Dylan Johns
Jesus said, "But the hour cometh, and
now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and
they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John
4:23,24).
Two things
are required of worshippers if our devotions are to be acceptable to God:
1.
We must worship in spirit. That is, our
hearts must be right. We must be right in life. We must have the
correct attitude. We must be thinking of what we are doing (Isaiah
1:11-20; Proverbs 28:9; Matthew 15:8).
2.
We must worship God in truth. To worship God
in truth means that we will worship God according to the truth. God's
Word is truth (John 17:17). Therefore, for our devotions to be
acceptable to God, they must be offered in accordance with His Word.
The New
Testament gives the acts of worship in which Christians are to engage.
The acts of worship mentioned in the Old Testament such as dancing,
instrumental music, animal sacrifices, special singers, and the burning of
incense, were commanded only of the nation of Israel. The Old Testament
as a binding law for God's people ended at the cross (Colossians 2:13,14).
Christians must learn from the New Testament, the law of Christ for all people
today, how God wants to be worshipped today. The acts of worship required
by God are plainly set forth in the New Testament.
The
Lord's Supper
The Lord's
supper or communion (1 Corinthians 10:16) consists of two things: (1)
unleavened bread (without yeast) and (2) the fruit of the vine (grape
juice). The purpose of the Lord's Supper is to bring to our remembrance
the sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus on the cross for our sins (Matthew
26:26-29). We must be very careful when we partake of the communion
that we discern the blood and body of Jesus so that we partake in a worthy
manner (1 Corinthians 11:23-30). Christians are to eat the Lord's
Supper every first day of every week (Acts 20:7).
Prayer
Prayers
offered to God are to be a part of our public worship as well as our private
daily devotions. There are many examples and precepts concerning prayer
in the New Testament (1 Timothy 2:1,2,8; Philippians 4:6, etc.).
In our prayers to God we give thanks and praise His name. In our prayers
we can pray for our needs and for the needs of others. Jesus gave us a
"model" prayer in Matthew 6:5-15. He did not intend for us
simply to repeat this prayer by rote but gave it as an example by which we
could pattern our own prayers. Jesus Christ is our mediator and high
priest. Therefore, our prayers must be addressed to God in the name of
Jesus (John 16:23; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 2:1,2).
Preaching
and Teaching God's Word
God has
commanded us to teach His Word (Matthew 28:19,20). Both saved and
sinners need to be taught. Therefore, a lesson from the Bible is one of
the acts of worship in which Christians are to engage (Acts 2:42).
We must learn God's Word so that we can grow stronger in Christ, teach others,
and overcome false teachings (1 Peter 2:1,2; 2 Timothy 2:2; 4:1-5).
This is a very important part of our worship and must never be overlooked.
Giving
Giving of
our means is a part of our worship to God. This is the way Christ's
church gets the necessary funds to do its work. God has given us the
perfect plan for giving (1 Corinthians 16:2). We are told who
is to give, "Let every one of you." We are told when
we are to give, "Upon the first day of the week." We are
also told how much to give, "As God hat prospered us."
We show our love for God when we give cheerfully and willingly to Him (2
Corinthians 9:7).
Singing
Christians
are commanded to praise God in song (Colossians 3:16). The kind of
music God has commanded for His church is vocal music only, that is,
singing. There is no command or example anywhere in the New
Testament for the use of mechanical instrumental music in Christian
worship. To add instruments of music to our singing is a sin for it is
adding to what God has told us that He wants. No man has the right to do
this (Revelation 22:18, 19; 2 John 9-11). We are to "make
melody in our hearts" (Ephesians 5:19), the instruments made by
God, not instruments made by man!
Neither has
God commanded us to have special singers in our worship such as choirs.
Every Christian must praise God in song just as every one must partake of the
Lord's Supper for himself. The purpose of our worship to God is not
to entertain ourselves. Therefore, what we do in worship is not based on
that which appeals to our physical senses, but must be based upon what pleases
God!
True
Christians want to worship God. In fact, it is impossible for a true
Christian not to worship God. When we understand God's greatness, His glory,
majesty, wisdom, and strength, and reflect upon His infinite mercy in giving
His only begotten Son to save us from our sins, our hearts will overflow with a
"sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of the lips
giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15).
-Written by Rod Rutherford for Truth for the
World-
