We understand that the things you experience in our worship services may be different than what you are accustomed to. Feel free to ask about anything you are unsure of. In the meantime, here are some answers to commonly asked questions about our worship.

Why do we raise our hands in worship?

• Raising one's hands symbolizes surrender or blessing. We are surrendering ourselves to God, and we are blessing Him.
• Psalm 63:4 - Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Why do we use poles and banners in worship?

• The poles are called mattahs, the Hebrew word for staff. The staff was a symbol of authority. God often instructed Moses to use his staff to accomplish God's miraculous purposes. For an in-depth study on mattahs, please see www.passionandfire.org/Mattahpage.htm
• Banners, or standards, went before armies in ancient times. So, banners are instruments of spiritual warfare. They are also used as objects of beauty to glorify the Lord. Banner colors portray some aspect of our life in Christ - red symbolizes the blood of Jesus; white, purity; gold, the glory of God; etc.
• Psalm 20:5 - ...in the name of our God we will set up our banners....
• Song of Solomon 2:4 - He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Why do we speak and pray in a different language?

• On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to Jesus' disciples, and they began to speak in tongues, or languages they had never learned, by the power of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:1-13). This unusual sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit is still available to all believers today.
• Mark 16:17 - And these signs will follow those who believe ... they will speak with new tongues.
• Acts 2:38, 39 - ...Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ ... and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.

Why do we lay hands on people during prayer time?

• Laying on of hands is a means of imparting the anointing of God from one believer to another. Jesus often laid hands on the sick and they were healed. It is also used to commission people into ministry, or to endow them with a spiritual gift.
• Mark 16: 17, 18 - And these signs will follow those who believe ... they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
• Acts 13: 2, 3 - ...the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
• 2 Timothy 1:6 - This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. (NLT)

Why do some people fall down when they get prayed for?

• Many times when people are prayed for, the Lord's glory, or presence, comes upon them. Our human bodies are not always able to function in normal ways under the intense power of God's presence. There are several incidences in the Bible where people were unable to stand in the presence of the Lord.
• 1 Kings 8:11 - so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. (KJV)
• John 18: 6 - Now when He (Jesus) said to them, 'I am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground.
• Acts 9:3, 4 - As he (Saul) journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground....

Why do some people pray using the microphone?

• The obvious reason is that we want to be able to hear them pray. This is important, so that we can agree with them in prayer. There is great power in agreeing together:
• Matthew 18:19, 20 - ...if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

Why do some people lie on the floor during the worship or prayer?

• They are positioning themselves to listen to God, by quieting themselves.
• Psalm 46:10 - Be still, and know that I am God....
• Psalm 131:2 - Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother....
• Isaiah 40:31 - But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength....

Why do some people dance or jump during worship?

• We dance because we are rejoicing in God our Savior. At times, dance is also a spiritual warfare maneuver.
• 2 Samuel 6:14, 16 - Then David danced before the LORD with all his might .... Saul's daughter looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD...
• Luke 10:21 - In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit ... (in the Greek, "rejoiced" literally means "jumped for joy.")