Doers of the Word

Happy Sabbath once again, everyone. Thank you, Ayla. That was beautiful. God is amazing. And hopefully we get a sense of how amazing the camp experience is as well. It is a wonderful opportunity for our teens to develop their relationship not only with each other, not only with the staff, but also deep in their relationship with God. And so what a blessing it is. And it gives us an opportunity to recognize that the contributions that we make to the camp program are really doing some wonderful things. Sometimes you don't get to see the results of the donations that we give, but today we get a little bit of a glimpse of that, which is really wonderful. And so what a blessing it is because we realize our young people make decisions about the church, about God, about becoming a Christian when they are young. And so what a blessing it is that we have such a successful camp program that promotes that relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, and our teens can take advantage of that. And boy, do we have some talented teens right here in Cincinnati? We sure do. So really, really appreciate their service today as well.

One of the things I thought might be helpful to talk about today is the fact of what we believe and why we believe it and what effect it has on the things that we do. Because there are so many things out there that you can hear that would tend to throw us off course. You know, oftentimes you may hear, well, what difference does it make, really what you believe, as long as you're a good person?

Anybody ever hear that before? Yeah, well, that's all it's about, right? Well, if you treat your fellow human beings nice, you treat them with love and respect, that's what counts the most.

Maybe our teens have heard people say that. It might be one of those mantras you hear in school as well. Well, as long as you're not hurting anyone else, you know, that's cool. But if you're caring for others, that's even better or supporting. You know, be helpful, be courteous. That's really being a religious person. Well, is it really? Sometimes people will say, well, it really doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you're just really sincere about it. Or maybe there's this other variation that is out there. It's pretty prevalent in our society today. It doesn't really matter what God you believe in because all paths lead to God. Well, does it matter? Is one belief just as good as another? Polls have shown some interesting things when it comes to what we as Americans believe. 57% of American Christians, now these are Americans who claim to be Christians, say other religions lead you to eternal life. So Christians in America today don't even believe that much in their own religion because, well, that one must be just as good as what I believe. And so these surveys that the the Ponce Foundation has done is just really interesting. 64% of Americans say religious faiths are of equal value. You buy into that.

Hopefully you don't get caught up in that because it's just not true. Is any religion just as good as another? That's kind of the question that it comes down to. And if they're all just as good, do they really lead to the same God? And does it really matter what you believe? And some people say, yeah, it doesn't really matter what you believe as long as you believe in something.

Really? Is that the case? Is that what the Bible says? Are all religions just fine? Are all ideas acceptable? Are all Church of God groups the same? Is that the case? Well, where does biblical teaching come into play? What about what we really, truly believe? What is it based on? Where should we look to really find out if there is a difference in what we think and in what we believe? How important is biblical instruction? You see, part of the challenge is we recognize, we live in difficult times. There's crazy things going on in our world. We read about them every single day. And what those various ideas seem to come from is the fact that that white horse of false religion that Revelation talks about, it's certainly riding. And riding and getting closer and closer every single day, it seems. And so, should we buy into that kind of thinking? And how important is really biblical teaching? Is it just a secondary kind of a thing? Or is it something that should frame the way we think, the way we believe, and the things that we do?

Let's take some time this afternoon to think about that. And we'll look at several reasons why biblical instruction and teaching is absolutely critical. It is so important. And we'll look at why it's valuable. And then, not only what we believe, but what is its impact on what we do?

Are we really doers of the Word? And how does that play with what biblical instruction is all about?

Now, if you were to read our statement of belief when it comes to the Word of God, have you read it lately? Are you familiar with what the United Church of God teaches as a statement of belief when it comes to God's Word? Well, it says some pretty specific things.

It says, we believe that Scripture, both Old and New Testament, is God's revelation.

And that's a foundational principle. It's revealed by God. And that statement goes on to say, it is His complete, expressed will to humanity. So that doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room, does it? The will of God is expressed in His Word. And more than that, our statement goes on to say that Scripture is inspired in thought, in word, infallible. That means there's no error.

In its original writings, there is no error. There's no room for questioning the expressed will of God. The Bible is God's Word. And in fact, our statement says, it is supreme and the final authority in faith and in life. Now that says a lot, not only talking about belief, but it also is expressing how do we do this Word. The Word of God is all-important when it comes to that. And in fact, that statement closes out by saying, it is the foundation of all truth.

