The Misconception of Worship

There is a misconception concerning the worship of God, and I send this message to my christian brethren, especially to those in the catholic church, because their practises worry me the most. It can also be noticed in various pentecostal churches, and It is somethignthat seems to be a craze.

Back in the days, God instructed the Israelites, that when they get to the land he had promised them, they should take care when it comes to the worship practices of the heathens, or non worshippers of God. That no matter how interesting the worship practices may look, they should never be employed in his own worship. He drew out his own way that he should be worshipped. But some of them thought that God didn’t know any better, that surely he would be enamored by the lavish and beautiful way that the practices were being done. One such case is the case of the death of Uzzah. When the ark was coming back to Israel, they decided to carry it on a cart instead of on the shoulders of the priest. God was angry and struck Uzziah dead when He caused the ark to stumble, and uzziah tried to steady it. (1 Chron 13, 2 Sam 6) Some preachers say it was because Uzzah was not qualified to touch the ark, but if you remember, Uzzah was a priest, a son of Amminadab, of the priesthood of Israel. (2 Sam 6:3). Also, look at the words of David (Read the entire chapter.)

1 Chron 15:13- For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.

There is a due of serving God. We are always saying that God is the same and he never changes. Well, he has still not changed on this topic. We cannot assume to try and please God with the very things that displease him.

Bowing down to statues of Mary or saints or even Jesus-

Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Lev_26:1  Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.

Deu 4:15  Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:

Deu 4:16  Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

Deu_4:23  Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.

Rom_1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.  (and much more…)

Basically copying any form of worship that has no origins in the Word of God. Lighting of candles, washing in streams, worshipping humans(at some points, they don’t know where to draw the line between worship and honor) in order to get God's favor, , and other "new" forms of worship that is entering the church lately. For those of you who think I'm being too harsh or judgemental, please understand my life is at stake here. God is a God of absolutes. Anything that is not absolutely right is absolutely wrong. And we don’t want to wing it here. Either we obey God's precepts, or we do not. Paul said as let by the Spirit

Act 15:28  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

Act 15:29  That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

And I intend on doing so. As Christians, we should be careful the practices we adopt. It either pleases God or it does not. If he hates it, there is no amount of dressing that we can do to make it please him, even if we say we are doing it to honor him. Live a life that pleases God, and by His grace, he will keep you in him until the day of his coming. Amen.