Proper Worship Guidelines by Pharisees of our Day

It's fortunate that younger more immature Christians have those of us of superior seasoning to explain to them the acceptable ways to praise the Lord. Things to do and not to do. Ways to avoid offending anyone. We must at all costs control the exuberance and unusual manifestations that might break out.

1. It is rumored that some men have danced in their underwear in worship. This must stop at once.
2. One man who claims he is a "Prophet" has been walking around naked. Disgusting
3. A whore came to a service and dumped smelly perfume on the pastor. Out of line.
4. One woman who had a supposed to have encountered an angel is known to laugh out loud.
5. Another so called "Prophet" has made a public spectacle of himself by laying on his side for over year, rumor has it he is about to turn over. What kind of God does this foolishness honor?
6. Some men have quit their jobs in the family business to get all fanatic. It's good to be religious, but this is over the top.
7. And the worse is a congregation was silent for several days and then began to shout and make all kinds of noise causing property damage.

These things are just out of line and if we can put a stop to it, it won't be too soon.

OK, I'll turn off the sarcasm machine now. I'm sure if you are a bible scholar at any level you will know these stories are of men and women of God right out of the word.

1. 2 Samuel 6:14
2. Isaiah 20:2-4
3. Luke 7:36—50
4. Ezekiel 4
5. Matthew 10:2
6. Joshua 6

Sure, there are specific disturbing manifestations occurring sometimes. Some are out of line and distasteful. The problem is one man's distasteful is another's prophetic action. And I have seen some doozies. I am not likely to be critical anymore.

SO, what to do. Do we come up with a code of conduct? You can do this, but not that? Draw up a legalistic set of rules for "proper" worship? If you do, someone somewhere in sincere worship will offend the rules.

It is egotistical and elitist of White American Christians to tell others how they should behave. I have traveled the world. Been in many culturally different churches. I have seen a great deal of diversity. In Brazil. In Argentina. In China.

In this country. I spend a fair amount of time in African American Churches, a fair amount of time in Hispanic Churches and time in a denomination that might be considered by some to be a cult. I have seen it all. Some of what happens as a routine in these American churches would be considered OUT OF LINE by some.

I have been in meetings when deliverance takes place. Mass deliverance. People start to howl, cry out, writhe on the floor, fall down as if dead. Some foam at the mouth. Some cough. Some throw up. Deliverance is messy work. Essential, but messy. It's worse in Africa. I have friends who just returned from there. They tell of things that are hair curling.

Most Pharisee spirits emanate from people who have lived in sheltered white American religion. Pretty insipid and narrow. What kind of an ego makes them think they have any standing to tell anyone how to worship or serve God? AND, they come up with "BIBLE" bullets to try to justify their mindset. If YOU don't want to worship or do these things, then don't. Where do you get off telling anyone what they should or shouldn't do?

If we want to define what is and is not acceptable practice in worship, then you go first. You tell God the Father, Maker of all the Universe what you DON'T like when he makes one of his children do something "Weird". You tell Him that you want Him to stay in the box. Stay in the back of the Church.

That's what you are saying. You are telling GOD to behave. Here's a key question: IF GOD clearly instructed you to stand up in Church and roar like a lion Sunday, would you obey? If he told you to go into a den of sinners and bark like a dog for ten minutes would you? If he told you to lay on your side in public would you? Oh wait he already did that one.

The question is, are you willing to obey even if it offends your flesh? IF NOT, GOD won't use you. You will be left on the shelf. You will be Barren just like the wife of King David who in my first example ridiculed David for acting like a fool in front of everyone. Barrenness in your life, barrenness in your ministry, barrenness in your relationships will be the fruit of you telling God what he can and can't do in other people's lives.

There are always Pharisees to be critical of the people touched by the power of God who shake, quake, dance and leap. Acts chapter 3.

They are with us today, I would call for repentance, but they won't. The Pharisees didn't.

Religion is a horrible thing.