Worshipim God “Long Spirit”

“Hu nao iumi savve sei hem luk olsem God? Wanem kaen image nao iu savve wakem wea luk olsem hem?”​—ISAIAH 40:18, “THE JERUSALEM BIBLE”

MAET iu barava bilivim hao wei for iusim olketa lotu piksa taem iu worshipim God hem olraet nomoa. Maet iu feelim hao hem helpem iu for kam moa klos long Datwan wea herem olketa prea, wea iu no savve lukim and wea maet iu feel olsem hem no garem feeling for iu and hem hard for minim.

Bat waswe, iumi free evribit for chusim seleva wei wea iumi bae kam long God? Waswe, no God seleva nao fit for talem wanem samting nao hem acceptim and wanem samting nao hem no acceptim? Jesus explainim tingting bilong God abaotem diswan taem hem sei: “Mi nao Wei and Truth and Laef. No eniwan wan savve kam long Father bat only thru long mi.” (John 14:6)a Disfala toktok barava stopem wei for iusim olketa lotu piksa or eni nara holy samting.

Tru nao, Jehovah God acceptim wankaen worship nomoa. Wanem nao datwan? Wantaem, Jesus explainim olsem: “Hour bae kam—for tok stret hem kam finis—taem olketa tru worshiper bae worshipim Father long spirit and truth: datwan nao kaen worshiper wea Father wantem. God hem spirit, and olketa wea worship mas worship long spirit and truth.”—John 4:23, 24.

Waswe, bae eni image fit for luk olsem God, wea “hem spirit”? Nomoa. Nomata sapos wanfala lotu piksa hem barava luk naes tumas, bae hem no savve kasem glory olsem bilong God. So wanfala image bilong God bae nating savve piksarem hem long trufala wei. (Romans 1:22, 23) Waswe, man savve ‘worship long truth’ sapos hem kam long God thru long wanfala lotu piksa wea man nomoa hem mekem?

Wanfala Klia Bible Teaching

Law bilong God hem tambuim wei for wakem olketa image for worship. Mek-tu komand bilong Ten Komandment sei: “Iu bae no wakem for iuseleva wanfala image bilong eniting wea stap long heven or long earth andanit or long wata andanit earth; iu bae no bow daon long olketa or servem olketa.” (Exodus 20:4, 5) Olketa Christian Scripture wea kam from God talem tu disfala komand: “Iu mas stap klia from wei for worshipim idol.”—1 Corinthians 10:14.

Hem tru, samfala sei wei wea olketa iusim image insaed worship bilong olketa hem no wei for worshipim idol. Olsem example, planti Christian wea bilong Orthodox religion, sei olketa no worshipim olketa lotu piksa wea olketa bow daon, nildaon and prea long olketa. Wanfala Orthodox priest raet olsem: “Mifala mekhae long olketa from olketa holy samting, and bikos mifala showimaot respect long samting lotu piksa hia piksarem.”

Nomata olsem, kwestin hem still stap: Waswe, God appruvim wei for iusim lotu piksa nomata sapos hem wei for showimaot respect long samting wea stap long piksa? No eni ples stap insaed Bible wea sei for man duim diswan. Taem olketa Israelite mekem wanfala image bilong buluka, wea olketa sei hem for mekhae long Jehovah, hem barava showimaot hem no appruvim datwan, taem hem sei olketa kamap olketa apostate.—Exodus 32:4-7.

Danger wea Haed

Wei for iusim olketa samting olsem image and lotu piksa taem man worship hem wanfala danger samting. Hem isi for mekem man worshipim datfala samting winim God wea olketa sei datfala samting nao piksarem. Hem minim disfala lotu piksa nao kamap main samting wea man worshipim.

Datwan hem happen witim samfala samting long taem bilong olketa Israelite. Olsem example, Moses wakem wanfala snek from copper insaed gogo bilong olketa long wilderness. Firstaem, datfala snek wea stap long wanfala stik hem for helpem olketa kasem healing. Olketa wea kasem panis long wei wea snek baetem olketa savve luk go long datfala copper snek and kasem help from Jehovah. Bat bihaen taem olketa setol long Promis Land, luk olsem olketa mekem datfala stik for kamap wanfala idol, olsem datfala copper snek nao garem paoa for heal. Olketa bonem incense for hem and givim wanfala nem for hem, Nehushtan.—Numbers 21:8, 9; 2 Kings 18:4.

