Before we delve into the particulars of worship, a question needs to be asked; is it possible to do a right thing in a wrong way?  The idea of the repeated theme of the service mentioned earlier (See January 5th blog) was that there is no wrong way to worship God.  Can a good and desirable thing, such as worship, be defiled by doing it in a wrong way?  Let's see if the "truth" of God's Word can answer that question.

During the days of the priesthood of Eli and his wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas, the Ark of the Covenant was stolen by the Philistines.  It eventually ended up at Kirjath-jearim where it remained until the days of David's kingdom.  King David had a desire to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, so preparations were made and a most impressive effort was launched in returning the sacred piece of furniture.  A new cart pulled by oxen was used to transport the Ark.  The Scriptural account reads as follows: 

“And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.  And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.  And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.” 

Does that seem unfair that God would slay poor Uzza who steadied the Ark lest it fall to the ground off the unstable cart?  When the Philistines returned the Ark to Israel, they transported it on a cart pulled by oxen.  They didn't seem to have any trouble with this method.  Why then did Israel?  Why was David's effort so rewarded by God?

To understand the incident that took place at Perezuzza, a careful examination of the Divine laws concerning the handling of the Ark of the Covenant must be made.  Remember, the Tabernacle and all its furnishings, including the Ark, were designed by God.  Not only did He design these, but He also set the pattern and standard for their use and their transportation.  The law concerning the transporting of the Ark can be found in Numbers 4.  When the Ark was to be moved from one location to another, ONLY the sons of Kohath, the son of Aaron, were to be involved.  They were to carefully cover the Ark, and then carry it on their shoulders by the two gold-plated shafts designed for that purpose. 

When David transported the Ark in that initial effort, he ignored the Divine requirements given in the Law.  This action, although it came from an honorable desire, resulted in the death of a good man.  David found that doing a right thing in a wrong way never justifies the effort.  You cannot do a right thing in a wrong way and expect God's blessings. 

I recently turned my television to a “Christian” station in which a group of young people were leading a “worship service.”  In this service, they were singing a song that basically kept repeating the thought that there is no wrong way to worship the Lord.  Throughout their singing they were jumping up and down, and leading the congregation to do the same.  The music was of a glaring rock beat and the atmosphere created was much the same as might be found in a rock concert. 

Is this hypothesis true?  Is there no wrong way to worship the Lord?  Is there any direction given in Scripture as to the mode of acceptable worship?  Or, if any question the methods and mode of some contemporary worship services, are they only being narrow minded and antiquated in their ideas?  Should we question this philosophy of worship when it has been so successful as far as generating numbers and participation?  These are important questions that are worthy of investigation.  For the next while, I will be examining these questions on this blog page.  I encourage your input and look forward to hearing from you.

The Bible does have something to say about worship that is acceptable and that is sought by the Lord.  The topic of worship was mentioned by the woman that Jesus met at the well in Sychar.  She was comparing the worship of the Samaritans with that of those whose worship brought them to Jerusalem, the city of the Temple.  In this conversation, Jesus said, “…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) 

According to this statement of our Lord, not everyone who “worships” is a true worshipper.  In fact, Jesus implied that some are false worshippers who are conducting their “worship” in a way unacceptable to God.  He also implied that some “worship” is not conducted “in spirit and in truth.”  Therefore, some “worship” is merely fleshly, appealing only to the flesh.  This statement made by our Lord proves that the hypothesis of the song mentioned earlier is totally false and wrong.  Coming to this conclusion should make all true followers of Jesus Christ desirous to know what worship is acceptable to God and what is not.

One of the criteria for acceptable worship is “truth.”  I personally do not think that Jesus was merely using the word, “truth” in contrast to that which would be considered false.  In His great prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them with thy truth, thy word is truth.”  Therefore, acceptable worship must be founded and governed by the truth of God’s Holy Word.  Anything else would have to be considered false, or questionable at best.  

In my next entry, I will further examine worship that would be considered Biblically acceptable.  Surely true born-again followers of Jesus Christ want their worship to be pleasing to Him.  Let’s pray that He will guide us through His Truth!

January is Missions Month here at Good News.  We have been dedicating this month to missions for years.  We are so excited about what God is doing around the world through the faithful preaching of the Word of God, and we are thrilled to be a part of what He is doing to reach souls for Christ. 

As of this writing, we have seven missionaries scheduled to come by the church to present their burden and work.  We are praying for them as they seek to raise their needed support, that God will bless their travels and their finances as well.

It is such a blessing to be part of a church that loves missions and missionaries.  Two of our members are serving the Lord as missionaries, one in South Africa and one here in the states.  Our other missionaries are scattered around throughout the world, representing Christ and His cause.  Please join us in praying that this will be the greatest Missions Month ever at Good News, and that God will continue to raise up laborers to go forth into His harvest.

            Recently, our president made a shocking statement.  He said that the United States was not a Christian nation.  It shocked some of us, but the statement was true.  Our country certainly was founded upon Christian principles, with its founding documents depending greatly on God’s Word.  The founding fathers truly seemed to believe in God’s Word and the God of the Bible.  Many of the statements of the founding fathers reflect a belief in God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Now, however, over two hundred years later we have long departed from many of those core beliefs that brought about the greatest nation on earth. 

            America has never been a shining light of perfect purity, and there have been many dark days in her history, but today seems somehow different.  Immorality seems to rule the day.  Our country seems so little occupied with God and so preoccupied with things that years ago would have been unheard and unseen.  Vices have been legalized, condoned and encouraged while virtues have become the subjects of ridicule and scorn.