Sid: My guest this week Lindell Cooley the Worship Leader for one of the greatest Revivals for the 20th century Pensacola, Florida, Brownsville Church. And Lindell you’re a Worship Leader you will always live for worship but now you’re passion is to cause people to learn how to really worship God and get into the presence of God and intimacy with God. But how did you make the jump from Worship Leader to Pastor?
Lindell: Well it actually came Sid as a result of study; I had read many worship books about worship. People were handing me books about worship through the rival. I’d never really studied the scripture a lot on worship. So I basically went back to the drawing board of the scripture of the 66 books of the Bible and I pulled out the words worship and I found the most interesting thing. I found that in the Old Testament there is one word that is used 64 times in it as the word worship. When Abraham worshiped the Lord at the altar it’s this one word, chakal 54 times. And then I looked at the New Testament and there was another word called proscenay which was used 34 times. Well the word worship was only used 108 times according to the English translation. So if you take 54 and 34 you have 88 so that only leaves about 20 uses for the other words. And I was shocked when I read the meaning of those words. Proscenay means to fall down, to prostate ones-self in homage to God. To do reverence to, to adore. Chakal means to homage to royalty to God, bow yourself down, crouch, fall down flat, humbly beseech.
Sid: You know what I don’t hear anything about music and singing in the definition of those two words that were used the most.
Lindell: No, praise is where the music is at but when you study worship it’s all about humbling yourself. And we were telling the story about I was at the airport and I was walking by a shoeshine booth and I noticed that there was a Muslim man and he was in the middle of working his business and he excused himself, he had other customers lined up and he stopped and he said “Give me just a few minutes” and he spreads out his prayer mat right there and bows and humbles himself to worship and prayer to Allah at his prayer time. And I was amazed to see that happen in a businessman’s situation.
Sid: Well Christians won’t even pray in tongues when someone is around them in an airport let alone get on a mat. And by the way this whole definition about the word worship that you’re using prostrating yourself. There’s something Islam got it from Judaism about when you do that you’re heart… explain the position again.
Lindell: When you bow down as the Muslims do you bow and your heart is elevated above your head. So when they borrowed that from the way that we worship Jehovah then literally… but as I see Christians these days they don’t understand that it’s all about standing stoic in a meeting. It’s a big deal if they lift their hands, never do they bow but see they don’t bow because they don’t understand how our God has been treated by His people through the years. He’s been used, he’s been neglected and people don’t understand that God is a person. And as a person He can be cultivated, He has feelings, He has thoughts. If you can cultivate a friendship with anyone you can cultivate one with God. Well imagine if you were God and all you ever did was good to your people and they rejected you. I think about that when I worship the Lord and that’s what drives me to worship the Lord because He’s done nothing but good to me nothing. And He’s so worthy and I wish I could spend the rest of my life just returning back to Him just a piece of all of the goodness He’s given to me. And it drives me to worship Him. And I wish it would drive every person that believes in God Jehovah to worship the Lord.
Sid: If someone took your teaching to heart and started doing what you teach them to do you what you do, as a matter of fact what is your worship like in the morning tell me about it?
Lindell: When I’m in my car I’m singing to the Lord, I’m talking to the Lord on the way to business meetings and appointments. I sing to Him I make up songs to Him, we keep worship through the years, we try to keep worship music in our home. Because the atmosphere is moved by the worship it absolutely fills the atmosphere with the presence of God. Because He promises Sid when we worship the Lord He will inhabit the praises of His people. He’s going to come and house Himself with you when you worship Him. And when He comes all of His goodness comes with Him. (Laughing)
Sid: So for the person that’s listening right now when I play one of your songs called “Let it Rain” what is that about?
Lindell: That’s about the reign of the Lord falling on the earth on dry ground He promised that He would send rain and relieve the draught. The hunger that we all feel in the world for the presence of God it’s our cry to God to say “Lord send Your rain and fill this place. Lord move by Your power,” it’s a cry out to God to come.
Sid: Is that’s your heart because if you’re in a dry place if you feel you need more, if you feel stuck then listen right now to:
“Let it Rain.” Worship excerpt
Sid: I wish I could play that whole song for you, I wish I could play the 2 CD’s done in the midst of revival. There’s such a fire, there’s such a presence of God on this music Lindell Cooley and then your 6 CD’s set on worship. The Lord actually had you study everything you could about the life of David.
Lindell: Yes Sir, yes Sir about 3 years before I actually left Pensacola the Lord put me on a mission to study. And when I finished He gave me an examination, He said “What did you learn?” And I put everything down that I learned about David, great great greatest king ever. But I did not put musician on there and the Lord said to me “You left something out.” And I said “Okay, okay musician” and when I said that I revealed my heart, I didn’t think that as a musician I had the ability to lead people. And the Lord spoke to me and He said “I’m calling you to build me a House where they know how to pray and they know how to worship me and make a place for My presence and I’m going to send you to do that.” And that’s how I became a Pastor.
Tags: its supernatural, Sid Roth