Worshiping in the Light of God's Authority as a Church   To worship is to pay homage or show reverent honor; to adore, venerate, or ascribe ultimate worth. We are all, as human beings, worshipers of something or someone. The Bible makes abundantly clear that we are to be worshipers of almighty God (Rev 

; 22:9).  That being said, the Bible is also clear in its exposure of the fact that not all worship is acceptable to God.   Jesus rebuked vain worship in Matthew 15:7-9. “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:  ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” When Paul came to the city of Athens, “his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16). In Acts 17:22-23, he began to address the shortcomings of ignorant worship.  So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”   In Colossians 2:20-23, Paul warned Christians to avoid the pitfall of self-made worship.  If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion (self-imposed worship [NIV]; will worship [KJV]) and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.  Clearly, just because I say I believe in God doesn’t make me an acceptable worshiper of God. Just because I determine to “worship” doesn’t mean I’m worshiping in the way my heavenly Father expects. If worship really is “paying homage or showing reverent honor, adoring, venerating, or ascribing ultimate worth,” I’d better make sure I’m listening to and submitting to the one I’m claiming to worship. Remember the goal:  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)   I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:1-2)

140323 Working in the Light of God's Authority as a Church

GOD-SHAPED RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY  *  WEEK 1 - What is Authority and Why Does It Matter?  WEEK 2 - God's Authoritative Expectations in the old Testament  WEEK 3 - God's Authoritative Expectations in the New Testament  WEEK - 4 The Catastrophic Consequences of Lawlessness  WEEK 5 - The Raw Materials of Communication  WEEK 6 - The Nature of God's Written Revelation to Mankind  WEEK 7 - The Intersection of Heavenly Authority and Everyday Life  WEEK 8 - When It's Time to Make a Judgment Call  WEEK 9 - When God Hasn't Said Anything About It  WEEK 10 - Living in the Light of God's Authority as a Disciple of Jesus  WEEK 11 - Worshiping in the Light of God's Authority as a Church  WEEK 12 - Working in the Light of God's Authority as a Church  WEEK 13 - Traveling the Ancient Paths in a Postmodern Age