Culture and the Church

Culture is a good thing. Having the variety of different tastes, musical genres and languages reflected in a diverse body of people adds interest to life. Church assemblies with congregation members of different nationalities are a great place to see the positivity of cultural heritages.  The Bible states there are ‘diversities of operations’ (1 Corinth 12:6) in churches, though the same Spirit is at work.

Here are examples of such cultural diversity in God’s servants. The differences in the style of music and expressions of joy are influenced by cultural background. Nevertheless, it is the same Holy Ghost urging them to worship and the same one God receiving the sweet savour that the hearts of these people are offering through their diverse expressions of praise.

The first video is beautiful a song in service from an Apostolic Church in Palmilla, Mexico. The second video is of a unique 'offering march' routine taking place in an Apostolic church in Canada, with people of mainly black Caribbean descent. The third clip shows a different style of music and another wonderful voice at a mainly Anglo-American church in Maryville, Tennessee.

…However, through ignorance and pride, culture can be lauded and become a negative. Church assemblies must be wary that man-made traditions developed through cultural heritage do not negatively affect the Church. In the early Christian Church that we see in Acts of the Apostles there were saved Jews, Greeks and other Gentiles learning to fellowship and serve God together. However, racial division seemed to emerge, as the Apostle Peter allowed some people to influence him and he stopped eating with non-Jews. The Apostle Paul had to rebuke him for this (Galatians 2:11) Peter did declare that ‘God is no respecter of persons’ (Acts 10:34) and neither should we be.

In this world, race will always be a huge and divisive matter. However, in God’s kingdom, there is ONE family under ONE name (Eph 3:15), one heavenly language, ONE Spirit. There is no skin in the spiritual realm. No factions in Christ.

I believe in celebrating culture, I love my own. Yet I do not allow it to cut me off from others in Christ.

Shalom x

Pentecostal Worship!

When someone steps into a Pentecostal assembly for the first time, they may be left wide eyed in wonder (1 Corinthians 14:23!). ..The jubilant shouting and singing, the euphoric jumping and praising, the weeping and gazing lovingly above....people seeming to be thrown to and fro by a wind within them...the speaking –to no one in particular- in a bizarre foreign language, middle and older aged people dancing and waving hands aloft as if they were teens at a concert or dancehall! Wonder indeed.

I’ve heard it said by nominal Christians who don’t believe in this type of worship that God would not allow His servants to worship him in a way that is ‘undignified.’ Such people are missing out on the reality of serving a living God, and the ‘fullness of joy’ (Psalm 16:11) He promises....And on the point of ‘dignity’...nowhere in scripture does it say worship is about our dignity, or us looking prim and proper. ..Because worship is the exact opposite of that! –it is about letting God completely take you out of yourself and your self-made ‘propriety’; it is about brokenness before the Almighty...it is about abasement...

King David is the perfect example. The more I read about this dude, the more I love him! He was a great regal king, yet when it came time to worship, he had no pomp or propriety. He danced so hard with the joy of the Lord, that his skirt flew about everywhere! His scornful wife, Michal told him he looked like an idiot! He told her plainly that when it came to worshipping God, he didn’t mind how he looked to others.

This is the attitude we must take. (2 Samuel 6:14-23)

God gave man the in-built desire to lose 'self’ in the spiritual –with Him-. (Though we are not out of control-1 Corinth 14:32) This is what people are fulfilling when they go out in clubs to try to get merry with music and alcoholic 'spirits'.

Thank God if you are Pentecostal

-You have the real thing!

 

Some scriptures that show real worship should be expressive...

Psalms 132:9: Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

Psalms 149:3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp

Psalms 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD

Psalms 33:3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.