THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN UNITY

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Viruses 10-12​

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Ignorance of New Covenant Worship Updates I, II & III

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Scroll down for Virus 11 and Virus 12.

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Virus 10: Ignorance of New Covenant Worship Updates I

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 “Ignorance”: ‘not knowing how King Jesus wants us to worship now’.

 

Introduction

This virus makes believers worship like Old Testament people while living in the New Testament time. They think worship is around a physical building, sacrifice, day, place, quantity. But Jesus mediates a new constitution, “a better covenant” (Heb. 8:6).

 

In the New Covenant, we do not worship by sight (physical building, drums, robes). We worship by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). That means worshipping in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). God is Spirit (John 4:24), and He only accepts spirit worship. Anything not in spirit and truth is just noise, drawing near Him with the lips whilst the heart is far from Him (Matt. 15:8-9).

 

Objectives

By the end of this virus, every lamb will:

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(1) Know that New Covenant worship is in spirit and truth - not sight, not location (John 4:23-24).

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(2) See worship as a 24/7 lifestyle. Not a Sunday event, but every thought, word and deed.

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(3) Understand the five marks of true worship: exchange, lifestyle, reward, dominion, glory.

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(4) Reject Old Covenant limits. There is no restriction on place, time, day, quantity (Heb. 9:9-10).

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Presentation

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1. New Covenant Worship Is By Faith, Not By Sight

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2 Cor. 5:7: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

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John 4:23-24 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

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The Spirit gives life (John 6:63). “The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.”

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“Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).

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Jesus came to bear witness to the truth. Only those who are of the truth can hear His voice:

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John 18:37 Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

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2. Why We Must Test Spirits In Worship

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1 John 4:1 (NIV) Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

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Worship is “spirit to Spirit”. If the spirit behind it is not God’s Spirit, it is idolatry. Test: Does it obey the words of Christ?

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Matt. 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

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3. Five Marks of True Worship

(1) Exchange of offerings. We give service, He gives blessing. We sing, pray, preach, “present our bodies a living sacrifice” (Rom .12:1). He gives mercy: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hos. 6:6, Matt. 12:7)

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(2) Lifestyle that fulfils Scripture. Worship is not two hours on Sunday. It is a way of life. Grace teaches us to “say No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives (Titus 2:11-12).

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(3) Activity that attracts reward. God rewards every thought, word and deed done in Christ’s name. “You serve the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:24)

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(4) Maintains dominion over creatures (Gen. 1:26-28). God gave man dominion. Jesus won it back (Col. 2:15). Worship gives us power to rule, not to be ruled by sin or devils.

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(5) Glorifies God’s Spirit. True worship glorifies God’s Spirit. False worship glorifies demons (1 Cor. 10:20).

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4. The Worshipper Under the New Covenant

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Rom. 12:3-8 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

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1 Pet. 4:11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies.

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We all have different gifts, but every worshipper is:

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• a priest (1 Pet. 2:9);

• a worker (Eph. 2:10) and co-worker (2 Cor. 6:1, 1 Cor. 3:9);

• a child of God, “receiving the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out ‘Abba, Father’” (Rom. 12:13);

• an heir of God and “joint heir with Christ” (Rom. 12:17).

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The term “oracles of God” references the words of God. Our teacher is Christ and if any man teaches, preaches or shares spiritual truth, they should anchor their message strictly in alignment with His teachings: “for One is your Teacher, the Christ” (Matt. 23:8).

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“Teaching for doctrine the commandments of men” fails in this regard (Matt. 15:9).                         

If worship does not come from Christ’s Word, Scripture is fulfilled negatively, resulting in no grace, no dominion.

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5. Worship Under Grace Has No Limits, Unlike The Old Covenant

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Matt. 12:6-7 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’, you would not have condemned the guiltless.

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Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices were at the temple, exactly as stipulated.

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Under the New Covenant, there is no restriction on season, place, day or quantity. You do not wait to have ten cars before giving one to the needy. You worship everywhere: bus, train, house, farm, airplane. God is Spirit, everywhere.

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6. Corporate Worship Depends On Private Worship

We exchange singing, praying, teaching, giving substance and our body first. God exchanged heaven and Jesus for us (John 3:16). If God rewards it, that proves it worshipped Him.

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Evaluation Questions & Answers (Virus 10 - Ignorance I)

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1. How does New Covenant worship differ from Old Covenant worship?

   • New is by faith, in spirit and truth, anywhere (John 4:23-24). Old is by sight, at the temple, on set days, with animals (Heb. 9:1, 9).

2. What are the five marks of true worship?

   • Exchange of offerings.

