What are they afraid of?

Originally posted by KeepTheFaith15
my youth group on wednesday nights, we lift our hands, we clap we sing as loud as we can we bang our head we jump up and down all for the glory of god, whats wrong with having fun in the lords presence? i see nothing at all wrong with it, but we also have slow powerful melodys that get us uplifted in light of the lord. it's a great feeling. i live for wednesday nights, thinking about ti now gets a feeling in my tummy, i just cant wait to go, cause it's just an amazing feeling, we had 4 people get saved wednesday night, we showed them that you can have christ centered fun, by moving around and just having fun with the lord. i feel pity to the ones who look down on us for singing our praises to the lord that way. but just smile and go on.

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AMEN!! GLORY TO GOD!!  

If you think that people are wrong for praiseing God in this way, then I hate to tell you, but you are a big baby!! You probably look for things wrong, instead of focusing on the many things that God has ALREADY done for you!!

When David danced before the Lord naked, praising God. His wives laughed at him. Guess what he did? He put them away forever! Don't come between a man of God, and his worship!!

Reminds me of that movie, "The Waterboy," everything was "The Devil" according to his mother, especially girls.

Originally posted by SnuP
Let those running the service, run the service. The flesh does not want to glorify God, it wants to glorify itself. If your focas is glorifing God then what you feel like doing to glorify God will not becoming from you flesh. It will probably be coming from your spirit. But even is it is coming from your own mind or heart at least the desire is holy and will please God. And that is the whole point, to please God. Worrying about what is right and wrong does not please God because it relies upon your own judgement. That is the whole point of my last post, to stop using your own judgement.

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I wrote a long reply but it got deleted.  Here is a short summary paragraph of it.

Corporate worship is just that.  Corporate.  It is not each individual going to God seperately but the whole assembly going to God together.  Thus one has to think of how one's worship affects others worship because it is not a lone thing.  One should not go by one's feeligns alone becaus feelings often lie.  One often does not feel like worshipping God but that is not the point.  One must worship God anyways because He deserves it.  But basically corporate worship is a corporate response to God praising Him for being Himself.  WE worship together as one and thus we come together as one and think about God and eachother as we are a community of believers. 

If everyone is only focased on Jesus then there is no confusion, no miss understanding. We act as one body fulfilling one purpose. The limitations of our flesh and our will are removed as we come incomplete agreement with the Spirit and therefore the rest of the church. You first focas solely upon Jesus and as your worship becomes an intimate expression, the Spirit incorporates you into the rest of the body. He makes you aware of the rest of the members and shows you your place. And your concentration never breaks. God is the only one who can bring unity. What you purpose is not viable because it is contengent upon the prexistance of unity. As long as there is individuals there is not unity. The only way to acheve unity is for everyone to have the same goal, purpose. It is the goal the brings unity, not the unity bringing the goal. By giving everyone the same goal, that of focasing upon God, drawing near to Him, unity can be acheaved as long as there are no hiden motives. But the focas of God will reveal the hidden motives. I have experience this type of worship,and it is wonderful. In fact it is the best times that I have had in the Lord.

Originally posted by wblastyn
Why is it some Christians find dancing, clapping, raising hands, shouting praises to God, etc offensive or "of the devil"?

We are told many times how to praise God in both the Old and New Testament and here are some verses:


From http://www.mpc.org.uk/articles/worship.html

It annoys me when people get all "holier than thou" when someone raises their hands, shouts, etc, to praise God.

Look at what this guy had to say:



What is wrong with praising God in the ways the Bible tells us to? Does it somehow offend these people, make them feel embarrassed that someone is expressing themselves while praising God? Do they get uncomfortable at a football match when people shout and cheer on footballers? If we can cheer on footballers, then why not God?

What does everyone else think?

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wblastyn,

I use to work for a religious orginization. Every week we would gather together for a time of singing and scripture reading. One particular day we were in the singing part and it was a pretty lively song but most everyone was just standing there rather rigidly. I found it difficult to stand still but if I moved too much I'd have people staring at me. Anyway, after the song, a child who was being held by her father started clapping and yelling "yah Jesus". . . .Everyone quietly laughed.

Then a young man stood up and said, "how many are gonna watch the "anyname football team" game this weekend. The roar of clapping, cheering, yelling, whistling, and stomping was deafening.

For football but not for Jesus. I wondered "what's wrong with this picture? There is nothing wrong with getting excited over a ball game but Jesus is worth all that excitement too and more.

I attend a church that is quite enthusiastic in their praise and worship. We've had visitors come from other churches who could'nt seem to get out fast enough when the service started. But the unchurched seem to have no problem with it whatsoever. Out of all the churches I've grown up in this one has the highest number of unchurched getting saved, staying saved, and walking in victory.

I even brought a couple of Russian sisters once, who could'nt understand a word that was said but just sat quietly and observed. After the service, one sister said to me in her broken english, "Oh Barbara", her hand went over her heart, "so good".

God is very much alive, but in many of our churches He's portrayed as standoffish and offended at our every failure. No wonder the world wants to stay away.

By nature I am not very demonstrative. Even when I go to ball games I am not inclined to jump and shout.

I've had to learn to do it for Jesus. I have forced myself because I know He enjoys it. And now, I love lifting my hands and dancing before Him. Joy rises up within me and I find strength in that joy. I do it at church and at home in my private time with Him.

It was the apostle Paul who wrote, "the joy of the Lord is my strength", and "rejoice in the Lord always". Maybe that's why so many of us stumble so often. . . we don't obey in this area of worship so we don't have His strength that comes as a result of it. . .

According to Zeph 4:17 He sings over us. He rejoices over us with joy (He could be dancing). How could we do any less for Him?

