Worship is an essential concept in the Christian faith. In fact, I believe it is one of the utmost sacraments of any genuine believer in Christ. As such, it can easily become a political, philisophical point of contention among brothers and sisters in Christ. The Old Testament revealed myriads of examples of God's children worshipping Him. Abraham was instructed to offer up his one and only son, Isaac, in worship to Jehovah ... eventually the Lord supplied a ram to offer instead. Moses was ordained by God to lead His people out into the wilderness to worship Him. King David danced before the Lord when the Ark of the Covenant returned to Jerusalem as his worship to God. Ezra led the returned children of Israel (from Babylon) in worship after their captivity. There are countless examples of worship in the Old Testament. No question about it, God wants His children to worship Him. But how?

In the Old Testament, the Lord set up a series of meticulous and specific ceremonial sacrifices (Burnt Offering, Meal Offering, Peace Offering, Sin Offering, Trespass Offering, Wave Offering, Heave Offering, etc. see The Tabernacle). There was no room for discussion or opinion or freedom in the Old Testament worship based on the ceremonial laws. God set out the pattern and expected worshippers to comply fully. Possibly many groups today somewhat model their church worship services according to their view of an Old Testament pattern. For instance, why the robes, clerical colars, special cups, special prayers, special songs, etc. etc.? Today many groups attempt to modernize the Priestly and Levitical services as part of their worship to God. They attempt to parallel the priestly garb and demeanor in taking care of spiritual matters such as authority and shepherding as well as appointing Levites to take care of the practical services around the church meetings, the church buildings and the church people (song leader, choir director, usher, financial secretary, Sunday School teacher, etc.).

One church group may vary from another in outward form, but there are many similarities among church groups. For instance, if you ask a brother in Christ what worship is, within a brief time you will no doubt hear some reference to "church meetings," Sunday mornings or liturgies or practices of some kind. Each group may have some variations in their brand of worship, but eventually you find a clear pattern among all church groups, religious organizations and spiritual affiliations: there needs to be a special place (usually denoting a church building, meeting hall or sanctified room), with special people (often referred to as clergy and laity), and special practices (including sacraments, liturgy, or some kind of order in the service or meeting).

I would like to share two verses which explain my position on true worship. I hope that believers in Christ will return to the Lord's ordained way of worship and forsake or at least very seriously consider renovating their present so-called worship.

Saints, as the apostle Paul wrote and warned the Corinthians around AD 59, so we must be warned ... Satan is out to deceive us and corrupt us. How does he do it? by taking us away from the simplicity and purity we had toward Christ.

The word "simplicity" could also be translated, "singleness." Referring to the believers' single-hearted loyalty, single-minded faithfulness, toward Christ. In the garden of Eden, Eve, the wife of Adam, was deceived by the serpent, Satan, through his questioning and undermining of God's word, and was thus carried away to the tree of knowledge and distraced from the simplicity of eating the tree of life (Genesis 3:1-6). Here, the church in Corinth, the pure virgin betrothed to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2), was being deceived by the Judaizers, the ministers of Satan (2 Corinthians 11:15), who were undermining God's word by preaching another Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel (11 Corinthians 11:4). Because of this undermining preaching, the apostle was fearful that the Corinthians would be distraced by the teachings of the Judaizers and would be separated from the genuine appreciation, love, and enjoyment of the precious Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as their life and their everything. [Recovery Version, LSM, 2 Corinthians 11:3 footnote 2]

This truth of simplicity, singleness and purity surely carries over to all of our pursuing of Christ. We must be simple, we must be single, we must be pure, in regard to our worship of the Lord. New Testament worship is clearly defined by the Lord Jesus Himself in John 4:21-24 in the story of the Samaritan Woman who met Jesus at a well outside of Samaria. She wanted water and Jesus offered her eternal water that would satisfy her eternal longings. She had married five times and was presently living with a sixth man. Jesus exposed her real condition of dissatisfaction and offered her eternal bliss within. She then brought up the matter of worship and the Lord succinctly defined TRUE WORSHIP. In His speaking He did not mention the need for a specific place. for special people nor special practices, rituals or sacraments.

John 4:23-24 "Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ... An hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the Father also seeks such to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness."

Saints, worship is simple ... we must worship in spirit and truthfulness. Worship must be in purity ... that means we worship in nothing but spirit and truthfulness without the need for any other things. Christ and our spirit are the only things we need. Worship is universal as long as it is in spirit and truth. Worship has no requisites except to be in spirit and truth. As Isaiah wrote in the Old Testament: Consider your ways. We should all consider whether we worship simply and purely ... in spirit and truth or whether we have added anything to the formula.