   • Lifestyle fulfilling Scripture.

   • Attracts God’s reward.

   • Maintains dominion (Gen. 1:26).

   • Glorifies God’s Spirit.

3. Who is the Oracle / Instructor for acceptable worship?

   • Jesus Christ, Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 8:6). We must speak as His oracles (1 Pet. 4:11), not the commandments of men (Matt. 15:9). 

4. Can I worship God without a church building?

   • Yes. God is Spirit (John 4:24). Worship is having our heart and thoughts committed to Christ before we think, talk, do anything. Place does not limit Him.

5. What did Jesus say God wants more than sacrifice?

   • Mercy (Matt. 12:7): “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” Old sacrifices fed the needy after burnt entrails. New worship shows mercy.

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Prayer

Father, You are Spirit, so teach us to worship You in spirit and truth. Deliver us from sight-worship and ritual without heart.

 

Make us priests, workers, and co-workers with You. Let every thought, word, and deed be worship that attracts Your reward. Restore our dominion, so that we rule over sin and spirits through Christ.

 

We offer our bodies, our substance, our lives as living sacrifice. Receive our worship, O God, through Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Virus 11: Ignorance of New Covenant Worship Updates II

 

“Ignorance”: ‘not knowing how worship changed under Christ’.

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Introduction
This virus makes believers run the Old Covenant system under New Covenant grace. Moses’s regime focused on “keep the law”. The law exposes sin but does not solve our sin problem: “if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law” (Gal. 3:21).

 

No flesh will be justified by the deeds of the law, but rather, “by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20).

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Christ’s regime focuses on “solving humanity’s sin problem” by grace. Under Christ, humanity’s problems are all solvable through grace.

 

The temple Solomon built was a picture (2 Chr. 6:9). But now the temple is us: “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19).

 

If we do not comprehend this update, we will idolize physical buildings (Acts 17:24) and worship in error, not in truth.

 

Worship under Christ is not law-keeping. It is problem-solving through spirit and truth.

Objectives
By the end of this virus, every Bible student will:

 

(1) See the difference between Moses and Christ: Moses focuses on law to keep, Christ focuses on grace to solve problems (Rom. 5).

 

(2) Know where God dwells now. Not in physical buildings, but in believers’ bodies (1 Cor. 6:19).

 

(3) Practise two daily worships: sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15) and prayer (1 Tim. 2:1).

 

(4) Reject idol thinking. Any “god” localized in a physical building is an idol. God does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24-25).

 

Presentation

 

1. Old Regime vs New Regime: Law vs Grace
Under Moses, the emphasis was on “keep the law”. This gave us a knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20) but was not able to impart life (Gal. 3:21). Law finds sinners to punish. Law enables sin to be imputed (Rom 5:13).

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Under Christ, the emphasis is on “love one another” and “solve humanity’s problems by grace”. Grace does not check if your tithe is exactly “one out of ten cars.” Grace gives relief.

 

Law looks for defaulters. Grace looks for the blind to heal, and teaches us not to be “puffed up on behalf of one against the other” (1 Cor. 4:6-7). “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

 

Early Christians quoted Moses, the prophets and the Psalms to prove that Jesus is the Messiah (Luke 24:44; Acts 2:32-36). Our job today is to show that disobeying Jesus kills us, and separates us from God (Heb. 2:2-3).

 

The things that happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness “happened to them as examples and were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11).

 

The goal is to rescue, not to condemn.

 

2. Where is God’s Temple Now?
Solomon’s temple (2 Chr. 6:9) was a blueprint. It was not built to house God, albeit the Lord consecrated it and put His Name there (1 Ki. 8:20, 1 Ki. 9:3). It was used for sacrifices to Him.

 

Under grace, God’s dwelling place is our bodies (1 Cor. 6:19-20). God’s altar is our hearts: “present your bodies a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1-2).

 

We are “living stones … built up a spiritual house… to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). Jesus Christ is “…the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building …grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:20-22).

 

John 2:19-21 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

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If we think the meeting hall is “God’s house”, we will worship idols there. Why? Acts 17:24-25 says: “The God who made the world... does not live in temples built by human hands”. Any god localized is also idolized: “the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils” (1 Cor. 10:19-20 (NIV)).

 

3. Two Worship Updates Every Lamb Must Practise Daily
(1) Sacrifice of praise: singing from the heart. “Through Jesus... let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” (Heb. 13:15 (NIV))

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“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly... singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Col 3:15-16 (NIV))

 

God commands singing. Obedience is worship. It attracts reward. If you cannot sing well, support those anointed to sing well. Both please God.

