Today is a beautiful Lord's Day where I am. It is a crisp 64 degrees! I cannot help but to write a bit regarding a large problem in Evangelicalism, and in African American Baptist circles. Worship is largely irreverent. Listen to what the inspired writer who wrote to the Hebrews wrote to Jewish Christians in the Roman world:
"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire (12:28-29)." Bible students know that the writer refers back to Exodus 19 and also Deuteronomy 4:24, which is the portion of Holy Scripture the writer quotes. What does this mean? The same God that spoke with such power to Israel at Sinai comes among his people as they gather every Lord's Day. God is awesome striking real, honest godly fear among his people; he is no trifling God, but full of glory, majesty, and power.
The worship I witness among African American Baptist lack this fear and sense of awe and reverence for the most part. The singing that takes places in these churches have little reverence; is it solemn to dance and move and shake? Preaching that winks at sin, and jokes about sin---is this demonstrating reverence and godly fear? Yes, I know that joy is part of our worship; but it is tempered by reverence.
Let these churches take this passage from Hebrews and apply it correctly.
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