Clapping Hands in Worship

I am asked about this on a fairly regular basis as some think it is inappropriate in worship and others state Biblical mandate.  In the church today clapping is almost used as much as singing. Psalm 47:1 of course is the most used mandate that people quote - "O, clap your hands, all you peoples!  Shout to God with the voice of triumph!" In certain church groups these days even though you find this mandate there would be discomfort with both clapping and shouting. Unfortunately that is probably because as human beings do, it has been misused as much as it has been Biblically practiced.

As we respond appropriately to the majesty and greatness of our God, all that He has done and the blessing of His power and presence among us, with our worship comes those times when applause brings us into a greater dimension of praise as God reveals His glory and presence among us.  On the flip side clapping at the wrong time can be disorderly, meaningless, or redundant.  And, if it is mindless as a habit it has no authentic meaning  for worship among the gathered people of God.  In that passage we might see that usually clapping goes hand in hand with verbalized praise.  But it needs to be done in worship in an orderly fashion and during appropriate times.  There are times when our choir has presented a powerful expression of praise when it is very appropriate for the congregation to respond in applause.  I have to admit that there have been times where we sang something contemplative and heart searching and even convicting when I felt the applause was mindless, without attention to what had just been sung. Quite frankly, in those moments I sometimes cringe. 

As with singing and praying our applause needs to  be used with understanding.  There are Biblical principles of the use of applause.  There is the declaration of victory and joy!  "Making a joyful noise unto the Lord." The Bible affirms in many places triumphs in praise. In our own human experience clapping is used in a celebration of victory and spontaneous expression of delight. When we see that Christ has won the victory, how can we not respond?  

It is also an expression of welcoming approval or affirmation. In the Old Testament we see where a King on the occasion of his coronation is clapped for by the people. In the same kind of way why would we not affirm the Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ, welcoming royalty into our midst as we worship Him, giving Him His rightful place of rule in our lives?

Just as we shake hands in agreement, in the culture of ancient Israel they struck hands to indicate agreement or the sign of a covenant. In a sense when clapping hands we are confirming our covenant with God's promises and our preparedness to appropriate the truth reflected in His word.

Finally, in a real sense the clapping of hands can be a weapon of spiritual warfare.  Satan and his demons can not stand the praise of Jehovah God.  As seen in Scripture clapping is an enhancement and extension of our praise to God!  Let's give God a hand of praise in orderly fashion at the appropriate times.  mjm

Building Your House of Worship

No, I'm not talking about a physical building.  "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." (Hebrews 13:15)  "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1 Amp.) Finally, "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery,  which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."(Col. 1:27)

We see clearly in these passages that we are to become "His House of Worship".  The building is the presenting of our body, our voice, our heart and complete availability to the Lord, His power and presence, and His Word.  

Our house of worship is framed right where we live.  A wonderful blueprint, supplies, and materials for construction of our house of worship are found in His Word - beginning with the wonderful ancient worship book:  The Psalms.   God's unchanging truths and principles of worship flow forth from the pages of the Psalms.  It is one of the reasons I committed years ago to read all the way through the Psalms every month.  

These great exhortations of David, calling Israel to the worship of YAHWEH, are the guidelines to New Testament believers as we learn to worship.  These truths are timeless.  Humility, confession, repentance, childlikeness, and an open-heart before our Lord gives us instruction and inspiration for building our individual houses of worship.  

And, quite frankly, the worship of the gathered church is totally dependent on each of us building our  individual house of worship.  When that happens, the church will be completely overwhelmed by the worship of the people of God and the power of His Holy presence among us.  Let us build our house of worship so that when we gather - God is in the house!!! mjm

The Power of Song

There are many places in Scripture that give us insight into the power of song in God's system. I want to focus on some of them here.  

First is the power of song to give victory over oppression and fruitlessness.  In Isaiah 54:1 we find the story of a barren woman being challenged to sing in the face of her barrenness.  In the culture of ancient Israel a barren woman was considered worthless.  In this situation of hopelessness, she is commanded to sing. When she begins singing, immediately she is encouraged to make ready for the coming baby.  This problem of barrenness brings about God's promise and the promise is brought about through song. This call to new life is brought via a song.  I'm immediately drawn to the principle of . . . new life, new song. . . as seen in God's Word also.  Singing is not just something we do, it is one of the ways that God demonstrates and shows forth His power.  

Second is how song relates to the creative power of God.  We can look to Job 38 where a dialogue is taking place between the Lord and Job. We are apprised of the fact in this passage that singing was actually a part of God's creation of the world.  This principle of song relating to the creative power of God carries into our own experience of singing as we are made in His image.

