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Re: Institutionalized Church / Your Input
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrainWashed
My pastor once asked me why don’t I worship out loud by yelling, etc. He basically conveyed that the volume of my voice displays the intensity of my worship, technically. I said, “really?” I then asked him, “In 1 Samuel 1: 12-14, the bible reads that Hannah prayed with all her heart, silently. Her lips moved, but no sound was heard. Are you telling me that Hannah didn’t pray with all her heart because she didn’t lift up her voice? Was the bible lying when it states that Hannah prayed with all her heart while being silent? Is it possible to pray and worship with all your heart while remaining silent.” Guess what? I didn’t receive response from my pastor.
I generally notice I seems to keep my prayers and worship quiet, somewhat in whisper tones. However, I noticed that in these instances I have felt God in a mighty ways. I feel this inner buildup and a strong presence of God, and at that time I've periodically risen my voice. I don’t raise my voice to satisfy anyone’s minuscule thinking about what is classified as “worshiping/praying with your whole heart.” |
In regards to the parts of your post I quoted here my personal experience having grown up in the religious culture where loudness and intensity of ones voice in prayer or praise and worship was very important to many years later being in a religious culture that values the word over emotion my most interesting observation is that I have seen an equal amount of healings, deliverance, God changing lives, etc in both. I also have observed the same amount of human duplicity, moral failure, envy, strife, cheating, lying ,etc, etc in both. God is God and what he does in ones life is in no way connected to the loudness of ones prayers or worship but to the sincerity of ones heart and supplication to him.
Several years ago a AFF member was visiting Nashville on business and we got to meet. He attended a church where it was 100 mph all the time when it came to church and worship. He related a story of one time being in the choir and quietly enjoying the presence of God and communing with Him while 99.9% of the other folks where going nuts "shouting", running, etc and his Pastor's wife came up to him and pretty much rebuked him because he was not juking and jiving with everybody else. I feel sorry for folks who don't understand and experience the quiet but powerful times with God and judge peoples spirituality by how loud and wildly they pray and worship.
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"I think some people love spiritual bondage just the way some people love physical bondage. It makes them feel secure. In the end though it is not healthy for the one who is lost over it or the one who is lives under the oppression even if by their own choice"
Titus2woman on AFF
"We did not wear uniforms. The lady workers dressed in the current fashions of the day, ...silks...satins...jewels or whatever they happened to possess. They were very smartly turned out, so that they made an impressive appearance on the streets where a large part of our work was conducted in the early years.
"It was not until long after, when former Holiness preachers had become part of us, that strict plainness of dress began to be taught.
"Although Entire Sanctification was preached at the beginning of the Movement, it was from a Wesleyan viewpoint, and had in it very little of the later Holiness Movement characteristics. Nothing was ever said about apparel, for everyone was so taken up with the Lord that mode of dress seemingly never occurred to any of us."
Quote from Ethel Goss (widow of 1st UPC Gen Supt. Howard Goss) book "The Winds of God"
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