The Book of Acts

On April 30, we began our studies of "The Book of Acts."  We covered the background of the author of this book and the events that led to this book.  We also discussed chapter 1 and the stories that took place in that chapter.

Our plan is to continue studying one chapter from Acts every week over the course of the summer and fall.

Wisdom - Part II

On April 23, we studied the second part of our lesson on "Wisdom."  We talked about five keys to find the true wisdom that comes from the Word of God and how to use this wisdom in our lives.

Here are the notes from our discussion.

Wisdom

Opening Question: Have you ever locked yourself outside your car or your house?  What did you do?

The key (or keys) is very small, but it does a lot.  We use the word “key” both in its literal and figurative meaning as a tool to open doors, to create opportunities for us.

Today, we are going to look at the Bible on how to find and use the keys to obtain the godly wisdom, the heavenly wisdom that God wants us to have.  I have noted five keys as follows:

1.         Fear the Lord

Last week, we noted that Proverbs 9:10 sums up how we can begin to gain this godly wisdom.  This verse says: 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

This verse is similar to the one in Psalms 111:10: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.   To him belongs eternal praise.

“Precepts” means “rules or principles prescribing a particular course of action or conduct.”  This verse says that in order to gain true wisdom, we must follow the rules or the principles of God, the ones that are found in the Bible.  The Word of God may not have a specific rule for every situation, but the general principles cover every area of our life and every situation in which we may find ourselves.

2.         Listen to God and to Those who Preach the Word of God

It is important not only to fear God (meaning to have reverence and respect for God), but to also know what His Word says.  We do this by studying the Word of God for ourselves.  We have said in previous lessons that our salvation is a personal matter, a decision that we make ourselves and we are solely responsible for it.  Thus, it is important that we study the Bible ourselves, so that we can learn the principles and the rules of God.

In Proverbs 1:5, we read: let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.  The wise people listen and learn, so that they can make the right decisions in their lives.

Some passages in the Bible may be difficult for us to understand, so we may need to turn to other people are seek their help, either in person or through books or other media.  However, we need to be careful when doing this, because the knowledge of men is limited and sometime things that may be taught by men are not necessarily in agreement with those taught by God.   We must remember that the Word of God is the only authority by which things should be done in His church and in our lives.

Proverbs 19:20 says: 20 Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

3.         Accept the Learning with an Open Heart and with Humbleness

With wisdom may come the temptation to be proud or arrogant about our wisdom.  Usually the image of a wise man is some old person, to whom everyone bows and everyone comes to them for a word of advice.  We must always remember that the wisdom we gain from the Word of God and through other people who help us is not because of our greatness, but because of God and the people who do His will that we have this wisdom.

4.         Realize the Value of Wisdom and Act Upon it

We talked about the difference between knowledge, understanding and wisdom in our previous lesson.  To be wise means not only to know what is good and what God wants you to do, but also to do it.  In James 3:13, we read: Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  So wisdom is as important as what you do with it.  Once the knowledge of the truth has been achieved, it must be followed by the action that corrects the situation in which you find yourself or the action in which you must move forward.

5.         Pray to God for Wisdom

The fifth and the last key is the simplest.  We should not neglect to ask God to give us His wisdom, to put us in situation where we may learn from His word and accept the advice given to us.  In James 1:5, we read: 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  Remember that God does not work miraculously today, and you will not wake up one day completely wise in the ways of the Lord without doing any study of the Bible and without learning from the people who teach the Bible.  Still, the power of prayer is that God will work in your life in such a way that you will have opportunities to learn and to gain His wisdom.

Conclusions

These are some ways in which we can seek and find the wisdom of God.  They may work in different extents for different people, but ultimately all those who seek God will find Him and all those who seek His wisdom will be generously blessed with it.  Let us all work and not get tired trying to find the true wisdom that comes only from God.

Wisdom

Last Monday, we studied about "Wisdom," focusing on the types of wisdom.  We saw that there is the worldly wisdom and the heavenly wisdom, and that must seek the heavenly wisdom that comes from God.

Below are the notes from our discussion.

April 16, 2012

Wisdom

Opening Question: What is something you did without knowing everything about it or without having all the information, only to find out that you did something wrong?  How did you correct it later on?

Wisdom, knowledge, understanding are all important things in our lives.  We cannot function well and cannot do much without a proper understanding of the basics of life.  Without knowledge it is difficult to live a good Christian life.  And without wisdom we can make mistakes that may have a tremendous impact on our physical and spiritual lives.

