You Can Serve God Successfully: God's Power Can Work in Your Life.

The Bible promises that anyone is able to know God's will, be forgiven of sin, resist temptation, endure hardship, serve obediently, and receive eternal life. God provides the power we need through Jesus' blood, the Scriptures, prayer, hope, love, and other Christians. No one needs to be lost. Anyone can overcome their past, achieve victory over sin, and become what God requires him/her to be.

Introduction:

Joshua 1:7,8 - Most people want to succeed in some area: business, family relations, music, athletics, politics, education, etc. God promised Joshua he could succeed in the most important activity in life: serving God.

People today also need reassurance that we can succeed in being right with God.

People who are not Christians are sometimes overwhelmed by the sacrifices Christians must make, the work to do, habits to change. They become so discouraged they do not even try.

Christians may also become discouraged as they try to live for God and find they have failed in some area. Some give up entirely. Others pretend to serve God while living in sin and excusing themselves by saying they simply cannot accomplish what the Bible says.

The purpose of this study is to show that God has provided all the blessings we need to serve Him successfully and receive eternal life.

These blessings are available to everyone. We must meet conditions that require effort and sacrifice, but all of us are capable of meeting these conditions. You can have God's power working in your life!

Consider the Bible promises. Note words referring to power, strength, and ability in these verses.

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I. What Power Does God Make Available?

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A. You Can Have the Power to Know and Believe the Truth.

Some people get confused by the different teachings they hear. They say, "I don't believe I can ever understand the Bible. One person teaches it one way and the next teaches it differently. I'll never know what to believe." But God can meet this need.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 - The Scriptures are inspired of God and able to make us wise to salvation. They are profitable to provide us to every good work.

1 Corinthians 2:4,5 - Paul's preaching was in the demonstration of the Spirit and power, so our faith can stand in the power of God.

Romans 1:16 - The gospel is the power of God to save those who believe. But faith comes by hearing God's word (10:17). The gospel is able to produce true faith in the heart of any honest person.

By human power alone truly we never could determine how to obtain eternal life. But God meets our needs by giving us the means to know and believe the truth if we study diligently with an honest, open heart.

[Mark 7:14; Eph. 3:3-5; John 8:31,32; Isaiah 55:11]

B. You Can Have the Power to Become a Child of God.

John 1:12 - Jesus gave the right ("power") to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. Faith alone, without obedience, does not make one a child of God, but simply gives the power to become a child.

1 Peter 1:22,23 - The power to make us children of God is in God's spiritual seed, His word. To be purified and born again, we must obey the truth. This includes repenting, confessing, and being baptized (Acts 2:38; 22:16; 17:30; Mark 16:16; Rom. 10:9,10).

Hebrews 7:25 - Jesus is able to save us to the uttermost. By human power alone we could never obtain forgiveness and become children of God. But God has made this power available to us.

C. You Can Have the Power to Resist Every Temptation.

People often excuse their sins saying obedience is just too hard. "I just can't do it. God will just have to understand." We may even blame God for being too demanding.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. This is true of every temptation. We can be sure this is true because it is based on God's faithfulness.

Ephesians 6:10-18 - The Lord provides strength and power such that we are able to stand against the power of Satan. We can quench every one of his fiery darts (temptations). Again, this is not possible by human power. Perhaps Satan can defeat us if we face him alone, but we can succeed by the power of God's armor.

These verses teach that a Christian can overcome every temptation. There is never any excuse for committing even one single sin. In practice we all commit sin, because we fail to use the weapons properly (1 John 1:8,10). But this is not necessary. If we believe our human nature compels us to sin and nothing can be done about it, we are looking at human power when we should be looking at God's power.

[James 4:7; 2 Cor. 10:4,5; Jude 24]

D. You Can Have the Power to Endure Suffering and Hardship.

Often hardship, grief, sickness, and persecution tempt us to quit serving God. We think, "What's the use?"

2 Corinthians 1:3-10 - Paul suffered beyond power such that he despaired of life. Someone may ask, "Doesn't that prove there are temptations which are beyond our power?" Yes, perhaps we may face temptations beyond our power, but not beyond God's power. Paul here says we should learn to trust in God.

Romans 8:31-39 - No suffering or hardship of any kind is able to separate us from God's love. Rather, we are more than conquerors! We can defeat them all if we are on God's side.

Nowhere does God say He will remove all our problems. Rather He promises we can endure, remain faithful, and receive eternal life despite our problems.

[Phil. 4:11-13; Heb. 11:34]

E. You Can Have the Power to Serve Others.

Discouragement sometimes comes when we try to help others, but we see no positive results. We may decide to quit trying, thinking, "It just doesn't do any good."

2 Corinthians 9:8-10 - God is able to supply all our need, so we can abound in every good work and increase the fruits of righteousness.

John 15:4-8 - Jesus is like the vine that supplies the needs of the branches. Apart from Him, acting by human power alone, we can do nothing. But in Him we can bear much fruit.

2 Timothy 2:2 - Faithful men shall be able to teach others. This is part of the power God promises us.

Romans 15:14 - We shall be able to admonish one another. As in other areas, degrees of ability will vary, but all can develop some ability in teaching.

There is no need for Christians to live barren, unfruitful lives. We can accomplish much good for God if we will make use of His power.

