Worship

Reading this familiar passage in Luke this morning…

“And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” Luke 19:37,38 

As Christ made His entrance into Jerusalem, ALL the disciples began to rejoice and praise God – with a LOUD voice.

Hmmmmmm…

Next verse:

“And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.” Luke 19:39

Hmmmmmm…

Christ’s response to the Pharisees:

“And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke 19:40

Hmmmmmm…

Whether our times of worshipping the Lord are displayed with tears of gratitude, raising of our hands, shouts of praise, etc., the first question would be – DO we worship Him?

Secondly, what is our attitude toward those who may worship “with a loud voice”, as the above verse describes? Are we critical as the….umm….Pharisees??  The verse goes on to tell WHY the disciples praised Him with a loud voice:

“…for all the mighty works that they had seen…”

Maybe…just maybe the reason why some are critical of those who worship “with a loud voice” is that they have never seen any mighty works in their own lives.

HMMMMMM…

I will admit, because of my upbringing in a church where an “Amen” was pretty rare, my first exposure to voices of praise brought surprise and yes, a judgmental spirit as well. Since it was not something I was accustomed to, I decided that it was too loud. Did God appoint me to judge that day?

Hmmmmmm…

Now, let me also say that in the midst of services where true worship is taking place, there may be displays of “wildfire” as well. But again, is it our God-given duty to judge what is genuine and what is not? One thing is certain – if our response to praise is that of the Pharisees, we have a definite heart problem. If worshipping “with a loud voice” is not something we are accustomed to, let’s remember – God is WORTHY of our praise and it is HE that sets the standards, not ourselves.

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“I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.” ~ A.W. Tozer