Can praise and worship be too long?

[riverpastor]

I believe it can. But I also have experienced entire services in which we stayed in worship (that wasn't the plan!) for the entire time due to His sweet Spirit. Worship really is too long only if it is no longer God's will.

SoldOut,

Is it that God has a will not to be worshipped or is it that sometimes we become sensitive to the Spirit to where we understand that God is desiring to be worshipped?

 

[Andry]

When does God say, "Nope. Stop worshipping me." ???

When the musicians are just awful?

 

[JimB]

Except the tail.

Is a rattlesnake a neck or a tail. Hmmm? That’s deep. I love complicated theological problems like this.

\o/

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

"The neck of the rattlesnake slithered up the neck of the mountain toward the neck of the human sitting at the neck of the well" yada yada yada....I don't claim to be a writer.

 

[Andry]

A snake in my yard is a dead snake. So it makes the 'neck' or 'tail' thing rather irrelevant.

 

[JimB]

Where does a rattlesnake’s neck become its tail?

This thing is getting too complicated.

\o/

 

[NewSong]

Where does a rattlesnake’s neck become its tail?

This thing is getting too complicated.

\o/

riverpastorExcept the tail.

I thought that was just misspelled and it was tale~

 

[riverpastor]

Well, maybe only Rattlers have tails...

I could see where a Copperhead might have a neck down to the tip end opposite his head.

 

[Trish1947]

Quaffer"The neck of the rattlesnake slithered up the neck of the mountain toward the neck of the human sitting at the neck of the well

And as the snake slithered out of the well,
through the tall lush green grass.

The man looked at him and said,
I understand that you are a neck,
where does your tail begin?

I see by scripture that you are not a neck,
but have a head instead,
but it has been revealed to us,
you will be the tail, in the end.


Sorry about this..LOL..

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

And as the snake slithered out of the well,
through the tall lush green grass.

The man looked at him and said,
I understand that you are a neck,
where does your tail begin?

I see by scripture that you are not a neck,
but have a head instead,
but it has been revealed to us,
you will be the tail, in the end.


Sorry about this..LOL..

And the moral of the story is: the snake is the tail and we are not. HALLELUJAH praise and worship for eternity

There It's brought back to it's beginnings.

 

[Trish1947]

Quaffer..There It's brought back to it's beginnings.

Amen, Quaffer!! Hallelujah!!

 

[New_Wineskin]

This past Sunday our P&W (announcements included) went close to 2hrs long. On average our P&W( w/ announcements) last about 1hr. I've noticed on several occasions, newbies walking out during this time! I know what your thinking, and no our p&w isn't scaring ppl off, b/c the ones who walk out can walk out on both fast, and quieter worship. I've seen this at all the churches I'VE attended in the past 10yrs.So my question to you is-can the lenght of p&w be a distraction to some. Should we focus on keeping their attn? Or do you feel that you can't go too long w/ p&w b/c it is an expression of our love to the father?

They may not have walked out becuase of the length of p/w but for other reasons altogether .

Some do have a length of time in mind for a meeting . They may be more interested in the sermon because they can praise the Lord anywhere and anytime they wish . Perhaps , they thought that the p/w was being forced ( I have been in meetings like that ) .

In the long run , people are looking for where they fit in . Uf your group starts changing so that other can fit in , will those already there no longer feel that *they* fit in ? I would say to be yourselves and whoever the Lord desires to be there with you will not mind what is going on .

More specific to the question , depending on what the p/w consisted , 2 hours may be too long or too short for me . I don't like certain types of music . And , if someone up front is telling people to stand up to do this or that during the time , I would be out of there asap . Not everyone will like the way that any speciific group does things .

 

[jlujan69]

At my church (Pentecostal), including announcements, P&W may last a max. of 30 mins. only if I also include the public prayer requests, offering, and choir performance (on Sun. nights only). These events tend to take place one right after the other. The sermon lasts anywhere from 60-80 minutes, depending on how "froggy" the pastor is feeling.

