I’m sitting in a great pastors and first responders appreciation meeting. Really good event…
But there is one person in the room who feels like this is the moment to do an interpretive dance during our short worship moment…
Hey…
I have been a pastor for 38+ years in mostly nondenominational circles which you would define (I suppose) as “Spirit-filled, full gospel, and even Pentecostal”.
Seen a lot over the years…
Some of it originating from the Holy Spirit…
Some of it from the flesh…
I’m all for liberty in worship…
I’m also all for divine order…
It can be a challenging tension to navigate…
But not every gathering moment of the Church is offered as a moment for you to practice your liberty…
Sometimes you exercise self-control of your freedom for the greater purpose of the message reaching unregenerate people…
Undoubtedly the Gospel can challenge the sensibilities of man…
But the Gospel doesn’t need our goofy…
This is the era and the hour we need those credibly led by the Spirit…
I’m all for the genuine…
Jesus is genuine…
The Holy Spirit moves genuinely…
Christianity isn’t goofy…
I think I need to parse some thoughts concerning expressive worship or “liberty” gone wild…
I understand there can be a legitimate manifestation of exuberant worship dedicated to God which offends the sensibilities of man. David danced before the Lord down to his underwear and embarrassed his wife. God judged her, not him. (2 Samuel 6:14) So “judging” somebody’s exuberance or enthusiasm needs some discernment and even graciousness on the part of the observer. Not everything outside of one’s own comfort zone or personal preference is automatically “strange fire”.
That said, there is still “strange fire”. There is still artificially manufactured worship which God is not dwelling in. There are those who, for various reasons, give place for the flesh and use time dedicated to the worship of God as moments for self-exaltation and attention.
Hear me…
This is not uniquely a Charismatic issue…
I’ve seen plenty of arrogance and flesh expressed in every denomination and nondenominational tribe imaginable…
You can be a carnal showman singing contemporary music or a classical hymn. You can be out of order waving your streamers in front of people’s faces as well as sitting stoically disconnected or asleep.
As I travel and worship in many different Christian circles and fellowships, I have tried to acclimate to the culture of the Church or corporate event I am in. Let there be no mistake, I have my preferences concerning worship as do most people. However, my personal preferences do not nullify the culture of the House or event of which I am visiting. Perhaps your local church is blessed by your interpretive dance. Great. That doesn’t mean it should be automatically exported to every event you attend.
What may be orderly in your House, may not be orderly in every house. In other words, while David may have been in order running around worshiping God in his underwear coming into Jerusalem, most churches would expect you to keep your pants on. That’s not judging worship. That’s appropriate decorum.
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