In this issue:
i)     Worship - Symbolic or Spiritual? (Part 2) - D. Smith
ii)    Spiritual Gifts (Part 7) - B.Dellingbaugh
iii)   A-Glance-at-the-top-stories-of-the-week - Ben
Worship - Symbolic or Spiritual? (Part 2)
Daniel Smith*
 
Spiritual Worship
 
The Lord Jesus then said to the woman, “Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father…But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:21, 23-24).
 
The hour for true worship had come. The symbolic worship thus ended; it was done away. He to whom all symbols pointed had now come. Believers now must look to Him. They had seen animal victims die, without number. Each drop of blood from those sacrifices pointed forward to the Lamb of God. They had their witnessing priests who spared not the innocent animals, striking the death blow. The blazing fires on the altars witnessed the consuming of their prey. His people were shown in symbol that in sacrifice all demands of wrath were met.
 
But when the Son of God hung, curse-bearing, on the tree, reality was set before them. Guilt was taken away, and sinners were ransomed by the Lord’s anguish. The hour had come. The shadows and symbols had passed. The hour had struck for the reality of worship.
 
This was a new worship—not ceremonial, but spiritual. The new worship was true worship. And the Lord Jesus told the woman of Samaria three times that true worship was the worship of the Father. From the cross onward, there was to be an age when the Father would seek true worshipers.
 
The Father! No such name for God had ever been given Israel. He was to them Elohim, the God of power; El Shaddai, the God of provision; Jehovah, the God of promise; El Elyon, the God of preservation—but never Father. The approach to God as Father, and the worship of Him as Father, only became possible through the coming of His Son, the completion of the redemptive sacrifice, and the impartation of the Holy Spirit, who would enable true worship. This kind of worship stands in contrast to what was in Israel, a worship which at best was incomplete and in shadow.
 
May we, then, worship the Son through the enabling of the indwelling Spirit? Yes, we may! The Father Himself has desired that, “All men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father” (Jn. 5:23). For further verification of this, we are given a view of heaven in Revelation 5, where both the Father and the Son are joint objects of worship. “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (Rev. 5:13). The Lamb, who was slain, shares the worship due only to God, because He is God—God the Son.
 
Father, we worship Thee,
Thro’ Thy beloved Son;
And, by the Spirit, now draw near
Before Thy holy throne.
 
We bless Thee Thou art love,
How vast that matchless grace,
Whose breadth and length and height and depth
No finite mind can trace.
 
For what Thou art, we praise,
And worship, and adore:
To Father, Son, and Spirit be
The glory evermore.
—Alfred P. Gibbs
 
From "Worship & Remembrance" by Daniel Smith; Published by Gospel Folio Press
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[Courtesy: UPLOOK Ministries - From "Worship & Remembrance" by Daniel Smith, Published by Gospel Folio Press] 
Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)  (Part 7) 
Bob Deffingbaugh, Th.M
 
Confusing spiritual gifts with spirituality:  The great error of the carnal Corinthian church was to confuse spiritual gifts with spirituality. Those who spoke in tongues thought themselves to be several notches higher on the spiritual scale than those who did not have this gift. The Corinthian church was apparently an exceptionally gifted church, but it was also one of the most carnal churches in the New Testament. My friend, you may not be comforted in hearing this but the man who has the gift of pastor-teacher may be far less spiritual than the one who has the gift of helps. The one with the gift of giving may be far more spiritual than the evangelist who is winning thousands to Christ. We need only recall the Old Testament figure, Sampson, to be reminded that while he was performing great feats of strength he was living a life devoted to the flesh.
 
Our spiritual gift excuses us from other responsibilities:  The watchword of the Christian sluggard is ‘that’s not my gift.’ My pet peeve is the pastor-teacher who maintains that his sole obligation is to prepare for sermons. He has no time for counseling those who are struggling with life, no time to visit the sick, no time to comfort the mourning. That mentality is an abuse of the biblical teaching concerning spiritual gifts.
 
We have demonstrated that every gift relates to a function that is the responsibility of every Christian. Although some are gifted to give, all Christians are to give cheerfully to the Lord. While some are gifted to be leaders or administrators, every man is to be a leader in his home, and every woman needs to lead as well (cf. Proverbs 31). While our spiritual gift necessitates that we establish priorities, we are never excused from the responsibilities of all Christians. We are foolish to spend great amounts of time as the chairman of a committee if we are not gifted as an administrator. We would spend our time much more profitably in the area of our gift. But let us be careful about excusing ourselves from tasks for which we are responsible. We may not be gifted at leading people to Christ, but we are to be witnesses for our Lord Jesus.
 
