rules, rules, and more rules

[ushalk]

first i would like to state that i am not against authority its self. i am however against godless authority.

have you ever stopped and looked at many of the churches you go to? how they are always telling you how to worship the lord and how to dress and how to act.

do you ever get the feeling asthough you will never be good enough because people stare at you or they watch you and snub their nose at you. for the way that you worship the lord.

well i have seen this alot lately. but this is not why i am writing this. a freind of mine took her 5 year old daughter to a church in roswell, nm. when they started the worship part of the service the child was dancing before the lord. the pastor of the church went and told my freind that the little girl had to stop dancing or they would have to leave.

is there any rules of worship anywhere in the word of god. i dont think so. so why do we have all of this craziness in our churches today?

 

[rizen1]

One word "Pride "

People tend to hold on to man's traditions rather than seeking God, yes God wants order...but they should never have restrictions on worship.

Sometimes, I kneel on the floor..I don't care what anyone says,,it's my clothes getting dirty not theirs.

Sadly sometimes it's " church of man " when it should be a church of God.

In every household there are different rules, the same is found in churches.

 

[ushalk]

yes your right. its sad that as man people think they can dictate how the spirit is moving through the others in the congragation.

 

[rizen1]

My eyes are always closed during worship, if not I'm lost in worship becaue it's me and God. Or I'll glance at someone give them a smile or hug.

If I saw the child dancing, even if it looked like she was playing around it would have blessed my heart.

Luke 18:16

New American Standard Bible
But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

King James Bible
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

 

[ushalk]

yes i feel that worship is a heart set. not a rule set.

 

[redfox]

Sorry to put in such a long Bible reference but it speaks VERY relevantly I think:

2 Samuel 6:12-22

"So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
21 David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

David was rejoicing and worshipping God with all his might. Michal scolded him and he said that he was worshipping before the Lord.

It is important to have propriety in worship (1Corinthians 11? i think!) but we are NEVER to forsake our worship before God. We were created to worship and so worship we must. It is an act of love and joy. I think it is a shame when man tries to quench a huge desire to worship God.

I LOVE children worshipping and dancing and playing because they remind me of what I want to be like before God. We must come to jesus as a child to enter the kingdom of heaven.

I think we need to be childlike in our relationship with God, and then mature in our responce to that.

We come together corporately as a united church to worship God together and to recieve teaching. But it is so important to remember that much as we respect and listen to men of God and teachers, that our instruction ULTIMATELY comes from the Bible. The same with worship. Much as we need to respect people's different prespectives on worship, ultmately we need to respond to GOD and not to MAN.

Luke 12:12 says that it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us and we need to be focused on Jesus and the Holy Bible.


Proverbs 4:23
"Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life."


We need to make sure that we guard our hearts from the things of this world. Both christian conventions and stereotypes, and non christian things.

Guard your heart from conforming to man's desires and focus on GOD's desires. He is the one who we are accountable to and He is the one whom we praise!

Love Jack

 

[ushalk]

excellent post redfox. dont be sorry for what the lord puts on your heart to share. we learn from his word and it is his word that confronts us, comforts us and teaches us of his ways. tht only by the dwelling of the holy spirit with in our hearts and souls.

i really loved the point about being subject to gods ways in our worship and following his lead rather than mens.

it is very hard to get into the worship in many churches today because alot of the time they play one song and get the holy spirit moving. but then they stop to talk about the buisiness in the church. ten they will play one more song and stop to get talk about the up coming events. it is rather distracting and definately quenches the holy spirit.

thank you for sharing what the lord has put on your heart concerning these matters.