{"id":5297,"date":"2023-07-08T09:44:17","date_gmt":"2023-07-08T09:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ufsministries.com\/?p=5297"},"modified":"2024-07-08T04:41:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T04:41:33","slug":"the-perfection-of-worship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ufsministries.com\/the-perfection-of-worship\/","title":{"rendered":"The Perfection of Worship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201c\u2026a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.\u201d <\/em>Jn. 4.23-24<\/p>\n\n\n\n My dearest friend and father in the faith, Sergio Valori, used to emphasize the Biblical word perfection. <\/em> People would often think the word perfection<\/em> meant being flawless, pure or spotless; and thereby render it unattainable in this life. They would speculate that such perfection<\/em> is achieved only by grace, freely bestowed upon one being in Christ. While it is true that on the one hand the believer is legally, or judicially, found righteous in Christ<\/em> (Phil. 3.9), there is also a corresponding \u201cpractical\u201d fruit of righteousness<\/em> (Phil. 1.11) that must be considered\u2014which is not automatic or a gift, but comes with the pursuit of patience and faithfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, the Biblical word for perfection<\/em> actually means \u201cto become\u201d mature or complete; and in some newer Bible translations the word is actually rendered mature.<\/em> We now understand that perfection is really attainable because maturity is a particular stage of growth as one matures from a babe, to an adolescent to an adult, and even continuing on into adulthood. It is progressive, dynamic, involving and requiring positive changes. To mature physically is somewhat automatic; as trees grow to maturity so do our bodies. But proper maturity mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, is not automatic, much is required. I believe everyone realizes what it takes to mature thus, but not everyone is willing to put forth the effort. There is a whole range in maturity level between the sophisticated and the unpolished, the skilled and untrained, the scholarly and unlearned, the assured and insecure, the brave and coward, the spiritually minded and the fleshly minded, as well as extreme variations in morality of character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So it is with worship<\/strong>. To bring to maturity worship is a lifetime of spiritual growth and development\u2014from the most simplistic to the highest order of worship accompanying the angels of heaven; from the light-hearted to the most solemn; driven by thought and emotion or by faith; or from exquisite in style and technique to excellence in spiritual quality. There is nothing wrong with the simplistic worship of babes in Christ, unless one finds their camp in this level of devotion. Jesus said, \u201cLet the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.\u201d <\/em>Mt. 19.14<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, for a relationship to mature, little children must grow up. I once could only hold my baby daughter in my arms and try to soothe her, but as she grew to a child I attempted to play simple games with her and connect with her in a different way. My relationship with her then changed as she became a teenager as I attempt to instill to her moral principles and to broaden her understanding of life. Now, as a wife and mother of my three grandchildren there is yet and ever expanding relationship into areas never anticipated. My relationship with her matured over time. I would be saddened if she acted towards me today as a babe or child, for I now value and anticipate something much higher. I have found that over time there was a progression from me giving of myself 100%, to her giving of herself increasingly more and more over time. Now it seems like we try to out-give one another, not just materially but in caring for one another in many ways. However, if you can receive the spiritual implication, all that I have one day she will inherit\u2026for I am always the father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, do you see that worship, our most fundamental interaction with our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, involves a relationship and communion in the Spirit, that grows and matures over time, never remaining static; and the focus of that relationship shifts with maturity from self and what is for me to Him, and the desires of His heart for me, and the fulfilling of His purposes in my life\u2014Thy will be done.<\/em> Jesus revealed the Father\u2019s heart when He said to the Samaritan woman, \u201cthe true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for <\/em>the Father is seeking<\/em><\/strong> such as these to worship Him.\u201d <\/em>Jn. 4.23 Our upward pursuit therefore is to draw near to God,<\/em> in spirit <\/em>and truth,<\/em> and He<\/strong> will draw near to us.<\/em> <\/strong>Jam. 4.8<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no greater pattern for worship in the entire Bible than in the Old Covenant regarding the Law and the tabernacle and all the activities that surround it; such as the blood sacrifices, washings, various services involving the Lampstand, the Table of Showbread, the Incense Altar, and the utmost approach to the Ark of the Covenant located in the Most Holy Place, within the veil. With all its earthly significance, and especially to the Jew, it is not<\/strong> something to be duplicated or established as a mode of worship for today. Why? For two reasons\u2014it is but an earthly pattern<\/strong> for worship and not the end product itself, and the fullness of time<\/strong> has come for worship in a new dimension in spirit<\/em> and truth<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the <\/em>pattern<\/em><\/strong> I will show you.\u201d <\/em>Ex. 25.8-9<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact must be realized the Israelites were not a spiritual people. Yes, they acknowledged and worshiped the one and only true God, but everything that surrounds their lives, and their worship, was of the flesh. It was all outward, pertaining to the natural man: physical sacrifices of animals and grains; dress codes and the Law to live by; divine favor for long life, preservation from hunger and from their enemies; and an earthly kingdom. Yet in all of this there remained a promise, that of a coming Messiah. Something remained in their \u201creligion\u201d unfulfilled. Because this covenant with Israel was an earthly covenant the mode of worship could only be after a pattern<\/strong> of the real, spiritual tabernacle of heaven. This earthly tabernacle, and all its furnishing, services, and activities were copies of the true, but not spiritual reality itself. It involved the natural man who was being governed by his five senses, his sense of reasoning and understanding, and emotions. The inward man of the spirit was yet to come alive, waiting upon the Messiah, our Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact remains, the tabernacle and the Law was temporary, a pattern or model for true worship, awaiting only for the fullness of time. It would then cease and vanish away as a mode of worship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut when the <\/em>fullness of the time came<\/em><\/strong>, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, \u201cAbba! Father!