Shouting With A Great Shout

From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

“And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.” (Ezra 3:11)

For some reason there seems to be two great extremes prevalent in the “churches” today. One is a blatant disregard for an honorable respect for a holy God and His meeting house that is fraught with downright lustful ungodliness and human centered worship and praise. The other extreme honors the god of “us four and no more,” and is enslaved in the dungeon of self-righteous prudishness. Both lack the fullness of the Spirit with joy unspeakable and full of glory. One forsakes the Word of God for emotionalism, and the other through a lack of knowledge shackle themselves to the Word of God with no understanding of the Spirit and meaning of it. Such tragedies are far too numerous to attempt any calculations.

In Nehemiah 8 when the Word of God was presented to the people, they were caused to see the sense of it and were made to understand it. The WORD was presented!!! The people went away from that event with great rejoicing “because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.” The Word of God was indeed the focus of the assembly, but giving sense and understanding of it was the purpose of the teaching presence of the Holy Spirit that the people might be brought to great joy in the Lord.

What has happened in the “churches”? They say they want the presence of the Holy Spirit, and then they put up spiritual barriers as if to say, “Stay away! We much prefer our emotional high or our prudish barrenness.” It is time to tear down the barriers and to cry out beseeching the God of the heavens to restore unto His churches the joy of His salvation in reverential respect. Desperate prayers need to come from the hearts of the people seeking the sense and understanding of the precious Word of God. Change must come into our midst or we shall surely perish for a lack of knowledge!

Who will begin the fire of rallying the children of God in their church to shout: “Oh God, restore unto us the joy of Thy great salvation!”? Are our hearts sealed unto death? Shout, my brethren!