When I was a boy I use to wonder, when present at our church services and during the sermon, why certain individuals used to interject with expressions like “Praise the Lord, “Amen” and “Hallelujah”

My lack of knowledge of the bible and possibly these things contributed to my becoming an evolutionist during my later years. I was an evolutionists for about four years until I had my thinking jolted by a person who was studying with one of Jehovah’s witnesses. This person asked me to explain how evolution could have formed the eye. This caused me to take a second look at the question of how we arrived here, whether by creation or evolution.

It became impossible to me to accept evolution as a valid reason for life any longer because the design that I began to see in nature, could never have been produced by the forces of chance.

Fortunately, I accepted a Bible study from Jehovah’s witnesses and found that in their hands the Bible became understandable. However, I now found that as my understanding of the Bible grew, so my concern grew for persons that had been, like myself, deceived into accepting evolution as the origin of life.

Other articles on my site have dealt in more detail with the question of evolution, and the evidences of God’s existence and so I do not intend repeating myself by discussing those matters in this article

During my life I have noticed the general indifference that people display with regard to the worship of their creator, and so I intend to help persons to see why it is logical and in their best interests to worship the creator.

Praising God

A study of the Bible reveals that it definitely, commands us to “praise the lord” or “praise Jehovah” which is the meaning of the expression “Hallelujah,” however when we study its contents we find that it gives us its reasons for issuing those commands. The Bible gives specific details of how God handled situations and so we get to see his point of view in these various situations.  It also invites us to consider the wisdom that is evident in nature. So the Bible actually does praise Jehovah.

However the persons who expressed those thoughts during my youth and at the church meetings that I attended were merely uttering those words. Why? Consider this: If I have a friend whom I admire deeply for the many wonderful things that he had done, would  I walk about saying “praise John, praise John” or would I not actually tell them about his specific achievements and praise him that way. Surely I can only praise God by actually telling other persons about what he has done, and the kind of person that he is. I would need to give examples that prove the reason for my conclusions. Does this not make sense? Of course this would mean that I would have to know God well. How would I get to know him well?  Because I had studied his word and could give specific examples to prove my point. I would have meditated on his creative works and could mention examples of his wisdom and the consideration that he shows for his creation. In fact I would be able to act as a witness to the kind of person he was. This would be genuine praise and not just the repetition of words “praise the lord”. Do people realize this? The expression “Amen” means that we agree with what is said but the question is does the person know what he is saying when he mouths those expressions?

Does God Need Praise?

The next question that arises is this? Does God need our praise? No;  What we need to understand is that praising God is for our own good. How so?

The material universe is part of a greater universe, which includes both the spiritual creation and the material creation. God has created living creatures in the spirit world as well as the material world.

Examining how the material universe operates sheds some light on the subject. The lower creation fulfils its function in the universe by being part of the ecology. Animals and insects in general all live happily in their environment contributing in some way to the balance in nature. They were created to fulfil that function and therefore are happy in doing this. Although they ultimately return to the earth and contribute to its enrichment they have been created with no fear of death but only act instinctively to danger.

Humans have been created differently. The Bible shows that we were created in the image of God. What does this mean? The Bible explains God’s original mandate to man..

(Genesis 1:28) 28 Further, God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.”

From this it is apparent that God expected humans to care for the earth and the lower forms of life in the same way that he, God governs the universe. To achieve this purpose, humans were given superior qualities to the lower life forms.

Humans were given very large creative brains and free will. Because they were given these large brains and were also able to display the divine qualities of Love, wisdom, justice and power, God maintains the unity and harmony in the universe because his intelligent worshippers can appreciate the way he rules the universe and show their appreciation by their obedience to him.

(Ecclesiastes 12:13) . . .The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the [true] God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole [obligation] of man.

