True Worship

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. John 4:23

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Part I The Profane Worship of Nadab and Abihu
Part II The Profane Worship of Modern Assemblies

Part I The Profane Worship of Nadab and Abihu

(A Speculation on the Events of Leviticus 10:1-3)

It was ordination day. Aaron and his sons had spent seven whole days within the tabernacle of meeting and now on this eighth day, they had been more than ready to begin the ceremonies which would complete their consecration to the priesthood. The ceremonies were tedious and difficult to be sure. Aaron's brother and God's chosen mediator Moses, had been told by Yahweh,

They had been very careful to do everything to the Lord's exacting specifications. This day had already been a very long one. Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu were extremely fatigued after slaughtering a calf, a kid, a bull, and a ram, washing and burning the kidneys, fat, and fatty lobe of the liver on the altar, pouring the blood at its base, burning the hide, flesh and offal outside the camp, and then offering a grain offering mixed with oil.

The high point of these preparations came when the glory of the Lord appeared and a great conflagration went out from the Lord and entirely consumed the burnt offering and fat on the altar. During this last event, though terribly exhausted from the physically demanding work just accomplished, Nadab and Abihu were moved with the rest of the congregation to fall on their faces in worship at this miraculous display of their Magnificent God, as He accepted with great pleasure, the sacrifice of His people.

Perhaps it was the emotion of the moment, or perhaps it was the worn physical condition in which they found themselves, but whatever it might have been, it entered into the minds of these two sons of Aaron to make a magnanimous gesture of worship to the Lord. Their hearts were no doubt filled with joy and thanksgiving at being chosen along with their father and the entire tribe of Levi to mediate God's dealings with His special people, Israel. God had taken extreme care to communicate to them the manner and spirit in which He was to be honored and worshipped, and they had been faithful to do all that He had asked of them. Nadab and Abihu, however, were not content with worshipping "by the Book", they wanted to excel in worship, and to do so, they would exceed God's expectations, hoping through their creativity to convey to Him their inestimable thanks and praise. They felt unable to express their gratitude doing only what the Lord had asked, so with great satisfaction in their own cleverness, Nadab and Abihu devised a plan whereby they would ingratiate themselves further with the Lord who chose them.

With their beaming father Aaron looking on, each took his censer and put fire in it. With effected trepidation they approached the glory which so recently had accepted the sacrifice offered on the altar. "Surely" they thought to themselves drawing ever nearer the expression of Yahweh's presence, their censers proffered in supplication toward the majestic glory, "this will assure Yahweh-God of my appreciation for His selection of me to be a holy priest before Him."

Aaron looked on, his heart in similar fashion overflowing with gratitude to His Lord and pride for his sons on this, their ordination day. His mind no doubt wandered back to days when with great joy he taught his sons God's Word, imparting to them the history of God's dealings with the descendants of Abraham. Could the time have passed so quickly? Just yesterday, it seemed, they were bouncing on his knee and nursing at the breasts of their mother, and now, here they were, young men, selected by God to be members of a special class among all of the houses of Israel -- priests to the Most High God, of the order of Levi!

Aaron's musings were interrupted by a sudden commotion which he heard breaking out among the assembly. All eyes were riveted on the Glory as they beheld again the fire which, having just moments before moved them to fall on their faces, was now once again coming out of the Presence and racing rapidly outward. To what end was the dispatching of these flames? The sacrifice of the animals had been completely consumed and there remained not so much as a morsel to be devoured by this resolute blaze. Did these flames as in the previous instance betoken Yahweh's pleasure in the offering of His people?

Screams of horror broke out as the realization settled upon the people that the flames were directed not on the altar, but on the two sons of Aaron. Aaron howled "No... Noooo" as the feelings of fatherly pride were instantly transformed into abject panic and fear; and while it surely seemed like an eternity to the gathering, the flames departed just as swiftly as they had appeared. Where once stood two young men, there were now two smoking carcasses. Unlike the sacrifices which had been totally consumed, the displeasure of the Lord was manifest in his leaving their lifeless bodies intact and on the ground. A sweet smell hung in the air not unlike that which accompanied the burnt sacrifice.

