 In this article, Jo-Ann Sass shares her journey in the dance from personal worshipper to leader. She also explores the varous purposes that dancing serves in the church today.
You are about to be catapulted into a new realm of revelation where you will grow in knowledge and wisdom as to why dancing before the Lord and expressing our love to Him in this way is so extraordinarily important. Although I am writing this article from my perspective as a dancer, I believe that God is calling all artists at this time to rise up and take their place.
Is Dance for Display?
When asked to be part of worship ministry as a dancer about six years ago, I wasn't quite sure what my answer should be. At the time, I was quite comfortable with joining the others who would venture out of their seats during our worship times on Sunday mornings to dance. There weren't many of us, but I loved it. This was the best way to express my love towards the Lord.
One of the women at our church -- who had many years of formal dance training when she was young -- had ventured out to dance on stage when her particular team was scheduled to lead the Sunday worship service. She had noticed that I had a degree of natural gracefulness when I danced, and could see that I loved to worship this way. She invited me to join with one of the other worship teams.
Here was my dilemma: I honestly believed that dancing was my own personal expression of love and adoration to God, and that if I was to ask Him about it, He would likely tell me that there was no need to put my worship "on display" for others to see. After all, it was my personal way of communicating with my creator, and it wasn't meant for onlookers. I did agree though, to pray about the request.
Let Your Light Shine
Pouring my heart out to the Lord in prayer, I humbled myself before Him and said that I didn't want to go anywhere near that platform with a ten-foot pole unless it was fully and totally His will that I go up there. In an instant, the Lord spoke to me and said, "You don't light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, do you?" I was shocked! Not only was this one of the clearest times I'd ever heard the Lord speak, but it wasn't at all what I thought He would say.
"Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house" (Matthew 5:15).
Mark 4:21 reads this way: "A lamp is not brought to be put under a peck measure, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?"
At that moment, I knew for certain that it was God's will for me to dance, as part of worship ministry, AND on the platform in front of others. Somehow I was giving light to those in God's house by expressing my love to Him, and this was important. I didn't understand any more than that at the time, but I knew for certain that He was calling me as a dancer.
Creative Arts are Good Works
In Matthew chapter 5 verse16, Jesus tells us: "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
We are the "light of the world", as Jesus has said, and we are to let our light shine. In the above scripture, where Jesus is referring to our "good works", He is referring to our "kal-os' er'-gon". Two words in the Greek text - "Good" meaning beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable, beautiful to look at, shapely, magnificent, etc. (in other words, REALLY REALLY GOOD), (Strong's 2570).
The word "works" is a translation of Strongs Number 2041, which means "business, employment, that which anyone is occupied. Any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, ART, industry, or mind." The "good works" that are seen by others as we let our lights shine can also be the creative and artistic ways that we worship the Lord. The Lord is calling us to the lampstand at this time to declare His praises among the nations.
Dance is Pure Communication
Psalm 96:3 states that we are to "Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples."
Dance, as well as other areas of the creative arts, can be used as a "language of love" which can be understood by different cultures and generations of people. Dance brings the focus of those who are watching not towards the artist, but towards God. Dance is the outward physical expression of the passionate eruption within our souls, and as we communicate through the arts the passion we have for the Lord. In Dance the language barrier that exists between different cultures and generations comes crashing down. The arts are a language. Dance is a language - it speaks. It is pure communication.
In Genesis 11, we see that because of man's prideful desire to build a city, make a name for themselves, and create their own way to God (a man-made tower), God chose to confuse the language of the people. This confusion of language caused them to scatter throughout the face of the whole earth.
Dance is a Witness
In order for us to communicate a clear message of salvation and God's love to a dying world, we must speak in a way that the nations can understand. Artists have a key of communication that is critical to the fulfillment of The Great Commission. It is an unspoken language of love that can be understood not just by God -- who is the author of our creativity in the first place -- but also by the nations of the world. God says in Genesis 11:6 that because the people were one, and that they had the same language, nothing which they purposed to do would be impossible for them. What an amazing thought - If we, as artists, were to be one, with one language (a language of love), nothing would be impossible for us.
My dancing was not just my own personal expression, but it was a language that could speak to others. One Sunday morning an unbeliever was brought to our church service and stated that when they saw me dancing, they knew there was a God. That's why we dance; We are witnessing with our worship, Praise the Lord!
Worship Arts in the Last Days
How do we know for certain that as we worship through dance and the arts, that this is important to what God is doing in the earth today? I had that very question for the Lord. I had been thinking about the people at the Tower of Babel, and how their languages had been confused and they had been scattered. I had also been thinking about prophecy as opposed to tongues. I was aware that as a person speaks in a tongue, they edify themselves (1 Corinthians 14:4), but as they prophesy, they edify the church - which we are to desire to do. I desire to prophesy, for the building up and edification of the church.
With thinking that dancing was my own way of expressing my love to God, and knowing that I was edifying myself, I thought "Am I just speaking in a tongue, and edifying myself?" I also knew from scripture that God had said that He would rebuild the Tabernacle of David in the last days. I desperately wanted to do God's will, and I so needed to know from the Lord that I was on the right track.
I began to fast and pray, telling the Lord that if all this dance/arts/prophecy/worship stuff wasn't in line with the restoration of the Tabernacle of David, that I didn't want to have anything to do with it. We shouldn't be wasting our time just edifying ourselves and creating our own way to God, as the people did in Genesis 11. There are people's lives at stake, and God's will is to be done in the earth as it is in heaven. I needed to know!
Key of David
As I sought the Lord, poured out my heart to Him, and humbled myself before Him, He did speak during my fast. One day, the Holy Spirit clearly spoke and simply said, "Key of David". I looked up "Key of David", and found it in Revelation Chapter 3, in the message to the church in Philadelphia. Allow me to open your eyes dear worshipers: As you read the letter to Philadelphia, you will see in verse 12 that the overcomer will be made a pillar in the temple of God , instead of building their own tower. You will see that the overcomer will have the name of God and the name of the City of God (the New Jerusalem), and the Lord's new name written upon them, instead of making a city and a name for themselves.
What you have just seen is that the restoration of the Tabernacle of David IS the reversal of what happened at the Tower of Babel. The Tower of Babel is the origin of the nations. The restoration of the Tabernacle of David is the calling forth and assembling together of every nation, tongue and tribe. This is the great end time harvest!
A Holy Calling
Let me encourage you today, all fellow artists and worshippers of our wonderful God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. You are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing, right at this time in history. You have a very important calling as an artist and a worshipper. You are witnessing with your worship, and you are part of God's ultimate plan in these last days. If you've been discouraged lately with your worship arts ministry (or lack thereof), fear not. These are exciting days, and you have been blessed to be part of exactly what God is doing in the earth today! So, put on your dancin' shoes (or take your shoes off and dance barefoot), and give it all to God - for His glory - and for His mighty purpose in the earth today. You have a holy calling!
Jo-Ann Sass is a Ministry Team Leader with A.W.E. (Arts in Worship & Evangelism) at Harvest City Church in Regina, Sask. Canada. She is married to Brian Sass who is also a contributing writer for Open The Word..
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