Do i have to lift my hands up in worship sessions?
1Timothy 2
8 In every *place of worship, I want men to pray with *holy hands lifted up to God, free from *anger and controversy.
9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance.* They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. 11 Women should learn quietly and submissively. 12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them.* Let them listen quietly. 13 For God made Adam first and afterward he made Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing,* assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.
Paul writing to Timothy a pastor, is here giving instructions on several matters. He gets to this instance in verse 8 and to me says something funny. He says, I want [desire, wish, and advice]. In other words, it is not a must to raise hands in worship. It is not a sign of the level of your deepness with God. It is an act of worship though. All the same, what do hands have to do with anger and controversy? We will probably break this out by the end.
He begins by talking of the place of worship.
Place of Worship.
It will be good to note that when the scripture says place of worship, it refers not to a specified place on earth. It is simply put- ‘every place of worship.’
The true place of worship, the most Holy place is in Heaven.
Hebrews 8:1, 2
1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle,* the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.
In this study, it will be good to understand that we are referring to the place of worship and not the art of worship or the means of worshipping or the true place of worship.
The place of worship where men congregate to fellowship and minister to each other is built by human hands. Solomon built a temple for God. Moses built a tabernacle. We all come from different churches that have buildings for worship. All this places of worship are recognized by God if they are dedicated to Him. All in all, a place of worship is the setting of worship. When do you worship? In good times, bad times or both.
Hebrews 9:1
1 That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship *here on earth.
Holy Hands.
I think to begin with, that it is kind of natural to raise our hands upwards during worship. It is a sign of surrender and total dependence on God. It was an old testament practice.
Ezra 9:5
5 At the time of the sacrifice, I stood up from where I had sat in mourning with my clothes torn. I fell to my knees and *lifted my hands to the Lord my God.
At times it is a feeling of; I wish I could just touch you, feel you, embrace you and have you here with me physically. All in all, there are conditions for this.
Think of it. Hands are a point of contact. Give your contact number, person etc are terms we use very much. Contact with people, food, objects among others.
How much care do we give our hands? Wash them, manicure, oil them, and wear gloves in cold seasons. But God looks not at the point of contact hand, but the point of contact with Him our hearts.
Psalm 24
4 Only those whose hands and *hearts are pure, [Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.] Who *do not worship idols and *never tell lies. [Revelation 22:15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.]
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Anger and controversy.
How many are the times we blame anger for the actions we take in our life? We send a bad SMS out of anger, we end a relationship out of anger, we kill out of anger and the list goes on and on. Anger is a state of irritation. A strong feeling of annoyance and lack of sympathy. This leads to broken relationships.
Controversy on the other hand is a state of public disagreement. The appointment of Mr. Ringera has raised a lot of controversy in the country.
God wants us to be men of sound relationships, not characterized by anger or disputing. Broken relationships affect our ability to connect with God.
Proverbs 27:4
4 *Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.
Guard your heart for out of it, flows the issues of life. If your heart is okay with God, there will be no anger, disputes, and your hands will bring a feeling of inner peace whenever you raise them.
8 In every *place of worship, I want men to pray with *holy hands lifted up to God, free from *anger and controversy.
9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance.* They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. 11 Women should learn quietly and submissively. 12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them.* Let them listen quietly. 13 For God made Adam first and afterward he made Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing,* assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.
Paul writing to Timothy a pastor, is here giving instructions on several matters. He gets to this instance in verse 8 and to me says something funny. He says, I want [desire, wish, and advice]. In other words, it is not a must to raise hands in worship. It is not a sign of the level of your deepness with God. It is an act of worship though. All the same, what do hands have to do with anger and controversy? We will probably break this out by the end.
He begins by talking of the place of worship.
Place of Worship.
It will be good to note that when the scripture says place of worship, it refers not to a specified place on earth. It is simply put- ‘every place of worship.’
The true place of worship, the most Holy place is in Heaven.
Hebrews 8:1, 2
1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle,* the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.
In this study, it will be good to understand that we are referring to the place of worship and not the art of worship or the means of worshipping or the true place of worship.
The place of worship where men congregate to fellowship and minister to each other is built by human hands. Solomon built a temple for God. Moses built a tabernacle. We all come from different churches that have buildings for worship. All this places of worship are recognized by God if they are dedicated to Him. All in all, a place of worship is the setting of worship. When do you worship? In good times, bad times or both.
Hebrews 9:1
1 That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship *here on earth.
Holy Hands.
I think to begin with, that it is kind of natural to raise our hands upwards during worship. It is a sign of surrender and total dependence on God. It was an old testament practice.
Ezra 9:5
5 At the time of the sacrifice, I stood up from where I had sat in mourning with my clothes torn. I fell to my knees and *lifted my hands to the Lord my God.
At times it is a feeling of; I wish I could just touch you, feel you, embrace you and have you here with me physically. All in all, there are conditions for this.
Think of it. Hands are a point of contact. Give your contact number, person etc are terms we use very much. Contact with people, food, objects among others.
How much care do we give our hands? Wash them, manicure, oil them, and wear gloves in cold seasons. But God looks not at the point of contact hand, but the point of contact with Him our hearts.
Psalm 24
4 Only those whose hands and *hearts are pure, [Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.] Who *do not worship idols and *never tell lies. [Revelation 22:15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.]
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Anger and controversy.
How many are the times we blame anger for the actions we take in our life? We send a bad SMS out of anger, we end a relationship out of anger, we kill out of anger and the list goes on and on. Anger is a state of irritation. A strong feeling of annoyance and lack of sympathy. This leads to broken relationships.
Controversy on the other hand is a state of public disagreement. The appointment of Mr. Ringera has raised a lot of controversy in the country.
God wants us to be men of sound relationships, not characterized by anger or disputing. Broken relationships affect our ability to connect with God.
Proverbs 27:4
4 *Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.
Guard your heart for out of it, flows the issues of life. If your heart is okay with God, there will be no anger, disputes, and your hands will bring a feeling of inner peace whenever you raise them.
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