Monthly Message

New Testament Worship is for Today

REV. GORDON WILLIAMS, May 2010

Some strange things are going on in churches today. They are the reasons why Paul wrote to the Galatian Church where "Messianic Jews" (Gal. 3: 1 - 14) who were trying to get Christians to go back into the Old Testament to celebrate the Jewish Holy Days such as the Passover the other six and practices like circumcision which were supposed to prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah: Jesus Christ. They were a total failure except for the last time the Passover was celebrated in the Upper Room (1 Cor. 11: 23 - 32) when it was fulfilled by Jesus when He paid for our sin on the Cross of Calvary (Jn 15: 30).

The "New Testament Covenant" replaced the "Old Testament Covenant" (Heb. 8: 6 - 7). We celebrate "Baptism & the Lord?s Supper" (1 Cor. 11: 25 - 26). Jesus told us, "The law and the prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached and every one enters it violently"(Lk. 16: 16). God made it clear when He said, "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them: and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon them"(Amos 5: 21 - 22).

Only New Testament worship is acceptable worship is acceptable today. Jesus re-defined how acceptable worship is to be carried out when he talked to the Samaritan woman. Listen to their conversation (Jn. 4: 16 - 26). He said, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father." In other words, the kind of worship that was being done in both Jerusalem and in Samaria is no longer acceptable. It has nothing to do with geographical location. "But the hour is coming , and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeks to worship Him.

This means we can only worship God after we have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3: 11; Acts 2: 4) with the proof of the "Signs" following (Mk. 16: 17 - 18). Paul tells us, "He who is a Jew is one inwardly, and the real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual (Grk. in the Spirit) and not literal" (Rom. 2: 29). Because the Jews rejected Jesus, they are "the branches" that were broken off the Olive Tree (Israel) and we Gentiles "were grafted in their place" (Rom. 11 :17). We Christians, have been adopted into the Family of Jesus Christ (Gal. 4: 4). The Church of Jesus Christ is and always has been "Israel". Christians were kicked out of the synagogues because they did not defend Jerusalem in 70 A.D when the Romans destroyed it. By prophecy, God told them to leave. Until we receive Salvation & the Baptism of the Holy Spirit(Jn. 3: 5) we cannot offer acceptable worship to God.

Now what is acceptable worship? Paul describes it when he gives us the only "order of worship in the New Testament" (1 Cor. 14: 26 - 40). It means that everybody is to participate under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and all 15 Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12: 6 - 8; 1 Cor. 12: 8 - 10) are to be used during worship service. When they are, then "all things ?will? be done decently and in order"(1 Cor. 14: 40). But if Paul?s instructions are not followed the service will be done indecently and out of order. When followed, people will receive Salvation, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, healing, deliverance and needs will be met. The result will be exciting worship with "Signs, Wonders & Miracles"!