I spent eleven years in a church that taught me that sitting on my hands was the ultimate form of worship. Indeed, the only form of worship acceptable to God. It was difficult, but I conformed.
Finally, I decided that this did not square with Scripture. Many of the verses that have been shared on this thread troubled me ("make a joyful noise," "lift your hands," "clap your hands," etc.). When I discussed this with the elders in our church, their pat answer was that down through (church) history, churches only sang hymns, and the only accompanyment was an organ or a piano. They did allow for an occassional guitar, but that was reserved for special occassions like the annual church camping trip. I wondered if that exception was because the piano was too heavy and awkward to load in the pick-up...
Anyway, I left there and over the following years found that people sincerely worship God in many different ways. My wife and I attended a number of evangelical churches and in time I even raised my hand a time or two. Today, I am 57 and I have never been so free in my worship of the Lord that I love.
My life verse is Galatians 2:20, which reminds me that Christ lives in me and I know that it is He who worships through me, whether I clap or raise my hands, or whether I kneel or sit quietly on my hands. It's all worship when He is the focus.
Agreed. But I have been to churches where people 'sit on their hands' during the whole service EXCEPT to clap for a performer, that it what I object to, not as a form of worshiping God. I am there to worship God, not man.
Studying Galatians? Read Luther's Commentary. It is quite excellent. But , beware,Luther was kind of stuffy according to today's pentecostals.