Psalm 63:4 – David Lifting His Hands in Worship
Published July 13, 2011 | 
Psalm 63:3-4 – Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
David states in this psalm that part of his personal practice of worship was lifting up his hands in the name of the Lord. The past century has seen a resurgence of that practice in Christian churches. I do not consider the practice a matter of right or wrong, good or bad. It is ultimately a personal matter of the heart, and not something that those who lead worship should encourage or discourage. No one could know for certain the motive, heart attitude, or thoughts of another as they engage in worship with this physical expression. At the same time, as something that goes expressed and noticed as part of public worship, we need to think carefully about it so that it does not become a vain an empty practice.
Here are some observations I have made over the years, and some good questions to ask as you evaluate your own thinking and practice in this area.
First, notice that there are many Old Testament examples (not commands) of raising hands in worship or prayer (Psalm 28:2, 88:9, 119:48, 134:2, 141:2, 143:6; Ezra 9:5; Nehemiah 8:6; 2 Chronicles 6:12-13). There are, however, many other outward expressions of worship in the Old Testament too. We need to recognize that Christians noticeably do not imitate or practice every form of physical expression of worship that we see in the Old Testament (nor should we). Generally we do not see Christians publicly lie prostrate in repentant sorrow, tearing their clothes, putting on dustcloth and ashes, or burning incense. One might argue that perhaps the church would be served by engaging in these practices as well. Common sense, however, makes it clear that those outward expressions of worship were part of the religious culture of Judaism, and are not necessarily prescriptive of what we should practice today. Perhaps it wouldn’t be wrong, but it would probably not be understood or appreciated in our cultural setting (much like foot washing, which served a helpful purpose in the dusty Middle Eastern sandal culture, but loses its significance today).
Second, we should point out that there are some physical expressions of worship mandated in the New Testament. Both baptism and communion are outward, physical expressions of worship. As well, lifting up hands as part of corporate prayer is also commanded in the New Testament (1 Timothy 2:8). That recognition means we can’t see hand-raising as merely a cultural practice. It did carry a practical and symbolic significance right into the New Testament church age.
Third, the contexts in which you see raising of hands as part of prayer and worship indicate that it served a number of possible purposes. (1) There is a connection with holiness, both acknowledgement and praise for God’s holiness (Psa 28:2, 63:4, 134:2), and a personal desire for God to produce holiness in the life of the worshipper (Psa 141:1-2). Unholy, unrepentant people, would never have lifted up their hands, exposing the sins they were “clutching onto,” to a holy God. (2) Lifting hands is also seen as a way to invite God’s blessing and presence as part of worship (Psa 143:6). We now have the indwelling Spirit as a constant and personal presence with us. This does not make the invitation and request less necessary, any more than a child who is in the presence of their mommy would not reach up and ask to be held sometimes. (3) As well, lifting of hands in worship is seen as an expression of thanks and dependence upon God and His Word (Psa 88:9, 119:48, 28:1-2; Neh 8:6; Lam 3:41).
I appreciate how Sam Storms combines these ideas in his own explanation of the practice. He notes first that if you don’t know WHY you are doing it, then it violates the principle that you must worship with understanding. He says:
By all means, we must worship with understanding. We must think rightly of God and love him with our heart and soul and mind (see Mt. 22:37). But we are not, for that reason, any less physical beings…why do I worship with hands raised? Because like one who surrenders to a higher authority, I yield to God’s will and ways and submit to his guidance and power and purpose in my life. It is my way of saying, “God, I am yours to do with as you please.” Because like one who expresses utter vulnerability, I say to the Lord: “I have nothing to hide. I come to you open handed, concealing nothing. My life is yours to search and sanctify. I’m holding nothing back. My heart, soul, spirit, body and will are an open book to you.” Because like one who needs help, I confess my utter dependency on God for everything. I cry out: “O God, I entrust my life to you. If you don’t take hold and uplift me, I will surely sink into the abyss of sin and death. I rely on your strength alone. Preserve me. Sustain me. Deliver me.” Because like one who happily and expectantly receives a gift from another, I declare to the Lord: “Father, I gratefully embrace all you want to give. I’m a spiritual beggar. I have nothing to offer other than my need of all that you are for me in Jesus. So glorify yourself by satisfying me wholly with you alone.” Because like one who aspires to direct attention away from self to the Savior, I say: “O God, yours is the glory; yours is the power; yours is the majesty alone!” Because as the beloved of God, I say tenderly and intimately to the Lover of my soul: “Abba, hold me. Protect me. Reveal your heart to me. I am yours! You are mine! Draw near and enable me to know and feel the affection in your heart for this one sinful soul.”
