Clap Happy
Every church has traditions. Some are good if they draw us closer to the Lord. Then there are practices I don’t care for . One is a preacher telling the congregation to “turn to your neighbor” numerous times to say something. Another is excessive clapping during services. A couple of evangelists I respect often encourage believers to “give Jesus a handclap.” I heard another one exhort us to “give the Bible a clap offering.” Although these are sincere gestures to honor God, I avoid doing those things. In his book “Plans, Purposes, and Pursuits”, Kenneth E. Hagin stated: “We’ve just gotten ‘clap happy’ in Charismatic circles, and it grieves the Holy Spirit.” He gave a detailed explanation of why clapping is not worship ( this article shares more excerpts from Brother Hagin’s book). Applause shows appreciation to man. 1 Timothy 2:8 says we are to lift holy hands to the Lord. I’ve sat in meetings when someone started to clap while the rest of us were listening to a prophetic ...