Idolatry comes and hides in so many ways. However, I must be careful to pass the gospel and not just talk about forms of idolatry. The last two posts I have on idols and idolatry are Graven Images and the 21st Century and The Maker of Idols.
The last post on idols would have ended the series but I believe I was inspired to write this one to bring our worship to please God.
There’s something Jesus taught the Samaritan woman and it was not just one other piece of advice but the crux of our service and worship to God.
This is a fact, many rehearsed and copied methods of “worship” are being offered up to God by believers today. The very rote worship Jesus came and abolished is the very kind of worship we are comfortable offering and that’s idolatry.
You may wonder and ask “what do you mean? How’s that idolatry?”
Listen, let me give you a simple example. You may have heard a preacher say “Brethren, when we were in the world, we offered a sacrifice of a cow or it’s equivalent in cash each time we came before a traditional priest, therefore, now that we are in Christ, we will not give any offering that is less than that to the God that is bigger than common traditional gods that are only idols“. Listen friend, as wonderful as that sounds, it is idolatry and it doesn’t impress God one bit. It doesn’t move God one bit because you have set before you the pattern of your worship to idols as the determinant of your worship to God. However you worship your gods is no standard or booster to how you should worship God.
Let me give you another example… Some say things like “When I was in the world, I know how much I did and engrossed myself in the things of the world, now that I am in God, I will channel that much energy and more to the things of God.”
My friend come off it!!! Who will take that from you? Have you never heard that you only serve God by His own grace not by how much you served Satan? Have you never heard that you don’t complete in the flesh what you began in the spirit?
Let me give, yet, one more example then we go to the words of Jesus that delivers us from this trap... This one is common among a particular group of my brethren especially in this season. You hear things like “A certain man proposed in his heart that he will not eat or drink until the Lord sends down His power and so he secluded himself for three days without food or water and prayed for five hours everyday. He had angelic visitations and since then angelic visitations became his lifestyle. Brethren you have to propose in your heart!”
Listen! There’s nothing wrong with encouraging and telling the people of God the importance of isolation and prayer but please do not put another man’s experience and result before me to look at as the reason to do mine that way and please God. Do not set before my eyes the methods of men. This is a rehearsed form of worship!!! I do this because this person did it, I don’t do this because the other doesn’t. Instead, teach me the word of God and it’ll become spirit in me and I will live a life that pleases God whether it is by lifting hands or lowering them.
Listen, that method may have been inspired by the Holy Spirit but to you, it is just a method to get something and guess what, You may apply it and get what you want but you are not pleasing to God. Your worship, your service, your sacrifice, nothing is pleasing to God but you got what you desired, angelic visitations…
Kai!!! You don’t know that angelic visitations and manifestations don’t mean God’s approval. This is scripture!!! That was a digression.
So what does God expect?
John 4:22-23 (KJV)
“Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But 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.”
For a while, I thought Jesus was telling us that the Jewish form of worship was the acceptable one but one day, I read this and I understood by the Spirit that Jesus was telling the woman that truly, the Jewish form of worship was the acceptable form of worship because God ordained it. However, a time was coming and already was that even the Jewish method of worship would no longer be accepted as true worship. No place or style will be acceptable unto God but one borne from within the bowels of that individual by the word and Spirit of God.
So, I can give a cow, I can give an offering, I can fast and pray, I can do anything in worship not because it has been set before me as the pattern of worship but it has been borne from within me by the Holy Spirit I have received. Brethren, this is the acceptable worship.
Let us not move because the Pastor moved, let’s not wave because we think that’s the appropriate thing to do when the song is on, let us not look to men for the method of worship with which to please God, let us bow in humble submission and ask Him to help us. Let us bow our heads and open our eyes and hearts to ingest the word of God which is Spirit and life.
May our worship be pleasing and acceptable unto God from henceforth as we look to His Spirit for help, in Jesus name. Amen
Thank you for reading from me today. I’ll write to you next week which is also next year…God bless you and Happy New year in advance.
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Ancient Word 