\u201d Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.\u201d<\/em> Gal. 4.3-7<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the fact that the O.T. tabernacle was a pattern, or a copy for true worship, this second fact that all the religious practice that surrounded the first covenant, the Law, and all the religious activities that surrounded the tabernacle ended with the advent of the Messiah, Christ. In prophesy, God foretold of this, \u201cWhen He said, \u2018A new covenant,\u2019 He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.\u2019\u201d <\/em>Heb. 8.13 In short, all these religious practices of worship under the Old Covenant terminated with Christ, who was to bring to reality worship in spirit<\/em> and truth.<\/em> (Jn. 4.23-24) He did this by entering the true, spiritual tabernacle, with His own blood, sprinkling it on the Mercy Seat in heaven, atoning forever the sins of man, and opening the way for a higher spiritual fellowship. The following three scriptures are of utmost importance and are the foundation for understanding that \u201cthe way\u201d has been opened, the veil torn, for true worship in spirit and truth<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and <\/em>in the true tabernacle<\/em><\/strong>, which the Lord pitched, not man.\u201d <\/em>Heb. 8.1-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through <\/em>His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all<\/em><\/strong>, having obtained eternal redemption.\u201d <\/em>Heb. 9.11-12 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTherefore, brethren, since we have confidence to <\/em>enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil,<\/em><\/strong> that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.\u201d <\/em>Heb. 10.19-22<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, I beg you, re-read these passages of scripture letting your mind-set be challenged and changed, from the earthly to the heavenly, from the fleshly to the spiritual. With this understanding, let us proceed to the interpretation of the pattern of the tabernacle and worship in spirit and truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We will now begin to unveil the pattern of the tabernacle and how it foreshadows the way of true worship \u2013in spirit<\/em> and truth<\/em>. These writings will be altogether different than what most believers have experienced in their past; for just as the O.T. tabernacle of worship is of the natural and not spiritual, so much of today\u2019s worship in the church also involves much of the natural: the intellect, physical senses, reasonings, emotions, and outward demonstrations. We must now learn to walk and worship in Spirit. Much of this is new, and even as a baby must first learn to crawl, then to waddle in its first steps, then to walk upright, and finally learn to run, so must every believer learn grow in worship in the spirit. We must begin with proper understanding, Biblical evidence, faith, and pursuit to His highest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To begin, note in The Pattern of the Tabernacle illustration the four major positions one may find themselves in in relations to the tabernacle\u2019s holiest place of all, the presence of God over the Ark of the Covenant: the Camp, the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Camp area is where the Israelites lived and dwelt, worked and played. The twelve tribes of Israel camped on all four sides of the tabernacle. Though in view of the tabernacle, the camp was isolated from the tabernacle. Even though one may see this place of worship, the focus was more on self and survival and daily activities than on worship itself. I am reminded of the many sections of towns and cities that have developed around a particular church; the church being central to, but not dominant of life\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Intermixed in the Camp were places and activities for dwelling, business, school, play, military, and so on. Also, intermingled within the Camp were foreigners with their families serving and interacting with the Israelites. And, around all of this, were the nations of the world, some friendly, some hostile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worship in the Camp? Any \u201creligious\u201d activity in the Camp was outside the tabernacle, and therefore falls short of true worship. It would be understandable that prayers were said, the Torah read, and hymns were sung; none of which constituted the weightier worship associated with the sacrifices and rituals of the tabernacle. Such religious devotions in the Camp are akin to similar observances in the church today. These involve prayers of intercession and supplication, songs of testimony of the Gospel and salvation, readings of scripture, Bible studies and Sunday schools, church rituals, and various church services. These all may have a place in the church, but do not constitute worship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An example of some songs and prayers associated with the Camp are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n PETRA<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reciting the Lord\u2019s Prayer<\/p>\n\n\n\n Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have been washed in the blood of the Lamb\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before entering into a detailed discussion of worship as it relates to the pattern of the tabernacle, it is necessary to lay a few necessary foundational thoughts. The following four concepts are very critical:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Focusing on the Spoken Words. Oftentimes words are sung or spoken as praises rotely, or machine-like out of memory or by habit without reflecting on the words or phrases. Sometimes songs are sung so often that the mind tends to drift upon other thoughts. One must listen to, and entertain in the mind, the words spoken. I don\u2019t like to use the expression forced meditation <\/em>because of a possible misinterpretation, but I think it adequately enforces the point being made. One needs to listen to and meditate upon each and every word and phrase, and sentence voiced, whether spoken or sung. Lock in on exactly what you are you proclaiming. Let it become as one thought. \u201cFor out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,\u201d<\/em> Mt. 12.34 Are the words truly reflective of the heart or are we just voicing words and songs while our minds are actually entertaining other matters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examine the words spoken. Are they actually words of worship or are they words of testimony, or of petition, or simply confessing the promises of God? Or, are they speaking of the weightier matters of exalting God Himself and the Lamb who sits upon the throne, with hearts full of thanksgiving and adoration, with spirits broken and humble before Him?<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Pattern for Worship<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pattern<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Fullness of Time<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Interpretation of the Tabernacle Pattern<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The Camp<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Proceeding on to the Tabernacle: A Proper Mindset for Worship<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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