Three Current Examples - 3

No Loud Worship

Finally, how do rules against loud worship and prayer that distract others from seeking God violate God's words? This may seam like a trick question because we are to consider others before ourselves and not cause weaker members to stumble. However, we are to consider God before we consider others.

And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE Lord YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. Matthew 22:37-38

Any rule for any reason that gives any precedence to any created thing rather than to God will automatically nullify the great and foremost commandment through idolatry.

Loud worship is commanded in the Bible in many places. Just look up the word "shout" in any concordance and this command becomes apparent very quickly. David's tabernacle was filled with 4000 musicians praising the Lord, 1 Chronicles 23:5. 4000 divided by 168 hours in the week equals an average of 23.8 musicians per hour of the day. With 23.8 musicians playing music, David's tabernacle was not as quiet as a library.

The worship in heaven is described as a voice like many waters by John who heard it with human ears, Revelation 19:6. That volume was coming from many people in heaven. Niagra Falls would be hard pressed to compete with such volume. With 23.8 musicians and a whole lot of singers in one earthly tabernacle the volume would approach only a small sample of the volume in heaven. However, His INTENDED will would be done and a replica of His kingdom would come on earth just as it is in heaven, Exodus 25:9. Loud worship in spirit and truth is not from the evil one and is therefore not that which tears down or distracts someone from God. Complainers do that to themselves.

The battle is in the mind not the volume of worship, Romans 8:6-8, 2 Corinthians 10:5. The enemy is not flesh and blood but principalities, Ephesians 6:12, that dwell in arid places, Matthew 12:43, Luke 11:24. If a person is distracted by loud worship, that distraction is taking place in the mind of the one distracted. It is not coming from any loud worshiper. The one who is distracted by loud worship is battling lies within their own mind that results in blaming the one doing God's will. 

It is our own logs that prevent clear understanding, Matthew 7:5; Luke 6:42, or separates us from God, Isaiah 59:2. Ezekiel 12:2. Judging loud worship as a distraction from God's presence is blame shifting especially when others are forced to endure loud sound systems just for the sake of reaching out to the younger generation. Still others are forced to bare with the mistakes or horrifically loud squawks from sound-system feedback. Those who bear up with such "distractions" have learned to bear up through practice.

But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Hebrews 5:14  

Now let's pretend for a moment that there are a lot of people moving away from a loud worshiper in the room. Are we aloud to make judgments based upon these appearances, John 7:24? Consider this, what if 100% of those moving away were doing so because they were considering the loud worshiper before themselves. Shutting up the loud worshiper could not only put an end to worship in spirit and truth but also put an end to the love expressed by those moving away. This would be a complete loose-loose scenario for God.

Let's also consider the extreme possibility that 100% of the people moving away are indeed offended by the single loud worshiper. To put an end to the single loud worship would also be a loose-loose scenario for God in that 1) God accepts our frail worship because we cannot give perfect worship. Otherwise, the Holy Spirit's interceding on our behalf would become vain. 2) Furthermore, when offended people move away to seek their own space they are bearing with the loud worshiper and thus producing perseverance which is an attribute of love. In other words, their practice has made perfect.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Colossians 3:12-13

We've considered both potential behaviors of those bearing with a loud worshiper. Now let's consider both potential behaviors of the loud worshiper himself. Let's assume the loud worshiper is 100% sincere and not showing off in the least. Does anyone really want to explain to God why they came between God and this kind of worshiper whom God is seeking, John 4:23-24?

Ok, now the harder scenario, loud self-glory motivated worship. What is wrong with putting down our own agenda to gather around the self-glory seeker and pray for that person while they are engaging in the loud worship? When a person is seeking attention there is a need and brokenness in their heart that needs to be healed. Is not compassion for that individual the proper route to take rather than condemnation for any reason, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4? 

If Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world of lack of sincerity, does man have a right to condemn another man's sincerity, John 8:7? Would not love bear with another man's weakness and let God judge sincerity? After all, is that not what we are taught with regards to platform ministry mistakes when ministering God's anointing according to our own level of faith, Romans 12:3-6?

We know Jesus did not seek His own glory and He gave us a clue to recognize others who are seeking their own glory.

"He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. John 7:18

"But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. John 8:50

nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority. 1 Thessalonians 2:6

However, the apostles would not even assert their own God given authority so as to prevent the accusation that they were glory seekers and thus hamper the Gospel of Christ. Today, there are so many preachers that talk about their own walk even though the following was spoken by Jesus Himself:

If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true. John 5:31-32

The apostles even explained what Jesus meant in the following:

Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands. Acts 14:3

Jesus concurs with the above here:

Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. John 10:25

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." John 10:37-38

Loud tongues or loud quotes of scripture in praise to God, in other words, loud worship in spirit and truth, is not what Jesus was speaking about in John 7:18 even though weaker brothers and sisters may be distracted by it. Jesus very clearly set the example of loud public praise to God as found in Matthew 11:25 and Luke 10:21. Such worship was perfectly appropriate at the spur of the moment.

Loud cries to God were so acceptable to Jesus that such cries distracted Jesus from His own plans. Check it out here:

Then they *came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him here." So they *called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you." Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And the blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!" And Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road. Mark 10:46-52  

Please also consider the example given to us by King David. He worshiped with all his strength in such a way as to distinguish himself among the people. Yet, it was Michal that was chastised with a barren womb for despising such worship, 2 Samuel 6:20-23. Those who do the same thing the disciples did in Matthew 19:13 will find the same rebuke from Jesus in Matthew 19:14. The same is true for doing what the disciples did in Mark 10:48. Here Jesus attended to the cry of the beggar by first commanding those demanding silence to repent and call the beggar to Jesus.

Loud worship of any kind does not justify condemning a person of the sin of disruption. The issue then is not loud worship but the right to force one brother to obey the rules of etiquette defined by another. This is not brotherly love, Romans 12:10, as demonstrated by the apostles in 1 Thessalonians 2:6.

• Moses' Example
• Pharisee Examples
• Today's Application
  • First Problem
  • Second Problem
• Three Current Examples
  • Keep Your Shoes On
  • No Laptops in the First Four Rows
  • No Loud Worship
• Testing Paul's Words
• The Addition
• God's Original Design
• The Subtraction
• The Curse
• Conclusion of the Matter

Copyright (c) 2013 by Diane Pebley All rights reserved, no use granted without the express written permission of the author, Diane Pebley