Scripture tells us that we should prove and study like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) proving truth from fables. Then by OBEYING that which I learned to be what we should do, more things were opened to my mind. Once I turned from the false way to worship the true God according to how the Bible explains it, (Deuteronomy 17:3; 12:29-32) and being baptized into the body of Jesus Christ, I soon discovered that many counselors are needed to keep a balanced perspective on what is learned and taught (Proverbs 11:14; 24:6). My life made a complete turn around and there were many trials and tests. As I learned to control one aspect of my life I was given a new challenge to face. Since my baptism years ago, I have learned many things that could never be taught in any congregation using a "top-down" form of church government, nor one that did things by ritual rather than reason. At the present time my husband and I conduct a home based worship service and bible study each Saturday and during God's Feast Days (Leviticus 23). There are many teachers using the electronic media who are teaching the truth according to the Scripture which are available to us. While I studied other things in the university system of our country I always compared ideas against the ideas presented in the Scripture from business practices to moral and social issues. Since then I have been deep into research to find the cultural and historical context of the times of the days of Scripture and the time of God's life on earth as a man in the form of Jesus the Christ. Part of that new understanding is the need to obey the whole Bible in one's walk in life. This means rejecting the secular religious holidays (which God does not command or endorse) and celebrating the days that God himself had sanctified or set apart for special purposes. My husband and I learned how the newer translations were being produced from erroneous manuscripts and therefore decided to search and study only those translations that come from the Received or Byzantine manuscripts. From studying Russian and Latin I understood how much license can be taken in translating a text from one language to another. This delineates another aspect of looking for the truth: Always be ready to go to the original languages when a word or concept is in question. Finally, when seeking to worship God in truth, go to Him first and foremost in prayer for help in seeking out the truth and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in that direction by helping you to discern fact from fiction. Beware of false doctrines and teachers that do not speak the Word of God correctly (2Peter 2:1). Personal Worship Now how do I worship God our Father in spirit? We read in the Old Testament the specific details about what was required of the Priests and Levites before they could minister before the Lord God. We came to understand that among these statutes and judgments is the Ten Commandments or Oracles or Words as the Hebrew would call them. We also began to understand that something changed when Jesus died on that stake 2000 years ago. The veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom when our Savior died, which meant that the body of Jesus Christ or the elected saints led by the Holy Spirit of God could approach the throne without many of the requirements given to the Priests and Levites. That is not to say that those details did not show a symbolic and spiritual intent, because they do. We can understand these intents by studying the "spirit" of the ten commandments and not just the "letter" of the these laws. We first can take a look at the spirit of the last six commandments as they are the easiest for most people to understand. The fifth commandment states we are supposed to honor our mother and father. By doing this in the physical letter, we are also honoring God the Father as the ultimate parent of all mankind. Whom would you go to for advice? When you were little you went to your parents, but as you get older you go directly to the Father in Heaven through Jesus the Christ our Elder Brother for any ultimate answers. The sixth commandment declares we are personally not to kill (murder) another human being. The spiritual intent of this commandment would be that we should not even hate another human or hold a grudge. The seventh commandment states "in the letter of the law" that we are not to commit adultery. It's spiritual intent, however, means we are not to lust in our hearts for another person and to be faithful to our marriage partner. The eighth commandment basically states we are not to steal from one another. The spiritual intent of this law is that we should not even be taking another person's thoughts and use them as our own. The ninth commandment declares we are not to bear false witness, which in the spirit means we are not to even exaggerate a story. The last commandment says we are not to covet what does not belong to us, which spiritually means we should be content with what we have already and be thankful for it. We can see that the last six commandments, let alone the rest of the Scripture, is against our society. This means that when we seek to worship God IN SPIRIT and IN TRUTH we are going against everything in the world. We cannot, on our own strength, do this unless the Spirit of God leads us and gives us the ability to accomplish this feat. Our ultimate goal in life should be to "take captive" all of our thoughts until they are the same ones that Jesus would have (2Corinthians 10:3-6). The process of conversion is made possible through the death of Jesus, which allows us to enter into the presence of the Godhead. The incredible destiny of those changed by God's spirit in them, the sons and daughters of God, is that they will exist for all eternity with God as immortal beings. The way of love God is love and therefore would not make a law that is not for the ultimate good of mankind. We need to give God the Father and Jesus Christ the highest praise and honor with all our whole hearts and beings. We need to obey every thing that comes from the mouth of God whether written or spoken. We need to be in a state of continual repentance for our erroneous knowledge and behavior once we understand that it is contrary to what is written in Scripture. We are to give of ourselves joyously to help others come to the same understanding. We are to fellowship with those who are also being led by the Holy Spirit of God. We are to conduct our lives to please God and realize that our body is the temple of God and that they make their dwelling within our hearts and minds. This means censuring the stuff that goes into it from TV, movies, etc. May God bless you in your desire to worship him in spirit and in truth. |