"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."-John 4:24
Look in the yellow pages of a phone book in any large city, and you will see lots of churches and lots of Christian denominations. If you are a churchgoer you are bound to find what you are looking for in a place of worship. You might even find a denomination or two you never heard of. These names are not without significance. Within Christendom there exists a wide range of beliefs and worship styles.
Variety is good because not everybody worships the same way. Some worshipers like lots of rituals others do not. Some like fiery preaching others don't. Some churchgoers like traditional music, others like the more contemporary stuff.
Oftentimes we miss the big picture. We tend to judge others by their style of worship or by the name on the building. If we are not careful we can fall into the trap of making our religious affiliation the standard by which all other places of worship are judged. No one has a monopoly on God. Also, He is not that concerned about the nonessentials because He is a Spirit, and as such rituals or the lack thereof does not faze Him. Whether the preaching is fiery or much less dynamic means nothing to Him.
Regardless to where we worship we must be certain of two things: 1) that we are worshiping God from the very depths of our being as opposed to some outward pretense; and 2) we are worshiping Him in accordance with truth. This word denotes exactness or freedom from error. Truth is not found in the tenets of faith of men but in the pages of the Word of God. This is important because if we are not careful we can genuinely worship God wrongly.
Dear Lord, thank You for the variety of worship styles in our country. May I worship You and not a denomination. And help me stay anchored in truth. Amen.
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