THE THRONE ZONE

Copyright © 2007 by Keith Duncan

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New King James Version.

Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.,

Nashville, TN. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-9856755-0-9

ISBN: 9780985675516

Published by

His Call Ministries

PO Box 64849

Virginia Beach, VA 23467

Printed in the United States of America.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the lasting memory of Dr. David Horton—a Kingdom Psalmist—who represented this new breed of Worship Revolutionaries God is raising up. I thank you for taking the time to impart into my life the many lessons you had come to embrace in your own ministry. May the seeds you have sown into countless men and women yield a perpetual harvest that will be credited to your account.

To the many worshipers who are in the midst of this season of change—those who have been crying out in the night hour for more of God’s presence—may this book only fuel the fire God has placed within you. I pray that you will pay the price and accept the challenge to join the Worship Revolution.

To my son, Judah, your name means praise.You are my prophetic psalmist in training. I pray you will discover your purpose at a young age and begin to walk in the plans to which God calls you. May you see the heavens opened as you sow the seed of praise into all the regions of the world. I love you, son, and am so very proud of you.

Last but certainly not least, I dedicate this book to the love of my life, and woman of my dreams. Michele, I thank you for the countless hours you have laughed and cried with me. Our journey has definitely been one of adventure. In the good times and the bad, you stood faithfully by my side proving to be the perfect helpmate. I am thankful for your continual love, and I look forward to sharing the rest of our journey to the Throne Room together. I love you forever.

— Keith Duncan

A NOTE FROM MYLES MONROE

– MY SPIRITUAL FATHER AND MENTOR

The need to redefine true worship from a Kingdom perspective and give meaning once again to what it means to enter the courts of a king in our 21st Century humanistic world is imperative. Keith has effectively responded to the challenge in this classic work and his combination of personal, practical, and theological approach to this subject makes an engaging experience for the reader.

This book is a must for the serious worshiper.

– Dr. Myles Munroe

Nassau, Bahamas

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

THE JOURNEY TO A VISION

Obviously, the church I was raised in was desperate for a musician! If not, why would they ask me—an eleven year old boy—to play the piano?

Actually, I started on keyboards when I was six—the same age I gave my heart to the Lord and asked Him to be my personal Savior.

I was an unprofessional musician by today’s standards, yet people were kind and constantly encouraged my gift. From this small beginning, God began to stir within me the purpose of who I am and what He called me to be.

Being a worship leader was not a career I dreamed of having—it just grew and developed within me and became part of my spiritual DNA.

DISCOVERING GOD’S PURPOSE

I was raised in a traditional denominational church where people didn’t stray far from the hymn book. As a teen I loved Southern Gospel music and began to play with quartets. We soon formed a band and did some traveling.

The Lord in His wisdom used this as a foundational block and an important stepping stone to develop my ear for harmony, cadences, chord progressions, improvising and components of music He would later use for His glory.

Young and single, my friends and I would be at the church until nearly midnight on Saturday nights, working on special music for the Sunday morning service. It gave me an outlet I enjoyed, a place to belong and allowed me to discover my purpose on this earth.

Myles Munroe, my spiritual father, wisely says , “The worst thing in life is not death; rather, it is going through life without knowing your purpose.”

I totally concur. Without this clear knowledge, our existence becomes merely an experiment.

The Lord graciously called me to become a minister of music and I began to serve Him in churches across the nation.

TOTALLY UNEXPECTED

It was May, 1997.

I was now married to my beautiful wife and partner in ministry, Michele. She and I had been serving a congregation in Newport News, Virginia, for approximately six months. Up to this point my strength had been developing choirs and performing choral music. I didn’t really understand what it meant to “flow” in worship.

Things were about to change!

During a service one particular Sunday night, the power and presence of the Lord enveloped the room in a manner which was totally unexpected.

I really don’t know how to describe it other than there was a holy, awesome entrance of God’s power which filled the sanctuary.

I was standing at the keyboard and began to play the sounds I was hearing from above. The next thing I knew, I found myself face down on the floor.

What happened to me that night transformed my life and charted my future in ways I never expected.

THE VISION

As I lay prostrate on the floor, God allowed me to see a vision I will never forget. The church service continued, but for me, the sanctuary was converted into the Throne Room of God.

I saw the gleaming marble floors and the stairs leading up to the heavenly throne itself—and the legs of the One Who was seated there. I knew immediately I was in the presence of God.

While I was transported to this awesome place, over in the back right hand corner of our church, someone began to sing. It was a woman with a tiny, thin “church mouse” voice who began to offer her unrehearsed, spontaneous song to the Lord. And as the sound sprang forth, I noticed on the Throne Room floor what I can only describe as a brilliant diamond-shaped object that would just spin like a top. Yet, when her voice silenced, the diamond disappeared.

Then, as she began to sing again, a powerful wave of God’s glory swept across the sanctuary, and those sparkling diamonds reappeared on the floor of the Throne Room.

