaker mentioned a prophetic insight about God baptizing His church with joy, confidence, and passion. How can you embrace this joy and confidence in your interactions with others, even if it means appearing "weird"? ([46:46])
4. The Book of Psalms was compiled to help the Israelites connect with God during captivity. How can you create your own "Psalms" or expressions of worship to maintain a worshipful heart in challenging times? ([45:07])
5. The story of the angel asking "where are the praisers" during the pandemic highlights the importance of genuine worship. How can you ensure that your worship is recognized in Heaven and not just a routine? ([26:55])
6. David's dance before the Lord was a profound expression of his love and reverence for God. What are some practical ways you can express your love for God in your daily life, even if it feels uncomfortable or unconventional? ([50:47])
7. The sermon emphasized the need for a revival of intimacy with God. What steps can you take this week to rekindle your first love for God and seek a deeper connection with Him? ([16:53])

Day 1: Intimacy Through Worship
Intimacy with God is mirrored in the act of worship, much like the deep connection between a bride and groom. Worship is not just an outward display of emotion but a genuine spiritual encounter that renews our first love for God. By engaging in heartfelt worship, believers can reignite their passion for God and experience His presence in a profound way. [01:16:17]

Song of Solomon 2:4 - "He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love."
Reflection: How does your current worship reflect the depth of your relationship with God? Can you identify ways to deepen this expression of love?

Day 2: Praise as Strength
In moments of weakness, praise becomes a believer's strength. The pandemic has taught us that human efforts are limited, but God's desire is for us to seek His presence through praise. Like David, who praised God fervently, believers are called to worship with all their might, especially when facing their own limitations. [01:14:28]

2 Chronicles 20:21-22 - "After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: 'Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.' As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated."
Reflection: When have you felt your strength fail, and how can you incorporate more praise into your life to experience God's power in those times?

Day 3: Embrace Divine Eccentricity
God is preparing His church for a baptism of joy, confidence, and passion in the end times. This divine empowerment will set believers apart, and they should not fear being perceived as "weird" by the world. Embracing this unique identity is essential for displaying true biblical joy and being a beacon of light in the darkness. [47:55]

1 Peter 2:9 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
Reflection: In what ways might you be holding back from fully embracing the joy and confidence God offers because of fear of what others may think?

Day 4: Crafting Personal Psalms
The Book of Psalms provided the Israelites with a way to connect with God during their captivity, and today, believers can create their own "Psalms" to worship and find solace. This personal act of worship prepares hearts for the coming revival, uniting and bringing joy to the community of faith. [45:43]

Psalm 102:1-2 - "Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly."
Reflection: Can you commit to writing your own Psalm this week, expressing your current joys, struggles, and prayers to God?

Day 5: Heaven Notices Our Worship
True worship transcends the physical and is recognized in Heaven. The story of an angel appearing to a lone worshiper in a church illustrates the significance of our praise and the impact it has in the spiritual realm. Such intimate worship is vital for the church to influence Heaven and fulfill its divine purpose. [01:26:55]

Hebrews 12:28-29 - "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"
Reflection: How can you cultivate a lifestyle of worship that is authentic and pleasing to God, knowing that it has the power to move Heaven?

**Strong Hallelujah**

The Book of Psalms that we now have has been written for a long time, but it was compiled into the structure that it is now whenever the Israelites were held captive in Babylon. They would sing these Psalms prior to captivity. They would be the Psalms that they would rise up three times a year: Passover, Pentecost, and Atonement or Tabernacles.

These would be the three times of the year where they would begin to ascend to the Mountain of God. They would go to Mount Zion and they would sing these Psalms as they were traveling to Mount Zion to worship God. But when they were held captive, they no longer had a temple; they no longer had freedom.

So a psalmist sat down and he began to compile all of these Psalms into what we now have in our Bible. They were compiled in such a way that we cannot go physically to the temple, but we have a series of Psalms that have been put together in such a way that we can get there mentally. And if we sing these Psalms even in Babylon, then we can get there somehow in our spirits.

There are two dimensions to God's presence: it's the deep and the high. Yes, I feel that you know how to get to the deep. Yes, my question is, do you have a book of Psalms in the midst of captivity? The Earth is not getting better; the world is not in our favor anymore. And the people of God have got to learn how to compile the Psalms to where you stop and say, "Nothing's been going my way. Nothing is working out the way I expected it to. This is not plan A."

