One Sunday morning, at roughly 10:12 am, during the middle of the second song, a person on the worship team began to sing and “move” with more enthusiasm than usual. This caused quite a commotion amongst the little girls in the front row. But I’m pretty sure that the outward commotion amongst the little girls was probably multiplied amongst the adults, only they kept it on the inside. This is what happens in a church where little enthusiasm is shown during corporate praise and worship.
Corporate praise and worship is private praise and worship gone public, which means our corporate worship is fueled by our private worship. If we’re not worshipping during the week, we’re probably not going to come on Sunday, switch worship mode to “on”, and worship in spirit and in truth. This is because our worship is not event-centered. It is Jesus-centered. Corporate worship is more than an event. It’s the gathering of God’s people around Jesus, who He is and what He’s done. And when we faithfully gather and truly respond to HIM, there is a life, an electricity, a power, a joy, an enthusiasm that should be unmistakable and unrivaled.
Is there any god like our God? Any Savior besides Jesus?! If not, there should be nothing and no one we respond to with more enthusiasm than Jesus Christ.
PROPER ENTHUSIASM
Worship is expected. So is enthusiasm. Here is a definition for enthusiasm: “intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval”. Emotion is not weird and enthusiasm is not abnormal. God created us to enjoy and to express enjoyment. So, why should we expect an enthusiastic response during a wedding or a birthday or for a big game or a big surprise, but not expect any response of this sort when we come to praise and worship Jesus?
COMMANDED ENTHUSIASM
Worship is commanded. So is the physical, emotional act of worship. For example, Psalm 47:1 commands us to, “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!”, and Psalm 95:1 to, “come, let us sing for joy to the Lord”. In Psalm 134:2 we are told, “Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the Lord.” In Psalm 95:6, “Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” It’s hard to lift up your hands or to bow down without anyone noticing! God commands His people to praise and worship Him in ways that are physical and with emotion. Yet we must not forget that it is GOD’S glory that causes deep enjoyment, interest, approval, feeling, emotion - ENTHUSIASM - to arise out of the heart of His people. God is not commanding water from a stone when He commands praise from His people. Jesus has already turned our hearts of stone into new, living and feeling hearts. Worship is the natural, free-flowing love of our heart towards Jesus.
PERSONAL ENTHUSIASM
Worship is personal. Worship is one’s own personal response of adoration towards God. And because it is personal it will be expressed in a way that is unique to an individual’s personality. It is wrong for me to say that your worship must be expressed LIKE my worship. And it is equally absurd to suggest a certain level of enthusiasm must be reached for true worship. Since God has “fearfully and wonderfully” made each of us (Psalm 139:14), our worship will be expressed in wonderfully unique ways. But here’s the thing: there will be an emotional and enthusiastic expression. We all top-out emotionally in different ways. Some are more exuberant and outgoing than others. But whatever our emotional make-up, our praise and worship of Jesus should be with all the enthusiasm our redeemed heart can give. From the depth, width and height of our inward being, may we long to worship Jesus, who alone is worthy of ALL and EVERY expression of praise and worship.
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