Debbie, I think the reverence God seeks with His people is compassion with the widow and the fatherless, not wether we sit or stand to the song in church or wether we lift hands or fold them for prayer.

I hadn't anticipated this response to what I posted above. Interesting. What do you mean by - "Aren't we ALL living in sin"?

And, how does this comment/question relate to the concept of "open sin" (i.e., intentional, premeditated sinning) as opposed to unintentional, spontaneous sinning?

It is interesting to get a response that you hadn't anticipated.

I find it perhaps more interesting to have a lack of response when one was anticipated.

No, we arent all living in sin, depending where the Holy Spirits work is at, we are letting go and becoming dead to sin. Many die to sin daily and show the fruits of the Spirit which has transformed them, and that also affects how they handle even the 'sins of omission' as they bear the results of the transformation. Many knee is unbowed to temptation once the Holy Spirit has cleanse their hearts and minds and they begin to replace the carnal mind with the mind of Christ..

1 Kings 19:18
Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

maybe we do not lift our hands because we are in a "slumber"???

I'd not do it. And I'd feel mighty uncomfortable if it was being done. Of course, if the pastor is praying, and dedicating the congregation to God, like Solomon did, that would be a different matter. I've never felt the urge to. None of the great hymns give me any reason to. I've lifted up my heart though...

LOL That may very well be true.

I've spent quite a bit of time, too much time, watching basketball with friends. You know what is often done when our team does something good? We jump up, lift our hands high, scream and shout in jubilation, cheer our team on, hug each other, etc. And if you've ever watched a pro game in person, you know that this is not limited to friends; perfect strangers do this with each other all the time.

Why doesn't this happen in church? I can think of 3 possible reasons off the top of my head:

1) There are situations when such outward displays of jubilation is out of place. Church is one of those.

2) Maybe there's nothing being said or done that is as exciting as a basketball game. There are churches that are so devoid of life that something thrilling, such as the promise of an eternity of holiness with God, is out of place there. The norm there are the same old bland messages, if you can even call them messages, that we've all heard many times.

I heard a sermon on clapping in church one time, where the preacher said that clapping in the Bible was limited to certain events, one of them being victory in war. I thought to myself, "Aren't we talking about victory in the war against self, sin, and Satan? Shouldn't we be clapping, then?" Then I realized, "No, I guess we're not. We just wasting our time rehashing the same useless stuff we always have." In short, there's just nothing to get excited about.

3) Maybe there's all sorts of exciting things going on, but the people are just too dull to notice. I preached a series one time where I ended with this thought: All have sinned, but we all can receive God's grace and become saints. Then they all sat there like bumps on a log! So I got on their cases for being so unresponsive to the Gospel promise. Then all the excuses came out about why they can't really stop from sinning.

But from what I can tell, their problem was not that they could not stop sinning, but they did not want to stop sinning. They were still enjoying the pleasures of sin. And those in such a state are in no condition to rejoice when they hear God's precious promises.

It is a terrible day that Satan's counterfeits frighten off SDA Christians. But, if we lift our hands in the spirit of Lamentations 3:41, it is a blessing to God.

"No, we arent all living in sin, depending where the Holy Spirits work is at, we are letting go and becoming dead to sin."

Amen brother. One thing we must guard ever so much is the mistaken belief that "we are sinners, and just can't help it" attitude. We are told by our great King, "He overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be His God and he shall be My son." (Rev.21:7)

Overcome what? Sin. Does that mean we are sinless before Christ comes? No, but there must be an overcoming of knowing sins in our life. Repetitive sins do indeed provide evidence we haven't "overcome". In other words-- a new converted life is a must.

Ellen White gets even more specific, " Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul of every defilement." (Test.for the Church, vol. 5, p.214)

Again, the question is--what constitutes a spot or stain? It can be only a cherished sin we practice in our life. One that we do against His repeated warnings. Sadly, this warning system can break (as a car's brake system soon fails if we ignore the warning signs) and then we no longer know that our sinning is wrong, a very very bad position to come to.

The Good Shepherd works night and day to bring our path into His straight and narrow way. To have us stop our wrongs and sins.

"I know they works", says He that "walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks." It is known what opportunities have been slighted, how untiring have been the efforts of the Good Shepherd to search out those who were wandering in crooked ways, and bring them back to the path of safety and peace.Again and again God has called after the pleasure lovers; again and again He has flashed the light of His word across their path, that they might see their peril, and escape. But on and on they go, jesting and joking as they travel the broad road, until at length their probation is ended." (Ibid, p.435)

The issue of lifting ones hands is a very important one.

What is the motivation in raising your hands? Do you do it in private prayer? Or is it only for show?

Are you lifting up yourself or begging for God to have mercy on you? Do you see the Father or just the ceiling when you do it?

I would say this in the name of Christ, the act of raising hands makes those hands no purer.

If the act of raising hands is not mixed with the need to fall to your knees, then it better be in praise for a blessing.

So MANY people go to christian rock concerts and, like the mosh pit or wave in secular auditoriums, they all have their hands in the air. Like it is manditory.

I am ashamed of those events because the hearts of the people go to the stage not to the heavens. The total spirit of anti-Christ.