by Jason Hershey | May 20, 2016 | 24/7 worship, community, house of prayer, jason, News Update
Yesterday was day 250 since we kicked off David’s Tent DC on September 11, 2015. It’s also day 250 of a community of staff that lived in communal housing growing up together in the love of Jesus. I want to draw this blogs attention to the latter.
I sense the Father’s watchful, hopeful eyes on this group of full-time staff that have created a backbone that the 350+ other worship teams could build upon in the last 250 days.
It’s been very clear from the beginning that our primary motivator for doing David’s Tent is simply the worthiness of Jesus, as an offering to Him. We have fought hard (sometimes losing) to mobilize without using the common candies of the “significance of thisone,” popularity of men, desperation of America, or promise of blessing as the reasons for mobilizing our nation to this perpetual gathering in DC. The driving question has been, “Will America respond to simply the worth of God?”
And yet, I do believe, that if our motives are right, 24/7 worship and prayer in our Capital will release a great spiritual breakthrough in the United States, a great blessing to give back to the Lord. America is in fact in need of that! Day and night worship and prayer is a spiritual weapon (bombs away!) that does in fact demolish strongholds that set themselves up against the knowledge of God.
Meanwhile, in the inner city of Washington, behind the scenes of David’s Tent DC, there is another spiritual uranium beginning to be enriched each day, radiating the authentic glory of Jesus. The full time staff live in 4 community houses of 8-10 staff in each house. Each house has a married couple as the house leaders, with a bunch of singles. The community/discipleship house model was adopted to house the staff primarily out of economic reasons. How do a bunch of unemployed full-time volunteer missionaries live in a city that’s so expensive?
What I’m finding, is that we unintentionally stumbled upon a treasure!
“Yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! What’s this?!”
The Kingdom is advancing in these united communities. I will dare to say that I’m witnessing a bond of friendship and love growing that few truly taste in the western church that so treasures our personal space at the expense of real heart connection. We bring in a teacher one week per month to impart into us to keep us from getting isolated as a whole community and keep us growing. We are all being fashioned into children worthy of the Father’s call. It’s been glorious!
I don’t want to make the impression that it’s all roses and no thorns though. Community living should not be over-romanticized, nor should it be avoided like the plague. Like any cross, it leads to true rewards. God is at work in the lives of our staff. I’m watching all of us being changed day by day, more into the likeness of Jesus. In the rubbings, testings and real workings out of personality conflicts is coming a community that is becoming truly one in real fellowship with one another that care deeply about each other’s heart status.
This stokes my jets equally as much at the 24/7 worship tent downtown. Let me tell you why.
Ephesians 3:10 says “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.”
When the true church arises in real fellowship with one another, as one unified body of Christ, having laid hold of the gift of an unoffendable heart, and loving one another with agape love birthed from The Holy Spirit… Look out! The church becomes the teacher and the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms become the students. We get to make known to them the manifold wisdom of God. That’s spiritual breakthrough!
So the song goes on.
But so does the community.
Love God.
Love your Brother.
Love your Neighbor.
Above all these things, put on love. (Col 3:14)
Love conquers all. Boom!
For His Glory, Always,
by Rebecca Montgomery | May 18, 2016 | 24/7 worship, community
One of my favorite parts of staffing David’s Tent is the opportunity to spend time with our incredible staff community. Each staff member has laid down their life to come and lift up the name of Jesus 24/7 in our capital city. They just might be the most surrendered, joy-filled and devoted people I know. Getting to know each of them truly is a joy and an honor! Right now we have about 40 full-time staff living in community houses all over the city and serving in shifts at David’s Tent. My husband Ryan and I have the privilege of leading one of these community houses–our house covers the 3 am-9:30 am watch. In our home we have a total of 11 people: 7 adult staff, our wild and joyful 18 month old son Jethro, our yet-to-be-born baby due in November, and Ryan and I.
The Montgomery family
As a mom, my role in staffing David’s Tent looks a little different from many of the other staff. Even though my son often puts me a nightwatch schedule of his own (if you know what I mean), my time is spent mostly at home, not at the tent. Having been heavily involved in David’s Tent since the kick-off in 2012, this transition into motherhood and staying at home was very different for me. Not bad, just different.
These days my role is focused more on building community within our home and smoothly running our house rather than leading worship and booking worship teams. Both are absolutely necessary and important! In this season of my life I’m gaining a new perspective on true fellowship and the beauty of community, even in day to day life and the seemingly mundane.
Acts 2:46-47 says “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (NIV).
What I love about this passage is that it paints a picture of what daily life looked life in the early church, but that picture isn’t just worship and seeing people get saved. A key part of the early church was spending time together in their homes and eating together. As David’s Tent staff I love that we gather and worship at the tent daily, but we also come back to our homes to fellowship and break bread together.