Of all truth. Now that puts us in the United Church of God in stark contrast to what the world thinks, what most Christianity thinks. And we'll find as we look at the statement of belief and the basics of biblical teaching, really point to the fact that that instruction is all-important. And then its application is something that we can't skirt around. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, if you want to turn with me, 1 Timothy 4, verse 13. Here the Apostle Paul is giving a young minister, Timothy, some instruction when it comes to how to be a good minister, how to be a true minister of Jesus Christ, what that should look like, and of course what that means for all of us as we are God's people. So we can certainly apply these words that Paul wrote to Timothy today as well. So in 1 Timothy 4, verse 13, Paul writes to Timothy and he says, "'Til I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine, to doctrine." And he highlights these three things, reading, exhortation, and doctrine. Give attention to doctrine. And of course it doesn't mean, well, just once in a while think about it. Do you know what he's really saying there? If you were to look up the meaning of those original words that Paul wrote, yes, it means to pay attention to, but it also means to apply yourself or really stick to it, like band-aids stick to a cut. Adhere to it. Don't let go.

He says, make sure you devote yourself to it. That's really the meaning there. And if you read this in like the amplified version, that translation particularly says, devote yourself to teaching the sound doctrine of God's Word. Because that is the foundation. That is the basis. That's where things begin. And so when you recognize, this is the truth of God, this is His holy Word. It's His revelation to us. He's revealed how He thinks, how He feels, His character to us in the Bible. And so what happened? I mean, that seems pretty obvious that shouldn't those who claim to be Christians, those who follow God, shouldn't they follow this Word?

Well, you wonder, well, what happened to truth? What happened to truth? Well, in Paul's second letter to Timothy, just over a couple of pages, if you look at 2 Timothy 4, verse 1, it gives us some insight to what happened. What happened to the truth? What happened to adhering to the very words that God inspired? What happened to that? Well, here's Paul writing again to Timothy. And in chapter 4, verse 1 of 2 Timothy, he says, I charge you therefore. And yeah, that's just what that means. That's like a command. It's like a military command in the original Greek. This is what you must do, he says, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing in His kingdom. Yeah, that's pretty stark beginning there. This is your marching orders, in other words, as a minister of Jesus Christ, as followers, as disciples of Christ, are marching orders. Verse 2, preach the Word. Any word? Well, no, the Word, this Word. Preach this Word, he says, be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching. He says, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. And that's the kind of world we are surrounded by.

It cannot endure sound doctrine. That's biblical instruction. That's teaching of God. And we see the why behind it. What happened to the truth? Well, here it is. According to their own desires, they have itching ears, they heap up for themselves, teachers, and they'll turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. And so much of our world today is locked into fables, phony teachings, wrong instruction, wrong interpretations of the Word of God.

But to us, we're told, be watchful in all things. And so we are to adhere to sound doctrine. That's an interesting word, the description of the kind of doctor, the kind of biblical teaching we're to adhere to. That word literally means healthy teachings. Sound doctrine is healthy teachings, wholesome words. These are the words of God. And so when we begin to consider that, how did Christianity get off track? They didn't stay healthy. They didn't stay healthy. They didn't stick with the Word. They didn't adhere to the teachings of God, that wholesome, healthy word. And so when we think about godly biblical teaching, that's what this word for doctrine is all about. The collective teachings of God are in this book. And God has presented them to us as a body of instruction. And in fact, that word for doctrine right there, that's just another way of saying teaching. Teaching, godly, biblical teaching. And oftentimes, like if you read in a modern translation, it will actually substitute the word teaching in place of the word doctrine.

Now, it's not the teaching of men. It's God's instruction. It's His holy word. It's His inspired word to us. And so when we think about, well, where does wholesome teaching, where does biblical instruction, where does sound doctrine come from? Is that something the United Church of God made up? Not at all. It has to come from Scripture. We have to look to this book because it's not just, well, it's not just a book that the church upholds. No, it's not just that. When we find out what Scripture tells us and what Jesus Christ Himself says about Scripture, remember John 1717? It's a short little passage. It's where Christ prays to the Father, and He says, sanctify them by your truth. And then you know what He says next?

Yeah. Your word is truth. This is truth. God's word, His inspired teaching, biblical instruction, doctrine is truth, and it's supposed to sanctify us. What does that mean? Well, it makes us different. It offsets us from the world. Sanctify just means to be set apart.

