Sit Down and Behave Yourself!

[shag]

Concerning "pentecostal worship", I'm far from convinced the running, jumping, screaming, spinning, falling down, floor rolling, "dancing", yes and even some tongue talkin, etc(how far does it go?) etc outer displays of "enthusiasm(or whatever exactly it is-worship?) are a move of the Holy Spirit of God. Or even "apostolic" for that matter.

[aegsm76]

I came from a very moderate type of pentecostal/apostolic background for the first 30 years of my life.
I too, scoffed at this kind of behavior.
Until God forced me to move across country to another church.
There is a real move of God that can result in this kind of behavior.
Just as there can be a real move of God in the quietness.
I am amazed that some of you can question this as a move of God.
Some of you need to get our of your box!!!!

[houston]

Some of them were in THAT box.

[Jermyn Davidson]

Originally Posted by aegsm76

I came from a very moderate type of pentecostal/apostolic background for the first 30 years of my life.
I too, scoffed at this kind of behavior.
Until God forced me to move across country to another church.
There is a real move of God that can result in this kind of behavior.
Just as there can be a real move of God in the quietness.
I am amazed that some of you can question this as a move of God.
Some of you need to get our of your box!!!!

Maybe there are some that God hasn't done so much for them to be so excited about.



Maybe there are some that haven't sinned enough, so the gratitiude expressed to God in leaping, dancing and praising God for His Grace and Mercy is either a foreign concept, or just not necessary.


Maybe there are some for whom God understands that their clothes are expensive, and their ego even more valuable and so they don't ever have to leap in praise to God.


I mean really-- God already knows our hearts, He already knows we appreciate His Kindness-- so where's the value in leaping, raising one's voice, or even losing one's self in praise and worship to God?




Am I closer to understanding the people with a lukewarm response to demonstrative praise and worship now?



Maybe there are some that God hasn't done so much for them to be excited about.

[Jermyn Davidson]

I guess there aren't that many ex-murderers, thieves, liars, proud or immoral people whose lives have been changed by their faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Oneness Pentecostal churches any more these days.

I guess I may be the only former really bad sinner in my current church-- no one sees the value in even leaping in praise to God. They must already have an abundance of joy in their hearts.


So if that is you. what would you have to be excited about, right?

You were a good person before you came to Christ-- so it didn't take as much Blood to cover you as it does some of these folks who go through these foolish shenanigans in an attempt to praise and worship our Father, Savior, and Keeper.


Jesus already knew you were a good person before He found you, so He doesn't expect so much from you anyway. Aren't you glad God knows your heart? Now you don't even have to break a sweat in your praise to Him!

He sees your golf claps and is pleased as He sees your heart which was already pretty clean before He got there.

He appreciates your golf claps because He knows He's just the finishing touch on your heart.

[Pragmatist]

I guess for me it just seems very shallow. I don't deny anyone their experience worshiping God, but I don't think it has much impact beyond that service. I've seen too many people shout and dance on Sunday and not act like a Christian at all the rest of the week. What good does the emotion and "power" do if it doesn't really change someone? I don't think shouting services make people better Christians, so really, what is the point? (And I used to enjoy a good "shockamoo" service but it still felt shallow to me, even in the midst of it.)

[OneAccord]

I cut my teeth in old fashioned Pentecostal services. Dancing in the Spirit, running the aisles, jumping up and down were normative expressions of worship. They were, in our veiw, Biblical responses to the blessing of God. As the Spirit moved, we moved with Him, as best as we understood. And God moved, blessing, healing, saving, and filling with the Holy Ghost. What some see as "emotionalism' was, to us, worshipping God "in Spirit and in truth". I miss those days. I would trade all the drama teams, the choregraphed dance teams, and the glitzy entertainment found in todays Pentecostal services for one old fashioned, Holy Ghost, Pentecostal rally.

But what can I say? I don't think I was "one born for such a time as this".

[houston]

This is funny in a sad way. JD left the movement and now he's trying to preserve his Pentecostal identity.

[Jermyn Davidson]

It can be a shallow experience-- but shouldn't that motivate a person to press beyond the shallowness of a purely emotional experience?


Couldn't these kinds of experiences lead the hypocrite to a place of sorrow, shame, and repentance-- even if the process took years?

Couldn't these kinds of experiences emanate from the hearts of those who aren't hypocrites at all?


Is it a waste of time and energy to praise God, beyond the Sunday morning golf clap?

[Jermyn Davidson]

Originally Posted by houston

This is funny in a sad way. JD left the movement and he's trying to preserve his Pentecostal identity.

It's more sad that before I left, there were already PLENTY of Oneness Pentecostals who did not see value in these, "Times of Refreshing" and did very little to cultivate these experiences in their worship services.


Besides, I still worship with a Pentecostal church.


When people walk into a Pentecostal church, they should know they are in a Pentecostal church-- not so much because of dogma, but because of the manifest Presence of God, which can be manifest in many ways.

On the Day of Pentecost, for Cornelius, for the 12 disciples of John-- there wasn't much dogma, but there was a whole lot of faith and subsequent yileding to the Holy Spirit.