Throughout the
adult Sunday school-hour a charismatic brother with a booming voice interjected, “Thank
you Jesus, Praise the Lord, Hallelujah…” Often his adulation drowned out the
prayer requests and the teacher’s comments. His hand clapping, sidebar
commentary and repeating the teacher’s words actually drew my attention to him
and away from the Lord. No one wants to squelch the Spirit living in our charismatic
brothers; however, Paul calls us to orderly worship, “For God is not a God of
disorder but of peace” (1 Cor 14:33 NIV).
1 comment:
Gail;
-----Paul tells us in I Corinthians 14:32-33a that “…the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” His point was that everyone with something to share should do this one at a time in an orderly manner. And meanwhile, if another is stirred by something to add, he should await an opportune time. But, like Presbyterians seem to overlook I Timothy 2:12-13 and even I Corinthians 14:33b-38 and Seventh Day Adventists overlook Galatians 5:4-5 and Mormons overlook Revelation 22:18-19, Pentecostals seem to overlook the whole second half of I Corinthians 14. It is odd that people dare overlook anything in God’s Holy Word. It is odder yet that they go making big noise “unto” the Lord in the same manner His Word intimates He does not want to hear. I know Jesus said we should come to Him like infants, but I don’t think He meant we should stay with Him like infants. In the same sense, the “come as you are” crowd never realized that after coming we are not really supposed to stay like we are. We are all to grow up in the Lord from one degree of glory to the next, which I always presumed meant getting better and better at doing more and more of what His Word says. But again, maybe ever since I was baptized I’ve just been all wet. Most preachers seem to think so. Maybe I should listen to them, like the myriads of others in a thousand different denominations have. Nah. I think I’ll stick to God’s Word and love everyone else in the Lord the same way I have to love myself: overlooking for now the stupid stuff I am till the Lord’s had a chance to wise me up later, if He’ll ever get a round to-it (I think we‘re suppose to give Him one of those with each of our prayers.)
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Post a Comment