|
About Jesus Steve Sweetman I
Won't Raise My Hands I
listen to all styles of secular music, from classical, to jazz, to folk,
to pop, to blues, and to rock. Yes,
I do listen to Christian music as well. I
tell you this to let you know that I attended an outdoor concert recently
called "Hippie Fest". There
was a house band that backed up the lead singers from the Turtles, the
Rascals, and Three Dog Night. If
you were around in the 1960's and listened to music back then, you'll
remember these groups. I
enjoyed the concert even though my 57 year old ears felt the stress from
the loud music. As
the Turtles were singing, the crowd sang, clapped, and raised their hands
high above their heads, as if they were lost in worship.
There was no way I was going to raise my hands into the air like
the rest of the crowd, even though I did enjoy the music. Some
of you may feel I'm over-reacting, but for me to raise my hands in that
situation would be somewhat adulterous.
It's not that I'm uncomfortable with raising my hands.
I just reserve such actions to worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ.
For me to extend my hands at a rock concert, would be doing
something I strictly reserve for Jesus alone.
I'll tap my fingers to the music against my legs, but my hands will
remain at my side. To me it's something similar to giving my wife a long
kiss. She's the only one that
gets long kisses. They're
reserved for her and her alone. Some
things are sacred. I'll
go to rock concerts, something that some of you might not do.
I do understand why you might not go to such places.
I do draw a line in the sand so to speak.
Raising my hands crosses this line.
That which I attribute to the Lord Jesus Christ belongs to Him and
to Him alone. Jesus is not
simply a past time. He's my
life, and I want to represent Him properly no matter where I am, including
a rock concert.
I
won't raise my hands for the Turtles, the Rascals, or for Three Dog
Knight, but I will raise them
for our Lord Jesus Christ. Only He deserves such worship from me. My
simple point is that we represent Jesus no matter where we are.
He lives in us and we should express His life in the way He wants.
We certainly don't want to misrepresent the one who lives within
us.
|