College students in worship
In John 4 Jesus said:
What is truth? Is it something that we somehow discover from within our inner self?
Christ says: “Thy [God's] word is truth” [John 17:17]. The only word of God available to us today is recorded in the one book we call the Bible.
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Any teaching that does not conform to God’s written word is not safe basis for determining how to worship God.
So how do we worship God in spirit and in truth?
Is honoring and praising God the kind of worship that He wants?
I hope you don’t misunderstand. God does appreciate our praises and thanks, for in Hebrews we read:
Heb 13:16 But to do good and to communicate [give,fellowship] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
God is pleased by expressions of honor and praises that come forth from our mouths, but as verse 16 says, our words must also come with good works and good conduct. Christ rejects worship where our heart is “far from Him”.
What does Christ mean by this?
…
Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
The Pharisees were more concerned with doing their own idea of righteousness, than obeying God’s commandments. They were honoring God with their lips, as a substitute for obedience to the commandments. That was the mistake that King Saul made:
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
King Saul, not being a priest, was not allowed to directly offer animal sacrifices. But in what Samuel described as stubbornness, King Saul did so anyway, in direct disregard for God’s instruction – thinking he was doing right. But his “initiative” displeased God instead.
Much of the mainstream way of worship today are man-made traditions substituted for God’s prescribed manner. Many people observe “holidays” borrowed from paganism, instead of the holy days commanded by God [Lev.23]. Is it any wonder why God seems so far off and unreal today?
Some may think that it makes no difference how we worship God as long as we sincerely honor Him. But sincerity is not a substitute for the truth. It can not make wrong right. That is precisely what “worship in truth” is all about. God shows us how to worship Him – we can’t do it otherwise. Notice God’s warning in connection with this:
Importance of Our Attitude and Conduct
Consider now what the prophet Micah wrote:
Mic 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Here is an important aspect of worship that may not even be recognized by some. More than what we do during a church meeting or service, God is really interested and concerned with our conduct during the rest of the week. God says He requires us:
- to do justly [or rightly]
- to love mercy
- to walk humbly
God wants us to do right. But at the same time He wants us to show mercy if others do us wrong. God also place so much importance on humility:
God finds proud attitude disgusting:
Worshipping God in spirit is about serving God [and dealing with others] with right attitude and mental disposition. Christ’s “sermon on the mount” as recorded in Matthew 5 reveals a lot more on how we can worship God in spirit.
Now there is a couple more aspects of worship that are also extremely important to God:
The word “visit” here is more involved than mere paying social visit or call. The original Greek also means “to look after” or “take care of” or “to help”. Throughout the Bible you’d see how God feels for the fatherless, widows and even strangers. He is protective of them and warns us against oppressing them and even charge us to look after them [Isa.1:17].
Lastly, as part of true worship of God, the latter part of James 1:27 says we must keep ourselves unspotted from the world. Romans 12:2 elaborates on this:
So summing it all up – true worship of God involves the following:
- offering praises, prayer and thanks to God
- living a life of obedience to God, of mercy, humility and right attitude
- looking after the needy among us
- keeping ourselves unspotted from the world
In essence, true worship of God is the fulfilling of God’s will in – and through – our words, thought, attitude and conduct every day of our life.
