God has always been particular about what He accepts as worship. When Cain attempted to offer the fruit of the ground (Genesis 4), God rejected him and his offering. When Nadab and Abihu offered "strange fire" before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2), the Lord sent fire to consume them because they presumed to offer that which He had not commanded.

We must learn not to be presumptuous in our worship to God. Worship, by its very nature, expresses our love and adoration for the Almighty, Eternal, Sovereign God, if we offer that which He has commanded us to offer. To "profane" our worship by offering what God has not commanded is to express irreverence toward Him.

Some appeal to the Old Testament for authority to shout and clap during worship. Certainly, we must remind them that we no longer live under the law of Moses, but under the law of Christ (Ephesians 2:14-16). In spite of this, they continue to quote from the Old Testament to justify their shouting and clapping during worship assemblies. For instance, as authority for shouting in worship, some quote I Samuel 4:5, "When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again." Others use 2 Samuel 6:15-16 to justify shouting, as well as dancing, during worship to God. Still others cite Ezra 3:11-12, affirming that Israel sang, prayed, and shouted in its worship. But, these passages and other Old Testament passages have nothing to do with what the church today does in its worship assemblies.

One preacher cites Psalm 47:1,2 "0 clap your hands, all ye people, shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible, he is a great King over all the earth." He also quotes Psalm 98:4-9 as: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, rejoice and sing praise... Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the Lord." Then he affirms, "Here is worship that included shouting and clapping the hands."

What is wrong with this reasoning? Look again at the passages. Note what he left out of the quote from Psalm 98:4-9. Between the words "Praise" and "Let," the scripture says, "Sing unto the Lord with the HARP, with the HARP, and the voice of the psalm. With TRUMPETS and sound of CORNET make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King" (verses 5-6). If these verses authorize shouting and hand-clapping in our worship assemblies today, do they not also authorize the use of mechanical instruments of music? Some may express joy by shouting, others by clapping their hands, others by whistling, and still others by blowing on a whistle. Have we, by our false reasoning, justified the use of instrumental music in worship? Are we ready for that?

The New Testament, as revealed by Christ through the Holy Spirit, is today's standard of religious authority. To "walk by faith" is to submit to what is written therein. What is wrong with clapping, shouting, whistling, or blowing on a whistle during worship? The New Testament reveals NO AUTHORITY FOR IT. Let us not, in an effort to make worship fun, exciting, or emotionally stimulating, resort to practices that profane our worship and render it vain and irreverent. Let us remember that "God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). Save your applause for another time. It has no place in the worship assemblies.