What we need to realize is that if we are going to praise God, this we can only truthfully do if we have meditated on the kind of person he is. This would require accurate knowledge of the way he handles matters and an appreciation for the fact that he does everything for our good. By the Bible recommending that we praise God, it points us in the right direction. when we praise God from the heart, we cooperate with him and fulfill our function in the universe. This results in our happiness and is for our benefit.

It is these admirable qualities that attract us to his worship because of the wonderful example he sets for us. We are intelligent enough to know that if everyone displayed these qualities the world would be a far better place. Of course we know that at the present time we cannot change the world but also understand how God intends fixing the problem. We also appreciate why he has permitted wickedness for a time. We realize that intelligent persons possessing freewill, can always choose to disobey God and rebel. But can you imagine what the universe would be like if he allowed everyone to do as they please indefinitely. However that is what Satan actually advised Eve to do.

(Genesis 3:4-5) . . .At this the serpent said to the woman: “YOU positively will not die. 5 For God knows that in the very day of YOUR eating from it YOUR eyes are bound to be opened and YOU are bound to be like God, KNOWING good and bad.”

The tree of knowledge represented God’s right to decide what was good of bad for them. When God told the couple not to eat of the tree, at that moment, they knew what was good and bad. When they followed Satan’s advice and disobeyed God they chose to be like God, deciding what was good and bad. What they wanted was unlimited freedom. Common sense tells us if everybody decided what was good and bad for themselves in the universe, chaos would result.

Present world conditions witness to the fact that this is the wrong way.  However in spite of the fact that that way can never work, the majority of people apparently want the world to be that way. When people murder, steal, and break laws that are made to make life comfortable for others, does this not lead to unhappiness and chaos.

The Road to Happiness

If you or I can see that, then there is hope for us. That is why God has permitted Satan to rule because it has allowed humans to make a  choice. Do we want a world like the present one or do we want a world operating on God’s standards. To praise God we have to meditate and genuinely appreciate God’s wonderful qualities and especially his standards of righteousness. God’s standards are all in harmony with love and justice. The ability to appreciate and exercise these God-given qualities is what God relies on to draw us in unity to his worship. These are the kind of people that he wants in his universe. .

Because he has given us freewill it is necessary to make the right choices if we are to be truly happy. It is true that Satan has made it appear that the possession of money and power are necessary for happiness, but they are not. Satan has also made it appear that pleasure in any form can bring true happiness, but it cannot. That is why a world where everybody does as they please can only end up like our present selfish wicked work. God has supplied us with many things that we can enjoy and can give us pleasure but that is not the purpose of life. To be truly happy we have to fulfil the purpose of our creation.

Because the present world is under Satan’s control it is impossible to fulfil the divine mandate that God gave to the first couple of exercising dominion over the earth in imitation of the way he runs the universe. This does not mean that God has abandoned his purpose. If Adam and Eve had been faithful we would probably have never needed a Bible. Because we find ourselves in this world governed by Satan, which uses all Satan’s methods and policies to achieve his goals we need guidance to see through this web. The Bible was provided for that purpose. The Bible was provided to help us to be reasonably happy while under Satan’s system and also to give us direction so that we will not serve Satan’s purpose, which is to convince humankind that God’s way of handling matters is wrong and to support his original lies to Adam and Eve, so bringing reproach on God’s name and calamity to us.

(John 12:30-31) . . .In answer Jesus said: “This voice has occurred, not for my sake, but for YOUR sakes. 31 Now there is a judging of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

(2 Corinthians 4:3-4) . . ., now, the good news we declare is in fact veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, 4 among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through.

(Revelation 12:9) . . ., the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; . . .

(Luke 4:5-8) . . .So he brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time; 6 and the Devil said to him: “I will give you all this authority and the glory of them, because it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I wish I give it. 7 You, therefore, if you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.” 8 In reply Jesus said to him: “It is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”

(Proverbs 2:10-22) 10 When wisdom enters into your heart and knowledge itself becomes pleasant to your very soul, 11 thinking ability itself will keep guard over you, discernment itself will safeguard you, 12 to deliver you from the bad way, from the man speaking perverse things, 13 from those leaving the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness…… 20 The purpose is that you may walk in the way of good people and that the paths of the righteous ones you may keep. 21 For the upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. 22 As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.

