by Jimmy Jividen

Do religious rituals seem cold? Do sacred ceremonies seem meaningless? Is worship impersonal, merely an exercise in demanded duty? Do worship periods make you feel as if you are an audience watching a professional performance?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, then read on.

The Bible teaches that worship is a spiritual fellowship with God. It is not emotional excitement, magic rituals, or holy words, but submission of our own will to the will of God.

This submission involves the inner man — his mind to reason, his heart to feel, and his spirit to will. If you do not understand the words of worship, if what you say and do in worship is not from your heart, and if your will is only passively involved, then worship cannot take place. The Bible teaches that worship must be "with the spirit" and "with the mind" (1 Cor. 14:15). Worship must be more than watching a performance.

This submission involves following the will of God revealed in the Bible. There can be no substitutions of human innovations or neglect of what God has revealed. Good intentions do not count. If they did, every man could make his own idol and worship his own way. The true God is worshipped "in truth" (Jn. 4:24).

Worship is a deep spiritual expression of a grateful heart.

Worship is a rational understanding of what is thought, said, and done in the worship experience.

Worship is a humble submission to God, approaching Him as He has directed in His Word.

The Bible teaches that true worship comes from the heart and involves both the spirit and the understanding of the worshipper. More is involved than going through traditional rituals and the stimulation of emotional response.

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 9, p. 56.

by Jimmy Jividen

It is cowardly not to stand up for your convictions. If you believe a thing is right and true, by all means, say so! The silent majority cannot change things unless they have the courage to stand up and be counted.

John speaks of a group of Jewish leaders who practiced silent compromise:

"Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue" (John 12:42).

Those Jewish leaders believed in Jesus but they compromised their faith by saying nothing. They did not want the disapproval of the Pharisees or to be cast out of the synagogue, so they kept silent. They were afraid.

All it takes for error to prevail is for those who know the truth to say nothing.

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 8, p. 33.

by Jimmy Jividen

Some who claim to follow Christ are questioning that the Scriptures are an absolute, objective standard for faith and practice. They seek, under the guise of intellectual freedom, cultural conformity, and political expediency, to intimidate those who regard the Scriptures as a religious standard.

These questioners often use the correct religious terms, but they define the terms to fit what they want to believe. It is hypocritical to hide one’s own doubts under the cover of language. Truth does not fear the light.

When these doubters say they believe the Scriptures are inspired, they may mean something different from what a Bible believer regards as inspiration.

They may believe the Bible is inspired in the sense a poet is inspired to write a poem. It is true, as they say, that the Scriptures contain great spiritual literary compositions; but, so also do the Gita and the Koran.

These doubters may believe that the Scriptures are inspired for the time in which they were written, but are not relevant today. The Scriptures, they believe, are so shackled by cultural traditions that they are not applicable today.

These doubters may believe the Scriptures are inspired only if one perceives them to be so. They would suggest that a passage might be inspired to you, but not to another, and that inspiration is in the reader rather than in the text.

Unbelief comes in different forms. The above points are all popular forms of unbelief that can be found in most churches today. The fundamental religious issues confronting our times are not over doctrine, politics, and practice, but whether or not the Scriptures are the guide for faith and practice. We are in a battle for the Bible.

To call into question the inspiration of the Scriptures is to also call in question the Divinity of Christ, since only through Scripture can one know about Jesus Christ.

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 12, p. 35.

by Jimmy Jividen

One of the greatest tools of the devil is intimidation. If he can cause people to be afraid of social rejection or physical persecution, he is satisfied. A man who will not stand up for what he believes will soon stop believing at all. A man's faith does not fail all at once, it is lost one compromise at a time. One little compromise will lead to another, until there is nothing left to compromise.

In many social circles it is discomforting to speak of one's faith in God, of love for Jesus, or of faith in the Scriptures. It does not seem like the time or the place to discuss spiritual things. Social intimidation causes one to remain quiet when others profane God's name or sneer at His teachings. It is hypocritical to confess faith before an approving audience and then keep silent when others would be disapproving.

One of the most cowardly groups recorded in Scriptures were faint-hearted Jewish rulers. John says about them, "Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God" (Jn. 12:42,43).

These rulers had faith, but they wanted to keep it a secret. A secret faith cannot last. The secrecy will destroy the faith, or faith will overcome the secrecy.

Peter was bold to confess his faith when summoned before the Council. Forbidden by the rulers to speak anymore in the name of Jesus, he said, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19,20).

Those who believe in someone or something strongly enough will welcome the opportunity to speak up. If you are a Christian, stand up for Jesus and His teachings.

by Jimmy Jividen

I cannot prove with empirical evidence that God created the heavens and earth. I can however, by logic, show that such is a reasonable explanation for its existence. I believe that He did because the Bible tells me so. I stake my earthly life and my eternal soul upon this faith. I accept by faith that the Bible is the Word of God and is true — 100% true. I take God at His word.

There are a lot of things I do not understand in the Bible. I do not know why water is wet or birds fly. It is just the way God created things. I might suggest some possible explanations, but I cannot know for sure.

"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways' declares the Lord" (Isa. 55:8).

There are some things which God wants me to do and I do not know the reason why. I can suggest some possible reasons, but I cannot know for sure. My reason for doing them is not a rational understanding, but a committed faith. I take God at His word.

That’s what faith is all about.