Do these scriptures applied today?

You must be rolling in it to be in that high of a tax bracket!

 

A further point:

In worship we should be balancing the celebrative with the sense of awe...the reverent with the rejoicing. Sometimes, it's tough, within an hour, to "Clap your hands, all you people, shout unto God with a voice of triumph," and also manage to realize that "The Lord is in His holy temple, let all flesh keep silence before Him." That's a tightrope that so many churches walk. Let's try and have both, knowing that the "reverent" crowd always wants more, and so do the "rejoicers."

I've been a part of some incredible worship...including a communion service that lasted two hours--with 50 junior high students! For over ninety minutes, no one spoke. We simply sat in God's presence. I've been a part of services where there was such rejoicing, everyone was about to explode with joy because of what God was doing, and had already done.

There's room for both rejoicing and reverence.

 

You must be rolling in it to be in that high of a tax bracket! </font>[/QUOTE]I believe in "name it and claim it..."

Everything I name as mine,

The IRS claims as theirs.

 

First off, yes you should be concerned about others..it is called a testimony. Especially the fact, that Timothy was a Preacher and even more people would be watching him. He (we) all should be aware of others and how the things we do (or don't do) affect others and their scriptural growth. Too many verses point to this fact but it is important to do it not with hypocripsy but with a genuine servant's heart for the Lord.

Second, David also ran through the streets naked and dancing so I'll clap and raise my hand once you follow through with obeying the Psalmist!!

 

David danced before the LORD, but he was not naked as you claim. The Word of God tells us...

2 Samuel 6:14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

Also, I am obeying the Psalmist by raising my hands in the sanctuary. I do not see where he said to run through the streets naked, so I will keep my clothes on.

 

Yes, testimony is important. But there are people in every church who have the spiritual gift of being offended. Those people are not the ones we need to worry over...they're gonna be mad anyway. I want my testimony to (a) cause unsaved people to notice, and (b) not lead saved folks into sin. The "pharisees" won't like anything that doesn't fit there exact specs anyway, so I'll leave their attitude up to God.

That is my feeble attempt to explain the tightrope we walk between being cognizant of how we are viewed by people, and being a slave to their fickle opinions. And being a slave to the opinions of others will only get you in trouble when it comes to worship...whether the "slave-masters" are conservative IFB's or hand-raising pentecostals.

 

David's wife Micah was not mad at David for wearing a Linen Ephod but for the "uncovering of himself". I'm sure that can be read to mean something else other than "uncovering of himself". And if I happen to convince you...please don't get naked and dance in the streets period!! Just do it in your heart...your neighbors will appreciate it!!

 

2 Samuel 6:20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

 

Why was a man chosen to be King acting as a Priest? What was wrong with the Priest? Was David holier than them that he put on a Priest's clothing? Did david a warrior who was not to be blessed with building God's Temple honor god by putting on the Priest's robe? I don't know these things and neither do most Bible Scholars. Was Micah "cursed" to not have kids because she disrespected David or because David disrespected the Priest's role?

David's actions definitely stirred up a ruckus and that is exactly my point David doing something that he thought would honor God just added a curse and stumbling block before his own wife...not counting the people that he was to rule over. Interesting that we quote David on how to worship but don't use him as an example for relationships and faithful marriages and other practical applications for our Christian Life. Yes, I know that David was a "man after God's own heart" but did that mean he sought to do right or everything he did was ok because god liked him?? Sarcasm there if you didn't notice.

I think that David is the perfect example for us as Christians because we struggle just as he did with victories, failures, depression, a defeatist attitude, a strong trust in God, and many other emotions and difficulties that most of us can relate too! So by continuing to seek the Lord we also can be men (& women) after god's own heart

 

The Bible does not say Michal was cursed. It just states she had no kids. She may have chose to not have kids with David. After all, her despising him in her heart was because of jealousy.

Don't read into the Word what is not there.

 

in verse 15, Michal despised David... that means she looked at him as a vile person.

in verse 22 he told her he would be even more vile.

I do not believe God cursed her, but that she remained hardened to David and thus was childless to her death.

 

Boy am I messed up. I believe you should worship and enjoy your worship at least as much as you would a sporting event.Why can't we get a little excited about God? Why can't we get excited about a good message and shout amen? Why can't we raise our hands in surrender and worship to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Why can't we show our appreciation of the music by the chior or special music be it instrumental or vocal?I am not talking about becomming disorderly or boistrous but we can be alive. The times when we gather together for fellowship and worship should be the best times we have all week long whether it is Sunday morning,Sunday or wednesday night or at Saturday morning prayer brakfast or before we go out on visitation.

 

Bill,

Many of us think we were saved into a mule-faced religion. We can hoop and holler when we are at a sporting event, but we better not talk above a whisper in the House of the Lord, and God forbid that we should raise our hands!!

I will obey the Word of God. Hands go up and praises ring forth!!

 

Its funny, because Ive gotten odd "looks" here on the board when I mentioned that we clap for our preachers.....before the preaching, not after it.

But our particular church (conservative IFB) has a definite culture of clapping....we clap for nearly everything throughout the service....except for on Sunday morning. At first it made me a bit uncomfortable, but there is a spirit of reverence as well as true appreciation for what is happening. Its not in a spirit of giving glory to the people rather than God.

 

As I said, we must be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit and clap, raise hands or praise when the Spirit of God is prompting us to do so.