Is this your heart’s attitude as you raise your hands in worship? There are still other questions that can be asked.
I often wonder if everyone who raises their hands during worship has carefully considered what the expression is intended to express from their heart? If you cannot answer definitively what you are expressing through the action, then you must ask what your motive was for doing it in the first place. Can an action without an understood purpose truly be called worship? Again, I’m not judging everyone’s motive who does practice it, but simply reminding you that YOU must examine your own heart if you do. It is possible that hand-raising for many people has simply become a part of their “Christian culture” and is practiced simply because people around them are doing it. It could easily become just like the Old Testament sacrifices that were offered by cold-hearted worshippers who were just “going through the motions” of Judaism. Their sacrifices were not always an expression of surrender, dependence, thanksgiving, repentance and affection toward God. And so He says, “Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required [or desired]” (Psa 40:6; see also 1 Sam 15:22, Isa 1:11, Hos 6:6 and Matt 9:13). Likewise, hands raised outwardly without the proper heart attitude inwardly is just like those vain sacrifices — it means nothing to God, and in fact, He does not desire it. True worship is a matter of the heart primarily, not the hands. We should never raise our hands if we have no understanding of why we do it.
As a challenging follow-up to that principle, I often ask people whether or not the heart attitude that compels them to raise their hands in public worship causes them to raise their hands in private worship as well. Raising your hands to be seen by others only would be wrong. The motive of appearing spiritual to others is atrocious to God (that would be hypocrisy, which the Lord hates). If your heart is filled with brokenness, thanksgiving, dependence and surrender in public, to the point that you feel compelled to raise your hands as a physical expression of worship publicly, it seems that this expression would find its way into your private worship as well. As I ask that question, I do realize that there is a dynamic that exists in the corporate worship service (due to prayer, music, and the elements of corporate worship) that does not exist in the same way in our private worship. That dynamic is partially responsible for energizing the worship we enjoy in church (let’s face it; the music and singing is better at church when we’re together, than it is for most of us in our “prayer closet,” right?). If worship is a matter of the heart, however, then to some extent those same heart attitudes, and any physical expression of them (like hand-raising), will likely find its way into your private worship. If it never does, I believe it would be wise to ask if you raise your hands “in order to be seen by men.”
Another point to consider involves the contribution or hindrance to others that any physical expression of worship makes as part of corporate worship. There are discrete and calm ways to raise your hands in prayer and song, and there is also a manner of doing so that can be distracting and even unnerving to those around you. If your heart attitude is one that is motivated by affection and worship of the Savior, then you certainly should not want your gestures, or hand-raising, to be “jerky,” “showy,” or overly noticeable. These areas of personal practice and liberty must never be exercised in a way that does not give loving consideration to those around you (Rom 14:14-21; see below).
By asking such pointed and challenging questions, I know I run the risk of being thought of as a “worship curmudgeon.” But I will repeat what I said at the beginning: “I do not consider the practice a matter of right or wrong, good or bad. It is ultimately a personal matter of the heart, and not something that those who lead worship should encourage or discourage. No one could know for certain the motive, heart attitude, or thoughts of another as they engage in worship with this physical expression.”