Olketa Israelite trae for iusim ark bilong covenant olsem wanfala magic samting for againstim olketa enemy bilong olketa, bat barava nogud samting nao kamaot from datwan. (1 Samuel 4:3, 4; 5:11) And long taem bilong Jeremiah, wei wea olketa tinghae long temple hem winim hao olketa ting long datfala God wea olketa worshipim long there.—Jeremiah 7:12-15.

Disfala fasin for worshipim wanfala samting winim wei for worshipim God hem still big distaem. Man for duim research Vitalij Ivanovich Petrenko sei: “Datfala lotu piksa. . . hem kamap samting wea olketa worshipim and diswan mekem kamap danger for worshipim idol . . . Man mas agree hao diswan hem really wanfala heathen idea wea kam insaed wei for worshipim lotu piksa from olketa biliv bilong planti pipol.” Olsem tu, Greek Orthodox priest Demetrios Constantelos hem sei long buk bilong hem Understanding the Greek Orthodox Church: “Maet wanfala Christian savve mekem olketa lotu piksa for kamap samting wea hem worshipim.”

Wei for sei olketa lotu piksa hem just wanfala samting for helpem man for worship hem no really tru. Why? Bikos, samfala tingim samfala lotu piksa bilong Mary or bilong “olketa saint” fit for kasem moa worship and savve givim moa help winim olketa nara lotu piksa bilong sem pipol hia wea dae longtaem go finis. Olsem example, samfala bilong Orthodox religion strong for worshipim wanfala lotu piksa bilong Mary long Tínos, Greece, bat long narasaed olketa narawan bilong sem religion strong for worshipim lotu piksa bilong Mary long Soumela, long north Greece. Nomata tufala lotu piksa hia hem bilong Mary wea dae longtaem go finis, tufala sekson evriwan sei lotu piksa bilong olketa nao hem winim bilong narawan, and hem duim mirakol wea winim narawan. Dastawe, really, pipol bilivim olketa lotu piksa garem paoa and worshipim olketa.

Prea Long “Olketa Saint” or Mary?

Waswe long wei for mekhae long olketa pipol olsem Mary or “olketa saint”? Jesus, taem hem kasem temptation from Satan, point go long Deuteronomy 6:13 and sei: “Iu mas worshipim Lord God bilong iu, and servem hem nomoa.” (Matthew 4:10) Bihaen hem sei hao olketa tru worshiper bae worshipim “Father,” no eni narawan moa. (John 4:23) From wanfala angel luksavve long diswan, hem kaonselem aposol John taem hem trae for worshipim hem and sei: “No duim datwan . . . God nao iu mas worshipim.”—Revelation 22:9.

Waswe, hem stret for prea long mami bilong Jesus, Mary, or long eniwan long “olketa saint,” and askem olketa for story long God for iu? Ansa wea Bible talem hem: “Only wan mediator nomoa stap midolwan long God and man, hemseleva wanfala man, Christ Jesus.”—1 Timothy 2:5.

Protectim Wei wea Iu Fren Witim God

From wei for iusim olketa lotu piksa insaed worship hem againstim olketa klia teaching bilong Bible, hem kanduit helpem pipol for mekem God appruvim and givim salvation long olketa. Long wei wea difren, Jesus sei laef olowe hem depend long wei wea man kasem savve abaotem only trufala God, savve gud long olketa nambawan fasin bilong hem, and olketa purpose bilong hem and wei wea hem deal witim olketa man. (John 17:3) Olketa lotu piksa wea no savve lukluk, no garem feeling, or no savve toktok kanduit helpem man for savve long God and for worshipim hem long wei wea hem acceptim. (Psalm 115:4-8) Only wei for kasem datfala barava important education abaotem trufala God hem thru long wei for studyim Word bilong God, Bible.