[2 Thess. 1:11,12; 1 Peter 4:11; 2 Tim. 1:7,8; 2 Cor. 1:4]

F. You Can Have the Power to Do Everything Necessary to Receive Eternal Life.

Ephesians 3:20,21 - God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think according to His power that works in us.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

1 Peter 1:3-5 - By God's power we are guarded to an eternal and incorruptible inheritance in heaven.

2 Peter 1:3 - His power grants us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

The Bible nowhere teaches that it is impossible for a child of God to fall from grace. But it most certainly teaches that it is not necessary for us to fall!

[Mark 9:23; Isaiah 40:28-31; Eph. 1:19,20; Acts 20:32; Jude 24]

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I. What Methods Does God Use to Provide This Power?

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This power does us no good unless we know how to obtain it. As we study the methods God uses, note that all of them require effort on our part. There are conditions we must meet in order to have God's power.

A. There Is Power in Jesus' Blood.

1 Corinthians 1:18,23,24 - The power of God is the word of the cross, the message of Christ crucified.

Hebrews 7:25; 9:14 - Jesus' sacrifice is able to save to the uttermost.

"There is power in the blood." But the power is conditional. To receive it, you must repent and be baptized (see earlier discussion). If we sin afterward, we must repent and pray (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9).

B. There Is Power in God's Love.

Ephesians 3:16,17 - We may be strengthened in the inner man, being rooted and grounded in love [cf. v19-21]. All of us need to know that we are loved and cared for.

When a person knows he is wrong, he may not care if he does more wrong. He is already alienated, so what will it hurt? But when he knows he has been right and he feels a sense of being loved, he does not want to do anything to break that bond.

1 John 4:9,19; 5:3 - God loves us so much that He gave Jesus to die for us. This knowledge compels us to love God and obey Him. People in sin often talk about the sense of loneliness they feel, knowing they are alienated from God.

Love is a powerful motivation. God's love is the most powerful love there is. It is a bond that draws us to God and motivates us to serve Him successfully. But there are conditions: love must lead to obedience.

[John 14:15]

C There Is Power in the Scriptures.

Romans 1:16 - The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:18 - The word of the cross is the power of God.

Ephesians 6:13-17 - Every part of the armor of God is related directly or indirectly to the word: loins girt with truth, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel, the sword which is the word, etc.

Further, the Scriptures are involved in every area in which we need power: they are the basis of knowledge and faith, they tell us how to become children of God, they strengthen us to overcome temptation and comfort us in trouble, etc. [Matt. 4:4,7,10; Rom. 15:4]

Joshua 1:7,8 - To be successful in God's work, Joshua had to meditate on God's law. Again, the power of the word is conditional. We must study and follow the word in order to benefit from the power it provides.

[James 1:21-25; Acts 18:27,28; 20:32; Rom. 15:14; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 4:12f; 1 Cor. 10:12f; 16:13]

D. There Is Power in Prayer.

Ephesians 6:18 - There is power in God's armor, but we are to take it on with prayer. We should make our requests known so God can supply what we need to serve Him.

Psalms 138:3 - In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.

James 5:16 - The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

There is no need to bear our burdens alone. We can give them to God. But again there are conditions. We must use the privilege of prayer.

Too many of us are like a man with a powerful automobile who, instead of getting in and turning on the engine, stands behind the car pushing it. He tries to do it all himself and gets nowhere.

[1 Peter 5:7,8; Col. 1:9-11; 2 Thess. 1:11; Phil. 4:6,7]

E. There Is Power in Associating with Other Christians.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 - Two are better than one. If one falls, his companion can lift him up. An enemy might prevail against one alone, but instead there are two to withstand him. A threefold cord is not easily broken. There is strength in working together.

Galatians 6:2 - Christians bear one another's burdens.

2 Corinthians 1:4 - They comfort one another in times of affliction. Sometimes our problems are bigger than we can handle alone. We need help. But remember, if we want others to help us, we need to be willing to help them when they have needs.

Hebrews 10:23-25 - One excellent time to strengthen one another is when the church meets. We can provoke one another to love and good works. We can exhort one another.

Again, the strength God supplies is conditional. We must make use of it. Strangely, many Christians neglect or flat refuse to use this source of strength at the very times they need it most. Facing the greatest spiritual dangers of their lives, when they are tempted to fall away, they neglect to attend church meetings.

We can only be strong when we use what God provides to make us strong!

[Heb. 3:12-14; Eph. 4:16; Col. 3:16; Rom. 15:14]

F. There Is Power in the Hope of Eternal Life.

2 Peter 1:8-11 - The desire to enter the everlasting kingdom motivates us to make our calling and election sure by developing the needed qualities in our lives. Instead of being near-sighted, we should keep our eyes on our goal.

1 Corinthians 9:25 - Goals motivate us to work hard, as illustrated by athletes. Without a clear vision of our goal, we may easily give up in hardship. With a clear and valuable goal, we are strongly motivated to persevere.

Matthew 6:24,33 - But again there are conditions. We must keep our eye on the goal and not become overly involved in affairs of this life. We cannot serve two masters, but must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We must keep our priorities straight.

[1 Peter 1:3-5; Acts 20:32; Jude 24]

Conclusion

Acts 10:34,35 - God is no respecter of persons. In every nation, those who fear Him and work righteousness are accepted by Him. Everyone can serve God successfully. This is not just for other people. It includes you and me. [2 Peter 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4,6; Titus 2:11-14; Acts 2:38,39; Mark 16:15,16; Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 1:16]

Why then are so many people being defeated in God's service? Because they are not using the armor properly!