Aaron, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably must have rushed headlong toward the charred bodies of the fruit of his loins and the objects of his consuming pride. Fierce anger doubtless rose in his heart as he attempted to contemplate the motives of a God who could callously sweep away young lives engaged in so spectacular a moment with such dreadful and appalling caprice. Moses, grabbing him by his shoulders and spinning him around, looked compassionately but sternly into his brother's eyes, and said,

Aaron's mouth perhaps opened to protest what he thought an unspeakable injustice, but His better sense prevailing, he nodded weakly at Moses, and turned away from the still smoking corpses. Two of his cousins, being thus commanded of Moses, came forward and conducted the remains of his two sons outside the camp, to the place where the unacceptable portions of the sacrifices were routinely taken and where their Lord would one day be crucified.

Aaron, being a prophet and having a heart filled with the Spirit and knowledge of the purposes of Yahweh, knew that it was obedience and not sacrifice that the Lord desired from His people. His sons, regardless of the seeming innocence of their intentions, were surely guilty of disobedience. He was confident that his sons were now in paradise and would have no desire to return to this sinful world. They had been chosen by God to be a warning and an alarm to the congregation that He is to be obeyed to the letter, and that men were not to worship Him in ways He had not revealed. They had been the unwitting mediators of a great lesson by God to His people. God had not given Nadab and Abihu any instructions concerning the origin of the fire to be used nor did he command them to offer fire created by the hands of man. They had begun to think beyond the Word of God, and God, in His great care for the congregation, had given to them a strong reminder of the dangers of worshiping Him with methods whose origins spring from the evil imaginations of the deceitful and sinful heart of man.

Part II The Profane Worship of Modern Assemblies

Nadab and Abihu were by no means the only persons through whom the Lord has demonstrated his displeasure with unrevealed means of worship. We have the examples given to us of Uzzah, who in steadying the teetering Ark, forgot that the ground upon which it was in danger of falling was much cleaner than the hands of fallen man; of Saul, who in offering the sacrifice in the absence of the priest, committed the sin of presumption, losing forever in the process the kingdom to his posterity; of Jeroboam the first ruler of the Northern Kingdom, who created a feast to the Lord in his own heart, a sin into which all who followed him on the throne strayed, a sin which resulted finally in the kingdom entering into the captivity of the Assyrians; of Ananias and Sapphira, who gave of their belongings to the Lord, but in a deceptive manner and were carried lifeless from the assembly.

Although we Have these examples in our Bibles, we have still not responded to Him in obedience when it comes to the subject of worship, in spite of the advantage we enjoy of the New Birth. New hearts have been given to His people and instead of residing in a temple made of stone or skins, His glory, His Holy Spirit has come to dwell within His people corporately and individually. In spite of these advantages over those who have gone before, most of Christianity is mired deep in worship forms of which not the Lord, but man is the author. While many would claim that they are in New Testament assemblies, those who are truly seeking after the will of God know that when they read the letters of Peter, Paul, James, John, and others in the Scriptures, they are confused by the glaring differences in practice from the first century assemblies and the assemblies of today. Christians today are offering to the Lord, sacrifices no less profane than that of Nadab, Abihu, Uzzah, Saul, Jeroboam, Ananias and Sapphira. Various feast days, such as Christmas, Easter, Palm Sunday, and others, all products of the heart of man, are celebrated zealously, with exhausting effort and care, while that which our Lord asked that we do in remembrance of Him on the first day of the week, the fellowship of the Lord's Supper, has been relegated to a tedious practice to be tolerated no more than monthly, biennially, or in the case of some, annually. Instead of heeding the clear admonition of Paul,

the sheep have gathered to their itching ears, "shepherds", who in their eagerness to usurp Christ's own position as Chief Shepherd, forbid the ministry of gifted men to share in the assembly meeting! They are paid to be the vicarious source of "truth" while the men of the assembly, laying aside their priesthood, languish in carnality and spiritual impotence in their understanding and use of the Word. Instead of the "coming together" for the Lord's Supper, (1CO 10:16-17, 11:17-20, ACT 2:42-46, 20:7), the focus of the meeting has become the glorification of the abilities of one usurper and the passive entertainment of the assembled. Though Christ warned His disciples against the taking upon themselves titles such as "Teacher", "Rabbi" (Aramaic "Teacher"), "Father", and "Master" claiming these to belong solely to Himself and the Father, these men cling tenaciously to "Reverend", "Father", "Doctor" (Latin, "Teacher"), "Pastor" ("Shepherd") etc. Instead of following in the example of Paul, an itinerant missionary, to provide for himself with his own hands, these are the busybodies, the idle of whom Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, who bleed the church of finances which might be used to take the gospel to the regions beyond. Instead of recognizing that the Lord dwells in holy hearts and in His assembly, many attempt to build for him lavish buildings made with human hands of which the Word says nothing. Neglecting the holiness of His true temple, they blindly place their confidence in the majesty of cold stone structures. The gifted men of the assemblies, having been stripped of their responsibilities and priesthood, have given their authority over to women. And women, who being the glory of man are to be silent and covered in deference to the glory of God during the meeting, instead are taking positions of authority, speaking and teaching in the assembly, a practice which Paul called "disgraceful". (1CO 14:34,35, 1TI 2:9-15). In nearly every assembly meeting, the woman instead of covering her glory, her hair, brazenly displays it, resulting in the glory of man competing for preeminence with the Glory of God. The angels bearing witness to the disobedient hearts of the assembly are thus prevented from offering praise to the Lord for the obedience resulting from the resurrection power of Jesus Christ in the hearts of His people. The days are fast approaching when the Lord will no longer wink at these aberrations from His Word. Christ is coming soon. This is a fact which even the coldest heart cannot deny. We have been told to prepare for his coming. We do not want to be found languishing in the dark corners of His kingdom, but in areas lighted by obedience to His Word. In the book of Revelation, the apostle wrote that he heard a voice come from heaven in those last days saying,

