When I think of worship I think of lifting your hands high to the Heavens and singing with gusto out of reverence and love for the Lord and all that he has done. Whether I am in my car or at home, I make sure that I worship regularly. There are also other ways to worship as well besides singing (Psalm 100:1-2) and praise and thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20). They include: dancing such as when King David was offering sacrifices to God when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. 1 Samuel 6:12-14. Observing annual feast days such as the feast of Passover (Matthew 26:17) using our spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1) and being a living sacrifice. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies
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Then immediately afterward the amount that people had given were announced aloud as if it were an auction house instead of a place of worship. When it came time to shake each other’s hands, people mainly kept to themselves and just sat there. Could I have extended my hand? Absolutely, but the look I was getting from people made me feel like I would be rejected and/or ignored. The final straw for me was when I filled out a card with my information and the pastor called me and said that he could fill me with the Holy Spirit. I was taken aback. A person can’t fill me with the Holy Spirit, only God can. Then he went on to say that the church lays hands on new members and once they speak in tongues then they will be invited to be active members. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in …show more content…
I am not saying I was isolated because of my race but maybe because I was not of them- someone who was not non-denominational. One of my gifts isn’t speaking in tongues and I didn’t donate large amounts of money to the church so I was an outsider from their perspective. The practices were completely different than what I was used to and the people were more rigid, unfriendly (except for a chosen few) and like robots. Overall, to sum it up I would have to say that it was an experience that I will not want to have again. I did end up going back to my regular church where the congregation is mostly Hispanic and Caucasian and the difference in not only the people but the atmosphere is like night and day to one I went to for this paper. I refuse to forsake assembling due to a bad experience. I know just to stick to the church where I feel comfortable and the word of God is homiletic. That other church definitely needs to read Galatians “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28,
Then immediately afterward the amount that people had given were announced aloud as if it were an auction house instead of a place of worship. When it came time to shake each other’s hands, people mainly kept to themselves and just sat there. Could I have extended my hand? Absolutely, but the look I was getting from people made me feel like I would be rejected and/or ignored. The final straw for me was when I filled out a card with my information and the pastor called me and said that he could fill me with the Holy Spirit. I was taken aback. A person can’t fill me with the Holy Spirit, only God can. Then he went on to say that the church lays hands on new members and once they speak in tongues then they will be invited to be active members. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in …show more content…
I am not saying I was isolated because of my race but maybe because I was not of them- someone who was not non-denominational. One of my gifts isn’t speaking in tongues and I didn’t donate large amounts of money to the church so I was an outsider from their perspective. The practices were completely different than what I was used to and the people were more rigid, unfriendly (except for a chosen few) and like robots. Overall, to sum it up I would have to say that it was an experience that I will not want to have again. I did end up going back to my regular church where the congregation is mostly Hispanic and Caucasian and the difference in not only the people but the atmosphere is like night and day to one I went to for this paper. I refuse to forsake assembling due to a bad experience. I know just to stick to the church where I feel comfortable and the word of God is homiletic. That other church definitely needs to read Galatians “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28,