THE GREATEST VIRTUE (2 OF 8)
Scripture: II CORINTHIANS 5:17-21
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The Greatest Virtue (2 of 8)
Series: A Treasury of Virtues
Dr. J. Gerald Harris
II Corinthians 5:17-21
I am so grateful for the life which God has breathed into our worship services. I believe they are marked by the presence and power of God. In II Corinthians 3:17, the Bible says, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty." Now, I don't think that means we need to be jumping pews, but, thank God, I don't see anybody sleeping in the pews either.
I've always said this. If God prompts you to raise your hands in worship, don't be critical of those who don't. And if you are not led to raise your hands in worship, please don't be critical of those who do. And the applause is all right if you are making a praise offering to God. The Bible says, "Clap your hands all ye people and shout unto God with a voice of triumph." But we need to be careful not to applaud a performance. In our culture we often show our appreciation through applause. But when you respond to something in that way, make sure that you are showing your appreciation to God, because He alone is worthy and He is the one who gives us such gifted people and talented people. He is the one who gives people voices to sing and the ability to play musical instruments, and He alone can anoint a preacher to proclaim the message of truth. When I come out here, my prayer is always the prayer of the apostle Paul recorded in I Corinthians 2:4 when he said, I pray that "my speech and my preaching will not be with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
But we're here to praise the Lord, aren't we? "I don't know what you came to do, but I just came to praise the Lord." And, you know, sometimes that gets folks out of sorts.
When I was the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Camden, SC, we had a conference on revival with Jack Taylor and Bertha Smith. And I want you to know that things got pretty exciting that week in that ...
Series: A Treasury of Virtues
Dr. J. Gerald Harris
II Corinthians 5:17-21
I am so grateful for the life which God has breathed into our worship services. I believe they are marked by the presence and power of God. In II Corinthians 3:17, the Bible says, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty." Now, I don't think that means we need to be jumping pews, but, thank God, I don't see anybody sleeping in the pews either.
I've always said this. If God prompts you to raise your hands in worship, don't be critical of those who don't. And if you are not led to raise your hands in worship, please don't be critical of those who do. And the applause is all right if you are making a praise offering to God. The Bible says, "Clap your hands all ye people and shout unto God with a voice of triumph." But we need to be careful not to applaud a performance. In our culture we often show our appreciation through applause. But when you respond to something in that way, make sure that you are showing your appreciation to God, because He alone is worthy and He is the one who gives us such gifted people and talented people. He is the one who gives people voices to sing and the ability to play musical instruments, and He alone can anoint a preacher to proclaim the message of truth. When I come out here, my prayer is always the prayer of the apostle Paul recorded in I Corinthians 2:4 when he said, I pray that "my speech and my preaching will not be with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
But we're here to praise the Lord, aren't we? "I don't know what you came to do, but I just came to praise the Lord." And, you know, sometimes that gets folks out of sorts.
When I was the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Camden, SC, we had a conference on revival with Jack Taylor and Bertha Smith. And I want you to know that things got pretty exciting that week in that ...
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