Acceptable Worship
Acceptable Worship
Signs of the Times
June 24, 1886
Through the psalmist God
declares, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me." Much of the public
worship of God consists of praise and prayer, and every follower of Christ
should engage in this worship. There is also the preaching service, conducted
by those whose work it is to instruct the congregation in the word of God.
Although all are not called to minister in word and doctrine, they need not be
cold and responseless listeners. When the word of God was spoken to the Hebrews
anciently, the Lord said to Moses, "And let all the people say,
Amen." This response, in the fervor of their souls, was required as
evidence that they understood the word spoken and were interested in it.
When the ark of God was
brought into the city of David and a psalm of joy and triumph was chanted, all
the people said, Amen. And David felt that he was fully repaid for his labor
and anxiety by this cheerful, universal response from the people.
There is too much
formality in the church. Souls are perishing for light and knowledge. We should
be so connected with the Source of light that we can be channels of light to
the world. The Lord would have his ministers who preach the word energized by
his Holy Spirit. And the people who hear should not sit in drowsy indifference
or stare vacantly about, making no response to what is said. The spirit of the
world has paralyzed the spirituality of such, and they are not awake to the
precious theme of redemption. The truth of God's word is spoken to leaden ears,
and hard, unimpressible hearts. The impression given the unbeliever by these
professed Christians is anything but favorable for the religion of Christ. They
show zeal and ambition when engaged in the business of the world, but things of
eternal importance do not engross the mind, and interest them as do worldly
things. The voice of God through his messengers is a pleasant song; but its
sacred warnings, reproofs, and encouragements are all unheeded. Eternal and
sacred things are placed upon a level with common things, and the Holy Spirit is
grieved. Said Christ, "Take heed, therefore, how ye hear." Those are
spiritually dead who profess to worship God while the heart is not in the work.
There should be a hearty, wide-awake church to encourage and uphold the hands
of the ministers of Jesus Christ.
Those who profess to be
guided by the word of God may be familiar with the evidences of their faith,
and yet be like the pretentious fig-tree, which flaunted its foliage in the
face of the world, but, when searched by the Master, was found destitute of
fruit. Fruitful Christians are connected with Heaven, and intelligent in the
things of God. The truth and the love of God is their meditation. They have
feasted upon the word of life, and when they hear it spoken from the desk, they
can say, as did the two disciples who were traveling to Emmaus when Christ
explained to them the prophecies concerning himself, "Did not our heart
burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us
the Scriptures?"
All who are connected
with the light will let their light shine to the world, and will, in their
testimonies, praise God, to whom their hearts will flow forth in gratitude.
Those who have a vital union with Christ will rejoice in the assurance of his
love. Nothing of the world can make them sad when Jesus makes them glad by his
presence. Walking in the light, they will never disgrace their profession or
bring reproach upon the cause of Christ. It is the privilege of every child of
God to store his mind with divine truth, and the more he does this, the more
vigor and clearness of mind he will have to fathom the deep things of God. He
will be more and more earnest and vigorous as the principles of the truth are
carried out in his daily life.
We should all be workers
together with God. No idlers are acknowledged as his servants. The members of
the church should individually feel that the life and prosperity of the church
is affected by their course of action. Those in the church who have
sufficient talent to engage in any of the various vocations of life, such as
teaching, building, manufacturing, and farming, will generally be prepared to
labor for the upbuilding of the church by serving on committees or as teachers
in the Sabbath-schools, engaging in missionary labor, or filling the different
offices connected with the church.
God requires that the
first, the best, and the most useful talents shall be employed to carry forward
his work upon the earth. The same zeal and energy, tact and order, which are
exercised in counting-rooms, shops, and in the fine arts, should be brought
into the religious life and exercised in the work of God. All are responsible
for the talents given them of God to use to his glory. He calls for them to
come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
Many will give money
because it costs less self-denial and self-sacrifice than to give themselves.
Some say: My business claims all my time. So numerous are my engagements and so
pressing their demands, I cannot give my time." Of what avail is means without
agents to use it? Ministers cannot do a tithe of the work necessary to be done
at this time to save souls and preserve the vitality of the church.
What revelations will be
made in the day of God, when each individual will see his life as God sees it!
What opportunities lost to save souls! How many precious hours wasted in
following inclination instead of discharging duties! How much greater
advancement might have been made in the knowledge of the truth! How much talent
that was given of God for wise improvement, to be spent in his service, has
been buried in the cares and allurements of this world! How much strength and
courage might have been given to the individual members of the church, had they
dedicated to God their talents and used them to his service and glory. And how
many souls might have been saved, had they been wise, and sought first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness.
What can we say to arouse
those who profess to be the followers of Christ, to a sense of the solemn
responsibilities resting upon them? Is there no voice that shall arouse them to
work while the day lasts? Our divine Master gave his life for a ruined world?
Who will deny self, and make some sacrifice to save souls for whom he died?
In every act of life
Christians should seek to represent Christ,--seek to make his service appear
attractive. Let none make religion repulsive by groans and sighs and a relation
of their trials, their self-denials, and sacrifices. Do not give the lie to
your profession of faith by impatience, fretfulness, and repining. Let the
graces of the Spirit be manifested in kindness, meekness, forbearance,
cheerfulness, and love. Let it be seen that the love of Christ is an abiding
motive; that your religion is not a dress to be put off and on to suit circumstances,
but a principle, calm, steady, unvarying. Alas that pride, unbelief, and
selfishness, like a foul cancer, are eating our vital godliness from the heart
of many a professed Christian! When judged according to their works, how many
will learn, too late, that their religion was but a glittering cheat,
unacknowledged by Jesus Christ.
Love to Jesus will be
seen, will be felt. It cannot be hidden. It exerts a wondrous power. It makes
the timid bold, the slothful diligent, the ignorant wise. It makes the
stammering tongue eloquent, and rouses the dormant intellect into new life and
vigor. It makes the desponding hopeful, the gloomy joyous. Love to Christ will
lead its possessor to accept responsibilities for his sake, and to bear them in
his strength. Love to Christ will not be dismayed by tribulation, nor turned
aside from duty by reproaches. The soul that is not imbued with this love for
Jesus is none of his.
Peace in Christ is of
more value than all the treasures of earth. Let us seek the Lord with all our
heart, let us learn of Christ to be meek and lowly, that we may find rest of
soul. Let us arouse our dormant energies, and become active, earnest, fervent.
The very example and deportment, as well as the words, of the Christian should
be such as to awaken in the sinner a desire to come to the Fountain of life.
Then let us open our
hearts to the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. Let us work cheerfully,
joyfully, in the service of our Master. Let us praise him, not only by our
words in the congregation of his saints, but by a well ordered life and godly
conversation,--a life of active, noble Christian effort. Let us give diligence
to make our calling and election sure, remembering that we shall triumph at
last, if we do not become weary in well-doing.