Harold Vaughan: Let’s think for a moment tonight about the praise protocol. What I’m calling the praise protocol. Psalm 100 verse 4 says, Enter into his courts with?

Read it out loud. Enter into his courts with? It’s the praise protocol.

Now, this word praise speaks of laud and honor. It’s to pay tribute. It’s to give acclaim and glory to the Lord.

The Bible says, oh, clap your hands, all ye people, and shout unto God with the voice of triumph. How many of you think that that’s in the original language right there? Clap your hands, all ye people.

Shout unto God with the voice of triumph. I believe that one reason, one reason young people are getting out of a lot of our churches is because we have stripped the fire and enthusiasm out of the word of God, but the Bible talks about some animation and a little exuberance on occasion in the presence of God. It’s right here in the King James Version, brother.

There it is. Do with it what you want to, but I’m telling you it’s in there. Now listen, if a word of discouragement opens the door for the enemy, then a word of praise closes it and seals it.

When Paul and Silas were thrown in prison after casting out a demon, they were beaten and put in stocks. The Bible says they prayed and sang praises to God. Man, they had a worship service going on.

They got their praise on right there in the middle of those stocks up in there just praising God. The prisoners heard them. God sent an angel, got them out of there.

The praise protocol. Now, can I just say that the presence of God calls for exuberant praise? John Baptist was full of the Holy Ghost from the womb.

Wow, what do you do with that one? Filled with the Holy Spirit before he was born. Man, I like to be filled with the Holy Spirit post-womb, you know.

But here he was in his mother’s womb, Elizabeth. Comes into the presence of the Son of God who’s in Mary’s womb. and when old John the Baptist filled with the Holy Spirit got in the presence of deity, he leapt in his mother’s womb.

That means he leaped in his mother’s womb. Brother, he cut a jig. He was kicking his mom in there.

He was throwing some fist around, clapping his hands. I don’t know what he was doing, but the Bible says he leapt in his mother’s womb. Am I right or wrong on this right here?

And I just want to say something to you tonight that the presence of God calls for a little animation, a little exhilaration and a little exaltation. I love a revival atmosphere where people are lost in wonder and in praise. When God the Holy Ghost comes and visits the congregation, I’m just telling you, people are knee-deep in love and they’re not worried about other people.

They’re not trying to put on a show. You know, there’s always some unstable people trying to call attention to themselves. But can I say something to you?

That it’s all right for you to have a spell every now and then. Some of y’all really need to have a spell. It’s been a long time since some of y’all had a spell.

I can tell that. Listen to me tonight. Hang with me for a moment tonight.

That this presence of God. You know what praise is? It’s faith set to music.

Praise is faith set to music. I love the prayer. We got the prayer advance coming up.

Not a retreat, an advance. Man, it’s going to be great. I’m just telling you, it’s fantastic.

You talk about singing. You just talked about singing, man. From the bottom of the heart at the top out of the lung.

I’m just telling you, when the cow gets out of the barn, there’s no way to hold back in such an atmosphere. Old David, you know, he got so excited one time he danced before the Lord. Remember that one?

I’m tired of people saying, well, the charismatics have robbed the Baptists of their praise. They did not. They ain’t robbed us of nothing.

We gave up by default. Quit blaming somebody else. Well, we want to get too carried away.

They’ll think we’re one of them. You ain’t got nothing to worry about, all right? You ain’t got nothing to worry about on that point right there.

Just get over that fear of man stuff. I’m not for hype. I’m not for manipulation.

I’m not for working up something, Brother Van Gelder. I am not. I’m opposed to that.

But I’m telling you, when God touches your heart and the glory of God descends among his people, there ought to be a shout of praise in the house of God every now and then. Oh, but I’m just telling you, you take a football game. You know, if you never get so full you can’t stand it, you need to get full of the right thing.

You take a football game, 22 degrees below zero, and, you know, the guys are out there, they didn’t rip their shirts off and painted their bodies, the team colors, they dyed their hair a stupid, excuse me, a funny color. Sorry. I need sanctification.