Imagine an army of soldiers sworn to protect the country where you live.

Suppose a powerful enemy is coming to attack your city, destroy your wives and children, causing great pain and grief. The enemy has a powerful weapon which your army is convinced it cannot defeat.

Then the soldiers learn of someone who has a powerful new weapon. Everywhere it has been used, the enemy has been defeated.

The new weapon is obtained so every soldier can have one. The weapons come with an instruction manual. Meetings are set up so the soldiers can learn how to use the weapon. Your army can successfully win the victory! All the soldiers have to do is attend the meetings, study the manual, and use the weapons provided.

Would you want those soldiers to stay home from 1/2 to 2/3 of the meetings, when they could come? Should they daydream through the meetings? Should they take the manuals home, lay them on the shelf, and rarely read them?

The enemy is Satan. You and I are the soldiers. We will surely lose, not just our lives, but our souls eternally unless we learn how to defeat Satan's forces. God has provided armor that is guaranteed to defeat Satan, but we must learn to use it. It comes with a manual we must study - the Bible. The church is instructed to provide meetings so we can learn to use the weapons.

You can successfully win the battle against Satan by the means God has supplied. Are you studying and attending the meetings diligently so you can be successful? Are you as diligent as you would want soldiers to be if they were defending you and your family in wartime? Have you even yet enlisted in the army?

Note: If you wish to study further about topics mentioned in this lesson, please note the links listed below.

How God Works in Our Lives

The Bible tells us that we can have a relationship with God. How would a relationship with God impact us? Some relationships are like nuclear explosions. There is blinding heat and light and then a whole lot of damage. Some relationships are like roller coasters ? up and down. Some relationships never seem to change. What is a relationship with God like? How does God work in our lives?

According to Jesus, over time, God?s influence on our lives grows beyond our expectations until it becomes all-consuming. Relationship with God takes place over time. God builds a relationship with us continually and faithfully, but not explosively. He does not by-pass our wills, He changes them slowly over time. But the result is beyond our expectations. Ultimately, we become like Him and He becomes the very center of our lives.

God?s influence over us also takes place, not in spite of life?s difficulties and messes, but through them. Through all circumstances He grows us. If you go to your local florist and buy a fake tree, it will look good from day one. It doesn?t need any sunshine, and no rain. It will not fade ? at least not in the short run - and it will never loose its leaves. You can place it in the darkest corner of your home and it will still be green.

Of course, it?s not alive either. That means that it will never produce any kind of fragrance or any fruit. It will never provide any real shade and no one will ever be able to climb its branches. It will never grow, but it will collect dust. In short, there will be little hassle, but no life.

Some of you have longed for, and even nurtured, spiritual lives like the fake tree. You don?t want any rainstorms. You can do without the mess and fuss of dirt and grim. You don?t mind the absence of sunlight. In fact, you kind of like your dark, little corner. But you have no real life. There is no unhappy fall; but there is also no glorious spring. There is very little mess except for occasional dust, but neither are there any fragrant flowers. There are no expanding branches and no fruit, so you offer no shade and no sustenance to anyone. In short, there is no life.

What you have nurtured has nothing to do with God. The work of God in our lives is dynamic. It produces life. It is often messy, and sometimes painful, but always vital. God?s influence on our lives is relentless and steady. Like the growth of a mustard seed into a mustard plant. Like the influence of yeast on a whole batch of dough. Over time, God?s influence on our lives grows beyond our expectations until it becomes all-consuming.

LUKE 13:18-21

Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches." Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount [1] of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Spiritual growth takes time

"Full grown oaks are not produced in three years; neither are servants of God." There is no short cut to godliness, no quick fixes that produce holiness. When the Bible uses the word holiness it means, "set apart for God," "distinct," "unique," and "morally pure."

A. Richard ? became a Christian and wanted it all right away. He felt like he had wasted his life, but there is no wasted time with God. Richard wanted to know how to grow up in God. He wanted all the information he could get. He also struggled with pride. He wanted to do great things for God, partly because he wanted recognition. God wants to do great things through us but not so that we can gain recognition. Richard fell away. When Richard came back to Christ he came in complete humility. He did not expect to be used by God. How could God use a failure like him? Then God began to use him mightily.

Jesus held a mustard seed between his fingers. "The kingdom of God is like this," he said.

• Mustard seed ? smallest known seed.
• Imagine their surprise.
• Just like ours. Americans love big things.
• If God were to really influence my life ? wow. God involved with my life. It would be huge, instantaneous.
• But we know enough about living things to know that real life does not work that way. It progresses. It develops over time.
• So it is with the work of God.

God will use us mightily.

Imagine the very first day of plant seed school when all the local plant seeds come mingling in. Can you imagine how poor little mustard seed must feel? "Okay, you little seeds, line up shortest to tallest," the teacher plant barks out. And there goes little mustard seed down to the end of the line. How could anything big come out of such a little plant? But something big does come out of the little seed. A huge bush, big enough for the birds to come and build nests in. God can take lives like ours and make something mighty out of them.He was a known criminal and a fugitive. He had never really exercised leadership of any kind except over a bunch of unmanageable animals. He was old by any standards and suffered from a life-long speech impediment. He had a confused upbringing and never understood fully who he was and what place he should fill. This is an unlikely resume for a great spiritual leader and yet God picked this man, named Moses, to be the preeminent leader of the nation of Israel.

If we allow Him, God will use us mightily beyond even our expectations.
 

God will grow us deeply.

