How to shout dance in church

Shout in Church? Can you do that?!

Shout in Church – As a kid growing up in a traditional church, we sang from a hymnal each and every Sunday morning. I remember standing and singing one – maybe two hymns. We usually sang verses one, two, three and five. I never knew exactly why we skipped verse four. Who knows? But we did.

As a kid growing up in a traditional church, we sang from a hymnal each and every Sunday morning. I remember standing and singing one – maybe two hymns. We usually sang verses one, two, three and five. I never knew exactly why we skipped verse four. Who knows? But we did.

Then a time came about in the early 70’s when there was a distinct move of the Holy Spirit and churches across the country began to feel a shifting that came with a new sound for those who were listening for it. New songs were stirring in the hearts and minds of musicians and the result was that congregations were awakening to music that inspired them in a way like never before.

People were up and on their feet, clapping and lifting their hands, shouting to the Lord with new voice of triumph and even dancing. It was an amazing time for sure!

But not all was well in the land of “all things new.” Many sincere believers did not like this new sound and new freedom, and many others were confused. Is it okay to shout and clap and even — dare we mention it — dance in church?

The Bible has plenty to say about praise and worship and for the most part this is all covered in the Book of Psalms. There are actually seven Hebrew words that define our single English word for “praise,” which clearly shows there can indeed be multiple dimensions of worshiping God. For example the Hebrew word “halal” gives us our hallelujah. It means “to boast, celebrate, to be clamorously foolish.” “Yadah” is the Hebrew
word for worshiping with lifted hands. And the list goes on.

But there’s an interesting verse found in John 4:23 that says in part, “…true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. ” Nothing about how loud the music should or shouldn’t be, whether or not we can have lights (can they be colored lights or only white?) Can we worship only with a piano and organ or can we have thunderous drums and congas, loud guitars and really noisy horns? Please keep in mind all this worship is to Almighty God who created magnificent vibrant sunsets, cascading waterfalls and animals of such diversity there’s not enough room in this newspaper to rightly describe them all.

Over and over the Bible constantly encourages us to ”sing a new song unto the Lord” but many will only be content to sing songs that are no doubt awesome and moving but are, let’s be honest – really, really old. “A Mighty Fortress” by Martin Luther is one of my personal favorites but it’s almost 500 years old. By all means sing it, but how about adding a new song like “I Am Free” because – hallelujah – you are free!!!

I personally love our church services! We have colored lights up on our platform, drums inside a big drum box, congas, guitars and synthesizers. I truly believe if Jesus were walking around in Hemet today, He would be wearing a watch, driving a car, have his
face on Facebook and I’m pretty sure He would love’ our church services too!

As one pastor puts it: “Worship is the most powerful, joy producing, hope sustaining, life altering thing a person can do!” So, this Sunday, why don’t you put on brave and like they say — “Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching and live like it’s heaven on earth.”

Pastors Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet. For more information visit them at DPCityChurch.com

“You make me want to shout!”

Wedding celebrations can sure be a blast! I have been to hundreds as a priest and have enjoyed them all. During one, I recall the bride and groom holding hands and jumping off the floor together to the song, You Make Me Want To Shout! I remember how popular the song was during my college days. It was played at most parties and people would jump and shout so much that the floor and house would shake. And at this wedding, the song captured the joy of a bride and groom who were in love.

I think most people would acknowledge that there are some things in life that really do make us want to shout for joy, and that love is probably the greatest of all. The original song written by the Isley Brothers in 1959 was trying to express the joy of romantic love – of loving and being loved by another. They wrote it on a whim, but later related how it came from their own experiences in church! Yes, believe it or not, church was the inspiration for You Make Me Want To Shout! And why not? There is no greater lover than God! When a person comes to glimpse a little bit of that love, one can certainly want to shout, dance or express that inner joy in countless ways. Scripture is filled with examples.

King David, when he found the Ark of the Covenant and was bringing it into Jerusalem, “came dancing before the Lord with abandon, as he and all the Israelites were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and to the sound of the horn. ” (2 Sam 6:14-15) When Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant, came to Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb “leaped for joy.” (Lk 1:44)

People also rejoiced and danced when God delivered them from evil. When the waters covered pharaoh’s army at the Sea of Reeds in Exodus, the “prophetess Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, while all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing; and she led them in the refrain: ‘Sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.’” (Ex 15:20-21)

When God healed a crippled man through Peter’s and John’s intercession in the Temple area, “He leaped up, stood, walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.” (Acts 3:8) Others joined in the chorus.

