I’ve heard a lot of controversy in the way people worship in the last couple of years. The conservative/traditional side likes worship always reverent, while the contemporary side wants to have a more emotional style of worship.
While one side might be badmouthing the other side, I usually give them the scenario of a person winning a million dollars. Some people will sit down, put their hand to their mouth and just sit in shock and possibly cry, while other people will scream and dance. Both of them completely caught up in the moment, both not fully grasping what this now means for them.
Was either reaction, the wrong reaction?
It’s a personal thing, it’s part of who you are, how you react to situations. And you can change, some people might sit in shock one time, while later on in life they begin to have a more outwardly showing of what is going on inside and vice versa. I can’t see either being the wrong reaction, just different. The heart is the same, and we know that God judges the heart. Worship is not from the outward, but from the heart. Who are we to judge the heart?
To the traditional Christians: We have a wonderful example of David, fully caught up in the worship of God, dancing, singing, and making a fool of himself to those around him, yet his heart worshiping God and bubbling forth into his limbs and lungs.
The the contemporary Christians: More wonderful examples as people fall down on their face in reverence of God, worshiping with everything they are, showing that God is fully King, Sovereign over them and they are but a servant to the Most High.
There is a place for each, there is a time for each. Neither is wrong, both are right. We need to remember to worship in reverence and in emotion, fully. We need to come together as Christians and not separate ourselves for that in itself is not worshiping God, but allowing the deceiver to come into our lives and separate ourselves from our brothers and sisters. We were made for community.
I grew up in the country where coyotes would isolate their prey. One would be left alone and then they would pounce and devour their prey since by itself the prey could do nothing. I’ve heard lions do this also and Satan is a roaring lion. He desires and succeeds in doing this to us too. He separates us from each other and then attacks. We must stand together under the banner of God and cause Satan to roar with frustration instead of triumph!
Oh God our God, help us not to be separated from each other, so that the body of Christ can stay whole. The hands helping the feet, the feet helping the hands. So that our feet can get us to where we can help others and once we arrive that our hands can heal. You are an amazing God! You have created us in your image, help that image to be whole and that we reflect you accurately to those around us. Bless us with peace Father, a peace that can not be taken from us no matter what is going on around us, a peace that is confident in you. We ask you to live within us to help us to love our brother unconditionally.