As you may have guessed, today we are going to talk about wisdom, from the Biblical point of view.  But before we go to the Bible, what is the definition of wisdom?  How do we understand that?

Wisdom means to have the experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.  It also means the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of such experience, knowledge, and good judgment.

In sum, it is not just having the information, the knowledge, but also to use that knowledge in the right way.

What does the Bible say about wisdom?

In James 3:13-18, we read: 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

In verse 13, we read the good advice of showing your wisdom and understanding in your life, with humility, a humble spirit, not arrogant and boasting. 

James continues to explain that there are two kinds of wisdom: the worldly wisdom or “wisdom”—verses 14-16—and the godly wisdom or the wisdom that comes from heaven—verses 17-18.

What is worldly wisdom?

James defines it as “bitter envy and selfish ambition,” “earthly,” “unspiritual,” “demonic.”  It brings with it “disorder” and “every evil practice.”

Where does the worldly wisdom come from?  How can it affect us?  What happens when we follow worldly wisdom?

Worldly wisdom is evil, but also inaccurate.  There are many examples over the history that something which was considered for a very long time as true and wise turned out to be wrong and foolish (e.x. Pasteur)

James contrasts the worldly wisdom to godly wisdom.  In verses 17-18, he says that godly wisdom or the wisdom that comes from heaven is “pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

Where does the godly wisdom come from?  How can it affect us?  What happens when we follow godly wisdom?

Godly wisdom is found, of course, in the Bible.  By following the commandments of God rather than those of men, we can gain the true godly wisdom.

Romans 12:10 says:  10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

This verse and many more in the Bible indicate that godly wisdom, the type of wisdom we should all have, is not an abstract, philosophical concept, but something we should all show in our lives.  We cannot pretend to be wise, but not show it in our lives.  In the same way that we cannot advocate to people to save money, while we are living lavishly in our own lives.

In 1 Corinthians 1:17-19, we read: 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.  18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
 the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

The Bible is not written by men, so worldly wisdom cannot be reconciled to what God expects from us, Christians.  Worldly wisdom cannot explain or accept many things in the word of God.  But we know that is the truth, giving to us by the wisdom of God.

Our last verse comes from Proverbs 9:10, which sums up how we can begin to gain this godly wisdom.  This verse says: 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Fear, meaning reverence and respect for God is the beginning of wisdom.  If we understand what God wants from us, we can gain His wisdom and show it clearly in our lives.

Conclusions

There is both worldly wisdom and godly wisdom, and we can chose which one we are going to follow.  God wants us to seek and find His wisdom, which will lead us to act in the way that is acceptable to God.  In our next lesson, we are going to explore some of the ways in which we can find this godly wisdom.

 

Worshiping God - Part VI

On April 2, we concluded our series on "Worshiping God" with a quick discussion of the elements that constitute our worship service in the congregation on Sunday, the first day of the Week.  We talked about prayer, singing, a sermon or a Bible class, the giving or the contribution, and the Lord's Supper.  We also focused on our attitude and our behavior as we worship God through these acts of service commanded by Him.

Enjoy the notes from our discussion.

April 2, 2012

Worshiping God – Part VI

Opening Question: Have you ever begun something, a project, a book, a movie, but you never finished it?  Why?  How did you feel when you left it incomplete?

We may have left a movie or book unfinished because we found it to be boring, disappointing or simply not what we were expecting it to be.  Perhaps we were thankful we saved our self a few hours of our time and the feeling of distress at the end.

Today, we are going to complete our series of worshiping God.  We have focused mostly on worshiping God in a formal setting, when we meet with our brothers and sisters on Sunday.  However, it is important to remember that we worship God every single day or our lives, with our actions and with our bodies, hearts and minds.

Many of us have been in a worship service on a Sunday morning and we know what goes on.  However, it is important to discuss these acts of worship in brief and to talk about the reasons why we do them.

1.         Prayer

James 5:13-16 has a good lesson about prayer:  13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

During the worship service, prayers are offered for the people in need, for the sick, thanksgiving from the people realizing God’s help in their lives, prayers for wisdom and guidance in the lives of the congregation.

We have discussed in previous lessons in detail the need for us to pray to God continually.  The prayer is the way we communicate, we talk to our God, the way we express our needs, problems, thanksgivings to Him, the way we keep in touch with Him.

2.         Singing

The Bible encourages us to sing and to make music from our heart to God.  In Ephesians 5:19, we read: speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord. 

