Is this the true meaning of worship?

by lisavegas420 10 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  lisavegas420

  The expression "to worship" is defined in a dictionary this way: "to regard with great, even extravagant respect, honor, or devotion." *Who should be given such worship? Jesus Christ said: "You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind." (Matthew 22:37) Also, when offered all the kingdoms of the world if he would perform just one "act of worship" to Satan, Jesus refused, declaring: "It is Jehovah you God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service." (Luke 4:7,8) From Jesus' words and actions, it is clear that only Jehovah God is to be worshiped. This worship includes "sacred service," for "fraith without works is dead." - James 2:26

  Three weeks ago, I asked a sister at my door, what exactly do you mean by "worship" Today she came back and gave me the above type written paragraph. Is this correct?

  Lisa
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  DJ

  I suppose that is a good definition but she fails to see that Jesus receives the same worship even from the angels. Hebrews 1. There is that oneness thing again...
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  ClassAvenger

  Yeah, those Unitarians get all on you when you challenge them with the Trinitarian doctrine. I have a question, do JW's get in trouble for having "wordly" friends or acquantainces. I am asking because this Sunday some JWs came to my door and they were preaching saying people needed to read their bible more often. They asked me if I did, and I said "yes". They then changed conversation and started saying "We are giving these magazines this morning -- " and I asked "The Watch Tower?" and she looks at me surprised with a happy look on her face, she probably thought she had found a JW. I told her that I had some friends who were Witnesses and they seemed pretty interested in knowing their names. I told them that they probably didnt know them because they lived on the other side of town so they most likely assisted to another Kingdom Hall. They looked at me weird,and asked me for their names again. I just said their last names, then they said bye. I wonder if i got them in trouble...
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  shamus

  There we go again - showing you scriptures from one end of the bible to another.... all out of context.... it doesn't take any real thinking to see that they are twisting words around to fit their agenda.... ALL OUT OF CONTEXT...

  Yeah, LOL at the comment about reading your bible... they don't encourage it nearly as much as studying their ol' Watchtower, and other publications... just like robots. It's utter nonsense how they talk to people...
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  DJ

  I don't know CAvenger. She may just ask the jw's that you mentioned to her, to try to start a study with you. In answer to your question....NO, they are not allowed to have "wordly friends" You are considered a "bad association who spoils useful habits." If you told her rthat you are Christian well......the you are a follower of Satan and his lie of Christiandom. Next time, mums the word. Act like you don't know anything about them but gently inform them of what you believe and don't give them the opportunity to teach you. The holy spirit teaches you. They are masters of deceit. False teachers that Christ warned us about. They teach a different gospel and Paul said that "if anyone comes to you and teaches a differnet gospel, let him be accursed" Then he repeated it! I'd listen to that, my friend. love, dj
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  ClassAvenger

  It's fun to talk with those JWs, mess with their mind a little. It's funny because they think they know everything of your religion, but they dont know how much I know about theirs, so I make this indirect comments. Lol. Yeah, one of my JW friends asked if I would accept a study. Blah blah blah. I said yes, I would listen, I just wouldn't accept the doctrines taught to me. He got all over me for saying that.
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  Introspection

  Lisa, I would start out by addressing the temptation from Satan. A quick look in the dictionary will show the etymology of the word Satan/devil to be the idea of adversary. My question is adversary to who? When people set up God and Satan as two opposites, then not only is Satan an adversary of God, but God is also an adversary of Satan in that relationship right?

  What if you were to look at it in terms of the idea of adversary itself, rather than who is who's adversary? If you look at it that way that sheds a completely different light on it, and the idea of not worshipping Satan becomes not worshipping the idea of being an adversary. That paragraph you quoted cites the scripture about loving Jehovah with your whole heart, but I'm pretty sure the scripture right after that says you must love your neighbor as yourself. So if that scripture is talking about worshipping God, it's like who wouldn't you worship then?? Traditional religions like the witnesses have this idea of worship all geared toward their idea of God, but they miss the simple statements about love: 'God is love. He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love.'
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  Dawn

  What really strikes me is that it took this woman THREE WEEKS and RESEARCH to answer a simple question "what do you mean by worship". If a person can not answer what they believe without help - then how can they say they believe it?!

  Didn't the Lord tell his disciples not to be afraid of what they would say as the holy spirit would direct them?

  Off the top of my head and from my heart here is what worship means to me: any expression from myself to show gratitude and love for my God and for my savior. It can be in the form of singing, prayer, sharing my testimony, any type of praise that comes from the heart and is for HIM.

  Wow - and I didn't even have to scuttle back to an elder to ask for directions on that one!
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  bebu

  Yes, the verse following "love the Lord your God with all your heart.." is "and love your neighbor as yourself." It naturally follows that if you love God with all your heart, you will see yourself and your neighbor as both loved by God, and that acts of kindness toward him/her is also a kindness toward yourself. ("It is more blessed to give than to receive.") Likewise, it naturally follows that if you have faith, works will alwasy be an outcome. What crude sleight of hand to go from "loving God with all your heart", to "faith without works", to arrive at doorknocking!

  The pharisees argued that tithing on everything and fasting 2x a week is worship but Jesus refused that kind of definition--straining the gnat and swallowing the camel, he called it.

  bebu
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  kes152

  Dearest Lisa,

  May you have peace!

  you said: " The expression "to worship" is defined in a dictionary this way: "to regard with great, even extravagant respect, honor, or devotion."

  Thinking about that definition, isn't that the same thing we owe to Christ... SACRED service. For all the nations will serve even HIM.

  Daniel 7:14

  Revelation 5:13

  Matthew 28:18

  John 14:21 (we must keep HIS commandments)

  Hebrews 1:6

  All honor, glory, should go to him. Hence, why do Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to regard the Christ with great, even extravagant respect, honor, or devotion? If any of them tell you they do regard Christ that way.. point them to the dictionary and tell them that is WORSHIP to Christ. They will then vehemently deny they worship Jesus and it is a sin to do so. Yet doing so saves us and glorifies the Father (Hebrews 12:2; Revelation 5:12, 13).