 
My own life?
Did not want to be too religious
God changed my heart made me want to be like Him
Felt frustrated that I could not
Tim?s testimony that I was.
 
 

Until He becomes all consuming.

Imagine stacking up a pinch of yeast next to a whole batch of dough. The dough looks impenetrable, formidable to the little yeast. "You will exercise your influence over that whole batch of dough," the baker says to the yeast. "How can that be?" we ask. But we watch in amazement as a pinch of yeast makes the whole dough rise. So it is with God?s influence on our lives
Little by little, every aspect of our lives comes under His supervision. Our hearts become more like His heart. Our minds more like His mind. He moves closer and closer to the center of who we are and what we do.
Life in God is exciting. Summer, winter, spring and fall. Some of it is painful, some of it is messy, but all of it God uses for our good. It is because we relate to this kind of a God that suffering has meaning. Through it all, God grows us. In spite of ourselves He uses us mightily. He makes us more like Himself and grows us deeper. And eventually, He becomes all we want. And this is a great place to be because He is all we need.
 
 
 

But why don?t I see it like that? Someone is saying. 
 

We don?t see it like that because holiness does not focuses on God and not on ourselves. And as we draw closer to God, the first thing He shows us is always a mirror. The closer we get to Him the closer we are to that mirror and the clearer we see our own faults.
In one of his early letters, the great apostle Paul wrote that he was "least of all the apostles." 1 Corinthians 15:9
Later he wrote he was "least of all the saints." Ephesians 3:8
Near the end of his life, he wrote to his young student Timothy he was "the foremost of sinners." 1 Timothy 1:15

 

Today, some of you need to adjust your expectations. You have forgotten that the spiritual life within is real life. It is messy and dirty sometimes. It needs rain as well as sunshine. Sometimes the wind blows hard and we complain but that only serves to strengthen our root system. Some of you need to lift your eyes up from your present disappointment and see the larger work of God in your life. He is forming His character in you! He is working the yeast throughout the whole batch of dough.

Some of you need to recognize the miraculous, dynamic work of God in your life and give thanks. He is making you into a person He can use mightily. "My best days are past," you have thought. "I use to be so close to God." But if you are walking in His love, if you are pursuing your end of relating to Him, your best days are right now. You are wiser, you are stronger, you are more holy and more able to be used by God without needing all the recognition for yourself. You have known the heat of summer. You have felt the melancholy of fall and the death and dormancy of winter. You have thrilled to the new life and exuberance of spring. And you know that you will experience them again. And finally, you know that none of it will shake loose your faith. God has been good, just like He said He would.

Others of you have been so neglectful of your relationship with God He has been unable to work the yeast throughout the dough. You have been unable or unwilling to rise. Give yourself to Him today. 

GOD PLAN FOR MARRIAGE

The earliest use of the English word “marriage” dates back to the 13^th century ^[1]. Marriage by God’s design is the union of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:18).  Some say that it is the ceremony (wedding) that makes the man and woman married;  God’s word tells us that it is the joining of flesh that makes the marriage (Genesis 2:24).  Here are twenty great Scripture quotes about marriage.

Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.

God’s Plan for Marriage

Genesis 1:27-28 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Let marriage be held in honor among all

Genesis 2:21-25 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Malachi 2:14,15  But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.

1 Corinthians 7:2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Children Given for Marriage

Genesis 29:22,23 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her.

Judges 1:12 And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.” And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.

1 Samuel 17:25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”

1 Samuel 18:20,21 Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall now be my son-in-law.”

Popular Bible Marriages/Weddings

Genesis 24:67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

1 Samuel 25:40-42 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

Ruth 4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.

Esther 2:16-18 And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.

Luke 2:4,5 (KJV) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

John 2:1,2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

What the Earthly Marriage Symbolizes

Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your husband,  the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,  the God of the whole earth he is called.

Ephesians 5:23,24,32 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Revelation 19:7-9 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself  with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelation 21:9-14 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Christian Quotes About Marriage

“Marriage is an exclusive union between one man and one woman, publicly acknowledged, permanently sealed, and physically consummated.” ~ Selwyn Hughes

“The monstrosity of sexual intercourse outside marriage is that those who indulge in it are trying to isolate one kind of union (the sexual) from all the other kinds of union which were intended to go along with it and make up the total union.”  ~ C.S. Lewis

“A man doesn’t own his marriage; he is only the steward of his wife’s love.”  ~ Edwin Louis Cole (Ed Cole)

“God created marriage. No government subcommittee envisioned it. No social organization developed it. Marriage was conceived and born in the mind of God.”  ~ Max Lucado

“Fifty-fifty marriages are an impossibility. They do not work. They cannot work. In marriage someone has to be the final decision maker. Someone has to delegate responsibility, and God has ordained that this should be the husband. ” ~ Wayne Mack

Resources

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

The Holy Bible, King Jame

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-marriage-20-great-scripture-quotes/#ixzz2BrU0ChRi

BREAKING UP

It is a heartbreaking thing to have friends and family members who are going through divorce. Maybe you and your spouse are the ones considering a divorce and are looking for help. I hope that the information in this article can be a help to you or your friends.

If you are going through a strained relationship you may find the stress and emotional anguish difficult to bear. There are long-lasting and far-reaching effects that need to be considered before making life-changing decisions. However your ability to think clearly and rationally about the future is often clouded by the emotional trauma you are experiencing.