I know for some, it is difficult to avoid associating this practice of hand-raising in worship with the excesses of many churches where hand-raising is a more consistent part of the church culture. It is often combined with a kind of worship that is driven by emotionalism more than a conscious meditation on the truth. As well, it is often practiced alongside an unbiblical manner of speaking in tongues, or with blatantly unbiblical practices (like being “slain in the spirit,” “holy laughter,” and even worse and excessive practices). Raising of hands in worship, however, has become much more mainstream in recent decades, and is no longer associated primarily with the Pentecostal or Charismatic churches where the practice found its resurgence. Because it is much more widespread, and much more understood, then it used to be, I believe it is important for everyone to have a gracious and generous spirit toward one another. Those who DO practice hand-raising should not consider themselves spiritual because they do so (or judge those who do not). And, those who do NOT practice it, must be gracious, understanding and believe that it is an honest expression of worship from the heart of those who do.
As a final encouragement, I will take a little liberty with Romans 14, and apply the principles of Christian Liberty and having a judgmental spirit to the matter of hand raising (the context involves “days” and “foods” but it reads just perfectly by inserting the idea of hand-raising in worship).
Romans 14 – Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance (from net.bible.org)
14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions.14:2 One person believes in hand-raising, but the other doesn’t raise his hands. 14:3 The one who raises his hands must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who raises his hands, for God has accepted him. 14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lordis able to make him stand. 14:5 One person regards hand-raising holier than not raising, and another regards it differently. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. 14:6 The one who raises his hands does it for the Lord. Theone who does, does it for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from hand-raising abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. 14:7 For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself. 14:8 If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 14:9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
14:10 But you who do not raise your hands – why do you judge your brother or sister?And you who do raise your hands – why do you despise your brother or sister?For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.”14:12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 14:13 Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister.14:14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing wrong in itself; still, it is wrong to the one who considers it wrong. 14:15 For if your brother or sister is distressed because of your hand-raising,you are no longer walking in love.Do not destroy [or distract] by your hand-raising someone for whom Christ died. 14:16 Therefore do not let what you consider goodbe spoken of as evil. 14:17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of hand-raising, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 14:18 For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.
14:19 So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another. 14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of hand-raising [or any other outward expression of worship]. For although all things are acceptable,it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by how you worship. 14:21 It is good not to raise hands, or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble.14:22 The faithyou have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves. 14:23 But the man who doubts [what his heart attitude is] is condemned if he raises his hands, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Great Questions about Demon Possession
Published December 22, 2010 | I got a couple of great follow-up questions from some folks after the sermon about Jesus delivering the demonized man in Matthew 8:28-34. Here’s my best attempt at giving an answer.
The first question was asked by more than one person. It basically went like this: “Where did the demons go after the pigs died? Did they die too, or just disappear, or did they go to their eternal torment after that?” In addition to that, there are a couple of related questions about the events themselves.
The easiest way to answer is the first question is, “I don’t know where the demons went, because the Bible doesn’t tell us.” Unfortunately, I don’t really have a better answer than that. It doesn’t make sense why the demons would ask to go into the swine, and then promptly destroy their new “home.” I do not believe they went to their eternal torment, because their request mentions that it was “before the time” (8:29) to enter into that torment. Where did they go? We don’t know, but we can safely conclude that they went off to the next place to wreak their cruel, destructive, devilish havoc on their next victims.
Someone else asked about the dynamic of a demon inhabiting an animal. I can only conclude that this is possible, because the text says that they “went into the swine” (8:32). There have been a number of suggestions 
about why the demons wanted to go into the swine in the first place. Some say that the demons were just evil and destructive, and wanted to possess the pigs for the express purpose of destroying them. Some have added to that the theory that Jesus wanted the swine killed too, because they were unclean animals, and therefore it was against Old Testament regulations to be raising them. Their death was an instant judgment, consistent with Old Testament civil law. While I am sure the deliverance of the two men was a higher priority than keeping the animals alive, I don’t think it is fair to conclude Jesus would desire random and wanton destruction of property. The account is about the power of Jesus to deliver from demons, not the authority of Jesus to punish men for compromising behavior. We are missing the point if we get hung up on that detail. In fact, the townspeople DID seem to get hung up on that detail, and it was to their shame that they did so.