One of my favorite places in scripture that helps me see the power of God involved in song is 2 Chronicles 20, where God chooses the choir to lead the army into battle.  We see in this passage that God wants song to be seen and experienced as victory in battle.  Song brings victory in battle. Many of us as believers have experienced this many times over and know that God also works His power in this way.  

Finally, not only does song bring victory in battle, creative power and victory over barrenness, it also brings release from bondage.  When we see the story in Acts 16 of Paul and Silas delivered from imprisonment in Philippi, we see before our very eyes a demonstration of the principle of song bringing miraculous release from bondage.  We need to take to heart the power of song in our worship experience -- in our personal private worship, as well as in the worship of the gathered body! mjm

Loud Voices in Worship

More than once in the Old Testament are we challenged to sing or shout to God in a loud voice! Now some say, "Well that was for the Old Testament".  Mostly in the Psalms do we see those declarations.  Do we forget that Psalms was the worship guide for the New Testament Church?  

There is nothing more basic than God's people singing in worship.  There is nothing the gathered people of God participate together in more than singing unto the Lord!  It is a powerful way for our extolling Him and a way of welcoming His ruling power into our midst in worship.  When God's people praise, the devil and his angels tremble and the Lord rises in strength and vigor to move among His people.  

Because of scriptural foundations and our own experiences we know that God manifests Himself among His people who wholeheartedly, not half-heartededly, worship Him with "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs . . . singing out loud and making melody in our hearts before and to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19).  As we "let the Word of Christ dwell richly in us . . . singing" (Col. 3:16) in our daily lives, song becomes a powerful experience of sustenance, triumph, and our ongoing discipleship and growth in Him!  mjm

Brokenness vs Brilliance

I have spent almost my entire life studying music only to feel there is so much more to grasp and understand.  In fact the more I study the bigger the whole world of music becomes and the more I realize my lack of "expertise".  I also have studied worship most of my adult life only to find that the more I study the more I am humbled with the realization that I really have no expertise in understanding worship from God's perspective.  Experiencing His presence in worship serves only to keep me understanding how little I know and how totally dependent on Him as opposed to my "experience".  My heart's desire is to know what really honors our Lord, knowing my understanding is so limited. 

"In Spirit and in Truth" . . . from John 4:23 has always intrigued me in trying to understand what is at the heart of worship.  In seminars and classes over the years I've heard a lot about balance in worship because of this passage.  And yet I have also heard and read many who have said one or the other was more important in understanding worship.  In our Western Christian tradition most theological presuppositions about worship focus on "truth" or on the cerebral; on the mind rather than the heart.  It is more objective thought of God's revealed Person, nature, and His attributes.  But this focus is more on our mind's ideas about God rather than our heart's hunger for Him.  

Sometimes we make "mind" and "spirit" synonyms.  But in fact . . . "in truth" is a companion phrase indicating that with worshipping in spirit . . . the heart . . .there is active involvement of the intellect as well.  There are those who are suspicious of this because our value system maximizes intellect and minimizes the worth of emotion.  The heart is more emotionally centered and in our western thinking should take back seat to reason.  But the question arises:  is the mind less subject to deception than the heart?  In both 2 Cor. 4:4 and Job 11:7 we see that even though the intellect is a wonderful gift from God it is still prone to deception.  

God's Word seems to show us that in our worship God is not looking for something brilliant, but something broken:  "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart - these O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).  It would seem that God's concern when we worship Him is not how many grandiose thoughts we have about Him, but how passionately our hearts desire and hunger for Him.  It would seem that God desires worship that desires and treasures His presence, worship that humbles our hearts and worship that sacrifices, expecting God's response that leads us to share God's love by every means.  God may be more interested in our brokenness than in our brilliance.  It reminds me of something one of my African friends once said, "It is not by our own cleverness we have arrived."  mjm

The Ultimate in Worship

Christ is central and the ultimate in worship.  Hebrews ascribes that Jesus Himself, His worship, His honor and praise become the pure essence of everything we think, plan and prepare for when we do worship. Whether we are leading or following in the act of worship, His glory and honor must be our supreme objective.  All worship flows from the fountain of revelation found in Christ Jesus. When the Holy Spirit takes us into the Word and to the Savior, through our worship we magnify His name so that others are drawn to Him as we lift Him up. Then, worship's glorious purpose comes into fruition.

This is the reason it is so important to we keep ourselves filled with His Word.  From that place the Holy Spirit overflows our spirits with Christ, renewing our minds in truth, taking hold of our thoughts with His perfect love and bringing control over our lives by His Kingdom rule and presence.  And, that is what illuminates and animates our worship.

