True Worshippers
Message by the Rev Nguyen Gia Hien at True Life BPC on the Lord’s Day, 20 June 2010
Everyone wants to be regarded and respected as a true and honest person. No one wants to be labelled a liar, a hypocrite, a false Christian, a false believer, a false worshipper, a false pastor, a false teacher, or a false prophet. No one wants to follow a false leader, a false religion, a false doctrine, a false belief, or a false philosophy. But sadly, we still see many who are not aware that they are deceiving themselves by thinking that they are right when actually they are not.
Before we left Brisbane for Singapore, we received a tract in our mail box with an invitation to attend a Gospel meeting organized by the Church of Christ. They claim that only the Church of Christ is the true church in this world. Is it true? Absolute not! Many attend charismatic churches and are proud of their church growth with big membership and wealth, believing that God has blessed their churches so much. But they do not care about God’s Word, Biblical doctrines or Bible versions. Many have an ecumenical mindset and think that all religions are good, all Bible versions are good, and all worshippers are good. But is it true that all worshippers are true worshippers of God? Definitely not!
This world is full of deceits and lies. Why? It is because “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9), and because “the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Rev 12:9). Satan is a deceiver, “a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). He even disguises himself as “an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14), with a very nice and bright appearance but full of deceits and temptations to turn many people away from the living and true God and from God’s Word and God’s Truth.
Therefore, you and I must be cautious while living in this deceitful world with “false prophets … false Christs” (Matt 24:24), “false witnesses” (Acts 6:13), “false apostles, deceitful workers” (2 Cor 11:13); “false accusers” (2 Tim 3:3; Titus 2:3), “false teachers” (2 Peter 2:1), “false brethren” (2 Cor 11:26; Gal 2:4); and even false worshippers. How can you and I detect and discern truth from falsehood, lies and deception so that we may not be deceived? We must personally know the Lord and His Word and be rooted and grounded in Him and His Word and walk closely with Him in His Light, and the Holy Spirit will help us discern and keep us from being deceived.
We thank God for raising our late beloved founding Pastor, Rev Dr Timothy Tow, to establish Life Bible-Presbyterian Church over 50 years ago and the Far Eastern Bible College nearly 50 years ago. However, Life Church, which he had founded with much love, labour and sacrifice, rejected him and the doctrine of the verbal and plenary preservation of the Holy Scriptures. So he left and founded True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church. We thank God for having preserved, guided and blessed True Life for nearly 7 years. We thank God for having used her to support FEBC and other like-minded Bible colleges and churches, including Brisbane BPC. We really want to be true worshippers of God, who truly believe in Him and truly believe in His Word. Our Lord Jesus Christ says to the Samaritan woman, “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 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. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:21- 24). Do you and I truly believe in the Lord Jesus’ words, and are we the true worshippers of God? How can we know that we or others are the true worshippers of God? As God is Spirit and He is seeking true worshippers, we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. There is no other way.
Worship God the Father in Spirit
Unsaved people are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). They are spiritually dead, so they cannot truly know, love and worship God in spirit. They cannot cry unto God, “Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15) meaningfully. We can only worship the Father in spirit without any idols, statues or images if we are born again to be His children. Our Lord Jesus confirms that if we are not born again by the Holy Spirit and by God’s Word, we can neither see the kingdom of God nor enter into it (John 3:3, 5), Jesus says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Dear brethren, please make sure that you are truly born again and are God’s true children. Our Lord Jesus always loves you and stands and knocks at the door of your heart, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20). Do you happily welcome Him to be the Lord and Saviour of your heart and life? Do you and I truly thirst for God and His Word, truly know Him and know His Word, truly live by Him and by His Word, truly love Him and keep His Word, truly trust in Him and in His Word, truly fear Him and honour His Word? If we are not truly born again, we can never be the true worshippers of God.
Worship God the Father in Truth
Many simply think worshipping God the Father in truth means worshipping Him sincerely. That’s true, but not enough as many are “sincerely” worshipping their false “gods” and following false leaders and false doctrines. Then what does it mean to worship God the Father in truth?