A final question I got was related to the statement I made in my sermon, that in the New Testament there was never any confusion or doubt about identifying who was, and who was not, demon possessed. I commented that a demon possessed person exhibited certain kinds of uncontrolled behavior, either physcially or morally, that made them easy to identify. They asked about the man who was “sitting quietly by in the synagogue, listening to all that was going on, and seeminly no one knew he was there” (the man in Mark 1:23-26 and Luke 4:33-37). After reading the accounts in both gospels, there is actually no indication that he had been sitting there for weeks or months, quietly participating undetected. Mark says his appearance was sudden (“Just then,” a word that indicates some kind of immediacy). We don’t know how sudden it was, but it does not appear his presence was not the norm. In both accounts, however, the man bursts out screaming at Jesus in the synagogue — not exactly normal, every day, conduct at the local worship center. It seems his boisterous actions, and the subsequent violent convulsions when the demon comes out, serve more to illustrate my assertion that demon possessions were readily and easily identifiable. Granted, it is possible that they guy had been quietly sitting by for a weeks. But we are not told that specifically. Mark’s language seems to indicate that his presence was as a sudden, and new arrival.
The question is a good one though, and the silence of the text may serve as a good challenge for me to think though that principle. I was first pointed to that principle through observations made by Alex Konya, in his book, “Demons: A Biblically Based Perspective.” I highly recommend the book as having a balanced, and very biblical approach to understanding a very difficult subject.
With all that said, please recognize how difficult it is to sort through some of these issues. A lot of it is shrouded in mystery because it relates to things that take place in the spiritual realm, which we have very little knowledge of. There are a lot of things said and written about demons that is nothing more than conjecture or “best guesses” on people’s part. When you hear people speaking very confidently about knowing when, how, and where demons are operating, I suggest that you be very cautious and discerning about listening to them. There is definitely more we don’t know, than what we do know.
Thanks for your questions! See you next time.
Posted in Discernment, Doctrine/Theology, Sermons | 
Demons, Discernment, Doctrine/Theology, Sermons | 
Leave a commentAnswering Your Questions about Miraculous Healings
Published December 1, 2010 | I got a great “Sermon Question” sheet in the box on the back table after the message about miraculous healings. Because we are not having our regular monthly “Question and Answer” night in December, I thought I would get the answer to you all this way.
First question: “You said that Jesus’ healings were ‘instantaneous.’ What about the blind man who needed a second dose of spit and mud?”
The question is a reference to the blind man in Mark 8:22-26. This is a great question, and one I considered addressing during the sermon (but didn’t to avoid going too long). In the context of Mark 8, Jesus has just warned the disciples about the “leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (8:15). Then he questions the disciples about their lack of faith in doubting that Jesus could feed them all with the single loaf they had in their boat (8:14, 16-21). Essentially, He was pointing out that they were slow to understand in an effort to lovingly admonish them to try to grasp the significance of His power and miracles.
Then they get to Bethsaida and this blind man is brought to them. Jesus applies spit to His eyes (8:23; no mention of the mud here though, that is another account), and asks if he can see. He can only see blurry figures, which he describes as “I see men…like trees, walking around” (8:24). Jesus lays His hands on his eyes again, and the man immediately see everything clearly.
I believe the two-step healing here, in its context (which is a unique situation), was intended to be a living illustration for the disciples of how they needed to keep allowing Jesus’ “teaching” to be applied to their “spiritual eyes” so that the clarity of their thinking and faith would become increasingly clear. Figuring out the reason for the two-step healing is certainly the most important question to solve in order to understand that passage. Even so, we should be careful to note that the whole process of healing, even with two spit process, was no longer than a minute. I would still consider that instantaneous compared to what many modern “healers” claim.