The information in this article is intended for Christian couples that are struggling with non-life threatening relationship issues. If you are in an abusive marriage where one of the spouses, or worse yet, children, could become physically harmed then you should get the law involved in protecting the family.

Laying aside physical abuse and unrepentant sexual immorality, let’s look at 5 tips for Christians who are considering divorce and see if God can help you find a way to save your marriage. Because you are reading this article I assume you have some desire to keep your marriage together. I trust that you will seriously consider your alternatives and use these suggestions to bring your spouse close to you once again.

There are long-lasting and far-reaching effects that need to be considered before making life-changing decisions.

Pray

Please pray. Don’t neglect this. Pray that God will give you wisdom in your relationship (James 1:5). Pray for your spouse. Pray that God will give you love for him or her again (1 Corinthians 13). If you don’t maintain your relationship with a perfect and loving God during this critical time, what hope do you have for maintaining a relationship with a spouse who is an imperfect sinner like yourself?

You may find that it is hard to pray right now. Reading your Bible may become very difficult. Rarely do marriages struggle where only one partner is to blame for all the problems. It may be true that your spouse carries much of the fault, but your bitterness and pride is probably what is hindering you from wanting to even talk with the Lord. Are you afraid that He will show you sin and improper behavior in your own life?

During this time of great difficulty you should actually pray that God does reveal your faults. You absolutely cannot change your spouse. Only God and your partner can do that. You should pray for them, but spend more time praying that God will change you and make your relationship with Him stronger and better. As a result of building a better relationship with God you will invariably build a better relationship with your mate.

Remember

What brought you two together 10 years ago? What was the big attraction to him or her when you first started dating that summer? Those qualities are probably still there you just have to look for them. It is possible that he or she has changed since those innocent days. Why? Is it because you have changed in such a way that you no longer bring out those qualities in your spouse? Maybe you have nagged them so much to change through the years that when they finally did, you buried that quality you fell in love with.

I am reminded of a cartoon I saw recently where a young couple fell madly in love. After they were married she nagged him to change the style of shirt he wore. He did. She complained about the way he wore his hair. In an effort to please her, he changed that too. She asked him to change various things about his actions and appearance. He continued to change for her sake. In the end she filed for divorce stating that he was no longer the man she fell in love with years before.

The cartoon was written to comically illustrate what happens to many couples. But you may feel a twinge of guilt if you are the one who coerced your mate into making changes they did not want to make.

Try to remember those early days when you first fell in love. If you built your relationship on the right things then those qualities are still inside your spouse. However, if you built your relationship purely on a physical attraction you have to remember that you don’t have the body of a 20-year-old any more either. Jumping out of one relationship to find another physically attractive person will end the exact same way.

Find, or bring out again, the qualities in your spouse that you loved so much. They are still there. You had the power to reveal those before you were married, you can do it again.

Though we say it all the time, you did not really “fall in love.” You grew together in a relationship. Your love was planted, grew and blossomed over time. You also don’t fall out of love. It is crazy to think that you do. If you no longer have the love you once had for them it is because you have made decisions that have pushed you to growing out of love, not falling there.

Be the Kind of Person You Want to Live With

Have you stopped to consider how you are acting towards your spouse? If he or she acted like you are acting towards them, would you want to be married to you? You should model the type of behavior you expect. I know this is the type of thing parents are told in relationship to their children, but you should act properly toward you spouse as well. Do you go to church on Sunday with a smile, a Bible and all your memory verses learned and then can’t wait until you get out of the church parking lot to start yelling at your spouse? You may put up a nice front with other people, but your spouse has to live with you.

Ephesians 5:22-33 are probably not your favorite verses in the Bible at this time of your life. It commands husbands to love their wives. Wives are told to submit to their husbands. Both of these statements are not conditional on the other person’s actions. Wives should submit whether their husband loves or not. Husbands should love whether their wife submits or not. Don’t look at what your spouse’s responsibility is, focus on what you are to do. Men, become the husband that loves in such a way that your wife wants to submit and reverence him. Ladies, become the wife that makes it easy for your husband to love because you are living in obedience to the commands of God.

Communicate

Remember when you actually communicated with one another and didn’t yell? I know you may be saying that you really can’t remember the last time you communicated. But there was a time that you did. Otherwise you would not have gotten married. As a dating couple you looked forward to dropping off your little brother so you could be alone with the one you loved. Your friends from high school and college, whom you vowed you would never abandon, got ditched as soon as your spouse came into your life. You found ways to be together so you could talk even when you didn’t have time in your busy schedule.

You may be finding ways to avoid one another lately. Do you take the long way home from work so you don’t have to face the tension? Remember it takes two people to argue. If you will just admit you are sorry for the way you have been acting you could diffuse some of the tension. There is no reason for you to pretend the sinful actions of your spouse don’t exist; however, you can admit your own pride and faults. You may find that your arguments will cease as soon as you take the time to tell them you are sorry.

Attack the problem together. Don’t try to win an argument just to have another notch in your belt. You can both win if you will try and solve the problem together and stop trying to have a better argument than the other person.

It is said we communicate on five different levels. The first is casual and trivial things. This includes the weather, bus schedules and sports scores. Secondly we move to factual information. This is when one person dispenses information like at a lecture. There is usually little passion and the parties are emotionally disconnected. When you move to the third level you are talking about ideas and philosophies. You begin to share things that open you up to being vulnerable because the other person might disagree with you. When you begin to share emotions, dreams and fears you have moved to the fourth level. This is where couples get to in their conversations before they get married. They may or may not move to the fifth level which is a state of total and absolute openness where everything is shared.