For join witim wei wea hem no savve helpem man, wei for worshipim olketa lotu piksa hem savve kamap danger samting long spiritual saed. Hao nao olsem? First important samting, hem savve brekem wei wea man fren witim Jehovah. Taem hem story abaotem Israel, wea “mekem hem kros witim olketa idol,” God sei olsem: “Bae mi haedem feis bilong mi from olketa.” (Deuteronomy 32:16, 20, The New American Bible) For buildim bak wei for fren witim God olketa mas ‘rejectim olketa idol.’—Isaiah 31:6, 7, NAB.

So, disfala kaonsel bilong Bible barava fitim: “Smolfala pikinini bilong mi, protectim iuseleva from olketa idol”!—1 John 5:21, NAB.

[Footnote]

[Box on page 6]

Kasem Help for Worship “Long Spirit”

Olivera hem wanfala strong member bilong Orthodox Church long Albania. Taem datfala kantri tambuim religion long 1967, Olivera duim haed olketa samting saed long religion bilong hem. Hem iusim smolfala selen wea hem kasem from gavman for peim olketa gold and silver lotu piksa, incense, and olketa kandol. Hem haedem olketa samting hia insaed bed bilong hem and planti taem hem go sleep long chair wea stap klosap from hem fraet nogud eniwan lukim or stealim olketa samting hia. Taem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness visitim hem long olketa firstfala year bilong 1990, Olivera luksavve hao message bilong olketa hem followim truth insaed Bible. Hem lukim samting Bible talem abaotem hao tru worship hem mas “long spirit,” and hem lanem feeling bilong God abaotem wei for iusim olketa lotu piksa. (John 4:24, The Jerusalem Bible) Witness wea studyim Bible witim hem lukim hao evritaem hem go visitim haos bilong Olivera namba bilong olketa lotu piksa bilong hem gogo daon. Gogo, no eniwan stap nao. Bihaen hem baptaes, Olivera sei: “Distaem, winim wei for iusim olketa iusles lotu piksa, mi garem holy spirit bilong Jehovah. Mi hapi tumas hao mi no needim eni lotu piksa for kasem spirit bilong Jehovah.”

Athena, wea kam from island bilong Lesbos long Greece, hem wanfala strong member bilong Orthodox Church. Hem bin wanfala member bilong choir and hem followim evribit olketa kastom bilong religion, insaed diswan hem wei for iusim olketa lotu piksa. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness helpem Athena for luksavve hao samfala samting wea hem lanem no agree witim Bible. Insaed diswan hem wei for iusim olketa lotu piksa and cross taem hem worship. Athena sei hem mas duim research bilong hemseleva for faendem wea nao olketa samting hia hem start. Bihaen hem duim research long samfala difren kaen reference buk, hem barava bilivim hao olketa samting hia no bilong Christian. From hem laek for worshipim God “long spirit” hem for torowem olketa lotu piksa bilong hem, nomata olketa kostim staka selen. Nomata olsem, Athena, hem hapi for acceptim wei wea hem lusim selen mekem hem worshipim God long wei wea hem bae acceptim and wea klin long spiritual saed.—Acts 19:19.

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Waswe, Lotu Piksa Hem Art Nomoa?

Long olketa year wea just go pas, evriwea long world pipol kolectim olketa lotu piksa bilong Orthodox religion. Olketa pipol wea kolectim no tingim lotu piksa olsem wanfala holy samting bilong religion, bat olketa tingim olsem art wea showimaot Byzantine kastom. Planti taem man savve lukim olketa kaen lotu piksa olsem stap for decoratem haos or office bilong wanfala man wea no biliv long God.

Bat, olketa tru Christian bae no forgetim main purpose bilong lotu piksa. Hem samting wea pipol worshipim. Olketa Christian no challengem wei wea nara man hem garem raet for garem lotu piksa, bat for olketa seleva olketa no garem eni lotu piksa, nomata for kolectim nomoa. Diswan hem fitim principle wea stap long Deuteronomy 7:26, The Jerusalem Bible: “Iufala mas no tekem kam eni barava rabis samting [olketa image wea olketa iusim for worship] insaed haos bilong iufala or iufala, olsem datfala samting, bae kam anda tambu tu. Iufala mas tingim olketa samting hia olsem no klin and barava heitim.”

[Piksa long page 7]

God no letem man iusim image long worship

[Piksa long page 8]

Savve from Bible helpem iumi for worshipim God long spirit