Should Christians Worship at Shrines?

Conclusion of WORSHIP "WITH SPIRIT AND TRUTH"

The Jewish temple was a tangible structure at a specific location.  But spirit and truth are not material, nor are they limited to any physical place.  Thus, Jesus was explaining that true Christian worship  would not be centered in or dependent on any material structure or physical location, whether Mount Gerizim, the temple in Jerusalem, or any  other sacred place. 

In his conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus also mentioned that "the hour" for this change in  God's worship was "coming."  When would that be?  The hour came when Jesus, by his sacrificial death, ended the Jewish system of worship based on the Law of Moses.  (Romans 10:4)  Yet, Jesus also said:  "The hour . . . is now."  Why? Because as the Messiah, he was already gathering disciples who would obey the command he stated next.  "God is a Spirit, and those worshipping him must worship with spirit and truth."  (John 4:24) What, then, does it mean to worship with spirit and truth? 

When Jesus mentioned worshipping with spirit, he was not speaking of a particularly spirited, animated, or enthusiastic form of worship. Rather he was talking about being guided by God's holy spirit, which among other things guides our understanding of the Scriptures.  (1 Corinthians 2:9-12)  And the truth Jesus referred to is an accurate knowledge of Bible teachings.  Therefore, rather than being rendered at any special place, our worship will be acceptable to God if it conforms to what the Bible teaches and is guided by the holy spirit.  

Note: To my understanding of God's words in the Bible-and I have read it and studied it several years; is that once you have the accurate knowledge of the teachings of the Bible, if you wanted to worship at home,you could, or if you wanted to go to the Kingdom Hall, which is to my understanding, is what the Jehovah's Witnesses are pertaining to.  Jehovah God will come to us at home as well. But, like I said, we have to have the accurate knowledge of Bible teachings, first.  Without that, we are truly ignorant of what God wants  us to do and we cannot be close to him without it.

Next time: Should Christians Worship at Shrines?/THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF SHRINES

From The Watchtower magazine