HAND CLAPPING: CHURCH OF CHRIST SERMON

CHURCH OF CHRIST SERMON DEALING WITH 3 ASPECTS OF HAND CLAPPING. CLAPPING WITH SONG OF PRAISE, CLAPPING FOR A SERMON, CLAPPING FOR A BAPTISM. HAND CLAPPING MAY SEEM LIKE A MINOR ISSUE TO SOME, BUT WE NEED TO TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK AT THIS TOPIC AND WHERE IT CAN LEAD.

[nelfamayawan]

Thanks brother for speaking the truth on this contentious topic. I do believe worship should be orderly and dignified because we're not offering praises to another human being but God who deserve our utmost reverence and devotion. I think most younger generations of Christians missed this part about worship. We ought to be pleasing God than ourselves. Excellent video

[coreymartin]

I. AGREE WITH AND I UNDERSTAND THAT ONLY VOCAL MUSIC IS THE ONLY TYPE OF MUSIC THAT IS AUTHRIZED BY GOD IN WORSHIP SERVICE. IF WE HAD FOLLOWED GOD"S AUTHRIZED METHOD FROM THE BEGINNING THEN A LOT OF PROBLEMS IN THE CHURCH WOULD NOT EXIST. SOME EXAMPLES WOULD BE: HOOPING, HOLLARRING, AND STOMPING OR THE SO CALLED GOSPEL RAP, GOSEL ROCK OR SHOUTING, OR A WHOLE HOST OF MAN MADE FOOLISHNESS SUCH AS MYMING WITH PAINTED FACES OR VULGAR JYRATING AND THEN CALLING IT THE "HOLY GHOST" WE REALLY NEED TO FOLLOW WHAT PLEASES GOD AND NOT OURSELVES.AMEN!

[NashekaMedley]

If God didn't command it, I'm not clapping in worship service. Just like instrumental music in worship. If God commanded it, everyone in worship service should be playing an instrument. God's word commanded us all to sing in worship Ephesians 5:19

[TheRozberry]

Thank you Bro. Collins for addressing this issue.  The congregation I attend do rhythmic clapping during congregational singing and the song leader has gone as far to announce that you are "stealing someone's joy" when members are asked not to do it.  Also our minister informed me that "you cannot tell people how to worship" to which I told him "well you have a "Book" (The Bible) that tells you".  We even had some visitors (who were friends of one of our new converts') who left right after our singing started because of all the clapping.  Also our congregation thinks they need to give "applause" during and after the sermon, after someone is baptized,   and when other members place membership when all that simply need to be done is to say "amen" as The Bible states.  You also mentioned the "beat box" song leader (and I have seen this at other congregations) finds it necessary to stand in the back with one mic and "provide the bass-line" for the songs which is totally unnecessary and that also goes for those so-called "praise teams" in worship....I don't need anybody to sing for me!  But it's like my husband always says "when you let anything and everything come through the church doors, that's when The Church ceases to be The Church".

[ggentry]

Psalm 150 King James Version (KJV)
150 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

[leader]

This sermon makes me so sad. It has no scriptural basis what so ever. This is so far fetched. Some of you preachers work overtime finding new rules to impose on your congregations. Clapping is a natural response to the JOY we find in Christ Jesus.

[AlParr_CTC]

An excellent treatment of the subject (I Peter 4:11), right handling of scripture (II Tim. 2:15), and the godly spirit (Eph. 4:15). Thank you, brother Collins, for a much needed lesson well delivered.

[Honeybtru]

Thanks Brother Collins for this video for all to see. More Churches of Christ need to recognize what is an acceptable worship according to the new testament.

[richmondg]

Thanks bro Cougan.Thanks for contending for the faith once and for all offered to the saints.We face the problem of adding our thoughts and feelings to the word of God instead of taking God's word as it is.
Preaching in season and out of season, keep on the good work
We seek never to please men but God, may the grace of God always strengthen you to continue in the work of the kingdom.

[dumahsandy]

I agree with what was said. question if we are at a congregation that claps but u don't clap because it's wrong does that means that u agree with it. what should I do?