But I have a series of Psalms that I've compiled, and I'm going to get there mentally. And guess what? You can do that in a living room. You can do that on a Monday. You can do that on a Thursday. By goodness, we should be able to do it together with our brothers and sisters on a Sunday, where we lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting. And something comes over us where we begin to worship God Almighty together.

I feel so strongly that there is a revival that is getting ready to sweep across our nation—a strong revival. And it's going to be a baptism of joy again. You hear me very closely. There are multiple things you have to understand. The prophets are there; there are many prophets in the movement. It's like the body of Christ—there are many members in particular. There are many prophets, but they're all one.

The prophet makes the eye within the body, and there are many of them. They have different fields of view. Yes, some prophets can see directly into your life and they can tell you, "You know what color socks you're wearing right now," those kind of guys. But then there are the guys who have a macro view. They can't see what's right in front of them, but they can see what's happening in the nation.

Let me tell you what God has told me is coming to the church in this end-time hour. He told me, "I'm going to baptize my church with such joy, such confidence, such passion." I said, "God, it's biblical, but tell me why you're going to do that." He said, "Because that is going to stand out in front of the world when people see what my people are like."

When you go through Starbucks and you can't help but smile, and then all of a sudden, you know what? You need to be okay with being weird, but not weird for weird's sake. Not the weird that just walks around and sees demons in every little corner. You need to be the guy or the gal that walks in the Starbucks and just all of a sudden starts dancing, and people look at you, and you just get all insecure about that stuff.

Has it dawned on anybody lately that a few years ago, Lady Gaga wore a slab of meat? She wore a slab of meat as a dress to some award show, and everybody was like, "Such bravery!" And you are concerned about dancing for the Lord? The world loves weird, from what I can tell. They're waiting on the virtuous kind now. They're waiting on the ones filled with life. They're waiting on the ones filled with true biblical joy that comes in and looks at somebody and says, "I'm dancing."

"Well, did you get a pay raise?" "Nope." "Is everything going your way?" "Nope." "I'm having as much trouble as you are." "Then what in the world are you dancing for?" "I've got a blessed assurance. I know who I am. I know who God is, and I know any day now, He's coming back for me."

We're going to get weird in a minute.

2 Samuel 6:13: "Thank you, Pastor Justin, Apostle of God. Thank you for allowing me to be here. I'm very humbled, very thankful. Evangelizing works really well when you're invited, and I'm very thankful to be invited. Thankful for your kind remarks. Thank you."

I think the highest calling—I've asked God, I said, "God, this is what I want more than anything. I said, 'God, the gifts just operate as they're needed. I'm not seeking you for the gifts of the Spirit. Those are going to happen because people are in the room. The gifts flow because you're here, because God wants to impart to you some spiritual gift.'"

But here's what my prayer is: I said, "God, I want to be just like you. When I speak, I want it to sound like you. When I walk into the room, I hope people see you. I hope I can represent you."

So thank you to my brother. Thank you so much for showing love and saying that. That is my highest ambition: "God, I want to be so full of the fruit of the Spirit that people look at me and they no longer see AJ Holloway; all they see is Christ." That's what I want more than anything, and that's what I intend to do this evening.

I don't embarrass people; I don't blast people; I won't air out your dirty laundry. I'm not going to do any of that. I want to come alongside you. I am actually terrified of you. You know why? Because you are God's wife. Amen. That is the scariest thing in the world for this preacher that I am talking to—the bride of Christ.

And so I intend to keep that out in front of me because I don't want anybody talking to my wife just any old way. Amen.

2 Samuel 6:13: "And when those who bore the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the Lord with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn."

I want you to look again at what David did. Do you understand the reason why David is doing this? David's not a Levite. That may mean nothing to us Westerners. Levites were the only ones allowed into the presence of God. And David has got a Psalm that he has already written prior to this moment. He has already prayed, "One thing have I desired, and that will I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord and to inquire in His temple."

I've never got to go into the Holy of Holies. I want to see what it's like in there. I want to know what it's like out there, but I'm not a Levite. I'm not eligible. I'm not allowed to go in. And all of a sudden, right here, for some unknown reason, David puts on the linen ephod that only the Levites were allowed to wear.

And he's wearing the priestly garments even though he's not a priest. His daddy's not a priest; his lineage is not priesthood. But he says, "I don't care. This one thing have I desired, and I've been seeking this." And all of a sudden, when that linen ephod came on him and he looked behind him and he saw the Ark of the Covenant, which was the only thing that was in the Holy of Holies, he's like, "I'm getting to do it! Finally, today's my day!"