It is time to cleanse the dwelling place of the Lord. If your assembly is not responsive to His Word, and you have made every honest attempt to be the watchman and to warn them from their way, then you are free from their blood. You must come out and cease being a part of the problem and become part of the solution. This publication will seek to call God's people to obedience in worship. It is not intended to annoy the disinterested, nor is it intended to condemn those who are not practicing the truth. We can also look back to a time when we, being ignorant of these things, also did not practice the truth. We preach the Word, convincing, rebuking and exhorting -- but with longsuffering and patient teaching! (2TI 4:2) We know that there are out there many "who have ears to hear", who are waiting for loving words of correction and instruction. It is to those wandering souls, deeply sought after by God and for whom He gave His own dear Son that we address the issues found in these pages. He did not save us to lives of insignificance but to lives of glory and honor. He warned us that many in that day were going to be in shock to find that they do not truly belong to Him. Many will even make claims to have cast out demons and performed miracles in His name. They may be sincere, but they are sincerely mistaken. Paul, for transgressions much less perilous expressed doubt about the reality of the faith of his hearers, saying such things as

and

We have far more compelling need to examine the assembly. At stake is the eternal destiny not only of ourselves, but of those we love.

Please do not rely on a short walk up an aisle or immersion in water as the evidence of your "faith". You are not going to be judged by your faith, but by your works. In the great epistle of the gospel of salvation by grace through faith, Paul says this:

James, the brother of Jesus Christ, said in his letter:

Please do not misunderstand. We are certainly not denying that salvation is by faith alone. Works cannot save you from your sins! James and Paul were totally in agreement. Salvation is by faith, and faith is the gift of God, not of the doings of man. Faith is the enabler of works which are pleasing to God. Faith that is not evidenced by works is not saving faith -- and the works are not just any works. Many man-made religions such as Islam, Mormonism, The WatchTower Society, and others can lay claim to far greater works of kindness and philanthropy than can many biblical christians. The works which give evidence to the miracle of the New Birth are works of obedience to the Word of God. To the rich young ruler, (MAT 19:16-30) this came in the form of a command from His Lord to sell all his possessions, give the proceeds to the needy and disadvantaged and come and follow Him. The depth of his faith was clearly displayed when rather than attending to these words with joy, he walked sullenly away, forfeiting eternal life in the process. Jesus Christ was Lord to him in name only... We ask that you join us in cultivating hearts which conform to these admonitions of Paul:

Brethren, forebear one another in love as you prosper in His grace!

May God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, prosper you in the power of His resurrection, that you might know Him through obedience to His Word, and by putting away the deeds of the flesh you may further unmask the glory which changes from glory to glory, even the glory of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Now to God our Savior Who alone is wise, be Glory, Majesty, Dominion and Power, both now and forever. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

"THE ANCIENT PATH" seeks in the spirit of the New Testament letters to Preach the Word and to correct, rebuke and encourage, with patience and careful instruction, the assemblies gathered to Jesus Christ. It ignores denominational divisions and reaches out to all who have ears to hear in these last days. Please do not ask for a doctrinal statement. We have none as we are constantly changing our understanding as we bring ourselves continuously into conformity to what we are learning from God's Word. To conserve resources, we do not distribute hard copies of these articles but make them available on the world wide web. You may download, create and distribute our articles in printed form. We ask that you let us know how you are using them so that we may determine the wisdom and /or effectiveness of continuing this ministry.

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