It is impossible for us to be completely happy when we are subject to death and disease and the many effects of Satan’s rule however God’s direction helps us to be equipped with divine wisdom at this time. We make less mistakes, and more right choices. Our obedience brings God’s blessing and greatest amount of happiness possible while under these conditions. The Devil’s purpose is to get us to mistake selfish satisfaction for happiness and so spend our lives in frustration as we search for satisfaction while never achieving happiness.

Satan’s Methods

God cannot allow rebellion to exist in the universe indefinitely. Seeking a life of independence is not the key to happiness. Persons following that course will spend their lives in frustration and finally end up in a meaningless death. Many have adjusted themselves to acceptance of death as their future and live as they please thinking that it will bring happiness. It only brings a momentary satisfaction, that soon passes away, leaving one frustrated. When we reach that state we are only like unreasoning animals not fit to fulfil God’s purpose for humanity. God promises us that once he has resolved this matter, it will not be allowed to happen again..

(2 Peter 2:12-13) . . .But these [men], like unreasoning animals born naturally to be caught and destroyed, will, in the things of which they are ignorant and speak abusively, even suffer destruction in their own [course of] destruction, 13 wronging themselves as a reward for wrongdoing.. . .

(Nahum 1:9) . . .Distress will not rise up a second time.

Satan’s main weapon is deception. Because there are many persons that desire to serve God, he introduced false religion. False religion can come in different forms. When it takes the form of a religion that is supposed to be based on the Bible, we have to be very careful in our selection.
The Bible shows the reason why God has permitted false religion, is because some persons are not really concerned with truth. They are satisfied to find a religion that suits them, instead of looking for the true religion. Consider these scriptures.

(2 Thessalonians 2:11-12) 11 So that is why God lets an operation of error go to them, that they may get to believing the lie, 12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.

(2 Timothy 4:3-5) . . .For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. 5 You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do [the] work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.

The religions of the world have not acquainted their worshippers with the true facts of life. Since the rebellion in Eden, Satan has been the ruler of the world.

(John 12:30-31) . . .In answer Jesus said: “This voice has occurred, not for my sake, but for YOUR sakes. 31 Now there is a judging of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

The majority of mankind do not believe in Satan’s existence nor that Satan is the ruler of the world. People are still under the impression that God is the ruler of this world. That is why many blame God for what occurs and some even become atheists because they cannot accept that there is a God because of the wickedness that they see around us. This occurs because of the failure of their religions to give them accurate knowledge of God’s purposes.  The present wicked conditions that exist in the world, point to the truthfulness of Jesus’ statement that Satan is actually the ruler of the world. The vast majority of earth’s population just manage to survive under very unhappy conditions. Even the wealthy are dissatisfied with life. Wars, corruption, of every kind, rule the day. Where I live, I doubt whether anyone has not had their home broken into or their motor vehicle stolen at least once. The ecology of the world has been upset. The economic systems of the world are in trouble because of greed and mismanagement.  In fact, in spite of the technological advantages of our civilization our generation has been marked by unspeakable atrocities and mistreatment of mankind. This is the advanced world that evolution and its belief in the survival of the fittest have produced. To coin a modern term; It sucks. Can you possibly imagine how different the world would be if it was run the way God intended it to be run. Cooperation, consideration and love would exist amongst the people. No racial discrimination would exist. No wars would occur because selfish competition amongst people and nations would not exist. Furthermore history shows that although wicked conditions have existed in the past, they have reached global proportions in this century

What Sort of World do You Want

As the figurative heart is the seat of desire and love, one has to be careful what one loves and desires. The heart is also the seat of motivation. In other words people act on what their hearts desire. That is why the Bible warns against trusting the heart whereas Satan’s world recommends following one’s heart’s desire. This is the road to selfish behaviour.

