In Revelation chapter 4 and 5, John, the aged apostle of our Lord describes his unique opportunity to see into heaven, the throne room of God. The scene he describes is a picture of heavenly creatures who are gathered around the throne to worship the One seated upon the throne. Our conclusion is that the One on the throne would have to be God, our heavenly Father. In chapter five the scene changes as we are introduced to a Lamb. We immediately recognize Him as "the lamb of God," as John the Baptist described Him (John 1:29). That Lamb is none other than Jesus, the Christ, God's Son. Everyone around the throne was worshiping, and that's what we will be doing when we get there.

The worship of God has been an issue for centuries, as far back as the Creation. Cain and Abel were the first recorded individuals who struggled with acceptable worship. God accepted Abel's animal sacrifice, while he rejected Cain's grain offering (Gen 4:3-5). They struggled with offering acceptable sacrifices of worship, and we continue to struggle with it today. What's right and what's wrong? Let's consider some questions and seek an answer from God's word.

(1) What association can we have with religious groups who do not follow principles set forth in the New Testament for worship and salvation? (2) Can we participate in their worship? (3) Does Scripture teach that such association and participation could cost us our soul? (4) Could my example be a stumbling block for others?

Whatever we do and whatever we say we need to "speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent." And we need to speak the TRUTH in LOVE as Paul spoke of in Ephesians 4:15.

1. Paul taught that participation in sacrifices offered to idols is the same as offering sacrifices to demons. Warning the Corinthian church, he wrote, "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he? (1 Corinthians 10:14-22).[1] What was it like to live in ancient Corinth? Let's imagine that we live in the first century and that we have a business associate who invites us to a special celebration. But there is a problem with participating in the celebration. He worships idols, while I worship the true and living God, and I believe in Jesus. I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. My friend persistently invites me to join him for a special celebration, which is in reality a worship service. Occasions like that were occurring in Corinth. Paul made it clear that such activity was inappropriate. He asked the Corinthians, "Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?" (22). It is clear that Paul believed that participating in that kind of worship would jeopardize the participant's soul.

Now, what about groups who claim to follow New Testament principles, but we know and are convinced that they practice things in worship that the New Testament neither commands nor authorizes?

2. Scripture warns us to avoid association of any kind with false teachers. John wrote, "

Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work" (2 John 1:7-11).

John said "do not take him into your house or welcome him." He gave the warning, "Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work." The language is strong. ...John considered the situation very serious with eternal implications. This passage would certainly prohibit participation in worship that is not prescribed by the New Testament.

3. According to Jesus, God demands (seeks) worship ...that is in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). In his commentary on the Gospel of John, Frank Pack wrote, "Spirit is not capitalized in the text because the translators understood it as referring not to the Holy Spirit but to the human spirit, which is what Jesus means. True or genuine worshipers are not concerned with the outward place but offer worship to God in spirit and truth, a spiritual worship that conforms to his divine nature. It is according to the truth as it is revealed in Jesus Christ, but truth also carries the meaning of genuineness. ...

Since God's nature is spirit, those desiring to worship him must worship in spirit and truth, and these qualities are centered in Jesus Christ."[2] We need to remember the tragic mistake of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron.

Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. (Leviticus 10:1-2)

Nadab and Abihu offered a strange fire that was not authorized by God and it cost them their lives. Our worship of God must be in spirit and in truth, and we must be careful to worship Him according to His instructions. Fire hasn't come out from the presence of the Lord in quite a while, but the eternal implications from false or inappropriate worship are still the same.

4. Scripture makes it clear that our attendance ...at appointed times for Bible class and worship is essential. The author of Hebrews wrote, "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:22-25)

When times have been set for the church to meet by the elders ...we should do everything in our power to be present. We should want to be together ...to encourage one another ...and to be encouraged. More than that, we should want to gather with God's people to worship. Worship should be something we enjoy and look forward to doing. That's what we will be doing for eternity, when we reach heaven.

5. If we participate in worship with another religious group ...there's one more thing that we need to consider. We must also be concerned about our influence upon others, especially the young. Jesus gave a very stern warning against leading young people astray.

Jesus said, "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).

We may understand the difference between different religious groups, they most likely do not. If they see us participating with a group that doesn't follow Scriptural guidelines our actions may cause them to believe that everyone is acceptable to God, when their worship is not acceptable.

The questions remain: (1) What association can we have with religious groups who do not follow the principles set forth in the New Testament for worship and salvation? (2) Can we participate in their worship? (3) Does Scripture teach that such association and participation could cost us our soul? (4) Could my example be a stumbling block for others?"

According to Scripture the answer is obvious. We should avoid participating in worship that is unacceptable to God. Participating in worship that is scripturally incorrect can cost us our soul, and our actions could lead others astray as well. We must be careful to follow practices that are Scriptural, and we must stand on spiritual ground that is sure and safe. God has spoken through His Son in the New Testament and has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). All that we need is in the Bible, and more specifically, in the New Testament.

Let's do what we know is right, and let's lovingly lead others to do the same. If someone follows a practice that is scripturally incorrect, we should follow the example of Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:24-26). We should approach them in private and "explain to him the way of God more adequately."

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[1] Scripture quotations are taken from BibleGateway.com (New International Version)
[2] The Gospel According to John, Part 1, Frank Pack, Sweet Publishing Co., 1975, P. 76.