Where are you in these five levels of communication? Have you begun to slip backwards on the scale? If you are having trouble in your marriage you may be back to level two or one. Open yourself up and work towards sharing some dreams again.

Live Pleasing to the Lord

Your relationship with God should be your first priority. I know this goes hand in hand with the first point about praying, but this is so critical. When God is first in your life He will help you work out your other priorities. Live a life that is pleasing to Him and He will help clear up your emotion-filled mind so that you can see things from a higher perspective.

If you are in tune with the Lord and your spouse is in tune with the Lord, then you will be in tune with one another. Just because people are Christians does not mean they will never disagree with one another. However, if they will both live in agreement and obedience to the Lord, then they will be in agreement with each other. The Jesus in you will not fight with the Jesus in your spouse.

Your marital problems should be seen as a spiritual issue. You may see your anger over your spouse spending too much money at the grocery store or working too long at the office as a physical one, but you should consider it a spiritual battle to be fought together. Ask the Lord to help you both stand together and attack the problems in your marriage.

If you are not willing to take your marital problems to the Lord then you are admitting that you are part of the problem and not willing to find a solution. Admit that to God and your spouse. Ask forgiveness from your partner and God. Then between the three of you I am certain a solution will present itself.

Have you and your spouse come back from marital problems? Please share in the comments below how God gave you victory. I know this type of topic can be very emotional to discuss. If your marriage ended in divorce anyway, please keep your comments spirit filled. It helps no one to be unkind in a discussion like this.

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/5-tips-for-christians-considering-divorce/#ixzz2BrTZZr3M

THE WAY THAT LEAD YOU TO

GOD HATES GOTHS . COM' IS THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE 'PARENTS AGAINST GOTH' ORGANIZATION Home WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT GOTHS

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT GOTHS Many Goths don’t realize the way they’re living is wrong. They say they have over 20 years of history. 20 years of history? The main reason we have Goth is a type of insane mass hysteria and rebellion against society’s norm. This so-called subculture is nothing more than mental illness. And these Goths who think God will accept them the way they are just don’t have a clue. They must repent their sick ungodly way of life. They must burn their whorish Goth bondage clothing and begin dressing modestly and respectfully, destroy their sick satanic music and cleanse their homes of all things of a perverse and unfit nature. They must pray to God for forgiveness, read the Bible and follow the Lords teachings. Only through repentance, prayer and change can they hope to seek salvation. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT UNFORGIVEABLE SIN Are all sins equal in Gods eyes? "Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee HATH THE GREATER SIN." John 19:11.  If there is a greater sin, all sins are not the same.  "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." Matthew 12:31.  Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost will not be forgiven - that sin is therefore not equal to all other sins. But what is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? Well according to Biblical teachings it is attributing the work of God to Beelzebub. It is saying that the preaching of the God is evil, and the Devil is good. It is perverting the Gospel and calling it evil. It is making good look evil and evil good. It is taking sin and elevating it to a level of respect and honour.  In simple terms, it is making evil or sin look 'cool'. It is making sick perversions acceptable. Having a society that accepts open Satanism, dressing like a walking whorish abomination, promotes vampirism, fetish, BDSM and violent video game culture, and portray them as the acceptable norm, IS an unforgivable sin. However, in one sense, all sins can be said to be equal, because all sins have the same punishment if there is no repentance and forgiveness - hell. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE WAY GOTHS DRESS The Bible instructs us to dress modestly (1 Timothy 2:9). One aspect of dressing modestly is making sure everything that should be covered by clothing is adequately covered. However, another aspect to modesty is not drawing attention to yourself. People who dress modestly dress in such a way that they do not draw attention to themselves. This is something Goths who foolishly think they can call themselves Christian should think long and hard about. The Bible also condems cross-dressing. Deuteronomy 22:5 says 'The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.' An abomination to God? Wow! That must mean he doesn't like it very much? What do you think? See, this is another reason why God hates Goths so much. He finds it quite repulive that grown men wear lipstick and dress like sick side-show freaks. And by this passage, God is not only condemning Goths, but all Lesbians and feminists too. Lesbians and feminists are a mystery to me. They hate men so much, so why do they dress like us? WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT WICCA Some people on my communities think I am very harsh to one particular member, and maybe I am, but when she first posted to me she claimed to be a witch, a real live witch, and she seemed very spiteful towards me and towards what my Bible says about witchcraft. She wrote to complain that "your words anger me deeply" because "Wiccans are all about nature and worship a goddess and/or horned god." A "goddess and/or a horned god"? Is that supposed to be a good thing? Or does it sound very foolish? Nevertheless, her advice to me was "I appreciate it that you don't do it again" - which virtually guarantees that not only will I do it again, I will do it again and again in the hope that people who are involved in evil witchcraft wake up and repent, if and while they still have time. What is "Wicca"? Wicca, or wikke, is an old Anglo-Saxon word that is the origin of two better-known English words, wicked and witch. Those aren't "my words," they are reality. What the Bible says, and warns, about witchcraft are also not "my words," they are God's Words. Those who choose to ignore or defy the Word of God have only themselves to blame for what God is going to do to them if they do not repent. What the Word of God, not me, says about witchcraft during Bible History: "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire [see Where Is Hell?], or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto The Lord: and because of these abominations The lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee." (Deuteronomy 18:10-12 KJV) "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." (Exodus 22:18 KJV) "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (1 Samuel 15:23 KJV) Witchcraft is among the numerous forms of grievous evil, that, if unrepented of, will result in the loss of salvation: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21 KJV) "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur." (Revelation 21:8 NIV) "Blessed are they that do His Commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs [God's term for unrepentant homosexuals], and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." (Revelation 22:14-15 KJV) God condemns witchcraft and sorcery because it involves blatant idolatry and paganism. Sometimes it even includes outright worship of Satan, making it extremely vile and wicked in God's sight, as His own Words make plain. Those who seek to obey The Lord, those whose salvation is important to them, should have absolutely nothing to do with it. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT TATTOOING AND PIERCING The Old Testament law commanded "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:28). Also "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). In relation to tattoos and body piercings, ask yourself if you can honestly, in good conscience, ask God to bless and use the particular activity for His own good purposes? An important Scriptural principle of the Bible is that we must conduct every act of our lives so that it pleases God.  "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).   We need to remember that our bodies, as well as our souls, have been redeemed and belong to God. Although 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 does not directly apply to tattoos or body piercings, it does give us a principle, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." This great truth should have a real bearing on what we do and where we go with our bodies. If our bodies belong to God, we should make sure we have His clear "permission" before we "mark it up" with tattoos or body piercings.