(Jeremiah 17:9) . . .“The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?

(Proverbs 4:23) . . .More than all else that is to be guarded, safeguard your heart, for out of it are the sources of life. . .

Worship is love to the ultimate degree. Worshipping God means that we appreciate his qualities and his way of doing things to the extent that we love him before all else. The worship of God is not the same as the attraction between the sexes. It is a cultivated love based on appreciation. It relies on us having a heartfelt desire for what is right, in accord with the attributes that God built into us. Of course we are still imperfect today, so selfish inclinations that we have inherited, can overrule these fine qualities. The Bible shows the kind of love we are speaking of..

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8) 4 Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. . .

If a married couple both have this love for God, they will love one another to the extent that their marriage will never fail. Just as that love binds God’s faithful servants together in unity, this kind of love will bind a marriage together so that it is unbreakable. However it does not come naturally but has to be cultivated.

In my 58 years experience of conducting Bible studies in the private homes of people, this is how I have seen it manifest itself.

Initially the person may be interested in a casual opportunity to study the Bible. They may first just be inquisitive, perhaps hoping to get some question answered that has bothered them to some extent.

We generally used publications such as the one at present in use which is entitled “What does the bible really teach?”

Now the method of study used is not the method that the churches use today. Their method is to look up scriptures to support their doctrine.  As all the churches have broken away from other churches, their teachings can be traced back to the parent church that officially came into existence about 325 CE which was the result of a conference, called together by Emperor Constantine and termed the council of Nicea.

Today’s churches have all inherited the basic teachings of this parent church, with minor changes which were the reason for their breaking away.

The apostle John writing in his letter at the end of the 1st century showed that true Christianity had entered its last hour because of the many antichrists that had appeared.

(1 John 2:18) 18 Young children, it is the last hour, and, just as YOU have heard that antichrist is coming, even now there have come to be many antichrists; from which fact we gain the knowledge that it is the last hour. . .

From that time until 325 CE, these apostates had introduced many false ideas and teachings into Christianity. In this way Christianity had become apostate. This is why the churches, while masquerading as Christianity have left their flocks ignorant of the true teachings of the Bible.
You may check my site for articles that provide proof of this statement.

My own church that I had belonged to originally was similarly affected. You might recall that I said some individuals used the expression “Hallelujah” This actually meant “Praise Jehovah” I am positive  that the individuals that used these expressions never even realized that they were using God’s personal name Jehovah because the translators of the Bible that we were using at that time had removed the personal name of God from the translation. The original text used it 6823 times, whereas this translation had used it only 4 times. At that time most people were unaware that God had a personal name, even though Jesus had told us in the  “Lords Prayer” that we should pray for God’s name to be “hallowed” or “sanctified” This is just one example of how people have been misled.

The Way of Truth

How was the Bible to be studied to get to the truth?
On one occasion after his resurrection Jesus encountered some of his disciples on the road. They were very confused by his death because they had incorrectly had expectations about Jesus that were not accurate. Here is the record of the Bible study that he had held with them.

(Luke 24:27) . . .And commencing at Moses and all the Prophets he interpreted to them things pertaining to himself in all the Scriptures.

Notice that the subject chosen was the “Messiah” and the expressions “Moses and the Prophets” indicated that Jesus was following the subject from Genesis to Malachi. The Greek scriptures had not yet been written.

(Luke 24:30-32) . . .And as he was reclining with them at the meal he took the loaf, blessed it, broke it and began to hand it to them. 31 At that their eyes were fully opened and they recognized him; and he disappeared from them. 32 And they said to each other: “Were not our hearts burning as he was speaking to us on the road, as he was fully opening up the Scriptures to us?. . .