In Colossians 3:16, we read: Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Our singing comes from our heart and goes up to God.  We are asked to use only our voices and no instrumental music in our worship singing to God.  We sing to please God, not each other or some people in the congregation.  Still, singing to God encourages us, as we remember through the words of the songs what God has done for us and how much our salvation should be important to us.

3.         A Sermon or a Bible Class

Another element of the worship service is the teaching of the Bible, either in a sermon setting or as a Bible class.  We know that Jesus spent a lot of time during this ministry on earth teaching people about God and his plan of salvation.  Since in the early days of the church, the Christians gathered together to study the word of God and to learn from it.

In Acts 2:42, we read: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

It is important to teach or lead the study or the sermon focusing on the Bible.  Examples from other books or stories can be used to illustrate a point, but the main focus of the lesson, the sermon or the class should be from the Bible.  The lessons should be crafted in such a way that the people in the congregation, both members and visitors can understand them and can be encouraged by them.

4.         The Giving

This may also be called the collection or the contribution.  According to 1 Corinthians 16:1-4: 1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

The money that is given allows for the church to do its work, pays for the rent or the mortgage of the building, for the preacher, for any mission work the church sponsors, for Bibles and other materials used in classes, etc.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 explains this process further: 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

We give because we want to give back to God a portion of what He has blessed us with.  We do not give because we are forced to or because we are feeling bad if we do not do that.

5.         The Lord’s Supper

This is an act of worship instituted by Jesus himself.  In Mathew 26:26-29, Jesus said: 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

The early church partook of the Lords Supper every Sunday.  In Acts 20:7, we read: On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

Christians take the Lord supper to remember Jesus and His sacrifice.

Conclusions

In our formal worship, we pray, sing, study the Bible and/or listen to a sermon, give our contribution to the work of the church and partake of the Lord’s Supper.  We do these acts of worship for God and to God, but we also enjoy encouragement and other benefits from worshiping God in the way he requires from us, in spirit and in truth.

 

Worshiping God - Part V

On March 26, we studied the fifth lesson in our series about "Worshiping God."  We talked about the importance of attending the worship service regularly and not only when we have nothing better to do or whenever we believe it is necessary.  We also discussed the notion of coming back to God if one has gone astray.  The arms of God and always wide open, and He always welcomes everyone who comes back to Him.

Enjoy the notes from our discussion.

March 26, 2012

Worshiping God – Part V

Opening Question: Have you ever watched a movie or a TV show when you have missed a previous part or an episode?  Did you find it difficult to watch?  Did you wonder about some things?

It may be difficult to follow the storyline of a show if you have missed an episode or more episodes.  Some things may not make sense or you find yourself wondering about this or that characters.

Today, we are going to talk about the importance of attending the worship service regularly and coming back to God.

1.         The Importance of Attending Worship Service Regularly

What happens if we do not attend regularly the worship services?

If we miss one of our classes, we may find it difficult to understand the next lessons.  If we are trying to run a marathon and we are exercising and we miss a day or a few days, we might find it difficult to get back into the habit of training.

The same can and does happen when it comes to worshiping God.  God expects us to meet Him regularly, which means, every week, every first day of the week, which is every Sunday.  It may difficult for us to get into the habit of doing this every single week, but this is something that God expects from us.

We are used to regularity in our lives.  Our teachers expect us to be in class on certain days and certain hours.  So do our bosses.  Our family members also expect some regularity.  Our parents expect us to phone (or send them letters or e-mail) them within certain intervals.

What happens if we stop going to church?

To understand this, let us talk about what happens when we go to church.  We meet God, we worship Him, we sing to Him, learn about Him, fellowship and become friends with our brothers and sisters, encourage them and receive encouragement from them, enjoy spiritual food, which is the Word of God, the Bible.  If we stop going to church and not attend regularly, all these things are not going to happen.

In the Bible, we are warned not to stop worshiping God with the other Christians.  In Hebrews 10:25-27, we read: 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

These are some strong word, and except when we are sick on circumstanced beyond our control, we should make every effort to be at church each and every Sunday.  God is asking us to do that and it is not much.  We are required to give Him specifically four hours of our entire week.  We should definitely give Him more, but these four hours are specifically put in place for us to be with our brothers and sisters and to worship God at a specified location.

