God’s Worship, God’s Way

“Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them” (Lev. 10:1). 

Do you remember the tragic story of Nadab and Abihu from the book of Leviticus? God gave Moses and Aaron very specific instructions about how he was to be worshiped. Aaron was commanded to use fire from the bronze altar to burn incense before the Lord in the tabernacle. Both the altar and the incense were ceremonially prepared for this purpose. God was explicit in his instructions, but Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, ignored him. The men decided that one means of worship was just as good as another and they used “strange” or “unauthorized” fire that did not come from the bronze altar. God responded by issuing his own fire upon Nadab and Abihu, “And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord” (Lev. 10:2). What is the moral of the story? God cares how we worship Him, not just that we worship him (see also Matt. 5:23–26; 15:1–9; Acts 5:1–11; 1 Cor. 14:27–33). This is an important principle that we must hold close as we consider our Sunday morning methods. 

It is possible, however, to misread this lesson from Nadab and Abihu. The reformer, Martin Luther, before he discovered the doctrines of grace, was paralyzed with fear while conducting worship services in the Catholic church. He was terrified that he might do something wrong in the ceremony and invoke God’s wrath. His anxiety was contrary to passages like Heb. 4:15–16 that say in Christ we have confidence in our worship. While we should always approach God with great humility and even a proper sense of fear (Prov. 1:7), it is the perfect work of Christ on our behalf that allows us to worship without fear of retribution. 

So, what do we do? Do allow fear to paralyze us in worship? Absolutely not, for that would give our emotions higher authority than God’s Word (which commands us to draw near in Christ). Are we free then to worship God in whatever way best pleases us? Absolutely not, for that is akin to us dictating to God how he is to be worshiped. Thankfully, the New Testament gives us a blueprint to sort all this out, a guide to worship in a way that honors God and frees us to boldly approach his throne of grace. When we gather as a body, we sing (Col. 3:16), we pray (Matt. 21:13), we give (1 Cor. 16:1–2), we hear Scripture read and preached (1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2), and we observe baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23–26). That’s it, simple, meaningful, biblical, God-honoring worship, nothing to add, nothing to take away. May we understand this great principle of worship and may God be glorified through Eastern Hills for many, many years to come! 

Pastor Josh

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FOCUSED

One of the casualties of aging to which I find myself a victim is the dimming of the eyes.  Ecclesiastes 12 counsels the young person to remember God, their Creator, in their youth before the aging process takes over and various faculties, as listed in verses 1-7, are diminished.

Clear eyesight when we are young may be something we take for granted. However, as we age the realization that our vision is not as sharp as it once was takes hold. “Readers” become standard fare for all intricate tasks. Our once keen laser sharp focus is now blurry and in need of help to restore its youthfulness. That restoration is found through glasses or some sort of rejuvenating surgery. Especially in the early stages of this degenerative eye problem we may be able to fake it and get by, but eventually we must relent and do something to correct the problem.

There is a parallel between physical and spiritual vision. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” was written in the early 20th century. The hymn writer, Helen Lemmel, was strongly influenced by the artist and later little-known missionary, Lilias Trotter. Miss Trotter started off as an aspiring artist but early on felt a call from God to reach the lost. She began her ministry by rescuing prostitutes from the streets of London. Later she went to Africa, without missionary funding, and served for over forty years. While there she penned a poem that would greatly influence the writing of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”  The poem was entitled “Focused: A Story and Song.” 

The poem centers around focusing one’s attentions fully and completely upon God. She writes that Satan knows that if a person uses all their powers of concentration on being led by God’s Spirit, they will have a great intensity and impact upon those to whom they are called to minister. Lilias Trotter, writing in a more formal use of the English language than we are accustomed, shares some timeless insights which could very easily have been written today but with a different accent. She writes: “Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen good harmless worlds at once—art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the ‘good’ hiding the ‘best’ even more effectually than it could be hidden downright frivolity with its smothered heartache at its own emptiness.”

The “good” hiding the “best” leads us to emptiness.  Could this be true of us today especially as American Christians? Have we sought the “good” while missing the “best”? The chorus of the hymn, which we will be singing in worship this Sunday, says it best.

                Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,                                                                                                                                        And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Keith Pate

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