WITH ONE VOICE!

While the Lord was giving me this revelation, the people in our church began singing with one voice. It was the sound of many voices singing their own unique and individual praise, and yet, it sounded as one singular voice. This was the most melodious music I had ever heard.

The power of the worship seemed to ebb and flow as the congregation presented their song to the Lord.

With each wave, more of the diamonds in my vision appeared on the floor, eventually covering the entire Throne Room of God. When the crescendo of worship increased, I noticed these sparkling diamonds began to move—as if they were dancing! Next, I saw a substance resembling milk and honey flowing from the One Who sat upon the throne. It poured onto the floor among the diamonds, yet never once did it disturb these sparkling gems.

The service lasted for nearly two hours—and it was the beginning of a personal transformation in my life and music ministry.

REFLECTORS OF HIS LIGHT

What I experienced that memorable night was so incredible, I hesitated to speak of it publicly, but shared it with my wife and the pastor.

From that moment forward, the Lord began to open my heart and flood my soul with the true meaning of heavenly worship. He even began to reveal Hebrew words I had never before known. One term in particular is halal—which means “to shine, to make a boast, to be clamorously foolish.” The literal translation is “to spin like a top,” which is exactly what the diamonds were doing in my vision.

Now, when believers begin to worship the Lord, I see them as reflectors of light before the throne—mirroring the brilliance of the Source.

As we move into His courts, we shine and even boast of the glory of the Lord, radiating the majesty of the King.

God also continues to remind me, “Movement from My throne does not take place until the people release their worship. The church has been praying for My river to flow, but they have held back the one thing I am looking for—worship.”

“WE ARE GOING AFTER GOD!”

The pastor of the church we were serving also caught the vision and was open to what the Lord desired for this body of Christ.

He had birthed the church and served as the senior minster for many years, but on a Sunday morning he stood before the people and announced, “I must confess. I’ve been more concerned over what you, the congregation, think about the service than God’s opinion.” Then he added, “I’m making a choice and a decision today. We are going after God.”

The Lord honors authority, and because the pastor blessed what God was revealing to me, we were able to make the dynamic shift from a choir-oriented music program to a true worship experience.

The vision I was allowed to see rocked my world and changed everything I’d been taught concerning church music. It was as if I was having an identity crisis, yet the Lord knew exactly what He was doing.

When I came on board, the choir had approximately 30 members. However, because of programs, we experienced explosive growth to the point we were traveling to other churches and camp meetings with the choir, praise dancers, the banner ministry and a full band. We had to organize tour buses to accommodate over 100 people who were involved in our music efforts.

There was much excitement and people were coming out of the woodwork to be part of what was taking place.

PURGE THE CHOIR?

Then came the visitation from heaven, where instead of the choir and a dazzling production being the highlight, the focus was on the King.

I remember the day the Lord asked, “Keith, are you willing to let Me purge the choir?”

“Of course, Lord,” I responded—thinking perhaps four or five would not be able to make the transition from a performance-oriented choir to where God was leading in worship.

It wasn’t just five, ten or fifteen members whom the Lord purged. Before long the number was pared down to a small, but dedicated troupe. They understood their Levitical role to offer their praise and lead the people to the throne of God.

“HIS CALL”

The vision I received at this Spirit-directed church in Virginia became a major turning-point and allowed the Lord to direct my wife and I into His Call, the international ministry we are privileged to enjoy today as worship missionaries.

As a result, thousands of church leaders and musicians are experiencing this same transformation at our conferences and events in the United States and the nations of the world. They are becoming keepers of the flame.

Looking back, we can see God’s hand at work every step of the way. In fact, six years before my vision, while serving a large church in North Carolina, a woman in the congregation who was a prayer warrior placed a card on my desk which read, “Forever Answering His Call.”

Those words, “His Call,” leapt into my spirit—because my passion was to follow the Lord wherever He was leading. Immediately, I had those two words personalized on my licence plate as a constant reminder I was following Him.

CHEERING FOR THE LORD!

During this same year, on a Friday evening, I went with our youth group to a baseball game at the Charlotte Knight’s stadium.

While there, I became rather bored—looking around at the people and watching the mascot instead of the game. Then, all of a sudden, the ball field seemed to change before my eyes. Between first and third base, I saw a platform set up as if it was being prepared for a Billy Graham crusade.

This was a scene the Lord was allowing me to visualize. The stadium was bursting to capacity and the people were cheering—not for the athletes, but for the Almighty!

Even before God gave me the revelation of what true worship entails, that night I saw stadiums packed with people who were passionate to come into the Lord’s presence.

I believe God was arresting my attention, giving me food for thought to prepare my heart and mind for the momentous days ahead.

THE ATMOSPHERE OF HEAVEN

What you are about to read is not a “how to” book to become a better minister of music or a more informed member of the congregation as you participate in praise and worship.

I am praying you will open your heart and allow the Lord to give you a passion for His reality beyond anything you have ever known.