lifting hands

[John Robinson]

You're telling me! Then a few weeks later when they found out my wife and I were Spirit-filled (being Baptists, they were cessationists), they accused us of "gross heresy" and said we couldn't be friends anymore. Odd what people do, huh?

[simplejeff]

20 minutes ago, missmuffet said:

2 hours ago, John Robinson said:

My wife and I were saved back in the old Jesus Movement of the early 70s (she from dead Presbyterianism, me from atheism), and right from the jump we've attended Spirit-filled churches.

Once, many years ago, some then-friends of ours asked us to their Sunday night service at their Baptist church to hear a guest speaker. During one of the worship songs my wife and I closed our eyes as we sang and lifted our hands, which we always did. A second later I got a tap on my shoulder. It was one of the ushers, giving me a warning to stop it, and if he said if saw us do it again he'd throw us out.

We saved him the trouble and left right then and there. It's funny what upsets people!

You're kidding me? That is strange

It happens, or is common attitude in very many churches, often.  What is so strange about this ?

[JohnD]

On 9/14/2002 at 2:51 AM, Guest Beulahland said:

Could someone please tell me what the purpose of lifting up your hands to God in prayer represents, or means.

 

here are a couple of scripture references:

 

Nehemiah 8:6  And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen,Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

 

1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Jesus hung on the cross between heaven and earth with his hand lifted and prayed "forgive them for they know not what they do."

Prophetic of his prayer → the cross ← Prophetic of his prayer

[MyLordsServant]

Maybe it's a sign of submission. Showing our empty hands to God, that we have nothing and only rely on what God puts in our hands.

 

[Neighbor]

I love that my bride, my Sweet Texas Peach, gets spirit filled at corporate worship times, and when she does she raises a hand or arms or prays with hands together silently while also singing the praise, the worship to God in the name of Jesus.

 This week  my friend, a pretty good singer, that has always wondered about me as I am  more than  a bit stoic and hardly ever sing out loud or move about at all at worship  got all tickled on stage as he was part of the song leaders and saw me from the stage area as he was praising in song. Me with my frozen statue appearance and my bride, arms  raised hands together in prayer and singing out blending with the congregation's worshipping voice.

Seems to me there is room for all in worship of God, and each to his or her own call from the Holy Spirit's indwelling.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Neighbor

[MyLordsServant]

3 hours ago, Neighbor said:

This week  my friend, a pretty good singer, that has always wondered about me as I am  more than  a bit stoic and hardly ever sing out loud or move about at all at worship  got all tickled on stage as he was part of the song leaders and saw me from the stage area as he was praising in song. Me with my frozen statue appearance and my bride, arms  raised hands together in prayer and singing out blending with the congregation's worshipping voice.

Same thing happens with me. People wonder why I don't sing. I usually sing in my mind or sometimes by myself. 

Sunday is the one day people sing worship songs, out of the entire week. But when I sing 6 days of the week and not Sunday, it's an issue for everyone. 

Faulty social institution. 

[Neighbor]

6 hours ago, MyLordsServant said:

Same thing happens with me. People wonder why I don't sing. I usually sing in my mind or sometimes by myself. 

Sunday is the one day people sing worship songs, out of the entire week. But when I sing 6 days of the week and not Sunday, it's an issue for everyone. 

Faulty social institution. 

I sing all week too- socially unconscious I guess.

Actually I have much trouble with the   "Happy Birthday " song too. I think it is just that multiple sounds/voices overwhelm my own mind, make little sense to me, it just becomes chatter, and I can't join in. I have to flee enclosed malls after a few minute as the sound in them is to  me like a beehive, can't handle it got to get out any exit in a hurry.

Obviously I enjoy the clear sounds of Fernando Ortega.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Neighbor

[Neighbor]

15 hours ago, John Robinson said:

You're telling me! Then a few weeks later when they found out my wife and I were Spirit-filled (being Baptists, they were cessationists), they accused us of "gross heresy" and said we couldn't be friends anymore. Odd what people do, huh?

Interesting tale of separatism. I learned or remembered something  from it though.

Do you think the word Baptist means or equates with not spirit filled?  If so, it seems odd to me, for the first church I attended was baptised at and became a member of was an independent Baptist church. I was directed there by members of a David Mainse , TV's-"100 Huntley Street"  evangelist rally group. 

They said, though that Baptist church  held many different beliefs from them, it was the only church in my area that taught the word of God from the pulpit. And , that th word was the most important thing i needed to learn at that time.

Th epastor at this baptist church I was direct to was feeling we were a bit stoic, and  invited Dr. E. V. Hill to come speak for our week  of missionary fund raising. Well that man raised the roof right off the building- such wondrous spirit and enthusiasm.

Then God led me  to go clean across county to be  part of another church, a Covenant Church ( Church of Sweden  group where I was the only person not surnamed Olsson ), near  of all people, Dr. E.V. Hill.  we were up on the hill he down on th flats. I heard a plea  for some of us to help Dr. Hill in South Central Los Angeles. I joined that group. It was for a short lived missionary attempt in So .Central LA, but I did get to attend meetings with Dr. Hill and learn of his local congregation and of much Los Angeles history; of the battle by the city to oust churches from within it's city limit and his staying action as a member of the LA City Council. Dr. Hill's block by block plan of action to try to raise up the people to hear God and bow before Jesus as Lord brought me  exposure to  that area, and has led me to have some greater sympathy for the plight of people there even though the particular effort I was involved in lasted but for a very very short time.

So I find as my personal conclusion that there is a unity of purpose from God, used by God, regardless of the manner  of worship within any of the churches  of Jesus. I praise God for the adventures we all seem to go through  in learning more about the awesome sovereignty that is His over all things.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Neighbor

[John Robinson]

Sorry for not being clear, Neighbor. My wife and are full-gospel, charismatic, pentecostal, or whatever you might call us, and we didn't know until we  were in our friend's church service that night that they did NOT like that. Sorry for the confusion, brother!