Worship in Reverence
David A. Cox
“By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.” –– (Leviticus 10:3)
It is easy to come to worship without thinking deeply about why we gather. For many, attending services has become second nature—we come because it is what we have always done. For others, coming together is a deliberate choice made out of love and commitment to God. Still, there are times when some attend with little thought.
Yet Scripture reminds us that worship is never casual in the eyes of God. The Lord declares, “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy.” Worship is not primarily about routine, convenience, or tradition. It is about honoring God with reverence and a heart centered on Him.
Our attitude in worship begins with our view of God. If we truly understand His holiness, our approach will reflect respect, humility, and sincerity. Some in Corinth lost sight of this and turned worship into something careless and self-centered (1 Corinthians 11:17–21). Others, like the church at Ephesus, struggled with losing their zeal (Revelation 2:4). But the proper spirit of worship is seen in the psalmist’s words: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1).
Reverence grows when we remember that God is present. When Abraham encountered the Lord, he fell on his face (Genesis 17:3). Moses hid his face before God at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5–6). That awareness of God’s presence produces a sober mind, a humble spirit, and a heart prepared to honor Him. With this attitude, it should shape our practice. Worship is not limited to the assembly—it includes private prayer, personal praise, and daily devotion. But when the church gathers, we come together for a special purpose: to remember Christ, to pray, to sing, to study, and to encourage one another.
Because worship matters, we should examine our priorities. Hebrews 10:24–25 reminds us not to neglect assembling together. Too often, it becomes easy to find reasons not to come or to treat worship lightly. Instead, our lives should reflect that time with God and His people is a priority, not an afterthought.
Our example also influences others. Parents are shaping their children’s understanding of worship by their attitude and preparation. Children learn reverence when they see it practiced at home and in the assembly. Likewise, fellow Christians and visitors notice whether our worship reflects focus and respect or distraction and indifference.
Consider the difference. In one congregation, people arrive prepared, aware of God’s presence, and engaged with reverence. In another, worship is treated casually—lateness, distraction, and convenience shape the atmosphere. The difference is not the building or the program—it is the heart.
The consequences are significant. Reverent worship strengthens faith, teaches the next generation, and honors God. Casual worship weakens spiritual focus and diminishes our influence.
As we gather each week, let us remember why we come. We come to glorify a holy God. May our attitude be centered on Him, our hearts filled with reverence, and our worship offered with sincerity and joy.
From Market Street Messenger
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Bridle That Tongue!
Mike Johnson
Many are familiar with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 15:8-9, where He says we can make our religion vain by “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. However, there is another way we can make our religion vain, which people may not be as familiar with. James 1:26 says, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” Consider the consequences of people not being able to control their tongues.
In the original, the word translated “bridle,” when used figuratively, means “to restrain, govern or control” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary). The same word is in James 3:2, which says, “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” In this context, there is a discussion of the difficulty of controlling the tongue. The idea is that if people can do the more difficult task of managing the tongue, they ought to be able to control the whole body, which is the easier task.
The word translated “useless” (“vain” KJV) means, “…to no purpose, in vain. Vain, empty, fruitless, aimless. It is building houses on sand, chasing the wind, shooting at stars, pursuing one’s own shadow” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary).
The point is as follows. A person may think his religion is acceptable, but it is not if he cannot bridle (control) his tongue. As the verse says, it is useless, i.e., of no benefit and unacceptable to God. A person may excel in many areas. He may give fifteen percent of his income to the church, live a good moral life, attend every church service, help people in need, and even teach Bible classes. Yet, if such a person cannot control his tongue, his religion is useless. Controlling our tongues is difficult (James 3:1-12), but we must do so. We must bridle that tongue!
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The Angel of the Lord
Mike Johnson
The Bible often speaks of the appearance of an angel of God, but it also refers to the angel of the Lord. Rather than speaking for God, this angel appears to speak as God. Is this a case of a “theophany,” defined as “a visible divine manifestation of deity,” or is something else meant? Who is the angel of Jehovah?
There are several positions taken regarding the identification of this angel:
- He was part of a group of special angels who acted in certain instances in the Lord’s interest but not necessarily the same angel each time.
- This angel is simply an angel with a special commission.
- The angel of the Lord is the momentary descent of God into visibility.
- He is the pre-incarnation of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus.
Examining some of the appearances is the best approach to determining which position is correct.
In the Old Testament, we read where God made a threefold promise to Abraham regarding his descendants (Gen. 12:1-3). His descendants would be given a land, they would become a great nation, and, through them, all nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3, 7). Sarah, Abraham’s wife, grew impatient with God’s promise that she and Abraham would have a son from whom would come a great nation. This was due to their advanced age and the fact that she was barren (Gen. 11:30). Consequently, she suggested to her husband that he should have a child with her servant, Hagar, and he agreed (Gen. 16:1-2). Hagar conceived, and problems arose between the two women, forcing Hagar to flee into the wilderness. The Angel of the Lord found her and told her to return to her mistress, and said, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude” (Gen. 16:10b). The angel would multiply her descendants, which is the same promise God made to Abraham (Gen. 12:2; 15:5; 17:2). Then the angel told Hagar she would have a child because “the Lord heard your affliction” (16:11). The angel spoke as the Lord and for the Lord. After this, Hagar realized she was in divine presence, and we are told (16:13), “She called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, ‘Have I also here seen Him who sees me?’” She seems to be addressing as God, the angel who spoke to her.
