We’ve all seen it many times. Some people come to church, openly talk with others, get up and move about during the worship service and in a variety of ways disturb others around them. Sometimes children disturb the meditation of others, but the behavior of children is easier to understand. People react to what they see in different ways. There are times when I think the behavior of some people during the worship hour is just not appropriate. Some move about from place to place; some go out and come back in during the worship hour. It is distracting and interrupts the reverence of the moment. Certainly there may be those who think my behavior in church is just not right. 
    In reading John Wesley’s WORKS, one sees very clearly that John Wesley was often disturbed by what he considered poor church house behavior. At Kendal on April 9, Wesley preached in doors and was disturbed by the way the people approached the meeting: “I was a little disgusted at their manner of coming in and sitting down,
without any pretence to any previous prayer… .”  And he complained of their sitting during the first hymn and not singing with him (“… indeed not one, though they knew the tune, sung with me.”). Can you imagine John Wesley standing and singing the hymn alone while the people sat on their hands and refused to sing?  How can this be for a group of people who have been described by church historians as a society of people who “sing their faith?”
    However, as we keep reading we see that John Wesley won them over with his preaching. “But, it was far otherwise after sermon for God spake in his Word. At the second hymn every person stood up and most of them sang very audibly; and the greatest part of the society followed us to our inn. Nor did they leave us till we went to rest.”
    Is it the power of music?  Is it the power of the spoken word?  The behavior of worshippers in church is an issue that has been with us since the beginning.