[InfoNathan]

Sorry, brother Collins but I think this is a poor use of preaching time. How does this message attract the lost to the Lord? I have been a member of the CoC for 43 years. It is the waste of time and energy focused on petty things like this that is making some CoC's less relevant to the world and could be why we've seen a decline in membership over the past several years. We do not worship with MI where I worship, and I have never been a member of an MI congregation. That said, this is our tradition in the CoC and we need to own up to the fact that it is simply a tradition and not a command. I have a hard time believing that somewhere between the OT and NT that God decided that He did not like MI. It was perfectly acceptable and in fact commanded in the OT. You are correct in that we should sing and worship with our hearts but it is fallacious reasoning to say that those two things are mutually exclusive-- worshipping with our hearts and worshipping with MI .
And small side note....nobody uses Wikipedia as a legitimate reference.

[platinum]

This video/discussion is in violation of 2 Timothy 2:23.. Clapping is not a “practice” it is a preference. Labeling anything a practice would insinuate that the church of Christ has no autonomy thus making us a denomination. You cannot call rhythmic clapping an aide unless you have researched and asked everyone who claps during worship. Clapping is not an aide, it’s an emotional expression. If you can attend, shout, or even clap during secular events, one should be able to have that same if not greater emotional exuberance while worshipping the Lord… Unless worship does not stir your emotion at all. This is a vain conversation attempting to police someone’s worship and is causing us to miss souls that need to be saved. It is my prayer that you and anyone who agrees with you come to repentance & embrace the freedom in Christ Jesus and release yourself from the bonds of humankind…. By the way, where in the New Testament is instrumental music condemned and where in the New Testament is it confirmed that NT Christians did NOT practice capella musical worship to God?

[theonlyone-xcpu]

When we sing, we sing in harmony. Can we say the same regarding clapping or any other instrument? If a non-member walks in and the congregation is all singing (one could easily be directed to the page or words to the song) but how could you instruct the entire congregation to clapping in harmony or any other non-scriptural form of sound

[mensajerodelapalabra]

It makes me sad to see how many people oppose to this. Perhaps, that is the reason why the church is in decay... It seems that everything becomes acceptable now, and the first thing we are called is narrow minded. The truth is that open mind means "lack of conviction". Many, coC people forget that we have converts from other denominations and when the truth is accepted they keep some of the ideas they had. If we do a deper study we could see that clapping comes from pentecostal movement. We have to be careful, God does care how we worship, perhaps Nadab and Abihu were open minded in worship, but we know how that ended Lev. 10. Thank you brother as we need more people to stand for the truth.

[ParkerHarless]

As a former denominational Christian and former worship band instrumentalist, I've sometimes felt the urge to stomp on beats 1 & 3 and clap on beats 2 & 4 especially with hymns like "Get Right Church" and "Jesus Is Coming Soon." I'm really glad I hadn't acted out on that urge in church hahaha

[harleco]

Psalm 150
1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

[coreymartin]

WE REALLY NEED TO OBEY WHAT PLEASES GOD SND NOT OURSELVES. AMEN!

[jasongibson]

I miss the Hymns that grew up with, but I will never be a member of the Church of Christ ever again. I grew up in the Church of Christ and my generation disowned me for listening to Bill and Gloria Gaither and Sandi Patty. So, I had no friends in the Church of Christ. Now, I attend the MCC a gay church that talks about love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. The Church of Christ I grew up with spread hate and not teaching God's love. Sometimes, when I can not go to Atlanta, I attend the local Church of God. I do not think it is a sin to listen to Bill and Gloria or Sandi Patty. I am getting more healthy after leaving the church of Christ. I have a lot of late 1990's and 2000's Bill and Gloria Gaither Home Coming videos and I feel like I am worshiping Jesus. Jesus is and has always been about love. My former Church of Christ spread hate. I never attend a Church of Christ that spreads hate.

[larrymcclain]

When a church goes in this direction it is usually the doorway for other unbiblical things to come. The New Testament assembly is not about a carnal experience (Acts 17:24-25; John 4:24), but a spiritual one. 1 Corinthians 14:16 explicitly explains how we are to respond affirmatively in the assembly, words that mean things, understanding, etc. 1 Cor. 14:13-15.

[whittman]

I appreciate your desire to honor God's word as the standard. In that same spirit I would like to ask, where does the scripture teach that the use of instruments to aid in worship. We see in Psalm 50 that the use of instruments in addition to dancing was welcomed and encouraged. Why would that change as a part of the new covenant? Where does the NT show any command that it is wrong or associate instrumental worship with sin? Could it be possible that the COC is passing judgment on a disreputable matter (Rom. 14)?