We are set apart by the truth of God. We are sanctified. Yeah, we're different in our biblical understanding than others. Our practice is different because of our understanding of this very word. So Christ said, we are separated by the truth because we believe the truth. God has opened our minds to understand the truth, and yet it doesn't stop there. It doesn't stop there.

We're told as well by Christ Himself that it's not just a cafeteria-style kind of thing.

You know what it's like in a cafeteria, right? You go through the line and you say, nope, I don't want the broccoli. I think I'll have that dessert over there. You get to pick and choose what you want in a cafeteria, right?

That's not the way it is with the Word of God. This is His revelation to us. And it's not a cafeteria kind of thing. That's not the way God meant it. Christ Himself said, man should not live by bread alone. Okay, I shouldn't just take the dessert at the end of the line. No, it's not just that. But what did He say? By every word of God, every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Matthew 4.4 is that reminder. So you can't be pickers and choosers. That's not what it's about. And Paul told Timothy as well, just over a couple of pages from 2 Timothy 3.16, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Do we really believe that? Do we really understand that? Do we find why Scripture is so important? He says there it's profitable. It's profitable for doctrine is the first thing he mentions there in 2 Timothy 3.16. For teaching, because wholesome teaching, godly teaching, should frame our life. And that becomes so important. He says there, so that we'll be complete, we'll be thoroughly equipped, we'll be ready for anything. And especially for good works is that. Now, it's amazing to me, how do people not get that? Is that hard to understand? It's not really hard to understand. But I was reading through a survey that was done by the Ponce Foundation.

What percentage of American, and this is supposed to be Christians, believe that the Bible is fully inspired by God and written by men who are divinely inspired by the Lord? That was the way their phrasing was worded there. What percentage of American Christians believe that? Well, according to their survey, only 22%. And there's supposed to be Christians. There's supposed to be Christians. How valuable is godly instruction? How important is it? You see, for most, most who would claim to be believers, most would say, oh, godly teachings, they're not really what I believe. And yet, when we read the Word of God, godly teachings must form the basis of what we believe. They have to form the basis if we're to be true followers of Jesus Christ. There's an interesting passage over in Hebrews 6.

Hebrews 6, verse 1 begins with, I suppose we could say, the very first version of the fundamental beliefs of the United Church of God. They're found here in Hebrews 6, verse 1. Yes, we have a booklet that describes these beliefs and very thoroughly, according to Scripture. Here's probably version 1 of those beliefs. Hebrews 6, verse 1 talks about these basic foundational beliefs. And notice what it says. Beginning in verse 1, Hebrews 6, it says, therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ.

Elementary principles, you know what that means? Fundamental beliefs, that's what it is. The foundational doctrines, the foundational teachings of God, of Christ. Here they are. Yes, we want to go beyond just the basics to grow and become even more Christ-like. So he says, let us go on to perfection. And then he lists a couple of these foundational elementary beliefs. What are they? Well, he says, the foundation of repentance from dead works. Well, if you're going to be a Christian, you have to be baptized, which means you have to repent and change. You have to be forgiven. You have to have sin washed away and be immersed and then accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. Yeah, it starts there. It starts there. He talks about the doctrine of baptisms. We must be baptized and have hands laid on us and receive the Holy Spirit, the laying on of hands, a foundational principle, a foundational teaching of God. You can't even get started without that. No wonder he refers to it as an elementary principle, one of the very, very basics.

Then he also goes on and he says, yeah, there's that foundational principle of the resurrection of the dead. Then he goes on, and of eternal judgment. So those are just a few, a few of those things. Now, if we claim to be sanctified, which we do, sanctify them by your word. Your word is truth. We want to be set apart. We need to follow the truth of the word. Well, what's our perspective on these things? Well, when it comes to baptism, should we be immersed or not? Yeah. If we're going to be keeping the basics, we must.

Should we have hands laid on us after baptism to receive the Spirit? Well, there's no doubt about it. That should impact our practice, not only what we believe, but what we do. And it's amazing. You can read these words and people will still walk away with a whole different perspective. It talks about the resurrection of the dead. You may have been at funerals where these passages, a minister of Jesus Christ might read these things. And yet, another person that claims to be a Christian said, well, I know they're looking down on us from heaven. Isn't that comforting? Well, wait a second. That's not what it says. That's not what it says at all. So when you talk about the resurrection of the dead, for some, it goes right over there. Even after reading the words very clearly and very specifically, people miss it.