Our perspective of His place in worship is shaped by the seven statements found in the first three verses of Hebrews.  He is:

• appointed the heir of all things (v.2)
• the way in which the world was created (v.2)
• the radiance of God's glory (v.3)
• the exact imprint of God's nature (v.3)
• the upholder of the universe by His power (v.3)
• the Savior from sin and Redeemer of sinful man (v.3)
• the exalted Lord - His majesty on high (v.3)

This is the One to whom we bring our praise, adoration and thanksgiving!  This is the One whose love and grace spurs our rejoicing!  Our Creator God is the glorious One who gave us this Jesus. And His appointed Comforter, the Holy Spirit, overflows our lives with enabling power, giving us the inclination to glorify Him - Jesus, the Lord! 

Let our anthems, hands, hearts, and voices be raised in genuine worship of the ultimate in worship! mjm

My Abiding . . . His Abiding

I have always loved John 15 as it talks about our abiding in Him; the word "abiding" carrying the meaning of our continually remaining in Him.  "Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."  (John 15:4-11)

A precursor to these words in chapter 15 are these words in chapter 14: "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.  And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."(John 14:21) We know that God is omnipresent and all-seeing.  That knowledge is our challenge to walk reverently before Him, relating to other people with love, justice and good works.  But in this verse in John 14, Jesus is saying to us that He wants an intimate, tender, personal relationship with us in an even richer dimension of God's presence.  Here in verse 21 we see a move from the objective reality of God's presence to the subjective relationship of God's abiding personal presence.  This is the platform from which we are able to call on and experience the manifest presence of our Lord in both our private and public worship.  

God's awesome resurrection power and presence become reality in our abiding; leading to His abiding power and presence as we call on and anticipate with great expectation His manifest presence in our midst as abiding-worshipping believers.  Simply put, our abiding leads to His abiding, which leads to His manifest presence among us.  Praise be to the Lord! mjm

Easter Worship . . . "Here We Go"!

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep."  

(I Cor. 15:20). We sang a song in worship today, "The End of the Beginning".  It reminded me that because we know the end of the beginning it changes everything, including our worship.  And then, in our last service one of our choir member's children (out of the mouths of babes) timed right at the grand pause at the end of the "Hallelujah Chorus" right out loud said, "here we go."  It was great.  Because it's true, when we live in the power of the resurrected Lord, get ready, here we go!  

Everything hinges on the resurrection of our Lord.  Without resurrection we might as well give everything up.  But because of the resurrection from the dead all heaven breaks loose in our lives and in our worship.  Earlier in this passage Paul lets us know that all preaching and worship is ludicrous, pointless, meaningless, and worthless "if Christ has not been raised."  In fact everything we understand about God hinges on God's follow-through of His promise to raise Jesus.  All of the promises of God to His covenant people culminate in His fulfillment of this promise.  Without it our faith has no foundation, our worship has no purpose, and our worship has no "presence".  

Because of the resurrection of Christ Jesus every Sunday is Easter as we celebrate the joyous reason we worship - the resurrection!  We can know as we worship that God welcomes us into this story, this hope, this forgiveness, this new life, this resurrection, this joy!  In our celebrating Easter may we be eager to share with the world - He's Alive!  That is a game changer in our lives and in our worship!

And by the way, the fact that He arose is not the end.  This Resurrected - Victorious King of Kings and Lord of Lords is coming again!  Here We Go!  Hallelujah!  mjm

Resurrection Worship

"And as they were coming down the mountain, He charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead." (Mark 9:9).  I think this verse could also speak to us that we say nothing or do nothing until the Son of man has risen in us . . . until the Resurrected Christ so dominates us that we are under His power and teaching.  When we get right on the inside we will see Jesus' teachings and be amazed at things we didn't see before.  If our worship is to be real and authentic we must experience the Resurrected Lord Jesus and know what it means to have His victorious, risen life living in us.  We must be in communion with His risen life before worship can really be born in us. Does His resurrection life have its way with us? That is a prerequisite to worship.

We must experience both His death and resurrection in our own lives to prepare us for both personal and gathered church worship.  Romans 6:5 states: "For if we have been united with Him in death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His."  The proof that we have been through crucifixion with Christ is that we become more and more like Him.  The incoming of the Spirit readjusts our lives Godward.  Jesus' resurrection gave Him authority to impart the life of God in us.  His resurrection life shows itself in holiness.  Once we decide the "old man" is identified with the death of Jesus, the Holy Spirit invades every part of our lives - taking charge of everything.  Our part is walking in His light and obeying all that He reveals in a life of holiness.  We then belong to a new order of spirituality as the resurrected Christ lives in and through us.  Christ in you - the hope of glory.  When all of this is the case, worship comes seamlessly and naturally in our daily and weekly worship.  And, we celebrate Easter - the resurrected life of our Lord - everyday!  mjm