And something came over him. I think we're losing this. We're not Levites, y'all. In fact, you want to know the truth? We're dirt bags. Yeah, we're Gentiles. We're not even Jewish. We were never allowed to see the presence of God—the Mercy Seat, the Ark of the Covenant.

And David, when he laid eyes on that Ark, he says, "My eyes have not seen such beauty." And the only thing appropriate in that moment for him was to dance with everything he had. He said, "I've never got to do this before! The presence of God is in my midst!"

I am asking the apostolic church tonight: you have got to get a revelation that you were not worthy for our high priest to go to a cross and die on our behalf and then take that veil and tear it down the middle and said, "All of you have access now." Every one of you can see my holiness. Every one of you have the eligibility to come on in.

And we look at that, and this is what we have the tendency to do: "Sweet, yeah, come on." That's not appropriate. The only thing appropriate when God says you're allowed in is to dance with all our might before God.

So I want to talk to you today about the revival that is coming to America. God has showed me wide angle. There is a revival coming, and I believe that it can start right here in Dallas with this apostolic church. I believe a dance revolution is getting ready to sweep North American churches.

Would you lift up your hands and would you lift up your voices unto God? Would you make the sound of praise right now? Would you lift up that voice unto the heavens? Would you ascend to Mount Zion right now with your minds? By Psalms, sing unto the Lord a new song. Your life is a unique song testifying to Him.

"God, I was broken, and you saved me." Sing to Him that song. "God, I was lost, and you found me." Sing to Him that song. Would you lift up your voices all across this room?

Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask that you would come into this place and you would move in such a special way. God, that you would take us to the high places this evening. God, that you would take us to Mount Zion, which is where revelation is going to be at.

Lord, let us get to the place we're going to go in revelation. Let us get there tonight in our minds by having a Psalm unto you. In the name of Jesus, we rejoice to the one who is victorious, and that is you and you alone. Would you lift up your voices now with a shout of praise and tell Him He is the victor? Tell Him He is the one who overcame! Glory to God! Hallelujah!

You may be seated.

In 1998, there was a video game company named Konami that came out with a revolutionary new arcade game. This game was revolutionary because instead of a traditional video game controller to play the game, you would use your legs. You would use your feet. Your body was part of the game.

You would be on this little device, and there would be four directional pads that were set in front of you. And as the screen prompted you, there would be an arrow that pointed this way, and you had to do one of these. And then as the arrow pointed that way, you had to do one of these. And you had to follow the prompt back and forth.

And before you knew it, the person who had two left feet all of a sudden is doing something they've never done before. This was a revolutionary new game. This game put us into a posture of dancing, and due to the portrayal of dancing and its revolutionary controller, this arcade game was given this name: Dance Dance Revolution.

Anybody ever played DDR? All right, okay, we got some people in here that have played it before. The Konami company, however, feared that DDR would fail in North America. They did not want to send it to the States, even though it was a smashing success in Japan. They didn't want to send it here because those who were the CEOs of Konami said, "I don't know if Americans will invest into this because it's going to ask too much of them. We know that Westerners are a little stoic, and we know that Westerners are a little prideful."

So they were afraid to invest. So they began to pitch it to just a few arcade owners in the States, and even the arcade owners were like, "Man, I don't know. I'm not sure if this is going to work over here in the States. I don't know if I want to invest in this." They were frustrated, but they wanted to invest anyway.

But it was a large price tag because each video game console in the arcade came to the grand total of $117,000 per unit. And so the arcade owner said, "Well, we'll just take one. We'll try it. We'll put it in our arcade and we'll see if it works." To their surprise, they found a 260% increase in net income because of this quirky game.

However, in spite of the success proven in control groups overseas, the American arcade owners were still a little leery. But finally, one crazy arcade invested, and when they brought it over, they found that teenagers were willing to invest. Yeah, they were willing to partner with and to play this game.

So even though it was expensive, they found that there was a group of people that still wanted to do it. And this was a risky investment for the arcade owners, but as they looked out, they would watch that these young men and these young ladies would come in and start dancing on this strange game.

The fear of the American arcade owner seems to parallel, from what I can see, perfectly something I've noticed over the past few years as I travel from church to church. I have noticed something about us. We can cry with the best of them. Yeah, true.

And my wife looked at me recently and she said, "I don't know what the church is so afraid of." I said, "Babe, why do you say that?" She says, "I've lived half my life. My wife is from New England, so she's a Patriots fan. And don't throw anything at me; throw them at her. But she is a Patriots fan, and she says, 'I've gone to the football games, and I've watched 350 men spray paint their bodies. I have watched them.' And she said, 'We're afraid that if we dance in the presence of God, that guests won't show up.' And she said, 'They didn't stop me from going to the football games.'"

