Michael D: I believe alot of the confusion concerning this issue relates to the fact that the term worship is misconstrued in mainstream Christianity. Under the law, worship was predominantly related to ostentatious ceremonies and official rituals and a specific location. It seems instructive to me to remember that these things are just types and shadows
In the new covenant, Jesus says we worship in spirit and in truth. And that that's the worship that God is looking for. Unfortunately, too muich of christianity is still looking to 'worship' in Jerusalem, or in Samaria in the mountain (a la woman at the well) and do not understand that that way was temporary and is passed away. Worship is now in the spirit, not on a Saturday, or on a Sunday or any other specially designated day. It is what we do by the Spirit from the heart on any and every day. Hence Paul said, as many as are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God. That is where true worship is spawned. Whether it is what is done in a gathering of believers or on the roadway, etc. To me, believers mistakenly say that we worship at so and so "church"...
That is not really a correct statement. Coming together with believers is only part of our worship before God and not in and of itself, our worship. Worship is really our life. I wonder if anyone can find a scripture in the NT where worship is identified as going to a "service". In Romans 12:1&2, Paul tells us that presenting our bodies a living sacrifice... is our reasonable service.
ShieldsFamily <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Laura,You don't have to worship-every-Sunday-in-church to worship. As I said, the Amish worship as a church group every other Sunday. Some folks don't have a church nearby, so they worship at home. Some folks are too ill to leave their homes; does that mean they "don't worship"? I agree that God is more concerned about whether we worship Him than on what day we do it. But I don't see anywhere in the Bible that you have to worship JUST at church, or JUST on Sunday, or JUST in a congregation. What if you only worship collectively whenever you are able? What if you worship with your family as a group when you can't? What if you worship all alone sometimes? Do we have to do it according to your formula? Christians don't have to live in a prescribed box of behavior to please God, do they? I wonder that God didn't get after David for not worshipping; after all, he just wrote songs and sang them from the pastures!Izzy
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