Expressing Praise to the
Lord in
praise and worship we as believers, are simply responding to the love
that God has shown us and the grace He has given us in Christ. We
do not praise and worship the Lord to gain His approval, but rather
because we have gained His approval through Christ. Though we may
have a systematic or a structured way in which we praise and worship
the Lord in our services, we are not confined to a program. We believe
in allowing the Spirit of the Lord to take over the service and to
do whatsoever he wishes to do.
We render ourselves as vessels
unto the Lord. Therefore, we are admonished to:
- Make a Joyful Noise/Shouting -
The Bible teaches us to shout and make a joyful noise unto the
Lord. "Shout unto God with a voice of triumph" (Psalm
47:1). "Let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation"
(Psalm 95:1). Other scriptures include Psalm 35:27; Psalm 66:1,2
- Clapping Your Hands - The Lord
commands us to clap our hands. "O clap your hands, all ye
people..." (Psalm 47:1). Other references include Psalm 98:8;
Isaiah 55:12; II Kings 11:12
- Dancing - Many scriptures teach
us to praise God by dancing. "Let them praise His Name in
the dance " (Psalm 149:3). "Praise Him with the timbrel
and dance" (Psalm 150:4). Dancing is also referred to in
these scriptures: Luke 6:23; Zephaniah 3:17; Matthew 11:17
- Uplifted Hands - We can bless
the Lord by lifting our hands. "Lift up the hands in the
sanctuary, and bless the Lord"(Psalm 134:2). "I will
therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands"
(I Timothy 2:8). See also Psalm 63:4
- Speaking and Singing in Tongues -
The Bible teaches that speaking and singing in tongues is a form
of praise unto God, "for they heard them speak with tongues
and magnify God" (Acts 10:46). "...I will sing with
the Spirit and I will sing also with the understanding"
(I Corinthians 14:15) The Word of God outlines
two different types of tongues:
- The gift of "divers kinds of tongues"
is given during a worship service and is heard above the rest
of the congregation. It should be followed by the gift of "interpretation
of tongues" (I Corinthians 14:27). These
two gifts together are equal to the gift of prophecy. Prophecy
may be expressed by speaking or singing.
- In our own prayer and worship life, tongues spoken
to God edify or build up the believer as well as give thanks unto
God. (I Corinthians 14:2,17)