Right? Yeah, because that—yes. She said, "I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to spray paint myself." She said, "But something comes over you when you see their zeal for their team, and when they start getting extravagant, something comes over you and you say, 'Man, that's not just a bandwagon fan; that's an absolute fan right there! What are we so afraid of?'"

Right? Come on. Yes, sir. It's the price tag; it's the investment. Yes, sir. Let's not invest in this game because if it's really expensive, I'm afraid if I do, what am I going to look like? You see, the cost of this particular thing is your pride. You have to take your pride out of your life, sir, and put it into it in order to reap from it the benefits that it can give.

Yes, I believe that there is a dance revolution getting ready to sweep America. I am so burdened with the church that we've kind of come into the presence of God and we treat Him like the galactic God machine, like He's this big vending machine. And if we come in with our prayer and our fasting, we get our two quarters and we drop it in the God machine, we can push B3 and get our miracle.

But you probably noticed in the past few years that that's not how it works, right? That's not how this thing works. There's something about, though, when you take your pride and you begin to consecrate yourself and you just say, "Here, I don't want any of this anymore." And when you give it away, something comes over you.

You can look at me all you want to, but I have invested in this thing, and I have no reason to. I have lost everything in my life, and yet for some reason, something came over me, and I just began to dance before the Lord. And something happens in those moments when you do. God begins to pull you into His presence.

I believe it's more than a coincidence that Judah means praise, and Judah has a son named Perez, and Perez means breakthrough. Yeah, there's only one who is eligible; there's only one who can birth breakthrough. There's only one who from his loins can bring a breakthrough, and that's a man named Praise. He is the only one that can birth someone named Perez.

Why does that matter, Brother Hall? Why does that matter? You know who is in the genealogy of Perez? Read Matthew 1. Jesus comes out of the line of Perez. You watch this. Why was it so important that God go and reach a man named Joseph, a 17-year-old kid? And God told him everything he needed to know. He said, "Look, this isn't the whole point of everything, but I'm going to give you a prideful teenager what you need to know in order to endure the problems that are getting ready to come. Your brothers are going to bow down to you."

And he's thinking to himself, "That's awesome! Them suckers who threw me in a pit, them rascals who got me all the way into this prison, they're going to bow someday!" And little did he know that that wasn't even the point. The whole reason that he went through hell on Earth was because there was a baby out there, his little nephew named Perez, that if he died in a famine, then Jesus cannot be born in the future.

And so Perez has to eat a meal, and so Joseph has to go through hell on Earth in order to feed a young man named Perez. And when Judah walks into that room with his brothers, Reuben and Gad and Dan and Naphtali, and they all walk into this room, Joseph looks and he says, "I see why I've been sent here. This is not for you to bow down to me. I was sent here to save people's lives."

Because of Joseph enduring heartache, praise had breakthrough, and breakthrough lived by having a meal. Because God said, "If breakthrough dies and if Judah dies, Emmanuel cannot be with us. Emmanuel cannot show up unless Judah and Perez have a meal."

So Joseph, I'm going to need you to let go of that pride and realize this isn't about people bowing down to you. This has nothing to do with your notoriety; this has everything to do with you storing back food for your brother and your nephew.

Matthew, because if praise can live and breakthrough can have a meal, then Emmanuel can show up in Matthew. God is coming, but He comes through Judah. Jesus is in the genealogy of Judah, and He says He cannot die because if that line dies, I can't show up.

So I need somebody to kill their pride and realize this has nothing to do with people bowing down. This has everything to do with a dancer later in the future. You don't know this yet, Joseph, but David's on his way too. And David, David's not allowed. This was for the Levites, but I'm going to move on from the Levites to the Judah, and Judah's going to get the promise.

And here's why Judah's going to get the promise: because Judah has breakthrough. God, praise and breakthrough always make way for royalty. It always gives way to Emmanuel with us.

You want to know what prophecy really is? It's to the person who has yet to see, but is convinced even though they haven't, and they show it demonstratively. "This one thing have I desired, and that will I seek."

"I've never seen the presence of God, but I am dancing because I know I'm going to get to." That's crazy, David! You're not a Levite; you're never going to see the presence of God! "I believe that I'm going to! I believe that I'm going to see the presence of God, so I'm going to dance before Him because I believe the most prophetic thing you can do."