There are times when loud and expressive praise of God flows like a river through a person. It cannot be helped and should not be stopped. The apostles experienced this on Pentecost Sunday. When the Holy Spirit filled them, they began praising God so loudly that all the visitors to Jerusalem heard them in their own native tongues. People thought them to be drunk! And they were – drunk with the wine of the Holy Spirit! Many heard the good news, believed and were baptized.

The joy and praise of God’s people continues to flow through the centuries to this very day. The source of this river of grace is the heart of Jesus Christ, and it continues to well up through the church in various expressions of joy, praise and thanksgiving to the Father. How wonderful it is when we open our hearts to it and allow it to flow through us! It is a true meeting of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual Exercise:

5 ways to find joy

1 Take some time to go through the Psalms, the Gospels or Letters in the New Testament (I would especially recommend Acts of the Apostles) and see how often you come across passages that express joy, praise and thanks to God. After reading these sections, meditate on the blessings in your life and speak out your praise of God. Pray: Holy Spirit of God’s love; Holy Spirit flowing from the heart of Jesus Christ, help me to offer praise to God. Loosen my lips that my mouth may speak your praises!

2 Another beautiful way to express gratitude to God is to be generous! As you have received in abundance, give in abundance. I know of a person who was healed of cancer. In gratitude, she gave a large sum of money to help spread the Gospel. I know of another who was very grateful for the education he received through Catholic schools, so he helped finance the building of a computer lab for his local Catholic elementary school. Perhaps you may have heard of Danny Thomas – a TV star during the 1950s and ’60s. At one point, he had only $7 in his pocket and was in despair. He did not know whether to continue his struggles in show business or not. So one day, he knelt down in a Detroit church and asked St. Jude for help. Danny had heard that St. Jude was the patron saint of hopeless causes and he figured he definitely qualified for that. Later, when he became very successful, he gave thanks to God by starting St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis. It has helped countless children who might not otherwise get medical care. A generous heart is a grateful heart.

3 Listen to Christian music and if you can, sing along to it. I know some folks who turn up the volume while driving so they do not have to hear themselves. There are many fantastic songs out there by Christian and Catholic artists.

4 Go to a church prayer meeting. There are many prayer groups around that foster more expressive praise of God.

5 Some may have trouble with the emotional aspects of showing gratitude. Don’t be alarmed. The bottom-line best way to express gratitude to Jesus is to live like him. In doing so, you will be making heaven itself “shout” for joy.

5 Spiritually Freeing Reasons to Dance Before the Lord

Church Praise Dance

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The first time I heard the message about dancing was in a Baptist church.

The pastor explained that we shouldn't dance because dancing leads to sex.

Seeing how smart I was, I turned to my wife and suggested that we go dancing after church. nine0005

Later in my Christian life, I encountered a Pentecostal experience that they called dancing in the Spirit.

They let out a scream and started doing what can only be described as a frenzied jig.

The dance was branded in the church as something worldly or carnal, or it was hyper-spiritual to the point where it's only allowed if you're somehow possessed by the Spirit of God, and it's not you dancing. .

I think both of these mentalities in the church are neither healthy nor biblical. nine0005

I believe there is real benefit in allowing yourself to praise the dance before the Lord.

Tables

Blood dance in the Church
- Dance to the Lord - this is a praise form
- praise as a sacrifice form
- Dance to the Lord - the sign of God's recovery in our life
- Dances for the Lord are healthy
Our Heavenly Father celebrates with a dance

Dancing before the Lord is a form of praise

Psalm 149:3 Let them praise His name with a dance; Let them sing to Him on the timbrel and the harp.

Psalm 150:4 Praise Him with timbrel and countenance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Dance is a form of praise. This is part of how God wants us to worship Him.

Dancing is part of how we express with our bodies what our heart feels towards the Lord. nine0005

In most dances, this is an expression of joy, celebration, abundance and exultation.

These feelings are sincere and should be part of the life of a believer who has been freed from the bondage of sin and is now celebrating his new life in Christ.