LIFE

What the Bible says about Worship

What Does it Really Mean to Worship in Spirit and Truth?

"But Daddy, I just don't want to go to church! It's no fun. It's boring!" "Well, I've just lost interest. I don't get anything out of it. It doesn't do me any good to go anymore." Have you ever heard something like that from your children or other Christians? Have you ever felt this way? Do you feel this way right now? Is there a spiritual emptiness inside of you that you just can't fill. Is there something missing in your relationship with God? Do you feel like you're just "going through the motions" when you go to church? If you can see yourself right now in any of this, let me assure you that those feelings are not unique to you; they are experienced by most, if not all of us, from time to time. But there is a "balm in Gilead" (Jer. 8:22), and that balm is worship in spirit and in truth. When Jesus conversed with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, He revealed to her an eternal truth that every true worshipper of God must understand. He said: "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" (Jn. 4:23-24). I believe with all my heart that when we really come to understand what that really means, we will have found the antidote to the spiritual emptiness that we all too often feel in our lives. To do that, however, we must answer three questions.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WORSHIP?

Until we understand what worship is, the cure for the "worship weariness" that sometimes invades our souls will forever elude us. In his Hebrew-Chaldee lexicon, Gesenius says that the predominant Hebrew word for "worship" (shachah) means: "to bow oneself down, Isa. 51:23....to sink down, to be depressed....to prostrate oneself before any one out of honour....Those who used this mode of salutation fell on their knees and touched the ground with the forehead...." (Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures, pp. 813-814). In their Greek-English lexicon, Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich and Danker say that the predominant Greek word for "worship" (proskuneo), like the Hebrew, was "used to designate the custom of prostrating oneself before a person and kissing his feet, the hem of his garment, the ground, etc.; the Persians did this in the presence of their deified king, and the Greeks before a divinity ... (fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to, welcome respectfully...." (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, pp. 716-717). Our English word "worship" is derived from "the Saxon/Old English word 'weorthscipe' or 'weordhscipe', which means 'worthship' or worthiness.

This connotes actions motivated by an attitude that reveres, honors, or describes the worth of another person or object" (ISBE, Vol. 4, pp. 1117-1118).

Do you see the emphasis in all those definitions? It is not on the worshipper but on the One who is worshipped. Worship "is an exercise of the human spirit that is directed primarily to God; it is an enterprise undertaken not simply to satisfy our need or to make us feel better or to minister to our aesthetic taste or social well-being, but to express the worthiness of God Himself....To worship God is to ascribe to Him supreme worth, for He is uniquely worthy to be honored in this way...." (ISBE, Vol. 4 p. 1131). John MacArthur, Jr. is absolutely correct when he says: "That consuming, selfless desire to give to God is the essence and the heart of worship. It begins with the giving first of ourselves, and then of our attitudes, and then of our possessions -- until worship is a way of life" (The Ultimate Priority, p. 14).

The emphasis in true worship is on giving, not receiving. Those who complain that the singing is uninspiring; the sermons are dry, dull, and dusty; and the service is boring, etc. often do so, I'm convinced, because they have missed the fundamental essence of what worship is all about in the first place. I fear that the microwave mentality of our convenience-crazed society has crept into the souls of Christians to such an extent that we want a "fastfood faith" and a "remote-control religion". Now, I am certainly not defending sloppy singing, sorry sermons, or shabby services, but when it comes to this thing called worship, if we are thinking more about me, myself, and I than we are about God, we have gotten the cart before the horse, and things will never be what they ought to be until we change that.

The emphasis in true worship is on giving the best we have, not the left-overs. All throughout the Old Testament, God demanded the very best from His people: the firstlings of the flock, the firstborn of man and animal, the firstfruit of the harvest. When the site and the sacrifice were offered to David free of charge so that he might appease the wrath of God, because he had presumptuously numbered Israel without God's approval David said: "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing" (1 Sam. 24:24). The heart that says: "Let's worship God, but let's do it as quickly, conveniently, cheaply, and effortlessly as possible" does not understand the very essence of what true worship is all about. If God would not accept "the leftovers" from His people in the days of the prophets (Mal. 1:7-8, 10; cf. Amos 5:21; Hos. 6:4-6; Isa. 1:11-15), He will not accept anything less than the very best that we have to offer Him today.

