Before the Altar part 14

The only way to answer that is to ask myself what my relationship with God is. Am I relying on what men say, or am I reading and studying for myself, as the scriptures are useful so that I can be His workman, as Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17? God equips me with a free will so that I can make choices and ability to use this properly. He above all wants to be wants to be informed of my slightest need, my littlest concern. Daniel 9:17-26 is such a beautiful prayer by one of God's greatest servants, who would never abandon God because it was not fashionable. And yet there have been times when I would abandon God's worship for what I thought was God's worship, whne I would have added things into his worship to make it more attractive to others. That is not my purpose. If I attract people into worship, it is because of what God has to offer to others, not what my selling God offers others; I reap what I sow. Am I sowing something pleasing to Him? Or am I sowing something that pleases others and me? Which may or may not be in synch with what God wants. If we give ourselves over to that which would please each other there are several things that could happen. We could decide we don't like meeting on Sundays, because it interferes with our sports or more seriously because we can't get there because of the hours we work. (An argument for offering more than one service all day long on Sunday.) We could decide we don't need the Lord's Supper to commemorate Jesus' life on this earth and the price he paid for us. We could decide that public confession should be made to only the elders and deacons. We could decide that if we had things, icons, statues, it might help up pray better. I could decide that those standing in front of us singing have better voices than me and I can stop singing and listen. God says I am equal to everyone, so I shouldn't feel as though I can's sing in His presence without offending Him. He made and loves my voice. As for Sundays, I know how hard it is to go to church on Sundays because I work third shift and have since 1998. I have missed some services to b e sure, but I go when I can. My desire?To partake in the remembrance of Jesus and why He came to earth. And the benefit? A stronger relationship via the faith that God tells me I must have in order to please Him. I know that if i do as He tells me and listen to His word, worship on Sundays, and partake in the Lord's Supper and rejoice in song with Him, then I can without hesitation call myself His. If I live like that everyday, I can really do that.

Before the altar part 13

Same mountain (as Isaiah's), same God. What a wonderful concept? All together praising and singing only to Him, all together around His altar. The whole problem arises when there are groups or portions of groups that want to take what is God's house of prayer and use it to sell their concept of God. Believing that what they sell can help those who need it to concentrate on God actually means that people need an image to focus on, because God has none. When in reality, God's image is us. We were made in His image according to Genesis 1:27. So if there is anything to focus on, to see God, we need to look around us at our brethren. Which make me want to try to be more holy and humble if I am to reflect Him. If He calls me to creat a temple within me, then I need to clean my cup from the inside, rather than to show my cleanliness from the outside, I need to create His temple His way. (Exodus 26:7) and clean that which is unclean. (Joshua 22:19) I need to be holy, because within me is His tabernacle. (Psalm 15:1; Psalm 61:4; Psalm 76:2). And the whole purpose is not finding things to make me feel holy but to actually be holy. In Hebrews 8:2,5, the writer says, "A minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the LORD has pitched and not man, who serves unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for 'See' saith He,"that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.'" He wants me to do things His way, not in ways that make me feel as though I am really worshipping, but to really worship Him. If I truly desire to worship Him this way, then my worship is reverent and true. (Psalm 5:7; Psalm 11:4). How do I make my worship this way, what do I need to do to purify my heart for Him. I must seek to do His will. Can I spell it out in words or pages? Probably not, because then it becomes a checklist for someone weaker in faith than myself, or else I become a teacher of falseness because at that point people follow me. There is not one person other than God that can tell me or anyone else who has chosen to follow Him what He wants. Do I seek Him? Or do I seek an image of Him presented by man? Do I seek to influence those who look up to me as someone who has this holiness thing down? Or am I truly holy, going to worship in my heart and in His tabernacle that He has built within me? How do I know His Will?