It's cute that you have prophecies in your life, but I want to know, do you believe it? "I believe my family's going to be saved in Jesus' name!" Show it! "I believe God's going to reach Dallas!" Yes! "Come on, here on Earth as it is in heaven!"

You go, "Do you believe that?" Come on! Then why are you crying? Why are you crying? Weepers are worriers because it's never going to happen. But when something comes over you that you say, "I am absolutely convinced," you change in the presence of God and you say, "God, it's praise!"

Praise isn't forcing God's hand; praise is the one who's convinced that He has it in His hand. And you say, "God, I know you're able, and I know what you said to me. I know what you have spoken."

In spite of the fear of failure in Dance Revolution's high price tag, only 12 American arcade owners purchased a Dance Revolution system to display in their places of business. One arcade owner in California was astonished to find that in one year's time, the $177,000 machine was able to bring in over $40,000 in just one year.

And so what he did was he noticed something different about this game that Mortal Kombat can't do. There's something unique about this game. No other arcade game in that room was able to do what this one did. The unique thing about Dance Dance Revolution is when one person got on it, it drew a crowd.

And he noticed that it was capable of garnering a community. He said, "Nothing else does this other than this." Because people would come around to see the dancers, and they would watch with intrigue. And rather than embarrassing people, there were those bold ones that would start dancing, and the shy, timid ones would come in, and they would get the boldness on them because they would say, "Well, look, it's not that bad. Somebody else is doing it."

Somebody else has invested. "I don't know if I want to do it, but I sure want to watch." And before long, the arcade owners documented this. They said, "We watched as the more timid ones would come by, and something would come over them, and they would look at the ones dancing on the movement pad, and they would say, 'It's not so bad, is it? Why don't we give it a hand? Why don't we try it out? Why don't we see what happens?'"

And there are images where you can see hundreds of young people that would gather around. So the arcade owners got smart. They took the Dance Revolution games and they took it from out of the back of the arcade, and they put it out front. And they put it on a dolly, and they'd wheel it out in the front of their arcade.

Because the arcade owners are good businessmen, they said, "If we put this out front and it's the only thing in the arcade capable of bringing a community, then we can get more business if we put the dancers out front."

Yeah, I don't think you've got the revelation of how powerful praise really is. I've read history books. Brother Azusa Street drew the crowds because they said, "Who are these fools?" "Oh, I don't want to be labeled as a fool." You already are!

Yeah, yeah! Don't call yourself Apostolic, right? We've already got a name for ourselves. You may as well live up to it. Brother Hall, we want to revolutionize Apostolic, and we want to be the trendy ones. Well, let me tell you what's trendy in heaven: victory!

And He's looking at us and He says, "Who's willing to invest in this? Who's willing to sacrifice themselves and offer themselves as a fool before me and to dance before the Lord?"

It's no wonder the Bible says, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise." It doesn't say, "Come on in here crying." It says, "Come on in with joy!" Why? Because I know where I'm going. I'm going into the presence of God.

And when I get past those gates, I know there's going to be a Lamb waiting on me. And when that Lamb dies on my behalf, I'm going into a place I have no business going into. But because the Lamb was slain, I'm going to get to go into the presence of God.

Watch this. Check this out. Get ready.

2 Samuel 6: David is trying to move the Ark of the Covenant. And if you're not really big into the Bible, let me just lay the scene for you: they've lost the Ark. Okay? That's the whole thing with two scumbags named Hophni and Phinehas. They lost the Ark of God. They were the ones who—they were fat; they were overweight.

And the word fat is the Hebrew word "kaved," and that's funny because the Hebrew word for glory is "kavod." It shares a root. And they were more worried about their bellies than the glory. Yeah! And guess who was born while Judah's got a baby boy named Perez? He has a baby boy named Iod. The glory left!

Yeah! Fat preachers who don't know how to dance—the only thing they're capable of producing is the glory leaves to find somewhere who will come on in. And so the Ark of the Covenant left Israel.

And if you think I'm just making fun, that's literally what it says in Hebrew. Go read it. It says they fell over backwards and died because he was a very fat man. He was very kaved when his whole job was to maintain the kavod. Their job was to maintain the Mercy Seat, and because of their weight, they lost the Mercy Seat.

And so it's out there, and David says, "I want it back." So he sends a guy named Uzzah. Everyone say Uzzah. He sends this dude out there. He's like, "Go fetch the Ark of the Covenant for me." And so Uzzah gets this grand idea. He's like, "I know what we do. Come with me. Help me."