 

(2) Prayer / intercession: talking back to God.
God’s charge: “petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings for all people” (1 Tim. 2:1-7 (NIV)).
 

John 9:31: “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does His will, He hears him.”
 

When God talks to us from heaven, we must talk back in prayer. That is worship. And He hears us when we obey Him.

 

4. Summary
Moses gave the law to expose sin (Rom. 3:20), the deserved retribution (“an eye for an eye”), and the terrible cost of atoning for sin (the blood of thousands of slaughtered animals, a “shadow” of Christ’s sacrifice). Christ gives grace to forgive sin: “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20).

 

The physical temple was the picture (shadow), not the dwelling. Believers, individually and collectively, are the temple (1 Cor. 6:19).
Worship is praise from the lips (Heb. 13:15) and prayers from the heart (1 Tim. 2:1), not just Sunday attendance.

 

No physical building can hold God (Acts 17:24). But your body can, if clean.

 

Evaluation Questions & Answers​ (Virus 11 - Ignorance II)

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1. What was the emphasis under Moses vs under Christ?

   • Moses’s regime focused on “keep the law”, which shows us what sin is (Rom. 3:20) and what we deserve in recompense, but it does not solve our sin problem: “if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law” (Gal. 3:21).

   • Christ’s regime of grace solves humanity’s sin problem (Rom. 5:20).

2. Where does God dwell under the New Covenant?

   • In our bodies, not in physical buildings: “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19). The “temple of his body” (John 2:21).

3. Why is calling a physical building “God’s house” dangerous?

   • “God dwelleth not in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:24)

   • Localizing God is idolatry (1 Cor. 10:19-20).

4. What are two daily worship updates under Christ?

   • Sacrifice of praise, singing from the heart (Heb. 13:15).

   • Prayer and intercession (1 Tim. 2:1). Both attract reward from God.

5. What was Solomon’s temple for, and what is our body for now?

   • Solomon’s temple (2 Chr. 6:9) was for sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord put His Name there. Our body is the dwelling place of God (1 Cor. 6:19), an altar for living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1).
      

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​​​​Prayer

Father, thank You for the update of grace through King Jesus. Deliver us from law-worship that kills. Teach us grace-worship that heals.

Save us from idolizing physical buildings. Let our bodies be Your temple and our hearts be Your altar. We offer You sacrifice of praise continually, and prayers for all men.

Make us worship in spirit and truth. Let Christ’s peace rule our hearts as we solve problems by grace. Amen.

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Virus 12: Ignorance of New Covenant Worship Updates III

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“Ignorance”: ‘not knowing how to pray, teach, and preach under Christ’s update’.

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Introduction

This virus makes believers pray wrong, teach wrong, and preach wrong. They think that prayer is only “give me, give me”. They think that any mouth can teach the Bible. But King Jesus gave updates.

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God hears us when we talk back to Him in prayer (Jonah 2:1-10). He also commands those with the gift of teaching to teach and preach (Rom. 12:3-8). But prayer has five answers, teaching needs learners, and preaching wins unbelievers. If we ignore these updates, we will miss rewards and mislead lambs.

 

Jam. 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

  

Objectives

By the end of this virus, every Bible learner will:

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(1) Know the five ways in which God answers prayer: Yes, More, Exchange, Wait and No (2 Ki. 3:9-13; Deut. 3:23-27).

 

(2) See prayer as worship. Intercession, giving thanks, praising more than asking (1 Tim. 2:1).

 

(3) Know the difference between preaching and teaching. Preaching is spreading the Gospel to all. Teaching is in-depth exposition for learners (Luke 10:26).

 

(4) Understand who should teach. Not illiterates or novices. Teachers need planning, curriculum, Spirit (2 Tim. 1:7).

 

(5) Know the difference between men “merchandising the Word” and the legitimate teacher, worthy of his keep. 

 

Presentation

 

1. Prayer Update: God Hears And Answers Prayers in One of Five Ways

God hears and answers believers when we talk back to Him. So do not be silent. Pray, intercede, thank, praise more than you ask. By so doing, you miss nothing: “prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings” (1 Tim. 2:1).

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How God answers:

 

(1) Yes, like Jonah. Jonah prayed from the fish’s belly and he was vomited onto dry land (Jonah 2:1-10). God heard and saved him.

 

(2) More than asked, like Solomon. Solomon asked for wisdom, God added riches and honour (2 Ki. 3:9-13).

 

(3) Exchange, for our good, like Moses (Deut. 3:23-27). Moses asked “let me enter Canaan physically”. God said no, but told Moses to go and see the whole land with his eyes. This was a better exchange. Instead of “temporary Canaan now”, he is promised “eternal Canaan with honour”.