 

[adamdavid]

This past Sunday our P&W (announcements included) went close to 2hrs long. On average our P&W( w/ announcements) last about 1hr. I've noticed on several occasions, newbies walking out during this time! I know what your thinking, and no our p&w isn't scaring ppl off, b/c the ones who walk out can walk out on both fast, and quieter worship. I've seen this at all the churches I'VE attended in the past 10yrs.So my question to you is-can the lenght of p&w be a distraction to some. Should we focus on keeping their attn? Or do you feel that you can't go too long w/ p&w b/c it is an expression of our love to the father?

If you don't do well with one to two hours, I'm afraid you won't do well at all in heaven... I'd get used to it if I were you - we're gonna be doin' a whole lot more than a couple hours a week for the rest of eternity!


~AD


P.S. ~
on the other hand, two hours does seem a bit long for a normal church service... not that its a bad thing IMO, but it doesn't sound like 'average'... ours usually lasts 40-50 minutes or so, plus announcements/offering (they happen simultaneously) puts it close to an hour... plus 10-15 minutes after the sermon... When we feel like having more than that, though, we have a Saturday night worship time, where we just worship for a few hours... that way we don't end up staying at church till four in the afternoon...

 

[adamdavid]

[Edit]Double Post[/Edit]
Oops...

 

[~RENEE~]

I have seen services were we started at 6:30pm and went on till 1 in morning noone wanted to leave the Holy Spirit was that incredible. We need to get that back some of this generation coming up now have never seen a service like that. We have also had services were service ended around 9 pm and some just stayed to worship.

 

[NacDan]

This past Sunday our P&W (announcements included) went close to 2hrs long. On average our P&W( w/ announcements) last about 1hr. I've noticed on several occasions, newbies walking out during this time! I know what your thinking, and no our p&w isn't scaring ppl off, b/c the ones who walk out can walk out on both fast, and quieter worship. I've seen this at all the churches I'VE attended in the past 10yrs.So my question to you is-can the lenght of p&w be a distraction to some. Should we focus on keeping their attn? Or do you feel that you can't go too long w/ p&w b/c it is an expression of our love to the father?

Depends on the PURPOSE of the service. Personally, I subscribe to Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Church" model and think Sunday morning's service should be designed with the "Pre-Believer" in mind. Show that person how much God loves them; show that person how we worship Him; show that person what we believe about Him.

The old expression, "Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day, teach that man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime" applies. It is OUR job to be "fisher's of men". If a person is only going to attempt going to "church" once, it'll be on a Sunday morning. When fishing and you get a nibble, you can't just jerk on the line too hard or too fast. If you do, you'll rip the hook right out of the fish's mouth.

Now, once you set the hook properly, and you reel him in, the lessons that person learned from Sunday morning's service will teach them how to Praise & Worship all the time.

Now...Sunday night services, special services, and other services designed for BELIEVER'S and MEMBERS are an entirely different story. One of the goals of our P&W team is to have a "First Fruits" service the 1st Sunday night of each month. Minimum 2 hours of music, both praise & worship and special offerings. We'd basically plan the first hour or so, and then let the Holy Spirit take over.

Danny

 

[Trish1947]

I think it has alot to do with preference of worship, to alot of people.

My husbands brother is a Penticostal Minister, their mother goes every other Sunday to listen to him preach, on the alternate Sunday she goes to her own Community Church. After the preaching of her son, she excuses herself because the P &W is just to foreign to her in their form of worship, than what she is used to at her own church. She has been doing this for years. She made the comment when she stayed on evening, "I'm 81 years old, too lively for me"..

 

[adamdavid]

I have seen services were we started at 6:30pm and went on till 1 in morning noone wanted to leave the Holy Spirit was that incredible. We need to get that back some of this generation coming up now have never seen a service like that. We have also had services were service ended around 9 pm and some just stayed to worship.

Oh, I've been to services like that... We've got lots of people who would gladly stay put and worship into the wee hours of the morning... we just don't have services like that on Sunday mornings...

 

[RThibeault]

To be honest. Yes and No. I love praise and worship and I have been at services where the entire service resulted in a praise and worship session. It was awesome. This should not be the norm though. As Christians we need to hear the Word of God. We need Spirit led preaching and teaching. I have also been to services where the worship seemed to go on and on forever.