The Spirit in Worship and

Worship in the Spirit Presenter

Darlene Zschech

Biography:
Australian Darlene Zschech is acclaimed all over the world as a singer, songwriter, worship leader and speaker, most notably for spearheading the music that comes from Hillsong Church. Although she has achieved numerous gold albums and her songs are sung in many nations of the world, her success is not the result of pursuing stardom and fame—it stands as a testimony to her life's passion to serve God and people with all her heart.

As a songwriter, Ms. Zschech is perhaps most famous for the chorus "Shout to the Lord," a song that is sung by an estimated 25 to 30 million churchgoers every week and has been covered by at least twenty other artists. This song is the title track for the first live album co-produced with Integrity Music, featuring Ms. Zschech as a prominent female worship leader. Shout to the Lord was nominated as Album of the Year for the 1997 Dove Awards and was nominated as Song of the Year for the 1998 Dove Awards. In 2000 Ms. Zschech received a Dove Award nomination for Songwriter of the Year.

Title:
The Spirit in Worship and the Making of Music in the Hillsong Churches

Abstract:
With true worship being the response of the created, or humanity’s response to encountering the Devine, the Creator… Father, Son and Holy Spirit, then I would be foolish to declare anything other than the worshipping heart does bring a Spirit given response to the God of all. There is no human substitute for a life changed by grace, and then that same life given as a thankyou offering as described in Romans 12 – a life poured out as a spiritual act of worship.

We will look at 1 Cor 12 which says that no man can say wholeheartedly that Jesus is Lord, but by the Spirit of God… and if you look further into scriptures such as Amos 5, God has never been interested in worship that is not wholehearted, for presenting an offering that simply looks good, but is inherently decayed at its core.. God actually says sternly to get away with that noise..’bring me worship that results in changed lives’. Without the power of the Holy Spirit at work, truthful worship cannot permeate the fabric of the human condition.

I find it interesting that John 4, when Jesus sits with the infamous woman at the well, He starts to speak to her about living water, and also states clearly that God is Spirit, and those who worship Him MUST do so in Spirit and in Truth… Fuelled by revelation, and sustained by relationship. Not fuelled by church attendance and sustained by what you do for a living… Yes, the grand idea about worship is that it invites every man, woman and child, every nation, tribe and tongue to come together and join the heavenly anthem, in these lives of worship..WORTHSHIP.. for He alone is worthy of all honour, glory and praise. We will always fall short in the natural of bringing continual pure worship, but with the continuous help and presence of the Holy Spirit, we stand forgiven, whole and hungry to know Him more.