Change The Doctrine, Lose The Exuberance?

[Arphaxad]

Originally Posted by Baron1710

No, I don't miss it. The church I attend is exuberant in their worship and praise. I just don't think it is necessarily God. It is more about emotion than about God.

Most are sincere in their worship but for the most part it is a learned response.

I get emotional when God is moving on me.
I don't think it's a very wise thing to judge the way someone worships, I mean to say if it's of God or not is not my place.

[Jack Shephard]

I wouldn't say that the fire goes out when a church changes. Perhaps at some churches it does or did. I think that when a portion of ones beliefs changes it is easy for the whole of it to change too, but this might not be the rule.

I would say that some pentecostal churches get a rush of the spirit and then it goes out or weakens. Some of the churches that have left might have found a way through deep, deep worship to keep the fire going at all times so they don't need a blow out service. Maybe it is as simple as doing all things in order. I can tell you when I was not going to the UPC church I go to now the spirit was as thick as I have ever been in. The UPC church I am back at is the same way, but we are more on the liberal side I would say.

I don't think that one thing always leads to another. I would say that most that I have known to leave has still maintained the spirit-filled church feel while allowing God's Grace and Mercy to deal with people. I have said several things, but it might really come down to this. The people that once "had the fire", per your example, and stop doing the traditional pentecostal workout/worship change because they no longer feel obligated to go nuts to make the leaders happy. Because Lord knows there are churches that if you aren't going crazy the pastor will have a meeting with you and threaten to sit you down if you don't demonstrate the 'typical pentecostal worship.' This also goes the same for the preachers that don't scream as much or at all. Just saying.....

[Baron1710]

Originally Posted by Baron1710

No, I don't miss it. The church I attend is exuberant in their worship and praise. I just don't think it is necessarily God. It is more about emotion than about God.

Most are sincere in their worship but for the most part it is a learned response.

Originally Posted by Arphaxad

I get emotional when God is moving on me.
I don't think it's a very wise thing to judge the way someone worships, I mean to say if it's of God or not is not my place.

See bold above.

I didn't judge anyone. I believe most are sincere, but I also believe that all this running and jumping is taught and has nothing to do with a "move of God". What is called dancing in Pentecostal services has no relation to the dances in the OT.

Funny, you never see the running and jumping when the music is turned off and the congregation is singing Amazing Grace. It is contrived emotionalism.

[Sherri]

Jermyn--
I hope we're the church exception that you mentioned. If not, add us to your list. We still have lots of exciting services. Especially Wednesday nights ("Next Level Service") and once a month Edge services on Friday nights. Those are SO powerful. You'll see just about everything you'd see in a typical Pentecostal service at times.

You don't have to become stuffy and boring just because you aren't UPC anymore.

[jfrog]

Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson

Ok, with the exception of one church, why is it that whenever I ask questions about churches that were once 3-stepper but are now not, I always find out that their services are no longer exuberant?


Is it that these folks who change never thought the running and leaping and expressions of praise and joy were ever necessary or even valid in the first place?


THE COGIC churches I have visited are all "1-stepper" and Trinitarian in doctrine and yet you never hear of a dead COGIC church.

Many of the Church of God Christians I've met down through the years also attest that their services are usually exuberant.


So what gives with the others?


Why believe in the Holy Ghost and go to the First Church of the Refrigerator?

Why allow your services to become like that?

Jermyn, I think you do have a valid concern.

Many pentecostals see exuberance as the best and clearest move of God. You have grown accustomed to those experiences so you feel God cannot be as real to you without them. However, it is my opinion that God isn't picky in how he moves or how people react as long as their reactions are sincere. Whether they are exuberant or silent I think it is all a glory to God.

However, there are extremes going in either direction. Avoid these. But of all the other forms of worship, you shouldn't think that the one you practice is spiritually superior... For, do you really think God really cares much about what form of praise and worship someone chooses to praise and worship him with?

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Baron1710

See bold above.

I didn't judge anyone. I believe most are sincere, but I also believe that all this running and jumping is taught and has nothing to do with a "move of God". What is called dancing in Pentecostal services has no relation to the dances in the OT.

Funny, you never see the running and jumping when the music is turned off and the congregation is singing Amazing Grace. It is contrived emotionalism.

I tend to agree with Baron, though I have been in services where shockamoo outbursts occurred with no music.

[nahkoe]

Originally Posted by Baron1710

Funny, you never see the running and jumping when the music is turned off and the congregation is singing Amazing Grace. It is contrived emotionalism.

This happens in my church. When there's no music, sometimes not even any singing, things just break out sometimes. Sometimes there's plenty of music and the praise is WOW. I attend a very exuberant church.... And sometimes in the midst of fast music and loud singing, a holy hush falls over the whole place.

It totally blows my mind how 300+ people move in the same direction at the same time..and it's not coming from the music/worship team, they tend to follow the shift vs lead it...if that makes sense.

But, my church was never a 3 stepper church, so doesn't really fit the criteria here anyhow.

[Fiyahstarter]

Originally Posted by Baron1710

See bold above.

I didn't judge anyone. I believe most are sincere, but I also believe that all this running and jumping is taught and has nothing to do with a "move of God". What is called dancing in Pentecostal services has no relation to the dances in the OT.

Funny, you never see the running and jumping when the music is turned off and the congregation is singing Amazing Grace. It is contrived emotionalism.

[Fiyahstarter]

Originally Posted by nahkoe

This happens in my church. When there's no music, sometimes not even any singing, things just break out sometimes. Sometimes there's plenty of music and the praise is WOW. I attend a very exuberant church.... And sometimes in the midst of fast music and loud singing, a holy hush falls over the whole place.

It totally blows my mind how 300+ people move in the same direction at the same time..and it's not coming from the music/worship team, they tend to follow the shift vs lead it...if that makes sense.

But, my church was never a 3 stepper church, so doesn't really fit the criteria here anyhow.

I've seen this too.

Once, in the middle of a song, our entire sound system went out. Everything just got quiet. Dead. We all looked around, and then we just started singing without the music, and the power fell!

I, for one, cannot help but to show "exuberance" when God falls on me. I don't run, I usually weep. But I've watched some that do run. I had this one fella next to me, and I could just feel it building in him. He was getting touched in a mighty way, and I knew it was coming. Finally, he just took off, and once he did a few others went too! It was a rejoicing and claiming kind of thing.

Then other times, when the power falls, there is a beautiful holy hush in the house. Nobody would run during these times. It would be inappropriate. It is more of a reverencing, ministering spirit going on.

Oh, I'm sure some people just do it to do it. But that doesn't make it all insincere.

Quench not the spirit.

[El Predicador]

Originally Posted by baron1710

i doubt there was any aisle running on the day pf pentecost. I don't need to run, jump, scream, spin in circles, break dance, or any of the rest of it to worship. In fact i find most of it rather silly and contrived. It is more often than not emotionalism rather than god in my opinion.

Yankee