Question: Are a bunch of junior high kids from a parochial school slow dancing in a dark room just expressing a way of praising God?

Not that I agree with the quote that started this all, but is it possible that it was expressing a dissent against this kind of "dance" as opposed to the kind King David did?

Sin sure is a bummer, isn't it?

Peace

Uh . . . .that's a different kind of dance.  Not the same at all as dancing before God in praise and worship.  

"Thus one has to think of how one's worship affects others worship because it is not a lone thing. "

AMEN! i think people have lost the idea of corperate worship, and its very sad. Great post BH.

We are to worship together, but I don't read anything about everyone doing it together the same way.
I have read things like clapping your hands, dancing with joy, shout to the Lord, raising of hands.
When Jesus was on the goat, people were screaming Hosana in the highest, the priest said to him, do you hear what there saying?
Jesus said if they don't shout, then these rocks will cry out in there place. (or something like that).
There are beings that have eyes all around there body and all throughout the inner part of there body, and all they do is cry "Holy, Holy, Holy". Thats it, thats all they do forever.

If you see someone shouting and dancing to the Lord and you think they are just showing off, then I believe you are listening to the devil.
You are to rebuke a brother of sin, not the way they worship. You don't know whats going on inside, maybe they are faking it. Whats that to you?
But maybe they believed that God was going to answer a prayer, and God did at that time making them shout for joy.

Let me ask you this, what are you doing looking at them in the first place?
I mean shouldn't you have your eyes closed, and focusing on what God has done in your life, what He is doing in your life, and how He talks to you and answers your prayers?
Maybe thats it, maybe God isn't doing anything in your life because you are to focused on other people and not enough on God. Maybe thats why I don't see anyone here over in the prayer forums, or putting up answered prayers as a testimony.

Why don't you go tell kind David that he is out of line for praising God the way he DOES!! Because he isn't dead, and I can bet you that he is shouting even louder, dancing even harder, and clapping just as loud as he can get, in heaven with God, than he ever did on earth. Probably because of critics telling him that he should consider others when he worships God.

i find it hard to stay still wen im worshipping wen ur filled with joy - dont u wanna express it? I dont just jump up and down for the sake of it but its an expression of how i feel inside - i worship in the same way at church as i would in my room at home.

I don't worship the same when I am home, I get even LOUDER!!

Originally posted by SUNSTONE
I don't worship the same when I am home, I get even LOUDER!!

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Me too! 

 

Give me some great 3rd Day or the song "Shout to the Lord!", or "Let this be a holy momen now", "Amazing Grace" always brings tears.
Great stuff.

i like this thread!

i was just listening to cant stop talking and ur telling me that sum1 could keep still wen singing a song like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i like this thread too, lol

I think it's important to remember that each of us has our own style of worship. Some like to clap, dance, shout, etc., while someone else might sit quietly in their pew, with head bowed, reflecting on the awesomeness of God.

In my experience, each group has a habit of looking down on the other. Those who don't clap and shout think that those who do are making a mockery of worship, or desecrating the holiness of the moment.

Those who do clap and shout think that those who don't aren't excited about the Lord, or are sitting in judgment over them.

I think it's important to remember that while the Bible does specifically say that shouting, dancing, etc. are ways to magnify the Lord, it also says that sometimes the Lord is in a still, small, voice.

The elderly woman sitting in a pew with tears streaming down her face is no less excited about the Lord than the teenage boy clapping and shouting. It's just a different way of showing it, and neither style is any less worshipful than the other, so long as their heart and mind is focused on the worship of the Lord.

Originally posted by ph
I think it's important to remember that each of us has our own style of worship. Some like to clap, dance, shout, etc., while someone else might sit quietly in their pew, with head bowed, reflecting on the awesomeness of God.

In my experience, each group has a habit of looking down on the other. Those who don't clap and shout think that those who do are making a mockery of worship, or desecrating the holiness of the moment.

Those who do clap and shout think that those who don't aren't excited about the Lord, or are sitting in judgment over them.

I think it's important to remember that while the Bible does specifically say that shouting, dancing, etc. are ways to magnify the Lord, it also says that sometimes the Lord is in a still, small, voice.

The elderly woman sitting in a pew with tears streaming down her face is no less excited about the Lord than the teenage boy clapping and shouting. It's just a different way of showing it, and neither style is any less worshipful than the other, so long as their heart and mind is focused on the worship of the Lord.

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And that's the truth

"We are to worship together, but I don't read anything about everyone doing it together the same way."

Yes, but you can be disruptful or distracting.

Originally posted by LouisBooth
"We are to worship together, but I don't read anything about everyone doing it together the same way."

Yes, but you can be disruptful or distracting.

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Some people are too easily distracted because they don't heve there focas centered on God.  When you are in love, it is very difficult to get distracted.

Once while in a worship service, God gave me a vision.  I saw a great mass of people in a hugh auditorium.  There where different stages and platforms.  Everyone was worshiping God to the song that was playing in the worship service that I was in.  The people where seperated into different groups.  Each group was worshiping God in a different way, most were dancing.  As I beheld it the groups where interacting, and it seemed as if the whole thing was choreographed.  The whole thing was one large dance, and each group was dancing a part in the dance.  Like a song with many singers each singing their distinct part.

As I opened my eyes, to my amazement I realized that each person in my church was dancing one of the little dances that I had seen.  When I closed my eyes I knew that what God saw in all of our seperate little dances, was something more beautiful then anyone with just their naked eye could ever understand.

I am sure that there were some who were there, who were distracted and felt that it all was disrupted.  But I tell you, that it is those people who are outside of God's flow, and are missing out.  And they are judging out of a religeous spirit, the same spirit that the pharicees had.