Christ-Centred Worship
Our Lord Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6) and “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt 18:20). God is holy, righteous and glorious. Then how can we sinners stand before Him and worship Him worthily, and how can our worship be acceptable unto Him? The Bible tells about the worship and offerings of Cain and Abel in Genesis chapter 4. God accepted Abel and his blood-shedding sacrifice but rejected Cain and his offerings although he offered the best of the fruit of his labour. Why? Because he trusted in himself and his merits and did not offer a blood-shedding sacrifice for his sins. That Sacrifice is the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to die for our sins and rise again for our justification (John 1:29; Rom 4:25; Rev 13:8). Without the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we ourselves and our worship will surely be rejected. Then we must humble ourselves and promote the Saviour Jesus Christ alone. When we gather together to worship God, we are to humbly look unto our Saviour Jesus Christ and trust in His Name and His merits so that our worship may be acceptable unto God, “to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 2:5). Many say to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” but they still just do what they like regardless of His will and Word! They are not truly submissive to the Lord and His Lordship, then how can they be the true worshippers of God? How about you and me?
A true worship must be a Christ-centred worship. Christ must be glorified alone, not anyone else. Christ must be preached, not anyone else, “we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (2 Cor 4:5; 1 Cor 2:2), and Christ alone must increase (John 3:30).
Word-Centred Worship
Next, we are to worship the Father according to His Word, the Holy Bible. The Lord Jesus says, “Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). God’s Word must be the foundation of our worship, our faith, our doctrines, our practices, our preaching, our teaching etc. Only when we worship the Father according to His word will He accept our worship. David worshipped God properly, saying, “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Ps 138:2). God’s Word must be preached, taught and magnified in our worship. Our worship must be Word-centred or Bible-centred worship. Many say that they believe in God’s perfect Word and even preach God’s Word, but they do not truly submit to the authority of God’s Word to the jot and tittle! Are they true worshippers of God? Definitely not! How about you and me?
Sadly, nowadays many “Christians” do not magnify God’s Word, but blindly follow “scholars” or “scholarly leaders” who criticise, question and cast doubt on God’s Word! They like to hear quotations from “great men” and interesting stories rather than God’s Word! However, it is only God’s Word that can regenerate and sanctify the believers!
We worship God according to God’s Word not only in our preaching and teaching but also in singing and praising God with reverence and thanksgiving (Col 3:16) without being “conformed to this world” (Rom 12:2). Disappointedly, many churches are drawing many young people to their churches by entertaining them with contemporary music and performances regardless of the worldly music and unbiblical doctrines of the lyrics! But God is seeking the true worshippers who “worship the Father in spirit and in truth” and who are truly submissive to the authority of His Word!
Spirit-Led Worship
The Holy Spirit which is “the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6) and “the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16-17) convicts us of our sins (John 16:8), teaches us all things (John 14:25) guides us into all truth (John 16:13), helps us understand spiritual things (1 Cor 2:10-16), regenerates us and sanctifies us (John 3:5; Rom 15:16) and helps us worship God and serve Him properly, “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have not confidence in the flesh” (Phil 3:3). Our Lord Jesus confirms, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Without the presence of the Holy Spirit, our worship, our prayers and our preaching and our singing of hymns are dead! It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us to pray, tunes our hearts to sing praises to the Lord meaningfully, illumines our hearts to understand the message and be edified. Realising this truth, we shall humble ourselves always and trust in the Holy Spirit, and not in ourselves nor our strength nor our ability. Paul shared his experience, “I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Cor 2:3). Many “great speakers ” nowadays have much confidence in the flesh, in their credentials and scholarship, thinking that they are qualified to preach God’s Word employing their proud textual-critical methods! They are not in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling like the apostle Paul! But this is the truth, “the flesh profiteth nothing.” Many claim that they are filled with the Holy Spirit in their worship, but they still trust in themselves, in their ability, and in worldly means and ways! They are not truly submissive to the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit, then how can they be the true worshippers of God? How about you and me?
Conclusion
God is still seeking true worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Are you and I true worshippers of God? We must make sure that we are truly born again and that our worship is Christ-centred and Word-centred worship through the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are to humble ourselves, trust in and submit to the Lord and His Word alone, and magnify the Lord and His Word alone. Amen.
Gratitude
Dear friends in Christ
Greetings in the Name of our Messiah Jesus.
I want to say a hearty thanks for the excellent April-June 2010 RPG prepared by Rev. Hien Nguyen of Brisbane. His studies are extremely well done and have brought great praise to the Lord in our devotional readings. Kindly convey our deep thanks to Pastor Nguyen.
Through the kindness of Dr. S.H. Tow, the RPG comes regularly to our home.
Every blessing until the Lord comes.
Through His infinite mercy, Raymond H. Saxe, Th.D; D.Miss.
Ps 145
