Worship.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by nahkoe

*Disclaimer* This really is an innocent question...you've always been pretty good at answering my questions, but just making sure you understand I'm not trying to be antagonistic... Oh, and making sure you understand I'm not actually asking a question about what you're asking a question about, I'm asking a question about your question...no relation to the topic at hand.

Does it matter if it's New Testament or Old Testament precedent, and why would it? God is God through both, correct? He doesn't change, right?

That's kewl - I think I understand that.

In some things it does not matter as much, but I think it does matter more in this case. I would not approach it as a question of whether God changes or not, rather it's a matter of the veiled becoming revealed.

Much of the focus in the Old Testament was the outward formality and display of acceptable worship to God, while still yet acknowledging God sees the intent of the heart.

In the New Testament this is reversed. The formal gathering place and the mechanics of "worship" is minimized, and we are told we are the temple - and have the Holy Spirit in common earthen vessles. The focus is no longer so much on "ushering in" the presence of God.

Jesus spoke to this time when worship would be something of the heart and without pretension...

19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

21Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

"spirit" here means "inner man" or from the heart, not spiritED as many preach. God is a spiritual being and we must offer spiritual worship. Jesus was revealing a new thing, and certainly spirited worship was not new at that time. Also in this context "truth" is simply "without pretension" - God sees and knows the inner man.

So the focus of New Testament worship is the heart it'self, the inner man. Whether there is organized or formal demonstration is of little consequence.

Of course this does not mean heartfelt worship may not produce emotional results, it can and does - but I would say emotional orchestration simply does not and cannot produce or manufacture worship in spirit and in truth.