It may start slowly that you stop going to church.  Perhaps you missed only once or twice a year and then you find out that you enjoyed sleeping in that Sunday that you missed or enjoyed that money you made by working that time or the amount of schoolwork you did when not going to church.  Once you start missing many times, you may find it difficult to go back and reverse the tide.  Thus, it is important not to miss any time and to constantly be reminded of all the benefits that come by attending the worship service.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:20: For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  This means that we should look forward to worshiping God on Sunday, because we are meeting with Jesus.  If we remember all the great things He has done for us, it is no wonder that we will feel only eagerness to be with Jesus and with God every single Sunday.

2.         Coming Back to God

It may happen that we wander from God, because we did not know what were the right things to do or even when we do, because we are sinners and imperfect.  Sometimes we know the right things to do, but we do not do them.  Still, God loves us and we can always come back to Him. 

John 3:16 tells us that: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  God gave Jesus, His son, to save the world and everyone in the world is important to him.  In 2 Peter 3:9 we read that: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

With many things in life there is a point of no return.  We grow old, so we cannot play a child game any longer without attracting curious glances from people walking by.  We cannot attend university at all times, because there is a time and a place when our brains absorb knowledge easily and readily.  However, we can come back to God at any time.  Of course, it is much better never to leave God, but if we do, we have the assurance that we can always come back to Him.

The parable of the lost son illustrates this thought very well.  In Luke 15:11-24, Jesus tells this story.  The verse we are going to read today is verse 20: So he got up and went to his father.   “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  Of course, the Father in this story is God, who is always willing to welcome back His sons and His daughters.

In the same way that falling out of worshiping God and leaving His way starts small and take some time before it becomes a big problem, coming back to God is also a process that takes some time.  However, like anything else, in order to be completed it has to start and anytime is the right time to start coming back to God.

In James 5:19-20, we read that: 19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.  It is our responsibility to help our brothers and sisters, to do everything we can to encourage them to come back, to study with them, to explain the importance of their souls and how much God loves them and what they are missing by not attending church and not worshiping God.

Conclusions

It is extremely important to worship God regularly and to always be present in the worship Service as long as we are able to do that.  If we have begun to go astray, go away from our walk with God, we can always make the right decision and come back to God.  He is always willing to except us with arms wide open.

Worshiping God - Part IV

Last Monday, we had our fourth lesson in our series about "Worshiping God."  We talked about the need to give God our best, not our leftovers, not our average worship, but the best effort we can offer Him.  We also spent some time discussing the need to worship God alone and no other human being or thing.  God it the only one who has created us, who has saved us and the only one who expects and deserves our worship.

Enjoy the notes from our discussion.

March 19, 2012

Worshiping God – Part IV

Opening Question: Has there ever been a time when you have been unprepared for an event, a supper, an exam, a visit?  How have you felt about it?

We should do our best in order to achieve our goals.  We know that we must study hard in order to get good grades in our studies.  We need to keep our houses clean, so that if a friend drops by we will not be embarrassed at them seeing our place a mess.

The same sentiment rings true when it comes to worshiping God.

1.         We need to give God our best

In Malachi 1:8, we read: When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty.

The Hebrews were commanded to give to God their best, to bring animals for sacrifices that were flawless, not something that they could not use.  If such a thing was not acceptable to human, important officials, like the governor, God of course would not be please by this gesture.

What were the Hebrews doing here?

They did not want to bear the cost of giving to God.  They were offering as sacrifices things that were useless to them.  A lame or a sick animal had no value.  It could not be sold in the market, it could not be used for food by the owner.  It had no worth.  But the whole concept of the sacrifice is that it should be a cost for us.  It means that when we give to God, it should not be our leftover effort, it should not be the time that we cannot use for anything else, it should not be a half-hearted effort.  God deserves and expects our best and we should give that to Him.

Why does God deserved our best?  What has He done for us?

God has given us everything we have and the ultimate sacrifice He did was giving us His son.  Jesus was perfect, in the sense that He had no sin.  He was not an evil man, a man that had no value to God.  He was His own son, so He had tremendous value to God.  But if God was able and willing to give up His own son for us, how much more should be give up our own time and effort to serve Him and to worship Him.

In Matthew 22:34-27, Jesus tells us: 34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

God expects us to love him with all our heart, soul and mind, not with just a fraction of our heart, but with no soul or the other way around.  God wants us entire being and we should give ourselves to Him.

Today, God expects no human sacrifices from us.  Instead, He wants us to offer our own bodies as a living sacrifice to Him.  In Romans 12:1, we read:  1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

What does this mean?

It means that our lives should reflect our efforts to please God, to give our best to Him, to try our best to live in a pure and holy way and to please God in everything we do.