"I know what I'll do. Yeah, I need you. I need you two guys. Y'all look like some strapping young men. I want y'all to just kind of like—you two guys stand like right here. You stand right here, and you stand—mimic them here. And you right here."

Okay? So Uzzah does this. He's like, "You know what? I think I know how to get the Ark. I know how to get the presence of God home. Let's build this little wagon that'll do it. Let's make, with our own efforts, some little—we'll put it all together. We'll organize it. We'll build it. We'll use our administration. We'll use our skill, and we'll get the presence of God with our efforts."

"I think it's going to work, don't you? Yeah, let's do this. Let's do this." So they built this wagon, and they put the Ark of the Covenant on it, and it's going good. Boy, they're just rocking along. And then all of a sudden, this thing hits a bump on the road.

Hit a bump on the road. Just be like, "Bump!" There we go. All right? So they hit a bump on the road, right? And Uzzah was like, "Whoa! We can't! Man, let me help! Let me help the presence!" And he reaches out. He's like, "Whoa! Don't drop the presence!"

He puts his hands out, and when he does, he drops dead. Hits the ground. I think it's interesting that the Hebrew word Uzzah means strength. David comes, and can you be Brother Uzzah? Can you just lay on the ground? That would be awesome.

And so there's like the white line of the crime scene there, and Uzzah is just laying there. And David walks up, and he's like, "Oh my goodness! If strength can't do it and our little man-made vehicle can't do it, oh no! What are we going to do? How do we get this thing home? Strength is not able! Our vehicles can't do it! How do we get the presence of God in our churches? How do we show the world that we've got the presence of God?"

I thought that we could show them our strength, but that's not true. Strength was so arrogant that he thought he could help God when it hit a bump in the road. And strength's not capable. And God leveled all of Uzzah during the pandemic and showed us, "Yeah, your little wagons that you made? No, that's not what I'm about. Your strength and all the stuff you've been trying to do, I'm going to kill Uzzah during the pandemic, and I'm going to show you what your strength is really all about."

And what God has been trying to teach us is He says, "Here's what I want you to do. I want you to flatten the tires on your little vehicles, and I want you to stop with all this strength mess. It's my strength!"

Yeah! What do I do? And so David comes along and he says, "Okay, what do we do? What do we do? What would a Levite do? What would this thing have I desired, and that will I seek?"

I don't see any Levites. I'm the only one here. Someone go get a sacrifice! Let's kill an animal because that's what a Levite would do. And they sacrifice an animal, and he walks six steps, and he stops. He's like, "Let's do it again!" They sacrifice another animal, and then he goes a little bit further, and he says, "I'm getting a revelation! I'm not dead! The presence of God is following me!"

How is He following me? And then it dawns on him: it only follows praise! It will not follow my strength; it's not going to follow my man-made vehicles; it's not going to follow anything but the sacrifice of praise.

And we began to—he began to dance with all of his might in the presence of God. As he got closer and closer to Israel, he began to realize it's working! The only thing that can prevail when strength fails is somebody's praise.

When you begin to praise in the presence of God, God looks down and He says, "There's the ones who are consumed with their man-made vehicles. They are the ones that are eat up with their own strength." We begin to get into His presence, and we say, "God, I'm nothing! My strength means nothing!"

Here's what I want to show you: you are the one. Thank you.

Listen to the rest of David's song after he says, "This one thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek." Well, you got it, David. You got the thing you desired. Listen to what he says, though: "He shall set me high upon a rock, and now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me. Therefore, I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle. I will sing—oh yes, I will sing praises to the Lord."

The word "sing" there is to shout.

Forgive me for this one, and it's getting ready to come, okay? Because I can feel some of the spirit in this room. I had somebody look at me recently. I was preaching a revival, and somebody came to me in private, and they looked at me and they said, "I don't believe that's necessary."

And I looked at them and I said, "I'm so thankful you came and just talked it out with me, not blasting me on YouTube. But why don't you think it's necessary?" He said, "I think it's all hype. I just think it's all hype. I think it's something apostolics do, and they think it's godly, but it's just they're caught up in the emotions."

I looked at him and I said, "That's a fair question. I'm an analytical person, and I thought the same thing, and I went and asked God about it too. So your question, I've asked it too. That's why I'm not aggravated at this guy. It was a good question, and if you had that question, it's a good question. But let me tell you what God told me in prayer: worship and deep praise are the same biblically. The Bible talks about that it's intimacy between the bride and the groom."

