Praise and worship, just like prayer and fasting, is one of the most important things in our daily Christian lives. We are to give praises to the Lord, to Worship him and give thanks to all of the great things he does in our lives.
Today however, it seems that worship has taken a quite different aspect, or trend, it is true that the psalmist talks about giving praises and singing Hymns with all instruments :
Psalm 33
33:1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the LORD!
It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.
33:2 Give thanks to the LORD with the harp!
Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument!
33:3 Sing to him a new song!1
Play skilfully as you shout out your praises to him!
We can surely choose other passages from the Bible where praise and worship with songs and instruments, with shout of joy to the lord is a very good , for God takes joy in it.
However, it is God who sets the standard for Worship, it is HIM who sets what is right to do and wrong to do. God is a God of organisation and planning, He takes time to make all things in an orderly manner, and the Praise and Worship in which He takes pleasure should follow his holiness. We should not forget WHO we are worshipping.
I witnessed a worship gathering this week-end, where the theme was supposed to be Worshiping as One to the One God. It was a very bight and good idea, I am willing to think that those who organised this, was thinking to please the Lord. We Christians must walk by this motto :
1 Co 10:31–33
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all things to God’s glory.
32 Give no occasion to stumbling, whether to Jews, or Greeks, or the assembly of God.
33 Even as I also please all in all things; not seeking my own profit, but that of the many, that they may be saved
Whatever we do, all things to God’s Glory with no stumbling occasion, not seeking own profit but that many may be saved.
Unfortunately, some christian worshippers have fallen into a deadly trap, they use all kinds of music or arts for Worship, and simply call this Praise and worship. They claim that any type of music, any kind of music is good for Worshiping, and dance , shout, cry is a worship tool and God takes pleasure in it.
Certainly that all music instruments , all language , all culture can be used, and MUST be used to Worship and Glorify God. BUT there is a way to do things, and it’s GOD’s WAY , we have fallen in the habit of doing OUR WAY, and asking( most of the time forcing) GOD to take pleasure in it(then satisfying ourselves that it was good).
What I witnessed on Sunday, is surely not a what God would take pleasure in, at least part of what was done, I am no saying it was evil, but quite simply it was very worldly ! It was just some groups coming on stage and all shouting and jumping around, running around and calling this Let’s praise the Lord. There would be no difference in some non believers doing the same thing, same songs , with the same verve (i honestly think they would have done it better ! ) but LACKING the most important part, GUIDANCE from the Holy-Spirit. I might have not seen all the groups, but from those i watched, not one took at least 10-15 seconds to pray before starting.. They were all interested in performing !! that is what it was about, Performance for God. Is it Performance that God requires from us ??
Sitting at the back, i could not distinguish any difference between a rock concert and what was unfolding before me. It was a Music celebration ( if we can call that music, because the quality and the sound was awful). fortunately not all group had hit the bottom, there was at least three guys who had the spirit of Worship, they were here to take pleasure in worshipping simply and to sing praise to the Lord.
The great Hymn , How Great thou Art or Falling in Love with Jesus buy Jonathan Butler, surely set straight the heart of Worship, those two surely did honour to the spirit of Worship.
Am I being critical, yes, because I went there to witness worshipping as one ! there was NONE and surely not as ONE,but i am simply saying how things were, I am not the only one tho think so, surely not out of love, because those were my friends doing this..
What we got was – Noise – disorder, running people, jumping people, some shouting and whistling people, some dancing people… The worst is that they all praised themselves to having made GOD moved from his throne. How dare we take pleasure and Glorify ourselves in what we do ?
I might be orthodox in my way of thinking, but taking the World way and bringing it into the “Church” , putting Jesus names and Christian songs in it will surely not make it Holy !
More things can be said of that bad experience, but it seems that the world-view is well in the church now, so much that I might simply be called a simple-minded guy who has not evolved or worst who does not know the scripture…
No comments:
Post a Comment