Dance of praise as a form of sacrifice

2 Samuel 6: 12-15

12 And it was reported to King David: The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that is in it, for the sake of the Ark of God. And David went there, and with great triumph carried the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David. 13 When the people carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six paces, David slaughtered an ox and a fattened calf. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his strength, dressed in priestly clothes. 15 And David and all the children of Israel brought in the ark of the Lord, with shouts of joy and the sound of ram's horns. nine0005

One of the biggest problems people face in dancing before the Lord is their shyness and desire for self-respect.

Both of these relationships begin with oneself.

Dancing before the Lord encourages us to bow and humble ourselves before the Lord. It becomes more important to sacrifice ourselves than to worry about what we or others think.

The dance of praise is one of the ways we offer sacrifice to God.

Dancing before the Lord is a sign of God's restoration in our lives

Jeremiah 31: 4

4 I will raise you up, my virgin Israel. You will again have fun and dance merrily with your tambourines.

Jeremiah 31:13

Then young women will dance and rejoice, young men and old. I will turn their sorrow into joy; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

When we were separated from God, we were in bondage. We were slaves to the forces of evil that bound us.

When we experience the freedom we have in Christ, we are free to dance. nine0005

The dance is a sign that God has truly set us free.

When you praise dance, much of what hinders and binds you in your Christian walk loses its grip on you.

This is not only a sign that you have been restored, but sometimes this restoration also brings.

Smith Wigglesworth said this about dancing.

"I never ask Smith Wigglesworth how he feels!" I'm jumping out of bed! I dance before the Lord for at least 10-12 minutes - dancing at high speed. I jump up and down and run around my room telling God how great He is, how wonderful He is, how happy I am to be with Him and to be His child. ” nine0005

This is the testimony of a man who experienced God's restoration and the freedom that comes with it.

Dancing for the Lord Healthy

Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is time to go through different experiences. He says that we should have a time to be born and a time to die, a time to mourn and a time to heal, a time to plant and a time to harvest. On this list, he tells us that there is time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3: 4

4 Time to cry and time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. nine0005

Everything listed here by Solomon is part of the healthy expression of human life.

This is the balanced expression of our life.

Dance is part of the healthy expression of human life.

Therefore, it is good for you to dance before the Lord.

The dance of praise celebrates God's victory

Exodus 15:19-21

19 When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen rushed into the sea, the Lord poured water on them. But the children of Israel passed through the sea on dry land! 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine and led all the women playing tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang this song: Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed, and the horse and the rider has cast into the sea. nine0005

Here we see the prophetess Miriam leading the children of Israel in the dance of victory.

Just as God gave Israel victory over those who wanted to enslave them into slavery, so God gave us victory over Satan, who will again enslave us into slavery.

That's reason enough to dance before the Lord.

Our Heavenly Father celebrates with a dance

One of the biggest things that struck me when I was looking for the Lord about worship dances was this tiny dance reference found in the story of the prodigal son. nine0005

Hatch 15: 25

“Meanwhile the eldest son was working in the fields. Returning home, he heard music and dancing in the house,

When the prodigal son returned to the Father, the Father held a feast. He had a party! There was dancing in the middle of this party.

I find a direct connection between those who get angry about dancing in church or dancing before the Lord and their place in the story.

Those who are against dancing before the Lord have the same heart as the older brother who was angry that the Father was celebrating the return of His child to Him. nine0005

What would you like to be?

The one who celebrates like the Father in the story of the prodigal son, or the older brother who was angry that people would celebrate their freedom in Christ by dancing before the Lord?

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What did Ellen White write about dancing? - News

November 13, 2019 | egw-heritage.esd-sda.org

Ellen White had a negative view of worldly pastimes, which she considered dancing to be. She believed that dancing contributes to the fact that people forget about God and are unable to resist the devil, who leads them to the most shameful deeds. nine0005

“The same spirit appeared at Belshazzar's sacrilegious feast. Stormy merriment, singing, dancing that evoked unbridled passions, the indulgence of immoderate, lustful desires - everything was mixed up in this shameful scene. God was dishonored, His people became a disgrace in the eyes of the Gentiles. Judgments were ready to fall upon these maddened, besotted crowds of people. However, God, in His mercy, gave the Jews the opportunity to leave their sins” (Testimonies for Preachers, p. 102).