Yeah! And so forgive me for this next part, but we're adults in this room. I looked at that man and I said, "Next time you and your wife are intimate, sit there and do nothing and tell me how that makes your spouse feel. Sit and do nothing. In fact, during intimacy, look at your clock. Is it over?"

You see, I found that the people that don't want to praise have an intimacy problem. Yes, that's good! That's good! You're just not—you have left your first love, and you don't have the spark anymore.

Yeah! But there's something you've got to have—a first-generation revival every year that comes over you, and you say, "I'm as in love with Him today as I was when I first believed." We need to have a reparation in our church of intimacy, and God has sent me here as a counselor between the groom and his bride.

If I am moved beyond praising Him, then I implore you, go back to your first love. Go back to Him and say, "God, I want that intimacy back!" This is not hype; it's not weird; it's not emotional. It's the people that have said, "God, you redeemed me! You took me back! Even though I cheated on you, you've been so good to me! God, I'm going to show you how much I love you and how much I enjoy your intimate presence. I'm going to dance before you! I'm going to sing unto you! I'm going to spend the rest of my life explaining to you how good you are!"

Are you ready, musicians? Y'all know some shout stuff. You know, you know some of that just like you—that one, two. You know, I used to be a drummer. You know, I know about that groove. I know about stank face. I know about it. I know I wish I played the bass, but I played the drums. You know, I got the lesser version of it. Sorry to the drummer; you're awesome, by the way, wherever you are. You're an amazing drummer. I just like the bass, man. I like Victor Wooten and all those guys.

But anyway, I know about that stank face, and there's something about music, though. You see, the thing about DDR is it don't work real well without that music. That's right! It's a little weird without that music.

Yeah! And without that music, it's just a little awkward, right? It's a little weird. But then when you put some trap beats behind it, you put a beat to it, it slaps! You start looking at it and be like, "That's not so weird! That's actually—that seems like the right thing to be doing with that music! Like, I don't know why else we'd have that music without that movement."

So I want you to, if you can, pull up for me really quickly Genesis chapter 4, verse 19. Watch this. This blew me away. Genesis 4:19, we're going to read a couple verses there.

It says, "Then Lamech took for himself two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah." You need to know that Lamech's a dirt bag, okay? Lamech's the guy who killed a dude, and he was like, "Well, God forgave my great-great-great-great-grandfather Cain for killing a man, so He'll forgive me seven times sevenfold."

Lamech is the Hebrew word "king" spelled backwards. He's the inverted king that distorts kingship because little did he know the King of Kings would come and say, "No, actually, you need to forgive your brother seventy times sevenfold." And so he's inverting the whole mercy thing and he's abusing grace by justifying it and saying, "Well, I killed a man; I'll get more forgiveness than Cain got."

And so he's a scumbag, but he's got some good boys. Listen to the name of his sons. Verse 20: "And Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock."

Okay, so you need to understand about your weird Hebrew Bible, okay? When it says "father," he didn't build the tent. Okay? I know that that's probably what it sounds like. The word "father" means you're the originator of something. That's why the devil is called the father of lies, because he's the one who created that. And that's why God is just simply called the Father, because everything that is is because of Him.

And so the father of tents, he's the guy who made tents. And that word right there is the Hebrew word "mishkan," which is later used for Tabernacle—the same word, the tent of meeting where the presence of God showed up, where the Ark of the Covenant was. Your boy is the one who made that. He's the one who came up with the idea.

And he has a brother. Listen to his brother's name. Verse 21—slight lag; it's okay; it's not their fault; I didn't give it to them in advance. "And his brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all such as handle the harp and the organ."

So you got a brother over here named Jabal, and he's like, "Man, my daddy is crazy! My daddy's a murderer, and he's justifying it by saying God's going to forgive him. There's some dude out there building a boat; his name is Noah. Like, I don't even know what a boat is! He talking about rain? I've never seen rain! That dude out here be like, 'Our world lost their minds, y'all!' And you got your boy building a boat. You got people marrying, giving in marriage. People—he's preaching judgment's coming, and I don't even know what judgment is. And there just—the world's crazy!

I went down to the market to buy some fruit the other day, and there's somebody cussed somebody out. And you know, just the world is nuts! So what I'm going to do is I'm going to build me a little tent. I'm just going to hang out in here."

And Jubal comes, and he's like, "You know, that's a good idea, but I think the tent should have something inside it." He's like, "All right, what should we do?"

