60 Questions About the Godhead http://upci.org/doctrine/60Questions.asp
The Holy Ghost http://upci.org/doctrine/holyGhost.asp
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HOW WE WORSHIP THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: Many people that enter into a Pentecostal Service for the first time, come under pre-conceived notions. Please take a few minutes to read and understand why we worship the Lord Jesus Christ in the ways we do and why we believe in certain practices. All the things we do are supported by scripture and they are referenced at the end of each paragraph.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. JOHN 4:23-24
TRUTH: Truth is the most important ingredient in worship. Many churches have tried to imitate Pentecostal worship without embracing Apostolic (sound, Biblical) doctrine or without abandoning false doctrines of their past. One can shout without having truth, but when one has the truth, they cannot help but shout. God's people celebrate and rejoice in the revelation and knowledge of God's truth. MATTHEW 15:7-9, MARK 7:7-9
MUSIC, SINGING & MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS: While there are some churches that teach that musical instruments have no place in the church, the truth of the matter is that the early Christian church was made up primarily of Jewish converts. These people had been brought up to worship in Hebrew fashion, primarily after the model and exhortations of David in his Psalms. Most early Christians felt comfortable worshipping in the Hebrew temples and synagogues, where music, shouting, dancing, etc. were all quite prevalent. It was not for many years that Christians began to construct their own buildings, and when they did, there is no evidence that they discontinued worshipping according to the manner encouraged by the Psalmist David in the Biblical Book of Psalms. Music & singing are an integral part of worship as they help to bring all of God's people into unity and harmony of voice and spirit. It sets the mood as the Spirit of the Lord dictates, and each musician is expected to be earnestly seeking the mind of God concerning that which they play as they are not playing for or of themselves but rather as an ingredient in the corporate worship experience. Psalms 33:1-3, Psalms 150:1-6, 1 Chronicles 16:9, Acts 16:25-34
KNEELING: God's people often kneel while praying in an act of submission and humility. Kneeling before the Lord acknowledges His supremacy and position as Lord and King in our lives.
Acts 7:60, Acts 9:40, Acts 20:36
RAISING HANDS/ARMS: God's people may raise their hands and/or arms in the air. This is done as an act of submission and surrender as one makes themselves available to God for service. It also can symbolize one's desire to be closer to God, or to touch Him - as it were. Psalms 28:2, Psalms 63:4,Psalms 134:2
HAND CLAPPING: Applause is a common sign of approval, acceptance, or agreement. God's people clap their hands in a joyful expression of worship. Occasionally the church may applaud that which the pastor says while preaching. It is not the pastor that they applaud, but rather that which he is speaking. Psalms 47:1
SHOUTING: Old-Testament Hebrew worship was joyous, jubilant, and demonstrative. We serve a real and living God, therefore their is no shame in one's raising their voice in praise, adoration, or prayer. God's people will often shout out with a loud and extended shout as they express victory, deliverance, or joy. Satan is described as "the prince and power of the air," and while he loves for the airwaves to be filled with folks making a great noise over such small matters as a pigskin ball being carried over a white line, he detests it when God's people lay aside inhibitions and put forth energy to worship God with a shout or loud noise. Ezra 3:11, Psalms 5:11, Psalms 132:16
AFFIRMATION: While the pastor preaches, songs are being sung, or individuals testify; it is common for members of the congregation to affirm or support what he is saying by vocalizing an "amen" or similar comment. By doing this visitors are able to know that the people agree with and support what is being sung, spoken, or preached. Deuteronomy 27:15, 1 Kings 1:36, Psalms 106:48, 1 Corinthians 14:16
DANCING, LEAPING, OR JUMPING: God's people may engage in a joyful expression of leaping, running, or dancing as an expression of victory, joy, celebration, or deliverance. On such glorious occasions as folks being baptized in the name of the Lord, folks being delivered from demonic oppression or possession, or folks being healed, etc., God's people may respond by dancing. We do not encourage people to merely break out in a dance in the church for no reason and never promote dancing that is vulgar in any way, as we should always to enter the house of God with reverence and dignity, but when the Spirit of God is so moving as to inspire or motivate an individual to dance, there is absolutely no prohibition against their obeying the Lord and doing so. Individuals frequently become excited and thrilled when they have been healed or delivered and the dance is an expression of "the Holy Ghost falling on" them. Psalms 149:3, 2 Samuel 6:14, LUKE 6:22-23,
ISAIAH 35:4-6, ACTS 3:6-8
SPEAKING WITH OTHER TONGUES: Those of God's people who have received the Holy Ghost baptism are enabled by the Spirit of God to speak in other languages, otherwise unknown to them, as the Spirit of God enables them to do so. They may do this while worshipping or praying.
