May 2001

Volume 1, Issue 9

Obedience To God by Sandy Simpson

Inside this issue:

OBEDIENCE TO GOD
Uzzah's Disobedience

Imagine, if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended time away. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, "Look, I'm about to leave. While I `m away I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I'm away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip."

Everyone agrees. He leaves and stays away for a couple of years. During that time he writes often, communicating his desires and concerns. Finally, one day, he returns. He walks up to the front door of the company and immediately discovers everything is in a mess - weeds growing in the flower beds, windows broken on the front of the building, graffiti is one the outside walls, the girl at the front desk is asleep, loud music is playing in several offices, two or three people are in one room shouting and throwing things at each other. Instead of making a profit, the business

has suffered a great loss. Without hesitation he calls everyone together and with a frown asks, "What  happened? Didn't you get my letters?" You say, "Oh yes, sure. We got all your letters. We've even bound them together in a book. Some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have a "letter study" every Sunday. You know, those were

Acceptable Worship by A.W. Tozer

God wants us to worship Him. He doesn't need us, for He couldn't be a self-sufficient God and need anything or anybody, but He wants us. When Adam sinned it was not he who cried "God, where art Thou?" It was God who cried "Adam, where art thou?"

Paul, in writing to the Thessalonians, referred to the time when Christ shall come to be glorified in the saints and

adored by all them that believe He wants to be glorified. Those are a few proof texts in addition to the one I have read from the Psalms, but more convincing than any proof text is the full import and drift of the Scriptures. The whole substance of the Bible teaches that God wants us to worship Him.

Now, there are good, sound , theological and philosophical

reasons for this. But while God wants us to worship Him we cannot worship Him just any way we will. The One who made us to worship Him has decreed how we shall worship Him. He accepts only the worship which He Himself has decreed.

I want to speak of some kinds of worship that God has ruled out. There's no use trying to be nice about it. The kingdom of

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