In fact, Christ was pretty specific. If you turn with me over to Matthew 22, 29, where do you get the idea of going to heaven at death? That is certainly not what biblical instruction teaches. That is not godly doctrine. That is not the facts. Matthew 22, 29, here's Christ specifically talking about this. And it's interesting. Even back then, so many were mistaken and had said to them very clearly, you are mistaken. Now, we're jumping into the middle of the story because, yeah, they had the wrong ideas. They didn't get it. He says, not knowing the Scripture nor the power of God. Now, why would that be important?

Thy word is truth. Thy word is truth. Not only does this govern what we think and what we believe, but it should also govern our practice, what we do, be doers of the word. And so here, back in that day, they didn't get it. They didn't understand the power of God. And specifically, He talks about the resurrection. But you don't marry, you're not given in marriage. You're like angels of God in heaven. And He says, concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And so you have to be made alive. You have to be resurrected. And it's very interesting then, after saying these things, verse 33, when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

And you know what that teaching word there is? His doctrine. King James says doctrine. His didache is the Greek word there. His instruction, His biblical instruction. And so we base our belief on passages like this, like Hebrews 6, like 1 Corinthians 15, like 1 Thessalonians 4. They're based on the instruction of God, His teaching. We might not believe in the resurrection if Christ hadn't taught these things here. If He hadn't said, no man has ascended to heaven, but He who came down from heaven, that is the Son of Man who's in heaven. That was specifically what He said, John 3.13. And yet, there are Christians out there that say, well, no, that's not what it really means. Really? That's the kind of world we live in, that there will be those that are very good people, we might say, that are genuine. They are sincere. God hasn't opened their mind yet. We recognize that. But we can't get caught up into that way of thinking. And that's the challenge because we're surrounded by it. We're surrounded by it. Now, there will come a day, God will open their minds. But it is amazing how people get off track and say, well, your opinion is as good as my opinion and all opinions are equal and everything. You know, at least you're a good person. Well, when it comes to the truth of God, that becomes a challenge for us. There was a recent study that was done by George Barna. He calls this particular study, an American worldview inventory. You can google it and look up some of the results. They are amazing. And in this particular study, he examines worldviews. And what's a worldview? Well, that's the way you see things. It's how you approach things, whether it's intellectually, emotionally, religiously, the spiritual, things that affect your decision-making when it comes to life. Now, he focuses on religious people in his surveys as well.

And what he found was really interesting. Surveying Americans in general, he found that two out of three consider themselves Christians. Now, you might not think that. Most Americans think they're Christians. Well, two out of three, he said, yes, would say, yes, I'm a Christian.

Many of those same people would claim to have a biblical worldview. Now, what's a biblical worldview? Well, it's recognizing this is the inspired Word of God. It is truth, and we should frame our life on His Word. That's what it means. And so, they would say, yes. So, what percentage out of that two or three would say, yes, I have a biblical worldview? It's a pretty big group.

51% would say, yes, I have a biblical worldview. But you know what George Barna wrote? His own words. Many Americans claim to have a biblical worldview, but very few do. He says, this 51% is a far cry from the percentage of those who actually do. Of that same group, 52% of them claim that moral truth is up to every individual.

What? Is that a biblical worldview? Well, whatever you want to do, whatever your morals are, that's up to you. Is that biblical truth? Is that godly teaching? Is that doctrinally correct? Even of those, only 46% believe marriage is to be between one man and one woman.

Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. Well, what does the word say? What does the word say? Barna went on to write, there's a big gap between what self-identified Christians believe and what the Bible may teach and what the Bible actually teaches.

Some people think the Bible says that, but they don't read it and don't really know.

And so, according to George Barna's research, of those who claim to be Christians, he says his surveys show only 6% of those who even claim to be Christian actually have a biblical worldview and demonstrate any understanding and application of biblical principles.

That's pretty phenomenal when you think about it. And it causes me to ask myself, well, where do I stand? Do I really strive to measure up by the standard of Jesus Christ?

Is that where I'm at? I mean, certainly the Proverbs remind us we trust in the Lord with all our heart. We shouldn't lean to our own understanding. And of course, what's the result?