An individual may also feel inspired to speak forth with what we refer to as a "message" in another language, according to the direction and motivation of God's Spirit. The church will become silent when a message in tongues is being delivered. When this happens, an interpretation of that message should follow be it through that person or someone else. When God causes a message in tongues and an interpretation to come forth in a worship service, we as a church should reverence the Holy Ghost during this time and refrain from quenching the spirit, as there may be souls in the balance. Mark 16:14-18, Acts 2:1-4,Acts 19:1-7,
1 Corinthians 14:36-40
PROPHECY: Furthermore, when one of God's people begin to address a person in the first person, it is generally accepted that they are delivering a word of prophecy which God has placed in their spirit for that moment. Prophecy is meant to address the church for the purposes of encouragement, direction, rebuke, exhortation, or encouragement. The church will become silent when a prophetic message is being delivered. Every "prophecy" is to be weighed against the Word of God, and the spirit by which it is delivered. A prophecy is never assumed to be of God, but rather the people of God will "try" (test, weigh, discern) the spirit to see if it be God or not, and if it is deemed to have come from God, someone, often the pastor, will confirm that the Lord has spoken in truth. The Bible teaches that prophecy is specifically for the edification of the church/believers. Romans 12:4-8, I CORINTHIANS 12:4-11, Acts 2:14-18, I Corinthians 14:29-33
LAYING ON OF HANDS, HOLDING HANDS, & ANOINTING THE SICK WITH OIL: God's people are directed by Scripture to lay hands upon those for whom they are praying, particularly in matters relating to healing or deliverance. Laying hands upon an individual signifies that the person being prayed for, as well as the persons or person praying for that individual, are in agreement concerning the matter over which they are praying. Olive oil, the oil common to Israel in Biblical times, is used to anoint the sick as an act of obedience. Anointing with oil reminds us that God remains with us to heal and help, even after those who pray for us have left. Oil is representative in Scripture of the Holy Spirit, or God's presence.
When a child of God lays hands upon a person, they are lending their faith to that individual regarding the matter over which they are praying. There are no "magic powers" transferred in the laying on of hands. Sometimes an individual will feel a very real physical sensation when an individual or group lays hands upon them, but this is simply because at that moment that hands are laid upon them, the individuals unite their faith and God frequently moves instantly concerning that matter. What they are feeling is not anything that originates in the person laying hands on them, but rather, they are feeling God answering their prayer, by His power and Spirit, at the exact moment that hands have been laid upon them. Mark 6:5,
Luke 4:40, Acts 13:3, MARK 6:12-13, JAMES 5:14-15
"IN THE SPIRIT": When an individual is "in the Spirit," as we describe it, you can sense and know that they are genuinely being motivated and moved by the Spirit of the Lord and they are not merely acting of their own volition. Folks who act on their own are said to be, "in the flesh." Anyone can leap, jump, or dance, and shout; but it takes a Spirit-filled child of God to be able to "plug into" the flow and direction of God's Spirit so that the whole tenor and direction of a service is entirely orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. We do try to be understanding and flexible relative to ones who may be acting on their own, and are not genuinely in the Spirit, as some may not fully understand the specifics of "Spirit-filled" worship. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, JOHN 4:23-24, Revelation 1:9-20, Revelation 21:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10
The final word in all Christian worship is found in God's Word;
"Let all things be done decently and in order."
I CORINTHIANS 14:40
How We Worship......
Sister Skyla Hardee... baptized in Jesus name.
Sister Kathy Hardee... baptized in Jesus name.
The Hardee Family... baptized in Jesus name.