Praise Culture

"But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you." - 1 Corinthians 14.24-25
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul gives instructions for first century worship that helps unbelievers to see the awesomeness of our God.

At the Cornerstone Church of Christ, the attitude of reverence and praise in our first day assemblies is emphasized heavily. When we come to God, we show him due respect and honor for who he is. The Lord is important to us—in fact, our first priority. We try to project that in all of our services for everyone to see. We prepare our dress. We sing songs up to Heaven. We reflect during the supper. We stand for the reading of the scripture. We give attention to the sermon, and even shout amen from time to time.

Do we carry this attitude of praise with us out into the church foyer and beyond? How far does the culture of praise extend? In many ways, the borders of our praise in the body of Christ are set by the members of it. (That’s you, reader.) Is the attitude of praise that we carry in worship translating into your life and all your relationships?

What do you think might happen if we really obeyed what the apostle said in Philippians 2.14 and removed grumbling from our vocabulary and replaced it with praise? Brothers and sisters, we are not helpless victims of life—we are more than conquerors in Christ whose love can’t be stolen from us. Every new challenge is a reason to bless the Lord. Every victory is a reason to say “thank you.” Even the lulls of life are moments for praise. Every day life is full of reasons to praise God. It’s not a Sunday thing. It’s a lifestyle.

If we all made an effort together to cultivate an attitude of praise just a little more every day, what kind of difference would it make right here in our local church’s culture? What kind of difference might it make in our friendships and in our homes? What kind of difference would it make in our community? How much do we have to be thankful to God for? Where to start? Slow down. Take a deep, slow inhale and appreciate the air in your lungs and praise God.