December 9, 2001 Volume 2 Number 49
|
WORSHIP "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:23-24All Christians should desire to be true worshippers of God. These are the quality of worshippers that God seeks for and if we desire our worship to please and honor Him, we must be certain that our worship is in spirit and truth. God is Spirit. He is not flesh. He does not see as men see, nor think the way men think. In Isaiah 55:8-9 God warns His people that they cannot think or see things as He does. Because of this we must rely upon God to tell us what pleases and honors Him. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isa 55:8-9 A true and genuine worshipper of God is one who worships God in spirit. Since God is Spirit, we too must use our spirit in our worship to Him. God cannot be pleased with anything less than the offering up of our spirits. That which is within our heart is the most precious of all things to God. It is this which God looks upon during our worship. But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I Sam 16:7 While each of us worships God, God is looking into our hearts to see what is really there. Is it genuine worship? Do we really mean what we are saying, singing or praying? Are we truly devoted to him? He can see right into our hearts and immediately knows the answer to these questions each first day of the week. We must take note of this. God is not nearly as interested in what we are wearing, or even in what we are bringing to him as he is in our emotional and spiritual commitment. He wants us to love him, to be contrite and repentant in His presence for evils done and to respect and honor Him. Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist," says the LORD. "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word. Isa 66:1-3 Each time we offer up worship to God, let us remember that the worship that pleases God is what is coming out of our heart. What is in the heart and offered to God is true worship in spirit. Since our spirit gives us the ability to think, communicate, feel love, gratitude and all other emotions, and to desire, worshipping God in spirit must involve these things. Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." Mt 22:37 If we use our heart, soul, and mind in each act of worship to God, then our worship will always be true and genuine. Not only does God desire that His followers worship Him with their spirit, but also that they worship Him in truth. Consider the words of Jesus to the Pharisees: "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." The last thing we would want to do is seek to worship God and find that it was all in vain. Jesus says it is in vain unless it is in exact accordance with God's will and not simply the commands of men. Love for truth is an absolute essential to a genuine worshipper of God. If one does not regard God's law enough to submit to it, then he cannot hope to please God: One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Prov 28:9 Whether one manifests their lack of concern for God's law doctrinally or morally, it removes from them the right of worship. Nadab and Abihu were priests of God under the Old Covenant. When they sought to worship Him in a manner different from that which He had commanded he immediately manifested his displeasure. Lev 10:1-3 The New Testament teaches that there are five acts of worship that ought to be offered up to God. It also teaches a specific day for offering them and specific instructions on how to offer them in spirit. Adherence to this manifests our love for truth and brings us into compliance with worshipping God in truth. Praying Lord's Supper Singing Preaching Giving Praying is beyond the bowed head and closed eyes. Mt. 6:5-6 The Lord's Supper is beyond chewing and drinking. I Cor 11:23-27 Singing is beyond the loud and beautiful voice. I Cor 14:15; Preaching is beyond looking up the verses. Jas 1:19-22; Acts 17:11 Giving is beyond the amount on the check. I Cor 13:3; II Cor 9:7; 8:12; Each first day of the week offers a new opportunity to manifest to Jehovah our true gratitude and appreciation for His wonderful care. Worship can become boring and just the same old thing week after week, only if the above Scriptures are ignored. Otherwise, it is simply a new adventure in seeking to worship in spirit and truth.