It is only when we come to realize that worship is a selfless act of giving and when we give selflessly to our God that worship will be the meaningful experience for us that we and God want it to be. This is one of the great paradoxes of the spiritual life. Just as we must lose our life to find it (Mt. 10:39), and hate our life to keep it (Jn. 12:25), and humble ourselves to be exalted (Mt. 23:12), so we must give of ourselves completely and totally to the worship of God to receive abundant spiritual blessings in return. It was Jesus our Lord who said: "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Lk. 6:38). No wonder Jesus said "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35), for it is only in giving that we really can receive. At the end of a worship service, the questions that each of us should ask are not: "Did I enjoy it?" or "Did I get anything out of it?" but rather "Was God pleased?" and "How did I do?" The person, whose primary concern is "What's in it for me?" (Mal. 3:13-15), does not understand what worship is all about.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WORSHIP IN SPIRIT?

Since Jesus said that true worshippers will worship God in spirit, it is absolutely imperative that we understand what that means. But before we talk about what it does mean, let's consider several things that it does not mean.

It does not mean worship that is necessarily "spirited" (i.e. enthusiastic, excited, etc.). I say that because the "mood" of worship will be dependent upon the attitude of the heart. At times the heart will be joyous and excited as was the case when Miriam and the women of Israel worshipped God following their deliverance from the Egyptian army (Ex. 15:20-21). At other times the heart may be sorrowful and subdued as surely must have been the case when David worshipped God following the death of his infant son (2 Sam. 12:19-20). In these two examples of worship, the "mood" was very different, but the worship was acceptable in both cases.

It does not mean worship that is "spiritual" (i.e. better-felt-than told). Nowhere does the Bible depict worship as some kind of mysterious, esoteric, intangible experience that one cannot understand or explain to other people.

It does not mean worship that is miraculously Spirit-inspired. Although the term "spirit" (pneuma) is used in this way in the New Testament (1 Cor. 14:15), Jesus was not using the term like this in His conversation with the Samaritan woman. I know that because all true worshippers must worship in spirit (Jn. 4:24), but even in the first century, when miraculous gifts were available to the church, not all Christians were Spirit-inspired (1 Cor. 12:29-30); therefore, worship in spirit is not some kind of miraculously Spirit-inspired worship.

I believe that worshipping in spirit refers to worship that emanates from the spirit of man. Paul said: "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son...." (Rom. 1:9). Because God is Spirit (Jn. 4:24), the true worshipper will worship God with that part of himself that is made in the image of God -- his spirit. In other words, worship must spring forth from the inner man, and this inner man, the spirit, includes the intellect (1 Cor. 2:11), the emotions (Mk. 8:12; Acts 17:16) and the will (Mt. 26:41).

True worship then is worship from the inside out. In reaction to dull, routine, lifeless, boring worship services, many who yearn for a more meaningful, gratifying religious experience, are crying out that we need more emotion, more feeling in our worship to God. I do not necessarily disagree with that assessment, but there is a real danger in trying to produce with external techniques that which must emanate from the heart. Robert Turner was correct when he said: "Often our efforts to "improve" the worship are only efforts to regulate the form, and have little or nothing to do with improving the hearts out of which true worship must come. Some react to the "cold formality" of worship by proposing bizarre emotion-stirring props. What is more "artificial" than lighting effects, "mood" music, or tricky little antiphonal songs that force participation upon some person who could not be moved by the love of God. How is the "hypocrisy of traditional services" helped by providing a better mask -- an emotional screen -- that can not take the place of genuine worship....Improving the worship is part and parcel of the whole job of turning people to God, getting them to partake of the divine nature. It is not the "service" that needs changing, it is the people that must be changed -- to new creatures, truly converted. These will worship God acceptably" ("?You Know What?," Plain Talk, 9:1:7). To solve the problem of habitual, routine, formalistic, ritualistic, worship with external techniques (gadgets, gimmicks, and games) is to use a Band-Aid when what we really need is open-heart surgery.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WORSHIP IN TRUTH?

Jesus also said that the true worshipper will worship God in truth. There can be no doubt, that this means that acceptable worship will be circumscribed by the precepts of God's word. When Jesus prayed to the Father on the night of His betrayal, He said: "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (Jn. 17:17). Since the very beginning of time God has revealed His will concerning the kind of worship that He will accept from His creation, and He has repeatedly judged those who failed to worship Him according to His word. Therefore, the only way that we can acceptably worship God today is to worship Him according to His word.

That means that we must worship the right object -- God, not men (Acts 10:26), not idols (1 Jn. 5:21), not demons (1 Cor. 10:19-22), not angels (Rev. 22:8-9), not Satan. Jesus said: "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve" (Mt. 4:10).

That means that we must worship in the right form. Jesus condemned the worship of the scribes and Pharisees as vain, because they taught the precepts of men as though they were the doctrine of God (Mt. 15:7-9). Paul described the worship of some at Colossae as "will-worship," because they were basing it upon the philosophies and traditions of men (Col. 2:8-10, 16-23).

When we come to truly understand what it really means to worship....God....with our spirits....in truth, above everything else God will be pleased, and that is the most important thing, but our lives will also be transformed. May God help us all to be the true worshippers who will worship in spirit and in truth.

 By Kevin Kay 
 From Expository Files 2.11; November 1995