Colossians 3:16 says Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Christian worship is not like the physical and mental meditation practices of the Sulfi Muslims who spin around in a circle vying for a euphoric experience. These Whirling Dervishes believe that they can abandon “one's nafs, egos or personal desires, by listening to the music, focusing on God, and spinning one's body in repetitive circles.” It is about getting completely within oneself and getting an emotional euphoric high. Unfortunately, too many Christians act similarly. They come to corporate worship and squeeze their eyes incredibly tight hoping they can leave behind everyone around them and get a right feeling. Corporate worship is not about you getting alone with God and getting your emotional cathartic release. We are supposed to be singing to and with each other. We are to be teaching and admonishing one another in corporate worship. Yes, our hearts our engaged in thankfulness but that is far different then this idea that you have to squeeze your eyes tight and drum up some kind of emotional feeling. The whole point of corporate worship is to be edifying and encouraging each other as a body of believers giving thanks to God. It is not an individualistic thing. It is not about getting a spiritual high. Christian worship is about sharing and receiving truth and being moved by that truth to thankfulness to God. And for clarification, I am not saying we should never close our eyes or be moved by the truth being sung. In fact, our worship should be accompanied by the correct emotions. The point is that emotions and euphoric feelings are not the goal of worship. God's glory and the edification of the church body are. For that reason, it is often good to be looking around while we sing with and to each other. The next time you are at worship, open your eyes and get together with God and his people.
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