Higher Praise

Higher Praise

I was reminded the other day, not that I have forgotten, to give God our highest praise.  Just imagine….you throw a super bowl party at your house.  The 52” screen with HD, and maybe even 3-D….the house is full of people and you have every configuration of food.  Half the people rutting for one team, the other half rutting for the opposing team.  There is yelling and screaming, food flying across the room as a touchdown is made……..Now imagine, Sunday morning church.  People enter in, quickly avoid those around them, trying to find their seats, before someone beats them to it.  The music starts, and maybe one or two hands are in the air.  The songs are beginning, and you think “boy the music is good….or boy that sucks…”  You look around to see if anyone else is singing, nope…neither are you.  So, you sit or stand but you feel awkward at best. 

Like I said, I was reminded the other day, I was at a conference, and the speaker talked about coming home from a sporting event, thinking GOD SHOULD GET HIGHER PRAISE, then what he was giving at that game.  Now let’s superimpose that super bowl party to a “worship party.”  Imagine, pulling up to church, you’re so excited you can barely hold back your enthusiasm.  You get out of your car, and you don’t just walk but run into the building.  As you enter you see people everywhere with the same excitement you are experiencing.  You grab one then another; you both scream and cheer with utter excitement, in the expectation of the very presence on God blessing your assembly…WOW!!!!!  The worship starts and the band is playing and the singers are singing, Your trying hard to fight your way to the front to be as close to the action as possible…..Then at that moment you feel it the presence of God you scream and cheer those around you cheering at the victory that has just been won…..Getting the picture?

I know that some may think that this is just a new idea that is going to destroy “church.”  Just so that you know I was a minister in churches for many years with that same thought.  I realize that some out there can experience all this joy internally….but really, is that what the bible says about this excitement?  I think it’s funny that what we teach and preach sometimes has nothing to do with God and his word.  According to the bible when David saw the presence of God enter into Jerusalem for the first time, accompanied with a huge band with every instrument and cymbals and he danced naked (I Chronicles 15:27 – 29) that doesn’t seem too reserved, and reverential or internal to me.  Not that worship shouldn’t be those things, it should, however if that internal reverence doesn’t show itself externally, then I have to ask the question…is it even real?  Just to mention one biblical reference.  You could also look at the dedication of the temple by Solomon in 2 Chronicles, or the worship of heaven as described in the book of Revelations. 

*  I challenge you to enter your place of worship make it the best super bowl experience of your life!