One of several Community houses at DavidsTentDC
Just as I know the Lord is pleased when he looks at David’s Tent and sees our offering of praise, I’m convinced that he is just as pleased when he looks down and sees the unity and love of our community houses. This isn’t to say that our community is perfect or glorious all the time. Not at all! Honestly, there’s a lot of messiness that comes along with living in Christian community. There’s a lot of “iron sharpening iron” and that’s not always pretty at the time. God is using our community to refine us, sharpen us, transform us more and more into his image, and teach us how to love. There is a real transformation happening in each and every one of our staff members, including myself and my family! Often this transformation occurs in the seemingly mundane parts of life. It happens at the lunch table as we share our stories and dreams with one another, as we are real and vulnerable with one another and ask for prayer, in those moments where someone gets on your nerves and you have to decide how to respond, or even as we serve through cooking and cleaning. It’s in moments like these where the rubber meets the road and God has a chance to move in our lives to heal, refine, redeem and transform. Although community life definitely has its challenges, it is also filled with beauty.
This season of staying at home and focusing on building community, being a mom and a wife, planning meals, and leading small groups has given me a new and beautiful perspective on just how valuable community is. I am thankful that every day we get to travel to a little white tent on the National Mall and sing our hearts out to Jesus day and night along with worshipers from all over the United States and the world. I’m also deeply thankful that in the midst of this God has placed us in community, in homes all over the city where every day He brings transformation and healing to our lives. Community is messy, community is glorious and community is beautiful. I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Becca Montgomery
P.S. If you want to join our community of full-time staff, email staff@davidstentdc.org to apply!
by Ryan Montgomery | May 11, 2016 | 24/7 worship, News Update
“Why here?” they ask me.
It’s one of the most common questions I get at David’s Tent from curious passers-by. Why worship in a little white vinyl tent through rain, snow, storms, wind, dust, mud, freezing cold, blazing heat, and all kinds of logistical difficulties when there are dozens of beautiful, climate controlled, and convenient churches in Washington DC to choose from? Why worship in congested downtown Washington DC at all? Wouldn’t somewhere with easier access work just fine? Why go through the hardship and expense of holding this event on the National Mall? Isn’t the worship we give Him from our bedroom or bathtub just as valuable?
I answer with a smile. It’s all about making Jesus central! Yes, the worship we give Him in private blesses His heart just as much. But there is something unique about this public, national expression of David’s Tent.
In my mind, worshipping on the National Mall is significant for three key reasons (though I’m sure we could think of more). We worship here to give Him the place of highest honor, to present a public witness of Jesus, and to foster unity among the Body of Christ. These reasons have so captured my heart that I’ve dedicated my life, my family, my time, and my finances to facilitating this 24/7 love song. Nothing else could motivate me to leave career by the wayside and live by faith, with my pregnant wife and baby boy sharing a community staff house with seven other adults, spending my days singing praises to God in a simple white tent. I am utterly convinced that Jesus truly is worthy of all our devotion, right here on The Mall in Washington DC!
The Place of Honor
The capital city of any nation is usually best known as the seat of governmental power. The capital is a place of dignity, authority, power, and honor. Lobbyists, charities, businesses, and organizations often choose to place a major office in the capital in order to gain national influence. Wouldn’t it make sense that if we want Jesus to transform our nation on a national scale we should set up a hosting place for His presence in Washington DC?
Though it’s true, and it sounds good, that’s not the whole picture! Jason Hershey teaches that the primary identity of a capital city is as a center for national worship first, even before national influence.
Psalm 122:3-5 says:
“Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together,
to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.” (ESV)
We see here that before Jerusalem was known as the place of David’s throne, it was known as the gathering place for the tribes to come and worship. In no way are we saying that Washington DC replaces Jerusalem. However, the model David set up with his tabernacle of worship in Jerusalem brought blessing upon his government and nation, and we can still follow that pattern in our nation today!
Right now, America has it backwards. Our city of highest honor, Washington DC, is best known as a place where politicians struggle for power to push their own prominence or agenda. Shouldn’t this city first be known as a city that honors God? Doesn’t all the power belong to Jesus anyway? He doesn’t need our weak human politics to accomplish anything. He is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords! He can move anywhere, anytime, and use anyone to complete His will.
It’s time to turn things around to how they’re meant to be! When we enthrone Jesus on our praises in Washington DC, we reclaim the identity of our capital city as a place of honor for Him first. Our nation will be most blessed when we build from that foundation. When we go through the challenges of acquiring permitting or fighting through weather challenges to host 24/7 worship outdoors, we are declaring that He is worthy of a lavish offering of national praise! Our intentionality to make Him central in our capital city, whatever the cost, brings Him a degree of honor we can’t give Him any other way. That’s why I’m here. In my mind, the worth of Jesus obligates us as a nation to pour out this “alabaster jar” of worship. I’ve felt the call to dedicate my life to see this happen. This is why we host David’s Tent, simply because He’s worthy!
In my next blog I’ll be continuing on this theme of “Why Here?” and sharing why I believe the public witness of David’s Tent is so critical. My heart has been forever marked by this vision. I look forward to having the opportunity to share with you soon! In the meantime, I challenge you to look at your own life and see where and how you can give Jesus the place of highest honor personally, wherever you are. Let’s respond to the worth of Jesus and make Him central in every area of our lives!
Abundant blessings,
Ryan Montgomery
P.S. To be completely honest, a lot of what I’m writing in this blog is heavily influenced by Jason Hershey’s book “David’s Tent: Jesus is Worthy of a Nation’s Praise.” I’d strongly encourage you to pick up a copy at www.davidstentdc.org if you’re interested in reading more. It’s changed my life, and I know it will change yours too!