Let's Meet at the
Church His answer was very interesting in that he stated that the school could do nothing to ensure the passage of the bond issue. The school system is relegated, by law, to educational issues. It can't get involved in politics. He stated that the school can inform others of the facts, but can't ask them to vote YES for the bond issue. Further, he informed us that if we wanted to help pass the proposal, we would have to form a "Friends of Castleberry Schools" political group, as a private entity, and do it in that way. Further, we would have to meet somewhere other than the school building! What he said next is significant, in that he is a member of our Lord's church. He said that, for instance, we could meet at Stan's church and have our meetings there. This shows you how far afield many have gone in their concept of the purpose and work of our Lord's church. What is amazing is that it not only has affected the denominational world, but also many of our brethren. (The Superintendent is a member of the Midtown church, a very liberal congregation). The Superintendent recognized that it was not the mission of the school to be politically involved. Further, he recognized that even to use the building facilities for such a meeting would be a violation of the state charter for education. Why could he and others not see the same is true for the church? At what time did it become the common belief that the purpose of the church was to get involved in social issues? To entertain? To raise kids? To educate our children? To get our unemployed, jobs? Etc...? Our Lord established his church for a greater purpose. The Apostle Paul said, in 1 Timothy 3:15, "But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." To take the blood bought institution which God established to uphold and support the truth Christ revealed, and contaminate its charter with lesser concerns is wrong! God established the pattern of local congregations, to preach the gospel to the community, and edify the brethren in that fellowship. We come together on the first day of the week to commune with our God, not eat a common meal, or plot political strategy. Why is it that we can recognize the narrow scope of our schools' efforts, and not recognize a similar limitation on the work and purpose of the church of God? Nobody asked, but if they do, I will have to say, "I'm sorry, but we cannot use the West Side building. We are precluded by law, God's law, from involving the church in purposes and works other than authorized by Him." WHEN IT WAS A CRIME
TO READ THE BIBLE By the start of the third
decade of the 16th century, William Tyndale had already been on the run
for five years. The king of England, Henry VIII, had declared him a
felon. Fleeing Roman Catholic In England in the 1520's (indeed, throughout Europe during the middle ages), unless you were literate in Hebrew, Greek or Latin, reading the Bible for yourself was impossible. You had to rely upon what the Roman Catholic clergy said the Bible contained. You would not have been able to study the Bible for yourself to discern the truth for yourself - much less be free to practice what you learned therein. Rome ruled with an iron hand. The Catholic Church did not want nor permit a wide transmission of the Bible and its contents. When Tyndale's NT was published in Worms, 6,000 copies were shipped back to England. Medieval historian William Manchester reports, "To the bishop of London this was an intolerable, metastasizing heresy. He bought up all that were for sale and publicly burned them at St. Paul's Cross. But the archbishop of Canterbury was dissatisfied; his spies told him that many remained in private hands. Protestant peers with country houses were loaning them out, like public libraries. Assembling his bishops, the archbishop declared that tracking them down was essential -- each was placing souls in jeopardy -- and so, on his instructions, dioceses organized posses, searching the homes of known literates, and offered rewards to informers -- sending out the alarm to keep Christ's revealed word from those who worshiped him." (A World Lit Only By Fire, 204-205) Tyndale was eventually arrested and imprisoned for sixteen months in the castle of Vilvorde, near Brussels. In 1536, after being tried and convicted for heresy he was publicly executed, being tied to a stake, strangled to death, and then his corpse burned. As we consider Tyndale's struggle and sacrifice to provide the common Englishman with readable, discernable scriptures, we are made to thank God for the daily ease and convenience with which we can open the Bible and study it for ourselves. We are made to cherish the privilege that is ours to pour over the divine text, understand it, reflection upon it, think over it so as to bring our hearts and lives into harmony with it, as well as also teach it to others (Eph 5:17; 2 Tim 2:15; 2 Pet 3:18; 2 Tim 2:2). If you have been
neglecting to read, learn and live God's word, please remember the good
fortune you have: education and access -- the abundant opportunity
to read and know God's word. To not The next time you pick up your Bible and read it, remember the sacrifices of countless others who have made that simple act possible. But above all, remember the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life on the cross and was then resurrected from the dead so that you know the truth, abide in His word and thus be freed from your sin (Jn 8:31-36; 1:1-3, 14-18). The Spirit Expressly
Says ... When a congregation becomes a sect or a part of a sect, she separates herself from other Christians. Therefore, we want to avoid this. We are interested in being a non-sectarian church. What would such a church be like? We must have a non-sectarian leader or head. Only one person qualifies for this position. That person is Jesus Christ, who has been made "the head over all things to the church" Ephesians 1:22. A non-sectarian book must guide the church. The only book that is qualified is The Bible. So, let us have no book above the Bible; no book with the Bible; no book but the Bible. No faithful Christian should be excluded from the worship or fellowship. There should be no arbitrary requirements for him to meet before he is in fellowship. Nothing for him to join. The Lord adds to the church those who are being saved, according to Acts 2:47. That's how they get into the Lord's non-sectarian church. A non-sectarian church cannot have a sectarian name. The Lord's name is not sectarian. Bible names do not separate the children of God from one another. Other names do. See I Corinthians 1:10-13. In short, it must be a congregation of people who are Christians only and who follow the simple pattern for the church which is found in the New Testament. Food For Thought We win people by tenderness and conquer by forgiveness (F. W. Robertson). I destroy my enemies by making them my friends (Abraham Lincoln). We
hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study. 2
Sam 22:31
|