2.         We need to worship God alone

Jesus tells us in Matthew 4:10: 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”  Then, in Matthew 6:24, he says: 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

One of the greatest faults of the Hebrews was that they strayed from worshiping God alone.  They forgot the commandment and added idols to God.  They worshiped images made of wood and metal, instead of the true and only living God.

Today, we can fall into the same trap.  We may not worship images, but we may create in our lives certain things that gain a lot of importance, things that take away our attention and our dedication from God.  These things could be work, school, husband, wife, sports, money, etc.  Anything that rules our lives, that takes away our attention, is an idol in a sense.  And we should never allow anything to take the place of God and to receive our best worship instead of God and God alone.

Conclusions

When we come to worship God we should give our best to Him.  We cannot do our worship service with barely the minimum effort, or with half the heart, or only half the time.  God deserves our best and He has give us His best.  Our worship should go to God and God alone and no other real or created being.

Worshiping God - Part III

Yesterday, we studied the third lesson in our series about "Worshiping God."  We saw how our worship service to God is different from the many forms of entertainment that exist today.  Our worship to God is not and should never be for our own glorification, enjoyment or entertainment.  We also discussed how our worship to God could be acceptable or unacceptable to Him, depending on whether we are following what He requires from us or not. 

Enjoy the notes from our discussion.

March 12, 2012

Worshiping God – Part III

Opening Question: What is the latest concert, show or movie you went to watch and how did you like it?

Relaxation is an important part of our lives and sometimes we chose to relax by seeking entertainment, in the form of watching a concert, a TV show, a movie, going to the opera, etc.  These are places where we usually sit and expect others to entertain us.  We are not going anything, other than enjoying the show.  We have paid a ticket and expect to get something for what we have paid.

What does the Bible tell us about the worship service and the church?

1.         Worshiping God is not entertainment

Many people complain that church is boring or that they do not get anything out of it.  It is important to remember what are the purposes and the reasons of one going to church. 

We do not go there to entertain ourselves.  We go there to worship God, to sing praises to him, to pray and talk to him, to learn more about how to be closer to him, to encourage our brothers and our sisters. 

Worshiping God does not mean sitting back and expecting others to do everything, to relax and to enjoy the show.  There are no spectators in the church.  There is no clapping and applauding in the church, cheering for the preacher or the person who leads the prayer.  The worship service is done to praise God, in an environment or reverence and solemnity toward our God.

We are at church to give to God, to be active, in listening, in participating, in singing, in giving, in encouraging.

In Galatians 1:10, we read: 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

In our worship service, we are trying to please God and we should carry out our worship service in the way that is pleasing to Him.  As we have studied in our previous lessons, there is a certain way of doing things right, in accordance with the word of God and that is what we should always try to do.

This doesn’t mean that what we do in the worship service does not matter.  The lesson should be understandable and relevant to the members.  It should be Biblical and have a value for them.  The singing should be on key, so that everyone can follow, and of a song that people know or can learn.  The prayer should be loud so everyone can hear and they can say ‘Amen’ at the end of it.  However, everything is done to praise God and to worship Him and Him alone, not to entertain or please men.

Why can’t worshiping God be entertaining to men?

2.         Worshiping God could be acceptable or unacceptable

As we have seen in other lessons, Cain and Abel both worshipped God, but one of them did it in a way that was not acceptable.  This means that there is a right way and a wrong way of worshipping God.

Unless we want to be rejected like Cain, we should try to learn the right way and to worship God in the way in which He has commanded us.  Otherwise, regardless of how much effort we put in our worship service, it will in vain and unacceptable to God.

Jesus himself said that people worshiped him in vain.  What do we read in Mark 7:7: 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’

What were this people doing that was wrong?  They were not teaching what God had taught, but were replacing His word with their own rules.  This was not acceptable to God and Jesus said that the worship of these people was in vain or useless.

This verse underlines the importance of always following the word of God and the word of God alone.  Regardless of what people teach and say, regardless of how beautiful their ideas may sound, regardless of what we think can be better or more beautiful or more meaningful or more entertaining, God has set up in place a model for our worship.  If we are to worship God so that He can accept our worship, then we should worship Him in the right, correct way that He has shown us.

What is this correct way God has shown us?  How and when did He show it to us?  This is something we are going to discuss in our next lessons.

Conclusions

Worshiping God is not for our entertaining.  When we come together to worship God, there are no spectators.  We are not in church to be entertained, to relax and to enjoy ourselves.  We are in church to worship God in spirit and in truth, in the right way He was shown us, so that our worship service will be pleasing and acceptable to Him.