A Holiness-pentecostal Theology Of Worship

In the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition of worship, the key element is praise. Praise is not only the praise of song, but the praise of or testimony to God in this life. In worship, the Christian praises God for his character and for the deeds of salvation and healing God has wrought in the life of the worshiper. For Pentecostal Christians worship has always focused on the public meeting when believers come together to praise the Lord. Praising the Lord is key, for, as they constantly remind themselves, the Lord "inhabit[s] the praise" (Ps. 22:3, nkjv) of his people. The actions that compose proper praise, however, have been various, falling somewhere between the freedom promised by Jesus and Paul, and the form implied in Paul's other statements that "the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets" (1 Cor. 14:32, rsv) and "let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner" (1 Cor. 14:40, nasb). Unhappy with the alleged coldness and formality of the churches they left, or whic…