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NASB | John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 4:24 "God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." |
Bible Question: Dear Saints, I wonder....In many churches in our land, it has become common practice to applaud. Applaud the choir. Applaud a soloist. Applaud the preacher when he makes a good point. Applaud just about everything but the collection plate :-).....What are your thoughts about this practice? Does it enhance the worship of God or detract from it? Is the worship service being turned into a performance? Is there any Scripture that might be applied to support or refute the practice? --Hank |
Bible Answer: First - it depends on your definition of worship. According to my study, worship is bowing low to the ground - being prostrate, before He who has absolute rule over you. The heart and mind need to be bowed before Him, too. The focus is on Him, no matter what anyone else does. I disagree when words for service, religion and others are translated worship. Again, I do not care what the experts say. When we clap our hands or otherwise acknowledege people - the focus is on them, not Him ... at best, it is split. We can let others praise us (Pro. 27:2) and we are tested by the praise we recieve (vs. 21) ... but there is danger when we seek praise (John 12:43). Clapping hand is a cultural thing. Steve |