At the same time, speaking of David's dance at the transfer of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, Ellen White considered it noble before God and contrasted it with modern dances, which are indulgence in pleasure and lead to immorality. nine0005

“The dance of David, filled with reverent joy before the Lord, is used by many lovers of pleasure to justify modern mass dances, but there is no basis for such an argument. Nowadays, dancing is associated with madness and nightly revels. Health and morality are sacrificed to pleasure. Dancefloor visitors do not think about God and do not revere Him. Prayer or the singing of psalms is inappropriate during such gatherings. Perseverance must be exercised against this test. Christians should not indulge in pleasures that weaken our love for all that is holy and lessen our joy in serving God. As the ark moved, the music and dancing in joyful praise of God bore no resemblance to the frivolous entertainment of modern dance. The former served as a remembrance of God and the glorification of His holy name, the latter are the tricks of Satan, pushing man to oblivion and dishonor of God” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 707). nine0005

According to Ellen White, dancing unchains a person, makes him vulnerable to temptations and sin:

“We cannot approve certain types of entertainment, such as dancing, playing cards… because Heaven condemns them. These amusements open the door to great evil. They do not have a beneficial effect, but excite and kindle in some people the passion for gambling and revelry. Christians should condemn all such games, replacing them with something completely harmless” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 514). nine0005

“While keeping our children from worldly pleasures that are capable of corrupting and misleading, we should arrange for them harmless entertainments that direct them to pleasant paths where they are not in danger. A child of God does not need sad and mournful experiences. God's commandments, God's promises say that it is. Wisdom's ways are "pleasant ways, and all her paths are peaceful" (Christian Home, p. 498). , masquerade, dancing, a card game to break the barriers of moral principles and teach to indulge sensuality. In every pleasure meeting, where pride is cherished and passions are indulged, where people forget God, lose sight of eternal interests, Satan is present, fettering the soul with his chains "( Christian home, p. 515.

Ellen White laments that “in many religious families, dancing and playing cards are recognized as pleasant pastimes… They are said to be quiet domestic pastimes that can be safely enjoyed under the supervision of parents… But in this way a love for these exciting pleasures is inculcated. They do not plant noble and holy feelings in the soul. On the contrary, they destroy every inclination to serious reflection and religious service” (Christian House, pp. 516, 517). nine0005

Let's quote one more expression which was already given in the answer to the previous question.

“Many of today's popular secular entertainments, even for so-called Christians, lead to the same end as pagan ones. As a matter of fact, there are few among them that Satan would not use to destroy souls. Throughout the ages, he has aroused passion and glorified vice through theatrical performances. He uses the opera, with its captivating music and enchanting scenery, masquerades, dances, gambling tables, to break the moral code and open the door to sensual pleasures. Satan entangles souls with his chains in every place of pleasure where only a man can encourage his pride or indulge his appetite, where a person can forget God and the interests of eternity ”(Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 459, 460).

Ellen White opposed dancing also in connection with the spread of the fanatical doctrine of "holy flesh." Its adherents argued that the followers of Christ must attain a state of physical holiness, similar to the mental agony of Christ in Gethsemane, in order to receive "holy flesh" in order to prepare for transmigration to heaven. In their worship services, the fanatics worked themselves up to an extreme degree of excitement with the help of music and dancing. Those who fainted during worship were counted among those who allegedly went through the experience of Gethsemane and received holy flesh that would transfer him to heaven” (see Selected Messages, vol. 2, pp. 31, 32). nine0005

“When the year 1844 passed, fanaticism arose in all sorts of forms… I attended their meetings, which were filled with extraordinary animation, great noise and confusion. It was impossible to make out which melody was played on wind instruments, and which one was played on keyboards. Some brothers and sisters seemed to have visions and fell to the floor. Others jumped, danced and shouted. They said that their flesh was cleansed and they were ready to move to heaven. They repeated it over and over. I gave them a testimony in the name of the Lord that He condemns such behavior” (Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 34). nine0005

In this regard, at the General Conference in 1901, Ellen White gave warnings on this subject: “Instruction was given to me concerning the recent events in the state of Indiana and the doctrine which the brethren were spreading in the churches. Through this teaching and experience, the enemy seeks to lead people astray… By showing the fallacy of their assumptions about the holy flesh, the Lord seeks to protect people from inventing theories, using His holy words, that lead to the desecration of the spirit, soul, and body” (Selected news, vol.