Another event occurred in Genesis 21, involving Hagar again. God miraculously allowed Sarah to conceive and bear a child. Abraham held a feast to celebrate the child’s weaning. However, Hagar’s son, Ishmael, now a teenager, grew resentful and began to mistreat Sarah’s young son, Isaac (8-21). She was forced to leave and was in dire straits in the wilderness, expecting death. At this point, the angel of the Lord appeared to her,
And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, ‘What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.’ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. (Gen 21:17-19)
Again, the angel of God would make the descendants a great nation. However, God heard the lad’s voice and opened Hagar’s eyes to see the water. In both cases, the angel of the Lord spoke and acted like the Lord.
Consider an interesting insight from Novation, who wrote around 235 A.D:
The Angel met with Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid …. Now, was it the Father who was seen by Hagar, or not? The angel is declared to be God. But far be it from us to call God the Father an Angel (i.e., Messenger). Otherwise He would be subordinate to another whose angel He would be …. So we ought to understand it to have been God the Son. Since He is of God, He is rightly called God, for He is the Son of God. However, because He is subjected to the Father, and because He is the Announcer of the Father’s Will, He is declared to be the Angel of Great Counsel (qtd. in Bercot 20-21).
Later, to test Abraham’s faith, God told him to take his only son, Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering (Gen. 22). Abraham was willing to do so. He had faith regarding the promises made by God and knew God would raise Isaac from the dead (Heb. 11:19). As Abraham stretched out his hand with the knife, the angel of the Lord intervened,
And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ So he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me’ (Gen. 22:10-12).
The passage continues,
Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: ‘By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. (Gen. 22:15-18)
Again, the angel speaks as God and identifies Himself as the Lord. Interestingly, in these two places, the text says the angel of the Lord did not appear to him but spoke from heaven, which is also the case with Hagar in Genesis 21:17, as it says, “the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven.” There are other possible appearances of “the angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament.
Who is the “angel of the Lord?” This angel spoke as God, and the designation is sometimes used interchangeably with God. But how can the angel (messenger) of God be God? The angel of the Lord is the “Lord’s angel.” Yet the Old Testament frequently identifies this angel as God. Consider the following quote from Quertermous:
In the first place, we must re-emphasize that only a proper understanding of the Trinity can reconcile the fact that the Angel of God is both equated with God and also differentiated from Him. It is clear that we are discussing at least one of the Sacred Three. But which one? Could it be the case that different members of the Godhead assumed the identity of the Angel of the Lord on different occasions? We believe that the evidence points to Christ. (215)
The conclusion above is most likely correct. Interestingly, there are no clear references to this angel after Christ came to the earth during the events of the New Testament.
Works Cited and Consulted
Bercot, David W. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, Hendrickson, Peabody, MA, 2012.
Quertermous, Travis L. The Hosts of Heaven: A Biblical Study of Angels. Hester Publications, 2002.
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“I Don’t Love Her Anymore”
Greg Gwin
A forty year old man, suffering through the classic “mid-life crisis,” sat down to talk to a preacher about his problems. He explained how his marriage of 20 years was no longer satisfying or fulfilling. Finally, he reached the ‘bottom line.’ “I just don’t love her anymore”, he said. “What can I do?”
After a brief moment of reflection, the preacher said decisively, “As I see it, you have only one option.” The man perked up with anticipation. Was the preacher going to suggest divorce? Would he be free to pursue the thrilling life-style of the younger generation that he had come to admire? Would this be his chance to regain his fleeting youth? What was the preacher’s advice? . . . “Seems to me that the only thing left for you to do is REPENT and start loving her again.”
So often we hear of married couples who complain that they have “fallen out of love.” That’s sad – but it happens. The real issue is: What do you do when you realize that such a situation exists? The Bible still says the same thing that it has always said. Husbands are to “love your wives” (Eph. 5:25), and wives are to “love their husbands” (Titus 2:4).
Please note that these are not just suggestions – they are commands. To fail to love your mate is to commit sin! And sin always requires repentance if there is to be forgiveness. Be careful. Do not confuse this commanded love with the gooey, silly infatuation of a teenager. It is far more than that. It is a sacrificial love that seeks the interest of the one loved more than self. It is the kind of love that Jesus has shown to us (Eph. 5:25).
The Beacon
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Could It Be . . .
Could It Be?
….that people reject the Bible – not because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them?
….that some brethren do not attend various worship periods and Bible study classes because Christ is not really their “first love?”
….that Satan has lulled us into thinking that we are really standing, when indeed we are ready to fall?
….we utterly abhor the violence going on in the world, yet do not think twice about what our families entertain themselves with on television and at the movies?
….that some brethren honestly see no connection between commitment, attendance, and involvement?
Author Unknown
Walking in the Light
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Sermon Audio
(03-20)
Donnie Rader
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Editor: Mike Johnson
www.seekingthingsabove.org