James Lasher.
Many Christians desire more of God while remaining afraid of what surrender to Him may look like.
In his classic sermon “Immersion in the Spirit,” Bible teacher Derek Prince warned that fear of appearing emotional has kept many believers spiritually restrained.
“Most Christians are living what I call bottled up lives,” Prince said. “They’re not free to express what God has put in them because we have this standard of dignity.”
Prince was not promoting emotion for its own sake. He was confronting a church culture that treats silence and composure as the only acceptable responses to God. Scripture presents a much different picture.
Abraham fell on his face when the Lord appeared to him. Israel fell down and shouted after God accepted its sacrifice with supernatural fire. Joshua bowed before the Commander of the Lord’s army, while John fell at Jesus’ feet “as one dead.”
Jeremiah described an encounter with God’s holiness that shook his entire body.
“All my bones shake,” the prophet declared in Jeremiah 23:9. “I am like a drunken man.”
The apostles also appeared so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that some observers accused them of being drunk.
“Most of the great men of the Bible have been on their face before God at least once,” Prince said.
Worship Involves Our Whole Being
Biblical worship is not limited to singing lyrics or quietly listening to a sermon. It involves our hearts, voices and bodies.
“Worship is not just saying words; worship is an attitude of the body,” Prince said. “It’s bending down, it’s falling down, it’s clapping hands.”
Physical activity alone does not prove the Holy Spirit is moving. Yet neither should our fear of appearing undignified prevent us from responding when He does.
“We’ve quenched the Spirit, we’ve suppressed the Spirit,” Prince said. “We’ve tried to be dignified.”
Our response should not be manufactured, but neither should it be restrained. As Prince taught, we must remain willing to yield to the Holy Spirit and express what He has placed within us.