You see, if that forms the basis for our belief, that proverb, Proverbs 3 verse 6, it says, in all your ways acknowledge Him. And what's the result? It says, He'll direct your path.

He'll direct your path. It's not like, oh, we're all out there on our own. No, He's going to be with us. So when we base our life on His Word and in everything that we do, not just being pickers and choosers like much of the world is, it should make the difference. It'll make all the difference because God promises to be with us.

So hopefully we begin to see very clearly that biblical teaching, true doctrine, must form the basis for what we believe. And yet, it shouldn't stop there. What we begin to see, it must also form the basis for living. It should be who we are and how we live. It should be our lifestyle. In fact, if you're still there in Matthew, if you turn over a couple of pages to Matthew 16 verse 6, Matthew 16 verse 6, here Christ once again is astounding the people with godly teaching, with that biblical instruction, with true doctrine.

It's really what it's about. And He really zeros in on this idea of the practicality of what we do, how we live. Here Jesus says in verse 6, take heed and beware of the leaven of the pharisees and sagacies. Of course, the disciples didn't understand that and said, oh boy, we didn't bring any bread. We're in trouble. The master is not happy with us. And He said, no, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about. Verse 11, He says, how is it you don't understand? I'm not talking about bread. But beware, He says, of the leaven of the pharisees and sagacies. And if you can imagine the scene, I can imagine the disciples just going, oh, I get it.

He's not talking about physical bread. He's not talking about eating. It says, verse 12, they understood, He didn't tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the pharisees and sagacies. And that's that same didachi.

That's their teachings. And in this sense, what was the application? I mean, they had the Old Testament, but it was how they applied it, how they applied that, and they added to the Word of God. So here Christ is telling them, yes, what they believed formed the basis for what they did, but it wasn't acceptable before God. Christ didn't appreciate what they did. So He said, what they're doing and how they apply the Scripture led to wrong understanding and wrong practice, and well, incomplete at best, and some specifically wrong actions.

And so that's such a reminder that Christ is giving us that the truth of God should impact what we think and then how we act, how we apply that word. And it has to be applied because believing in God, that's not just a belief. Well, I believe that I need to understand the Sabbath. Well, what's your practice? How does it apply in that regard? And over and over again, if we rely on the holy word of God, it does convict us.

There's this section in Romans 6. Romans 6, verse 17, this whole section of Romans is one that we'll often review and study as we come to baptism. And you can kind of see why that might be the case, especially as we recognize the emphasis here to God's church in Rome, to us. Notice what it says. Verse 17, picking it up in the middle of the thought, it says, God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, which was all of us, we were all locked into sin before God opened our mind to His truth.

And yet once our minds were open and we respond to His truth, notice what He says, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. Boy, we used to live by an entirely different standard, but now that we have the standard of Jesus Christ, we've been delivered.

God's brought us to that standard. It should cause us to change in our practice, change our life. He says here, obeying from the heart. Yeah, and He says, having been set free from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. So what we believe, the doctrine we hold, the biblical teachings, must affect our lifestyle because we find, there's no doubt, Jesus Christ and then the New Testament church taught a way of life.

The New Testament church even was called the way because that was their practice. It was defined by the doctrine of God. It was defined by the doctrine that they taught. And so the teachings we hold have to impact our pattern of living, the things that we do, our behavior, our behavior. And so then we have to ask ourselves, well, is any lifestyle acceptable?

Well, our world would certainly say that, right? Well, whatever you do, that's up to you. That's your thing. Well, they don't know. They don't understand. And I'm not criticizing them for that. But we can't allow that kind of thinking to impact us because every lifestyle is not acceptable, not acceptable. And you go back to what we read, what happened to the truth.

Paul told Timothy, 1 Timothy 4, where we began this afternoon. He said, in latter times, in those last days, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Yeah, those are teachings, those not godly teachings, not biblical instruction. Satanic teachings, satanic instruction. And we remember, it looks good. It sounds good. Satan can appear as an angel of light. And so our world has bought into it because it looks good. It sounds good. Well, everybody's equal. Everything, every faith is just as good as another. Yeah, people buy into that, but that is not what the Word of God says. That is not godly teaching. That is doctrine inspired demonically, truth of the Scripture. That's what we're told. And so when we recognize that, we find that it's not the doctrine of the United Church of God that we follow. It is the doctrine of God. It is biblical teaching. It is what we find in the Word. And if we're to be sanctified and set apart, we have to follow the truth. And that impacts then what we do in our lifestyle. In fact, if you look with me over to John 7, we see even that doctrine didn't originate with Jesus Christ. John 7 verse 14. Notice what Christ Himself says. Here He ends up going to the Feast of Tabernacles. And the people were amazed at Jesus Christ and how He preached and what He taught. And in verse 15, John 7, it says, How does this man know letters having never studied? Well, Christ answered, verse 16, My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me. So here we find Christ deferring to the Father. He says, If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine. How important is biblical teaching?

