Spirit-Filled Expression in Worship
Worship is a lifestyle, not merely the portion of a church service that involves music. Yet for our purposes in this article, I want to focus on the aspect of our worship that involves expression during times of singing and praising God.
Ephesians 5:18-20 reminds us, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Holy Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This passage has instructions that can apply to worship gatherings and our need for Spirit-filled expressions. Drunkenness represents a lack of self-control, which is one of the fruit the Holy Spirit produces. Paul wants believers only under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Pagan worship in Paul’s day was out of control. Pagan worship was under demonic influence, and it sought its own pleasures. For example, within the context of the Ephesians church the Temple of Artemis was ripe with immoral worship practices. In the Old Testament some pagans sacrificed their babies to Molech (Leviticus 18:21), while the prophets of Baal worked themselves into a stupor trying to call down fire from their false gods; cutting themselves and dancing around like lunatics as was their custom (1 Kings 18:28-29). False worship throughout Scripture was always out of control.
This does not mean we cannot express ourselves in worship, but it does mean that Spirit-filled worship will reflect the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus explained to the woman at the well in John 4:24 that there is a right way to worship and it included both spirit and truth. In Luke 19:45, he cleared out the temple because the money-changers polluted worship and were out of control. Faithful, God-honoring expressions in worship are biproducts of a life under control of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 2:20 speaks to the kind of total surrender to Christ that the believer has when they are saved. Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” If you’re a believer, you ought to approach worship with the whole idea of how God would call you to present yourself.
Charismatic Excesses
When it comes to expression, I’ve spoken with Pentecostal/Charismatic pastors who have even remarked that too much of what we’re seeing in some services today is “soaked in the flesh.” I’ve seen conferences that promote fire-tunnels like the one’s at Bethel Church in Redding, CA (where people make a human tunnel and bounce off of each other’s bodies praying for each other), people shaking and convulsing, roaring like animals, and manifesting more like those possessed by demons than the Spirit of the living God. Many people I converse with claim such expressions are the Spirit-filled experience! Some of the responses I have received include, “Don’t put God in a box” or “Don’t quench the Spirit.” But when I call us (myself included) to consider following God’s order for worship, I am not putting God in a box or quenching the Spirit, I am actually proposing we stay within the boundaries that God himself set! When we remain Spirit-filled and orderly in our worship, you can rest assured that the Spirit is not shouting, “I wish you would let me out of this box!” He is pleased as Christ receives glory and the word is obeyed.
Reformed Rigidity
But other non-charismatic expressions are just as disheartening. In some conservative theological circles you may find unmoved stoicism by those who spend more time analyzing the environment than adoring Christ. They cling insistently to man-made rules and that “the way we’ve done it is the way it always ought to be”! These are those who believe the Holy Spirit is bound to do things the way they prefer. They pay no mind to how different cultures, and languages, and personalities express themselves. God-forbid they ever find themselves removed from their American church and in the middle of a church in Africa or India! They don’t know how to reconcile that while God’s word does have a standard for worship, various cultures can have unique expressions of worship all within that standard. For example, when I travelled to India a few years ago, their worship music was so loud you could hear it down the street as we drove up to the church area. The instruments they used were unique to their culture, creating sounds localized to their context. They waved their hands, the children danced with joy, they sang songs written locally, and may have never seen an organ let alone possess the money to purchase one. The idea that some American theologians have about worship music needing to be hymns, limited to congregational singing, and expressions of hand raising being labeled as nothing more than charismatic infiltration needs to be put to rest.
Scripturally Informed Expressions
The “expression” debate can be one of extremes. Some believe worship isn’t worship unless people are slain in the spirit and rolling on the floor. Others see a hand or two go up, see an acoustic guitar instead of an organ, or see someone moving side to side with joy and think, Oh, we no we’ve got a charismatic in the house. It’s one of those crazy people here to distract us all! Both sides of the expression debate need to go back to the Bible. Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs emanating out of transformed lives will produce a variety of expressions that can be Spirit-filled! Believers under the control of the Spirit and raising highest praise to God as the object of their affection can be possible in many different traditions!
Believers are those who sing out loud with thunderous praise like Psalm 95:1-2 declares, and who sing to the Lord a new song like Psalm 96:1 exhorts, and who lift our hands to bless the Lord while declaring we live for His name like Psalm 63:3-4 expresses. Perhaps some will even respond with hands high or heads low as sign of humble surrender like the people did in Nehemiah 8:6 when Ezra opened the word of God! Wouldn’t it be amazing if people responded to the preaching of God’s word this way today? Well, many people do. Throughout the Bible people stand, shout, sing, bow, kneel, clap, play an array of instruments, dance, and exalt God! Enjoy the freedom of expressing your love and joy for our God, yet always determine to stay under the control of our God. Truth must always undergird our worship.
The above article is an excerpt from “Knowing the Spirit” by Costi Hinn. You can purchase the book at our store, by clicking here, or wherever books are sold.
