If as Christian
worshipers we say we believe the Bible, then our worship services must be
biblical. If they are to be biblical, then they must take the elements/acts
found in the Bible into account and understand their contribution to this act of obeisance we offer corporately each week.
All our worship must flow from a pure heart. Jesus in Matthew
15:7-9 referenced the passage in Isaiah when confronting the Pharisees by
calling them "Hypocrites." In 1 Kings 8:39, we are reminded that only
God knows the real hearts of each man and He alone knows our motives. In
Jeremiah he reminds us that He alone will put His law in their minds and will
write it on their hearts. So all worship begins, especially for those in
leadership, with a heart check.
For the next few posts, we will be
looking at some expressions of worship. In these posts, I will include a brief description of the worship expression along
with some biblical references, followed by an explanation in light of Scripture.
Expression #1:
Shouting Praises to the Lord
Shouting Praises to the Lord
Biblical
References:
Psalms 33:3; Psalms 66:1-2; Psalms 81:1-2; Psalms 95:1
Psalms 33:3; Psalms 66:1-2; Psalms 81:1-2; Psalms 95:1
Explanation:
Simply means "SHOUT TO THE LORD!" There is a release that happens spiritually when we shout TO the Lord. We shout FOR the victory that has already taken place. Maybe in our western culture we have allowed our worship to become too refined. Granted, not all personalities are boisterous or extroverted, but to some degree, have we allowed our selfconciousness to hinder our worship expression rather than letting it flow with unabandon? Perhaps the uncomfortable aspect of shouting in worship is what we all need to crucify an unhealthy preservation of self dignity. Perhaps, our cultural upbringing has led us to erroneously believe that shouting in worship is irreverent, or may it relegated to "Pentecostals." Too often, excuses for our subdued worship expressions based upon our personality make us as hypocritical as the Pharisees when it is observed that our personality does not seem to subdue our expression of excitement at a sporting or other event. There are certainly lots of other passages that speak about loudness or making a loud noise to the Lord. Let's not simply write off shouting or making a loud noise as an expression of worship because it makes us uncomfortable or because it is "just not me." Rather, let's honestly examine ourselves outside of worship and ask whether we are truly being honest about how we express ourselves.
Simply means "SHOUT TO THE LORD!" There is a release that happens spiritually when we shout TO the Lord. We shout FOR the victory that has already taken place. Maybe in our western culture we have allowed our worship to become too refined. Granted, not all personalities are boisterous or extroverted, but to some degree, have we allowed our selfconciousness to hinder our worship expression rather than letting it flow with unabandon? Perhaps the uncomfortable aspect of shouting in worship is what we all need to crucify an unhealthy preservation of self dignity. Perhaps, our cultural upbringing has led us to erroneously believe that shouting in worship is irreverent, or may it relegated to "Pentecostals." Too often, excuses for our subdued worship expressions based upon our personality make us as hypocritical as the Pharisees when it is observed that our personality does not seem to subdue our expression of excitement at a sporting or other event. There are certainly lots of other passages that speak about loudness or making a loud noise to the Lord. Let's not simply write off shouting or making a loud noise as an expression of worship because it makes us uncomfortable or because it is "just not me." Rather, let's honestly examine ourselves outside of worship and ask whether we are truly being honest about how we express ourselves.
