What is a "charismatic" church?

Just come on up to my neck of the woods. They are all over the place. Seeing is believing, you know.

 

Quote: Tom Butler

I quite agree. The point of my story was not to knock contemporary music, but to point out that the worship leader sought to manipulate the audience into a frenzy with the music and rhythms he used. And his audience ate it up. Only he called it "getting into the spirit."

I am a church choir director and have led congregational music for 46 years. I realize that music touches emotions, and it certainly touches mine. I know how to whip up my congregation's emotions. But I'd rather it would be the result of the Holy Spirit's presence. God gets the glory that way.

 

exactly what I saw when we went with our friends to church.

good for you tom, the way it should be.
sorry i seem to have misunderstood your earlier post.

 

Maybe we can come up with a Jeff Foxworthy special...

"YOu might be a charismatic... if ...."

If your pastor slaps you on the head a lot.. .YOU might be a Charismatic.

If you are walking down the aisle.. and have an urge to lay in the floor.. YOU might be a Charismatic!

 

If you get a tingling feeling when you lay your hand on the TV when Benny Hinn is on... YOU might be a Charismatic!

If you want to dye your hair pepto bismol color to match Jan Crouch.. YOU might be a Charismatic!

 

If you are jealous of this haircut, you might be a charismatic.

 

Lol ................

 

No problem, donnA. I'm glad for the chance to clarify. If we gauge a good worship service by how high the music (or the performance) makes us, then I know how to get there, whether God is present or not.

If, on the other hand, the emotional response comes from a sense of adoration of the Savior; of sadness at the horror of his crucifixion; of gratitude for his sacrifice on my behalf; of joy for the fellowship we have with him; and a heart that swells with praise at the truth of the lyrics and the heart-touching music, then I as a worship leader have been faithful to the task at hand.

And when God is present in our worship, it's an easy task. The Spirit is poured out, not worked up.

 

you sound like a good music leader

 

Just an ordinary part-timer who led his first congregational music at age 15.

I confess that I don't always live up to my worship philosophy. The temptation to make an emotional response the goal instead of worship (and to confuse the two) is quite strong.

Many years ago, we had a guest preacher who came while the pastor was away. The congregational singing was quite spirited, the special music very good. I thought to myself, good, the folks are ready for a rip-snorter. The preacher stood up, walked over to me and whispered "can you sing another hymn. The congregation is sky-high and my message won't match the mood." So I picked a song that I thought would get the folks back to earth. Sure enough, his message was pretty weak stuff.

Anyway, If the music produces or enhances worship, then the emotional part takes care of itself and has its proper place.

 

Charismatics place importance on the work of the Holy Spirit within a individuals life and the church. Thing is it's quite obvious that it can go over the top.

Hence many divisions over this subject.

 

Obvisiously there are nearly as many definitions of charismatic as their are posters on this board. I have come to the decision that the greatest determining factor is; Charismatics rely on experiences and feeling more then the Word. Fact, Faith and feeling play a part in our Christian life but in that order wheras charismatics reverse the order and rely on feeling, faith and fact

 

Maybe not so much feelings but actual experience.

 

Math was never my strong suit and I demonstrated it in my recent posts.

In one post, I said I had been leading congregational music for 46 years. I meant at the church where I now serve. In another post, I said I led my first congregational singing at age 15. That was 1953--57 years ago.

I'll be fine as soon as the fever breaks.

 

Then I'm in some good company, Ann.

I have run the gamut with regard to corporate worship. I grew up in the Southern Baptist culture that liked gospel quartets, but not in our worship service. Quartets entertained. Churches promoted a quiet introspection in advance of the start of the service.

As time passed, newer worship styles emerged, more celebratory in nature. Pre-worship was pretty noisy, folks wandering the auditorium, visiting and conversing. Music with a strong beat became popular, and in our part of the country, Southern Gospel became the contemporary Christian music of the day, along with some gospel with a country and western flavor. I changed with everybody else.

What we know today as CCM followed along later, fueled initially by the growing charismatic movement. I liked some songs, but was never able to embrace it as a worship style.

As I've grown older, I've moved back in the other direction. My goal is not so much to go back to the worship atmosphere of my youth, but to use the music to promote that sense of awe, awareness of God's present, to seek the moving of the Holy Spirit, and to reach the point where whatever happens in the service is recognized as God's work, and not something the worship leader can take credit for.

I've often tried to imagine what our reaction would be if Jesus walked into our worship service. In my mind, there would be no shouting, raising of hands, jumping up and down, clapping of hands. We would all be on our faces on the floor.

I'm not opposed to shouting, raised hands, or any of that. But when we lose the on-our-face-on-the-floor attitude, we are missing what I think is a key element of worship.









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Hang onto your belief CoJoJax. A charismatic church is what you say it is. They believe what is not available to us today, and that is the Power of the Holy Ghost given to those that were going into the kingdom that was at hand. But the House of Israel refused Messiah, and that Kingdom did not come. However it will come after we are raptured, and then the Tribulation. His Wrath will be carried out in the Tribulation period, and His People will Accept Him, Jesus Christ. When it is over, that Kingdom that was at hand will come, and Israel will inherit the earth, and be rulers of the earth.

 

I'm with you 100% on this one. I think we would be much like John was in Revelation 1:17. The revelation of Jesus Christ in His glory took all the strength out of John. He could not stand in His presence. And Paul had a like experience on the Damascus road.

Again I'm with you 100 percent. Not just my self, but I know of many when they are into prayer , often they are face down on the floor and more often than not tears are flowing.

Side note, I know the first time I ever saw hands raised, jumping up and down, yelling and what not was at a Happy Goodman deal, I believe they were from Madisonville, Ky. not to far from you.

I'm still not comfortable with clapping after a hymn in service. all is to God's glory, not ours.

 

Yep, they were from Madisonville., about 80 miles east.

The folks in our congregation do applaud special music, but I confess I'm still uncomfortable with it, just like you. We've even discussed it, and the members insist that it's not applause for the choir or the singer--it's their way of reacting to the musical witness. On the other hand, good, hearty "Amens" don't bother me at all.