This shocked me. We had just gone through 2 hours of praise & worship (question mark – how can we worship with sin in our lives) & the word. If we had not had the altar call ALL THOSE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE GONE HOME FROM A CHURCH SERVICE WITH SIN STILL IN THEIR LIFE.

I started wondering how many church services there are where people are like that – they sit through a whole service & go home the same way that they came in.

Again in another service some place else. We went through ½ an hour of Praise & worship (??) then communion. Praise God the guy leading communion got people to get right before the Lord before partaking.

But this left me with the question – we just went for over ½ an hour before sin was dealt with ‘Trying to get into the [presence] of God’.

You cannot whip people up with exuberant music to usher them into the ‘presence’ of God without dealing with sin.

I feel impressed of the Lord – we must give people room to get right BEFORE we lead them any further. Some might say well people should get right with the Lord before they come to church – so true – the problem is THEY DON’T.

This could be a time where the worship team is playing softly songs about the blood (Oh don’t get me started on the churches that are blotting out any reference to the blood from their services) about forgiveness etc. maybe a leader encouraging people or leading them in communion.

The next stage is NOT worship. The inner court was for bread – the word of God, (I have said & heard it said praise & worship was to prepare people for the word – that’s not in the bible – worship belongs to & is expressly for the Lord & He alone) the bread of life, prayer, healing (the children’s bread Mat 15:26). The direction of the Lord etc etc.

After all of this in our service – the next thing we do - praise & worship – entering the Holy of Holies – His immediate presence.

Psalms 95:2 (KJV) Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psalms 100:2 (KJV) Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. ……… ⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

At the moment we seem to have this all back to front.

This is not a formula or just an order of service but - it is the correct protocol.