I really do. And they’re screaming like a bunch of maniacs, and nobody thinks it’s out of place. Nobody thinks it’s abnormal.

Well, brother, if you can get excited about the Green Bay done packed it in. If you can get excited about that bunch. I was in a pastor’s home.

You know, the church was stayed and they were formal. And I went to the house, man, they got to talking about the Broncos, man, all the children, everybody was all excited about all this kind of stuff. And I thought, man, y’all are more excited about the football game than you are about the Lord Jesus Christ.

I think there’s something wrong with this picture right here. And brother, can I just say by him, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. It’s the sacrifice of praise.

C.S. Lewis said that praise is boasting about what you enjoy. Praise is boasting about what you enjoy.

Opening your mouth in thanksgiving in praise. So instead of counting your bruises, try counting your blessings. One man said a drop of praise is an unsuitable acknowledgement for an ocean of mercy.

And I want to tell you, if they can get excited about their sports events and all this kind of stuff, I’m telling you, the redeemed have a right to praise their God with living exuberance. It’s the praise protocol. Now, you know, when men cease to praise God adequately, they begin to praise one another excessively.

You know, I go to conferences all over the place, and you know, people that don’t know me, they’ve never met me, maybe they heard something or read something, I don’t know, but they get up and they begin to give all kinds of accolades. And if you go to a university setting, they always have to introduce the speaker as Dr. Vaughn.

Well, we’re so privileged to have Dr. Vaughn with us here, and I’m sitting out there thinking, I’m not even a nurse practitioner, and here they are calling me a doctor, but we’re so glad to have brother Dr. Vaughn. And then they began to reel off the string of accolades and accomplishments. And I’m sitting there thinking, man, wonder who they’re talking about.

And then I began to think, man, I can’t wait to hear this guy. And if my wife is with me, I’ll say, honey, listen to what that man is saying. Do you know how fortunate you are?

Listen to what that man is saying, boy, do you have it made. But you know something? Let your boast be in the Lord, and the undue praise of men evidences a deficient praise of God.

I’m telling you, the best of men are men at best, but Jesus is great. I can’t find anything wrong with him. I find no fault in him.

I can only find good things about him. Man, that’s the best thing ever happened to me, was the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

Oh, friend, what about it? Praise will be our chief employment in heaven. You say, what are we going to be doing?

It’s going to be our, praise will be our chief employment. Listen to Revelation. The four and 20 elders fall down before him.

They’re animated. They couldn’t even stay on their seats. They fall down, they’re throwing crowns before him that sat on the throne and worship him that lives forever and ever.

They cast their crowns before the throne and they cried, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. For thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Wow.

Hey, praise is gonna be our chief employment in heaven. We should make it our noblest employment on earth. It’s the praise protocol.

And you gotta learn, not only to enter his gates with thanksgiving, but you come into his courts with praise. Adoration is different than thanking. It’s just different.

Now, listen, every worship service is choir practice for heaven. And if you find it difficult to praise God for what’s going on, at least you can praise God for what’s going to be. Somebody said you praise God when you feel like it, you praise God when you feel like it, or you praise God until you feel like it.

And I have found that offering praise to the Lord, gratitude for coming to God, entering his gates, coming into his courts with praise. You know, it says in the book of Acts, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. That’s what it says.

You know, Mary and the women and the men were in the upper room, 120 of them. And the Bible says they lifted up their voices to God, plural. They were all praying.

There’s 7 billion people down here. How many know that God can listen to a million people praying at one time and not miss a word. So I want us to practice the praise protocol tonight.

I want us to have a little universal prayer. Now I know that this is a Book of Acts thing and a North Carolina thing, but it ought to become a Wisconsin thing. Now let’s have a little universal prayer tonight.

I want you to stand to your feet. I want to open up your mouth and I want you to spend about 60 seconds just giving praise, verbal praise to the Lord, all right? It’s the praise protocol.

Just open up your mouth, Praise the Lord from your heart to his for just a few moments.