 

(4) Wait. “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” (Luke 18:1-8)

 

“In the fullness of time… God sent forth His Son.” (Gal. 4:4-5)

 

(5) No, for our good. Sometimes Jam. 4:3 applies: “you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures”.  Sometimes the timing is wrong, sometimes answering our prayer will not glorify God or add value to us. So God says “No” in love.

 

2. Teaching and Preaching Update: Both Are Worship, But Different

“Whatever you do... do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Col. 3:17)

 

Teaching and preaching are forms of worship. Obedience brings reward. “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine... Take heed to yourself, and to the doctrine.” (1 Tim. 4:13,16)

 

Preaching vs Teaching

 

Preaching

 

Rom. 10:13-15 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

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How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

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And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

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Isa. 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

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Preaching is spreading the glad tidings of the Gospel, publishing the name of the Lord, so that all have a chance to hear the Gospel, call on the Lord and be saved.

 

Preachers are evangelists, to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth and to win unbelievers to the fold.

 

Luke 10:1-2 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.”

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Teaching

 

Luke 10:26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

Teaching is revelation, nuanced interpretation and exposition.

 

“Search the scriptures... they testify of me.” (John 5:39)

 

Jesus did not expect many to be teachers. A teacher needs learners. Teaching needs planning: curriculum → syllabus → lesson notes → behavioural objectives.

 

A teacher can preach, but a preacher without a teacher cannot meet believers’ needs.

 

James warns:

 

Jam. 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

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He did not say “let not many become preachers”.

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3. “Merchandising the Word” vs “The Ox Treading Out the Corn”

 

2 Cor. 2:17 (NIV) Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

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Men who merchandise God’s Word (2 Cor. 2:17) cannot also willingly obey Acts 1:8 (“ye shall be witnesses unto me”), because their master is profit, not Christ.

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“Ye shall be witnesses” requires surrender. A witness obeys Christ first, even when the message costs him money or members. A merchant obeys profit first, asking “What will I gain? Will this message sell?” To please men and “sell well”, sound doctrine is at risk of being edited. You cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24).

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Note that “merchandising the Word” is different from “the ox treading corn whose mouth should not be muzzled” (1 Cor. 9:9). God commands His labourers be supported. But He condemns those who adulterate His Word for gain.

 

4. The Spirit Behind Worship

Teaching and preaching is not about what Satan can do. It is about what God in Christ can do through the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 1:7). “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  Separate the “Gospel of faith” from the “gospel of fear”. What Satan does only unveils fear. What Christ does unveils power.

 

5. Summary

Pray: talk back to God. Expect one of five answers: “Yes”, “More”, “Exchange”, “Wait”, or “No”.

 

Teach and preach: both worship (Col. 3:17), but teaching needs learners, Spirit and planning. Not every preacher is a teacher.

 

Preach Christ’s power, not Satan’s fear.

 

2 Tim. 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

 

Finally, let us all beware of teachers who “peddle the Word of God”, of which there are “many”, as 2 Cor. 2:17 warns.

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​Evaluation Questions & Answers​ (Virus 12 - Ignorance III)

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1. What are the five ways God answers prayer?

   • Yes, as with Jonah (Jonah 2:1-10).

   • More than asked for, as with Solomon (2 Ki. 3:9-13).

   • Exchange, as with Moses (Deut. 3:23-27).

   • Wait (Luke 18:1-8).

   • No. For timing or goodwill (Gal. 4:4-5; Jam. 4:3).

2. What is the difference between preaching and teaching?

   • Preaching is evangelizing: spreading the good news of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Teaching is revelation, in-depth, for learners.

3. Who should not rush to become a teacher?

   • Most of us. Not many people should be teachers (Jam. 3:1): “Let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive stricter judgment.”

   • Teachers face stricter judgment because they handle God’s Word.

4. Is teaching / preaching worship?

   • Yes. “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Col. 3:17) Teaching / preaching His Word is sacrifice that attracts reward.

5. What spirit did God give us for ministry?

   • A spirit of power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7).

   • We preach Christ’s power, not Satan’s fear.

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​​​​Prayer

Father, teach us to pray like children who talk back to You. Give us wisdom to accept Yes, More, Exchange, Wait or No from Your hand.

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Make us faithful preachers to win souls, and careful teachers to build saints.

Deliver us from fear. Let the Holy Spirit teach through us, not Satan’s fear. May every word we speak glorify You, and every lesson bring lambs to maturity. In Jesus’s name, the Chief Teacher and Answerer of prayer, Amen.