And so can you give me a stank face? I just like seeing a stank face. Can you give me the stank face on the bass? Yeah, put him on the spot. It'll come; it's going to come, I promise. Watch him. Watch him. No, praise, don't watch him. But like, can you just play something?

Okay, so you got Jubal who just makes something one day, and he's like, "Hey, hey, Ja, what you think of this?" Do it! "I wish I could play, and Ja's like, 'That's cool, bro! What that is? Do it again!'"

You came up with that all by yourself? And Jubal's like, "I don't know, brother; it's just in me!" You know what's better than the tent? There's a tent with sound in it!

Yeah! And so they start to fill up this little Tabernacle with sound, and all of a sudden, he says, "Do it again! Play that one more time!"

"All right, here, I want to do something else too. Let me see what else we can do. What do you call that?" "That's a note!" "Oh, for real? That's dope! Let's call it a dope note!"

All right, let—who's going to Jubal? Show me a stank face! I'm dying for a stank face, bro! Yes! Yes! All right, that was it! That was it! If you were wondering, that was it!

All right, can you just give me—can you slap that bass? That was way better than I was expecting! That was incredible! Do it again just for the people in the back!

If I could sing, bro, I would be dangerous! That's all I'm saying! If I can sing and play, it'd be over! All right, you on the spot, bro! Just give me just a brown, just something like that, you know?

All right, all of a sudden, Jubal's like, "You know what? For a minute there, I forgot about how crazy our world was! For a minute there, all I could think about was the sound!"

He was the father of such that created music. And hear this: you've got to get this part. He made music during an hour where the thoughts of man were evil continually. This is pre-flood. This is during the time that God said, "I regret ever making man."

And I believe when Jubal started, it was a perfect opportunity for a man to get a revelation of this during a time and hour where God regretted ever making man. And when they started making the sound in heaven, you hear this very clearly: there is nowhere in your Bible that shows singing in heaven until Revelation 5 when the saints are called up.

That's why angels come into the room and they listen. "Oh, we're waiting on that to come home! We're waiting! There is no—you cannot find anywhere in the Bible that there is singing in heaven. There's singing here on Earth, and they're shouting here on Earth, and the angels are waiting on us to come home to bring what Jubal made back home with us."

Angels come into the room, and they come in and they sit and they inquire, "What is this? Who are these people that dance even though nothing's going right?"

Quick story: I went to California, and it was during the pandemic. And I got a friend over there who's a professor at Christian Life College. His name is Morgan Ellis—a great man of God. And I was talking with him one time, and I said, "Bro, what have you been feeling?"

He said, "Man, I went to the church." The church there in California runs about 2,500 people, and they had to shut down the church during the pandemic because they were getting way too much national recognition. And so rather than bring a reproach, they created a plan to worship at home.

Well, my friend usually prayed at the church, and they had to lock the doors. So one day he went to the secretary and he said, "I've been praying at home for months, and I know I can pray anywhere, but I really want to just go to the place I'm used to praying."

And he walked in. She let him in. She goes, "Don't tell anybody I'll let you in." So she unlocked the doors, and Morgan walked into that church, and he started dancing in the halls—just him, all by himself. And he was worshiping.

And all of a sudden, he looked at me real serious, and tears ran down his face. He said, "An angel came into my prayer time, and that angel came up and looked at me and turned his head sideways and he says, 'Where are they?'"

And Morgan said, "Who?" He said, "Where are the praisers? We've missed them!" He said, "They've gone home, and they've been telling you that they've been praising, but we can't find them!"

Heaven moves when the people of God start moving. There's something about the church that when she starts feeling it, when she starts showing the intimacy, the angels come down and they say, "That church is convinced! That church is..."

"I've got a Blessed Assurance I know who I am I know who God is and I know any day now he's coming back for me" [47:55]

"The only thing that can prevail when strength fails is somebody's praise." [01:13:52 ]

"I believe a Dance Revolution is getting ready to sweep North American churches" [53:02 ]

"there are two Dimensions to God's presence it's the deep and the high yes I feel that you know how to get to the Deep yes my question is do you have a book of Psalms in the midst of captivity the Earth is not getting better the world is not in our favor anymore and the people of God have got to learn how to compile the Psalms to where you stop and say nothing's been going my way nothing is working out the way I expected it to" [45:07]

"they and Morgan said who he said where are the praisers we've missed them he said they've gone home and they've been telling you that they've been praising but we can't find them Heaven moves when the people of God start moving there's something about the church that when she starts feeling it when she starts showing the intimacy the Angels come down and they say that church is convinced that church is" [01:26:55]