PROPER WORSHIP LEADS TO PROPER TESTIMONY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

Revelation 19:10 CEV

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The angel talking with John had just delivered incredible news about a coming wedding supper that all Christian believers would be invited to in order to share a meal and fellowship with Him, the Lamb. This would happen before Jesus returned to judge the world and usher His bride, the church made up of all His followers, into the new heaven earth to take up residence in the New Jerusalem.

Indeed, all those who would be allowed to participate in this feast with Jesus would be richly blessed and it’s obvious John was feeling this as we see his response to the “true words of God” spoken by the angel (19:9). Look again at today’s text drawn from Revelation 19, verse 10:

I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

Here we see where the marvelous news about the coming divine supper with His Savior drove John to a spirit of worship as he “knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him”. Quickly, we find the angel sharply rebuking John, saying:

“Don't do that!”

Why?

Because the worship was misdirected and the angel wouldn’t take the praise and honor that was to be given to God and God alone. With this, his instruction to John not only is intended for him but all Christian believers.

“I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

Don’t worship anyone but God. Period.

Not an angel. Not another human being. Not anything inanimate like a possession or money.

All proper worship is directed to the One who is most worthy of it.

Note further where the angel tells John that they share the responsibility to serve the Lord by telling others “about Jesus”, something that all Christians do “by the power of the Spirit”. Yes, he was a heavenly dispatch while John was in the flesh but both served out of the same motivation: an obedience and devotion to do the will of God.

It was this willful obedience and devotion that led them to bring the good news of salvation through Jesus to others. Proper worship leads to proper testimony and so it still is for us today. Let us join with John and the angel by giving our fullest dedication and affection to God first and then go to tell others that they have a Savior who can rescue them from the penalty of Hell, led fully by the directing and guiding of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.