Have you ever been to church, any church, and there was always at least one man or woman who seemed to be really wrapped up in praise and worship? Like, they were stomping, hollering, waving their hands and just acting like a nut for the LORD? Well, I have. When the Spirit hits my mother, she'll be yelling 'Hallelujah!' for days, rocking side to side, and sometimes she kind of has to just stomp her feet a few times. Growing up and witnessing this quite often, I used to be embarrassed and ashamed to have my mother behaving like this in church front of so many people, people who I often heard snickering, or saw shaking their heads or just showing a look of disapproval, irritation or scorn.
As time went on, however -- specifically after I accepted the LORD Jesus as my Saviour and began to grow in my faith -- I soon stopped caring about what others thought about my mother's display of affection for GOD. After all, isn't that what we were in church to do -- praise the LORD? Not everyone worships the same way and there is no instruction in the Holy Bible on how to exactly express yourself to the LORD when in worship. Some people clap their hands. Some people stomp their feet. Some people waive their hands. Some say 'Hallelujah!' Some do all of these...and some don't do any of these at all. Some folks don't even open their mouths to whisper 'Amen' or seem to can even lift a hand half-way into the air. I know because that's how I used to be. Not only was I embarrassed by my mother's public display of affection for the LORD, but I was super self-conscious about opening my own mouth or even lifting my hands in church for fear of looking, I don't know, foolish? to others. That doesn't even make sense, does it? But that's how I behaved and that's what I thought. But no more, of course.
The Spirit moves all of us in different ways...some of us more than others, and He should since we are worshiping the LORD in spirit. At various instances in the Holy Bible we are encouraged to praise GOD, to exhort his name continually. So why do some people seem to look down on those who praise so freely? Why is it offensive to you that someone wants to jump up and down for the LORD? Now, note that I'm not talking about those taken over by demons or evil spirits who make an open mockery of the LORD and themselves with undignified behavior (I'm referring to those involved with the Toronto Blessing mess...GOD wouldn't have you rolling around on the floor like a dog or barking...show me that in the Bible). Instead of condemning someone for hooping and hollering for the LORD, why not rejoice that there is one who seems to love the LORD so deeply? I mean, who should believers be concerned about impressing or offending?
No comments:
Post a Comment