Well, Christ says, well, it's everything. You want to do His will?

Look at true biblical instruction. You want to be sanctified? Look to the truth of God. He says, They'll know whether it's from God or whether I speak of my own authority. He says, He who speaks from Himself, seeks His own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the one who sent Him is true. No unrighteousness is in Him. So if you're really determined to do the will of God, what should be our teacher then? It's got to be biblical instruction. It's got to be a biblical world, a true biblical worldview. It has to be following the Word of God. It has to be who we are. And so we see that instruction motivates our choice, how we live. If we truly claim to be Christians, then this Word has to be the framework for our life. And as we obey the doctrine, Christ pattern of life, we then can begin to recognize more and more of what God is all about. What is His plan? What is His purpose as God opens our mind to His truth? And so it really comes down to some pretty simple things. Biblical instruction when it comes to the Sabbath.

Does it determine our practice? It should. Biblical instruction about the festivals and the Holy Days. Should that impact our choice of whether we observe them or not? Doctrine about diet and God's food laws. Does that determine then what we eat? Well, it should. And it even talks about so many different things, how we relate to others, how we treat others, all of those things are impacted. So certainly doctrine has to form the basis for how we live our lives. But there's one other thing we should take a moment or two to think about as well.

Because when you focus on biblical teaching, the truth of God being sanctified by His truth, set apart from His truth, it's not just about what we believe, it's not just about our practice, but probably most importantly, it impacts our relationship with God.

Like we heard in our camp talks, it's about relationships. It's about our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. We look at this word, it's about whether we build idols and worship them. Yeah, our worship is defined by biblical teaching, how we honor God, whether we pray to saints that are long dead. Yeah, biblical teachings frame that, whether we get on the ground and shake all around. It's framed by godly instruction. We don't come up with these things on our own. And so Christ spoke very specifically about that. John 4, verse 23.

Here Christ with the woman at the well gave such a succinct summary of who we are and what we practice and what that practice should lead to when it comes to a close relationship with God. So in John 4, verse 23, I think in a way Christ looked forward to this time. Christ looked forward at the time of the age of the church. And he says here in John 4, 23, the hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Okay, what's truth? Thy word is truth. Your word is truth. So that frames our worship. That frames our relationship with God, worshiping God in spirit and in truth. It's a necessity because he says God is spirit and those who worship Him, well, just pick whatever way you want to and He'll be honored.

No, it doesn't say that. Well, this way is just as good as that way. No, no, it's a must. It's a must. It's not an option. It's not an option. It says those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. But wait a second, they've got some truth. Well, what they're doing over there, that's not wrong. Okay, what is that? I think that goes right back to the very beginning. What choice did Adam and Eve make? You know, they had the tree of life and the tree of everything that is blatantly evil. Wait, no, that's not right, is it? What was that other tree? The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was a whole mixture of things. And Satan is so cunning, he knows that if it was just blatantly evil, we could recognize... anybody should be able to recognize just raw evil when it's slapping you right in the face. He's more cunning than that. So mix in a little bit of good with error and it'll seem palatable. It'll seem acceptable. But that is not what biblical teaching shows us. It's pretty clear. You must worship in spirit and in truth. So who we worship, when we worship, why we worship, you know, whether we handle snakes during services, all of those things is defined by true doctrine. And whether we cut ourselves and gyrate all around, or whether we... it's all defined by the truth of God, the days that we worship.

Leviticus 23 certainly spells it out so clearly. It's why we keep the Sabbath and the holy days.

