The Basis of Acceptable Worship

“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 4:22–24)

Truth is essential for all acceptable worship. God said is the basis of the Truth that must direct all acceptable worship (John 17:17). If one cannot know God without revelation (and he cannot), then it also follows that one cannot worship God acceptably without the Truth that comes by revelation. The Samaritans worshiped God, but it was not acceptable, because it was based on partial revelation. One’s worship must be spiritual, from man’s own spirit, and it must be as the Truth of the Gospel directs. God said is the basis of all acceptable worship. Some brethren today need to reconsider this fundamental Truth. This will stop some of the foolish and hurtful things that are taking place in worship today.

The Basis of All Acceptable Religious Experience

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3)

Jude speaks of “contending for the faith”—that is, objective faith,written revelation, upon which one’s faith must rest. Any “religious experience” not based upon what God has said is false. One’s religious experience must be tested by what “God said,” not by what one thinks God says through a religious experience. Testing what God says by one’s religious experience today is the basis of false religion. Abraham had a religious experience, but it was based upon what “God said” (Genesis 22:1–13). Salvation is a religious experience, but it must be based upon what “God said.” Worship is a religious experience, but it must be based upon what “God said” (Acts 17). The Athenians were having a religious experience, but it was not acceptable unto God, because it was not based upon revelation. One can find people gathered everywhere in worship going through some kind of experience, but this does not mean that that experience is acceptable to God. Every religious experience one has must be in harmony with what the Bible teaches and must rest upon what “God said.”

When one has some kind of experience unknown to the Bible, that experience is false and deceptive and not accepted by God. It is time for men to turn back to the Bible and to find out what it teaches and then act upon it. The action then will be an experience, which harmonizes with what “God said.” This will be acceptable unto God. Nothing else is or can be.

Franklin Camp

The Providence of God

All Christians believe in the providence of God. David Lipscomb well said, describing the age in which we now live, “The Bible draws no distinction between special and general providence, as the terms are generally understood. God is always present in His laws. What is done through these laws, God does” (Questions and Answers by Lipscomb and Sewell, page 518).

SPECIAL PROVIDENCE

In the age of miracles there was no doubt many special providences manifested. Jesus conferred special blessings on certain individuals and groups. The apostles excercised special powers on certain occasions. These miracles did not interrupt the laws of nature. They demonstrated a power of God over and above the laws of nature. These miracles were confirmatory and temporary (Mark 16:20; Ephesus 4:11-13; I Corinthians 13; Hebrews 2:3).

INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Providence, whether special or general, was unrelated to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Christ raised Lazarus from the dead but not as a result of the prayers of Lazarus nor the fact that the Holy Spirit dwelt in Him. Christ showed special providence to many who were not even children of God. Balaam’s ass spoke in an “unknown tongue.” God’s general providence is manifested toward the birds (Matthew 6:26). The Christian farmer asks God to bless his fields. However, we know that the Holy Spirit did not dwell in Balaam’s ass, a bird, nor a corn stalk. It is not correct to expect special providence to accomplish what may be gained through the ordinary channels of blessings.

TESTIFYING

That special providence was exercised in the case of miracles both in the Old Testament and the New is apparent even to the casual reader of the Bible. That God over-ruled circumstance in the life of Esther, Daniel, Joseph, or Paul, et al, cannot be denied. However, there was an inspired interpreter to certify the providence of God in these Bible characters. Today, we have no divine interpreter and therefore we cannot relate our experiences as the leadings of God. There have been things in my life, as in yours also, that appear to be providential. They may be but I cannot preach such as I have no divine interpreter. I shall not and I cannot Scripturally relate my experience as an act of God. Paul said, “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (II Corinthians 4:5). When you hear one of my brethren testifying he is preaching himself, he is not preaching Jesus. I will not and cannot preach myself. Let me preach Jesus. All actions of the holy men of the Bible have certified to us by divine revelation. My message is a certified Gospel and not a human experience. I have no right to relate my experience as the leadings of God. Every false teacher makes the same claim and all have the same proof–their tongues. I know a man who claims that the Holy Spirit has directed him all the days of his life but he now preaches the exact opposite of what he preached yesterday. Is his tongue reliable? It is high time that we quit preaching ourselves and start preaching Jesus Christ.

The testifying among us cannot be justified by referring to reports of work done whether in the book of Acts or the News and Notes of the Gospel Advocate. It is good to report but to relate an experience and claim it is a leading of the Holy Spirit is a different thing altogether. Since the only evidence one has of a special providence is his own experience he has no right to relate it as an act of God. No one now has a divine interpreter of his life and any interpretation of his life is purely human. To preach such experiences is to preach oneself and thus to violate the instructions of the Holy Spirit (II Corinthians 4:5). We have a complete message revealed in the Word of God and we should proclaim it and not ourselves.

G. K. Wallace