Pomp and Ceremony must be filled with substance.
True Presence requires God's presence and our presence.
These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Matthew 15:8
Do not underestimate the value of ceremony and honour.
Fully experiencing God requires varying degrees of outward expression and involvement.
Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph. 5:19-20
There is a need to gather together to experience powerful prayer and God's Presence.
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20
Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. Matthew 18:19
Dignity: commanding esteem and respect by the appropriateness of your appearance, words, and actions
Applications:
- Dress: How do you dress?
- Words of Respect to others
- Family Traditions: prayer before eating, time to read scripture
- Expression of Gratefulness: cards, gifts, small tokens of thanks
The Examples of Church Ordinances/Ceremonies
An ordinance is a God-given ceremony using natural elements which symbolize a spiritual truth and imparts a spiritual reality as we participate in faith.
Baptism, Communion, Laying on of Hand, Dedications, Anointing
As we sincerely participate in faith, God comes and fills our outward acts with His presence.