High-Flying Worship

There are those who do not call upon the name of Christ, in fact, we will find some who are hostile to our expression of our faith in the Lord, yet we can continue to be bold and steadfast in walking in obedience to Him. Philippians 3 states:
16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ...

Not all will give positive reviews to those who follow Christ.  Our love for Him, even our public profession, may face ridicule.  Some, like the street preacher in the U.K. who was just acquitted after being accused of "hate speech" will face punishment.  And, around the world, our fellow believers are facing persecution and even death for their bold profession of the Lord.  But, even when there could be discouragement, we can continue to stand strong in the Lord, knowing He walks with us.

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We are called by God to be steadfast, even in the face of opposition, to those who may mock and scorn our love for the Lord and praise for Him. Colossians chapter 2 states:
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,
17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

Jack Jensz Jr. recently was part of a ministry team who had traveled to Poland to do ministry at the Ukrainian border. The team was flying from Poland to the next step, when pastor Jack had an idea - he told The Christian Post:

"...We had 10 members of our team on the plane, and we've been worshiping and praying for people all over the place,” he explained. “We decided, 'How awesome would it be if we could just bless these people with a song and bring hope and joy to this flight as so many people are in such a devastating place in pain and suffering?'"

But, in order to do that, he wanted to get permission from someone in charge on the plane. When he asked the "air host," Jensz said, "she took a step back, and she was so surprised and so happy." He continued:

“She's like, 'Oh, wow, really? This would be so beautiful.' So she went to the pilot and asked the pilot, the pilot was in agreement, and everyone was in agreement," he stated. "Then she jumped on the intercom and goes, 'Hey, passengers, we have guests from all around the world who have been serving in Ukraine and helping the beautiful Ukrainian refugees, and they want to sing one song, just to bring joy and hope to you in this time.'”

So he led the song, "How Great is Our God."  He related that it was extra special because some of the Ukrainian refugees were on the plane.  The video of this high-flying worship moment had received over 35 million views online at the time of the Christian Post article.

For some reason, a U.S. Representative actually spread a short video of this worship moment, but it was certainly not complimentary.  The tweet of Ilhan Omar, who is a Muslim member of Congress, was embedded in the Christian Post article - it said: "I think my family and I should have a prayer session next time I am on a plane. How do you think it will end?"

Jensz said, “I didn't post it to stir anything up,” adding, “It was actually just a post to share with our friends and encourage our friends that have been following our journey.” Regarding the Representative's tweet: “When she posted that, I just looked at it and I didn't really give it too much thought. I didn't really enter into any political debate,” he continued. “For us, we just came to share the love of God, we came just to reveal to people that Jesus loves them so much, and that's our focus. Our focus wasn't a political agenda at all.”

A Newsweek article quoted commentator and podcast host, Allie Beth Stuckey, a Christian, who wrote: "Ilhan Omar asks how people would react if her Muslim family sang their worship songs on a plane. I don't know, but it's gotta be better than the reaction to Christian worship in her home country of Somalia, where Christians are slaughtered for praying in public..."  She added in another tweet that "the situation might be a little more understandably tense." 

The article also noted that, "Others, meanwhile, posted other videos that show Muslims praying on airplanes, noting that in parts of the world where Islam is a predominant religion, it's more common to see Muslims worshiping on planes."

Isn't religious freedom great?  And, it certainly should be preserved.

Jensz is the founder and president of Kingdom Realm Ministries, which is based in Philadelphia. The article states that:

Jensz said it is essential for churches to pray, but he and his team felt called not only to pray but to action.

He shared how they went to refugee centers to pray with various refugees and help them get connected with family members throughout Europe. Jensz credited the ministry Awakening Europe for helping to coordinate everything for his team during their time in the region.

"It's amazing because when you hand humanitarian aid to these beautiful people, they say thank you, they're so kind and so happy that we're there to help from all around the world,” Jensz noted. “But when you sit and you tell them, 'Hey, can I just share with you that God loves you so much. Even though you're going through this, know that Jesus is with you.' They begin to just melt, they cry, they get so touched.”

Certainly, there was plenty for which to praise God after the ministry visit to Poland.  And, apparently Jack Jensz went through the proper channels to have a time of worship on the plane. The moment was well-received, according to his description, and, above all, Jesus was lifted up!   We should be careful to call attention to the ways in which God has worked in our midst and give Him praise, honor, and glory for how we have seen Him move - truly, how great is our God!

So, Ilhan Omar didn't like what she saw. She is a representative who some believe should have been censured for offensive comments in the past, yet the House never could quite muster up the courage to pass a strong resolution condemning her inflammatory comments.  Fact is, there will be critics, even opponents; we may encounter what Paul "enemies" of the cross of Christ. But, we can be brave and faithful to proclaim truth. And, unknowingly, Ms. Omar perhaps contributed to the spread of God's truth by posting a video declaring, "how great is our God."

We can be challenged to always be sharing the love of God. That's what this ministry team was all about.  Through shared compassion, people who are in a desperate situation encountered hope.  We can make sure that we are dedicated to being the conduits of hope in Christ.