It starts out in such a beautiful way. You know it. You probably know it by heart. You know, the Lord speaks to Moses and what did he say? He said, speak to the children of Israel and say, what? The feasts of the Lord. These are my feasts. And so we come back to godly instruction, biblical instruction, true doctrine. It's not something we just made up. These are God's days. So can I pick and choose that, well, Monday is just as good of a day to worship God as these days that are mentioned there, the Sabbath, the holy day. Is that my prerogative? Or does the Almighty, creator of all things, have the option to choose when and where and how He is worshipped? He is supreme. And if He is supreme, He has to be supreme in our life and in our worship. And we want a relationship with Him. And when He says we worship in spirit and truth, that's our goal then. And so we follow those days. And that's how we can determine, is this something we do or is this just completely irrelevant? Well, teaching and doctrine certainly defines that. And so when we take that to heart, we recognize that really gets us down to the basis of having a right relationship with God. And true teaching defines that. There's a wonderful section over in 1 John chapter 1 verse 3. When you think about the apostles, certainly one of the apostles that had such a very close relationship with Jesus Christ was the Apostle John. And it's interesting what he recorded for us here because it certainly emphasizes that very point. Notice what he recorded for us. He says in verse 3, 1 John chapter 1, that which we've seen and heard we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us. Of course, that fellowship is that sharing, literally a partnership. We can be partners with the apostles. We are connected, but that's only the beginning. The real connection is what he tells us about. He says that you may have fellowship with us, yet, he says, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. That's the partnership that we've been called to. And so he says, we write these things to you, that your joy may be full. That your joy may be full. And so having that close relationship with God the Father, that's our calling so that we can develop this relationship. And so we do it from the instruction of His Word, from true Godly instruction by His teachings. In fact, if we look beyond just a little bit to chapter 2, notice verse 3. Notice verse 3, we find the instructions that are the basis of this relationship that we've been called to. It says, now by this we know Him. So you claim to know God, you claim to be a Christian, you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ. He says, we know Him if we keep His commandments. He who says, I know Him, but doesn't keep His commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in Him. Sanctify them by your truth. But on the other hand, verse 5, whoever keeps His Word, being a doer of the Word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says He abides in Him, ought Himself also to walk just as He walked.

And that's about that connection. That's about true fellowship. That's being partners with God and Jesus Christ because of the commonality of the truth of God and understanding true, godly, biblical instruction. Because it defines how we walk and how we should walk. And it points out the fact that those that walk contrary to this is something we can't have a part of. We can't have a part of that. And so when we recognize the importance of true, godly instruction, it certainly changes everything. How ultimately can I receive eternal life if I really don't understand what a relationship with God is all about, what His teachings are guiding me to do, and my application in my life? You know, if I believe God's a fish or a snake or a jackal or doesn't exist, it's all about the truth and being sanctified by that truth because doctrine certainly forms the basis of our relationship and our worship of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Now, I hope that may also bring some questions to mind. You know, have I really considered these things and thought about how they apply to me personally? Have I really thought about what are the true fundamental beliefs of God and do I really understand them? Can I verbalize them in my own words? Are they really showing an evidence in my life? Have I looked at them lately? Have I studied them lately? Or maybe I've just kind of taken them for granted. You know, when you see the importance of doctrine, we're told to hold fast the faithful word. Hold fast the faithful word. Well, I've got to know what it is. I've got to understand what it is. And I've got to have that application in my life as well. And the amazing thing is when we strive to do just that, how many times in scriptures are we encouraged in that? If we draw near to God, what's the promise? Well, good luck. You're on your own. No, God says He will. He promises to draw near to us. Proverbs says if you incline your ear to God to understand wisdom, what does He say?

He says, you're going to find it. God kind of gives that guarantee. I'm going to be with you. You'll understand the fear of the Lord. You'll get it. You respond to my calling. You put that the practice in your life and God promises to be there for us. He says, I'm there. I'm never going to leave you. You apply wisdom and understanding and it will make all the difference. And so God yearns for a closer relationship with us. And so we can draw nearer to Him as we study His word and we petition Him to continue to lead us in growing in grace and knowledge and understanding. And so biblical teaching, it does make all the difference. It does matter what our practice is.

Absolutely. It forms the basis for not only what we believe, but for what we practice, for how we worship, and how we can have a close relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

We know times are tough and it's going to be more and more unclear to this world what is truth and what is error. We don't want to fall into that cloud in any way. And so we want to make sure now, even though we know difficult times are ahead, now's the time to really strive to hold fast to true godly teachings and then put them into practice and be doers of the Word.