Obsession for knowledge about spiritual gifts:  Although I have already stressed the importance of knowing our spiritual gifts, I want to make it clear that knowledge is not so important that we neglect service. There is in my estimation far too much intellectualism in the Christian church. Such was the case in Corinth as well. Paul had to say to them, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1, my translation). Many Christians insist upon knowing what their spiritual gifts are before they begin to serve God in any capacity. They are more interested in studying and knowing than in serving. It is no wonder that Paul had to insert his chapter (13) on love in the midst of his teaching on spiritual gifts. It is my contention that we learn our spiritual gifts as we serve. If we devote ourselves to the service of others, we will inevitably learn what our gifts are. I am not negating the importance of study or doctrine; I am simply saying that our motive should be to learn to serve, not to study simply to learn.
<A-glance-at-the-top-stories-of-the-week>
Ben
 
Putin offers Mideast peace talks to wary Israel: Putin's overture, on the first visit to Israel by a Kremlin leader, won immediate backing from the Palestinians. They said such a meeting would help prepare for statehood talks they hope to hold after Israel's planned Gaza pullout this summer. 
 
Pentagon proposes sale of 100 bunker-busting bombs to Israel:  The Pentagon notified Congress on Tuesday of a proposed sale to Israel of 100 guided bunker-busting bombs, a move that analysts said could prompt concerns about a unilateral Israel strike against Iran.
 
Bunker-busting nukes could devastate civilians:  "Using an earth-penetrating weapon to destroy a target 250 meters deep - the typical depth for most underground facilities - potentially could kill a devastatingly large number of people," ...
 
Israeli spy master: 'Syrian president could be toppled':  Syrian President Bashar Assad could be ousted from power as his regime fractures under immense political pressure, the head of Israeli military intelligence said in an interview published Friday. 
 
Messianic Jews in Israel claim 10,000:  Christian communities actively courting Israelis, whose members are collectively known as Messianic Jews, have been considerably reinforced by recent immigration waves and now comprise some 10,000 Israelis, according to Messianic leaders and their Jewish opponents. 
 
Putin: Abbas can't fight terror with slingshot and stones:  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday promised to provide the Palestinian Authority with helicopters and other equipment and training to help maintain order after Israel's promised withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank this summer.
 
Russian defense minister: Moscow will provide Strelets missiles to Syria:  On the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Israel, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Tuesday that Moscow would go ahead with its sale of Strelets missile systems to Syria.
 
Report: N. Korea may have fired missile:  The U.S. military informed Japan that North Korea may have fired a short-range missile toward the Sea of Japan on Sunday morning, Kyodo News service and national broadcaster NHK reported. 
 
Russia to start nuclear fuel supplies to Iran in 2005:  The Russian nuclear fuel trader TVEL announced on Friday that fuel shipments for a Russian built nuclear reactor in Iran will start in the middle of 2005, six months before the plant becomes operational in early 2006.
 
Koizumi arrived to court India:  New Delhi:  Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was in India on Friday to boost ties with the nation as it moves closer to China, and win support from a fellow candidate for a permanent UN Security Council seat. Koizumi's visit, which comes amid a bitter rift between Japan and China, was expected to yield plans to improve relations between New Delhi and Tokyo, whichh is hoping for more access to the rapidly growing Indian economy. It comes two weeks after a South Asian tour by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who tried to patch up ties with India and used it as a base to denounce Japan's Security Council bid.
 
Nato poised for first African engagement in Darfur:  Nato is on the verge of its first mission in sub-Saharan Africa, after the African Union turned to the transatlantic alliance for logistical help for its monitoring operations in Sudan's conflict-ravaged Darfur region.
 
Concerns mount that France may vote against EU Charter:  Alarmed by opinion polls showing growing opposition among French voters to the European Union constitution, European leaders are warning that failure of a referendum on the issue next month could seriously undermine the E.U. "project."
 
Experts: new data show Global Warming:  Climate scientists armed with new data from deep in the ocean and far into space have found that Earth is absorbing much more heat than it is giving off, a conclusion they say validates projections of global warming.
 
Earth absorbing more heat than it radiates:  The Earth is absorbing more energy from the Sun than it is emitting to space, according to a new modelling study. The difference amounts to 0.85 watts for every square metre of the planet’s surface. That is equivalent of 7 trillion 60-watt light bulbs - or the energy output of almost half a million thousand-megawatt power stations. 
 
Experts: smallpox could be sent in mail:  The anthrax letter attacks in 2001 are not the first time an infectious agent has been spread through the mail. A recent article in a scientific journal describes two outbreaks of smallpox in 1901 that were attributed to infected letters, and bioweapon experts said it is possible terrorists could spread the deadly disease in this manner today. 
 
Sumatran quake left 'Scar' on earth's gravity:  The devastating 2004 Sumatran earthquake, which caused the worst tsunami in modern times, should have left a detectable scar on Earth's gravity field, European scientists said Monday. 
 
Climate change poses threat to food supply, scientists say: Worldwide production of essential crops such as wheat, rice, maize and soy beans is likely to be hit much harder by global warming than previously predicted, an international conference in London has heard.
Church reinstates Lesbian Minister: The United Methodist Church reversed itself Friday, deciding to reinstate a lesbian minister who was defrocked after revealing her relationship with another woman. 
 
Studies mix animal, human organs:  Reno, Nev. — On a farm about six miles outside this gambling town, Jason Chamberlain looks over a flock of about 50 smelly sheep, many of them possessing partially human livers, hearts, brains and other organs. 
 
Mind-reading machine knows what you see:  It is possible to read someone’s mind by remotely measuring their brain activity, researchers have shown. The technique can even extract information from subjects that they are not aware of themselves.