by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n
Pomp and ceremony do not make worship more holy any more than does the physical location. God seeks true worshippers who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). He does not need the inventions of our hands, does not dwell in buildings made with our hands, and is not impressed by our monuments … “as though He needed anything<\/em>” (Acts 17:24-25).<\/p>\n What impresses us can itself become a form of idolatry, for if we need pageantry and physical splendor to feel like we are worshipping, we must ask whether our worship is directed toward God, toward our own creations, or even ourselves. When we marvel at what we have made for the God who needs nothing, we may well be creating a culture of self-worship. If we do these things to impress people, we are not doing so because it is what God asks for or needs. Rather, we want these things, and then we claim to have God’s stamp of approval when it pleases us. Yet the simplest family with the least amount can worship God wholeheartedly and thereby please Him. If God judges the hearts over appearances, this surely applies to how we worship.<\/p>\n Let us not deceive ourselves into thinking that worship needs to be complicated or flashy. We can be dignified and honorable even while we joyfully praise Him, but it is the fruit of the lips that give thanks to His name that serves as a pleasing sacrifice to Him (Hebrews 13:15).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Doy Moyer Pomp and ceremony do not make worship more holy any more than does the physical location. God seeks true worshippers who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). He does not need the inventions of our hands, does not dwell in buildings made with our hands, and is not impressed by our…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[304,84],"class_list":["post-67948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-idolatry","tag-worship"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22029,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-was-worship-conducted-in-israel-when-the-temple-was-destroyed\/","url_meta":{"origin":67948,"position":0},"title":"How was worship conducted in Israel when the temple was destroyed?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 18, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question regarding the Tabernacle and the first Temple in the Old Testament: Was the Tabernacle the dwelling place of God and was the Temple the place of worship for the people? If so, when the first Temple was destroyed and tabernacle removed, how did the people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54389,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-the-collection-in-i-corinthians-161-2-really-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":67948,"position":1},"title":"Was the collection in I Corinthians 16:1-2 really worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The church I attend teaches that the collection in I Corinthians 16:1-2 is not part of the worship service. They say Paul commanded that to help the church in Jerusalem, not to worship by giving. What is your comment about that? Answer: The same giving is discussed in II\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35050,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-for-a-christian-to-visit-a-place-of-idol-worship-out-of-respect\/","url_meta":{"origin":67948,"position":2},"title":"Is it wrong for a Christian to visit a place of idol worship out of respect?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I had this question in mind for a long time and I feel you would be the best person who could answer this based on Scripture. I stay in India, and we have a multicultural society with multiple religions and festivals celebrated among friends and neighbors. It is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38085,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-does-god-allow-sinful-things-to-worship-him\/","url_meta":{"origin":67948,"position":3},"title":"Why does God allow sinful things to worship Him?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If your opinion of using musical instruments in the New Testament is sin, why does God allow sinful things to be used to worship Him, either symbolically or physically or metaphorically or whatever in His presence? In the Old Testament sacrifices and musical instruments are used to worship God;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57779,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/welcome-to-church-kids-not-invited\/","url_meta":{"origin":67948,"position":4},"title":"Welcome to Church … Kids Not Invited","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 9, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mike Thomas I was so distracted once at a church service (away from here), by an overwhelming amount of noise from the audience, that I had a hard time concentrating on the lesson. I tried focusing my attention on the speaker, but the person behind me and a few\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/01\/no-children-round-300x300.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":86019,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-relationship-between-worship-and-obedience\/","url_meta":{"origin":67948,"position":5},"title":"The Relationship Between Worship and Obedience","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Vance E. Trefethen Have you ever heard someone say that worship and obedience are essentially the same thing or that every act of obedience is an act of worship? I've heard these concepts expressed privately by Christians and even taught publicly. 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