Second question: “You said ‘all sickness is a result of sin.’ What about the man born blind who got healed, and Jesus said his blindness was not a result his own sin, or the sin of his parents, but for glorifying God?”
Whoever asked this question must think a lot like me, because I thought about mentioning this ‘exception’ in my sermon too. The passage he mentions is in John, chapter 9. Here is how I would answer this question.
When I said ‘all sickness is a result of sin’ I was careful to clarify that not every particular sickness was a direct result of a specific sin. It is still true, however, that all sickness is an indirect result of sin’s presence in the world. In other words, if the human race hadn’t plunged itself into sin, there would be so sorrow, sickness or death. When Jesus said, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so the works of God might be displayed in Him” (John 9:3), He was actually correcting the misconception about sin and sickness that I clarified above. His words are saying the exact same thing that my clarification did–that not every particular sickness was a direct result of a specific sin. But His statement does not mean that sorrow, sickness and death is NOT caused in a general way by the reality of sin in the world.
Third question: “I hear lots of stories from Asia and Africa about God’s healings. Do you see any special provision for God to allow or cause healings in those countries?”
Unfortunately, there is no way that we can truly confirm or deny what is happening, how it is happening, or why. I have never denied that God can heal anyone, anywhere, at any time. He does so, and when He does, He alone deserves all the praise. I am convinced the Bible teaches that the spiritual gift of healing was in operation in the early church primarily to confirm the message of the gospel through the first Apostles. Obviously not everyone agrees with my understanding of that gift, its purpose, or its operations.
Sadly, many who claim to have a gift of healing today are engaged in either a “showboating” kind of ministry, or are profiting financially from their so-called gift. We only have to watch them on religious television to see it, although many of their antics, deceptions, and greedy practices have been often documented. I receive a handful of letters every year at the church from unknown, obscure people in impoverished parts of the world. In these letters there are great claims of miraculous healings and demon exorcisms. They are always accompanied by a plea for a financial gift. Needless to say, the pleas seem insincere and the stories usually appear fanciful. The fact that stories are perpetuated, passed on (and likely often exaggerated) does not necessarily make them real.
No one could possibly have the resources or time to investigate every possible report of healings around the world. There are people out there who have tried, and by far the most common conclusion is that modern claims to miraculous healings of the character and nature of those in the New Testament are unfounded. Just for curiosity, I googled “what about miraculous healings in asia,” and clicked on the first article. A youth claims to have been healed of paralysis. But reading the article, it appears to have been no more significant than a bad arm taking a turn for the better. The article says:
Mi, a young man of 17, was the first to step forward to seek God’s healing touch for his paralyzed left side…On Friday, June 5, Mi went to a follow-up doctor’s appointment that had been set to discuss expensive surgery necessary for his paralyzed left arm. When the doctor examined his arm, however, he was amazed to find soft, pliable tissue instead of the rigid, spastic tissue he had examined previously. Mi immediately gave testimony to God’s healing touch following a time of prayer the week before. Mi continues to rely on prayer for full healing as he begins to follow physical therapy exercises he can do at home to strengthen his arm.
We don’t really know what the “rigid, spastic tissue” was before. A tight muscle? A severe cramp? A torn muscle? Unless it was a congenital defect, it may not be accurate to describe it as “paralyzed.” But notice, he was not totally healed. He is waiting, by his own report, for “full healing” and is following through with a physical therapy program to strengthen it further. This is very different from a man crippled since birth suddenly leaping, and dancing, and praising God. And yet, the headline reads “Miraculous Healing!” I believe almost all of the stories we hear are of a similar character. True healings, of the character and nature of the ones we see at the hands of Christ and the Apostles, would be the exception and not the common experience.
Those are really good questions. I appreciate them all, so keep them coming. The question and answer time is one of my favorite times of the month.