This scripture showed how studying this method affected their hearts

(Luke 24:44-48) 44 He now said to them: “These are my words which I spoke to YOU while I was yet with YOU, that all the things written in the law of Moses and in the Prophets and Psalms about me must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened up their minds fully to grasp the meaning of the Scriptures, 46 and he said to them: “In this way it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from among the dead on the third day, 47 and on the basis of his name repentance for forgiveness of sins would be preached in all the nations—starting out from Jerusalem, 48 YOU are to be witnesses of these things. . .

Here again on this second occasion the Bible writer records that this opened their minds to firmly grasp the meaning of the scriptures.

A careful reading shows that he used the topical study method. This consisted of taking a subject and looking up all the scriptures that referred to the subject. The harmony between the scriptures indicated that this was the truth. The results worked to the enlightenment of all. The above scriptures show that he met on two occasions. doubtless on the second occasion there were more disciples present.
What was amazing to me was that when we used this method of study, as the study progressed I found that the person was rectifying wrongs in their lives hat we had never even discussed and that we would only be discussing these subjects many chapters later.  I was astounded at this, but it also built up my faith in the truth.

The question of “Why it is necessary to worship God” is really simple to answer.
Once we have proved to ourselves that God does actually exist, is responsible for creating the universe and the purpose for which we humans were created, then it becomes obvious that true happiness comes from fulfilling that purpose. As individuals we function best when traveling the road we were designed for

Other pursuits give momentary satisfaction, but fulfilling our purpose in life brings a deep satisfaction and happiness. God made us that way. Because of the selfish tendencies that we have inherited, this is hard to see at first, but as we understand the way God is managing matters, and the constructive part we play in the arrangement, this brings happiness and contentment. We then begin to lay hold on the real life.

(1 Timothy 6:17-19) 17 Give orders to those who are rich in the present system of things not to be high-minded, and to rest their hope, not on uncertain riches, but on God, who furnishes us all things richly for our enjoyment; 18 to work at good, to be rich in fine works, to be liberal, ready to share, 19 safely treasuring up for themselves a fine foundation for the future, in order that they may get a firm hold on the real life.

As we come to know Jehovah God, and see the fulfillment of his prophecies, our confidence in the reality of his new world grows and becomes reality The Bible assures us that if we put God’s interests first in our lives, he will take care of our needs. What this means is that if we have a choice between sorting out some problem at the expense of our spiritual obligations, then we are left to do it without God’s help and sometimes Satan will use this to hinder our spiritual growth. On the other hand if we refuse to neglect our spiritual growth confident that God will show us the way out of our problems then Jehovah remains true to his word, Somehow, we will get through it. I have personally experienced this on a number of occasions.
If you are the kind of person that has been seeking true happiness this is the way. Seek out Jehovah’s witnesses and asked them to study with you. They have been using the topical method to restudy all the teachings of the Bible for more than a 100 years. If you are unable to do this immediately a good start can be obtained by reading the articles that appear on my sight. I have tried to answer all the basic questions that I have noticed that people want answers too.

I have provided many links to articles and websites that give proof, of what I am saying. By contacting my links to the official site of the Watchtower Bible and Tract society you can also obtain many other articles that can enrich your understanding. However the best way is the personal home Bible study. I can add that after 6 months of study before I even became a witness of Jehovah I found that I knew more than the officer in charge of my particular branch of the Salvation Army.

I have written extensively on the subject of Evolution and also tried to get rid of the doubts regarding the Bible’s inspiration and historical accuracy that people have. I have also tried to correct some of the false teachings and false ideas that people in general have. Bible prophecy shows that we entered the time of the end of this world in 1914. Subsequent events have only served to confirm this. As Jesus said that everything would happen in one generation we must be very close to the final end now. This makes it urgent to take action now. The vast majority according to the Bible will be destroyed but this will be because they take no notice of the warnings that God is having delivered to them. God’s name will be cleared of all reproach because he gave them every opportunity but they refused to take heed.

You may have the hope of surviving the end of this world if you act promptly. The future world will be a wonderful place. Satan will be out of the way for a thousand years. Only persons that love God will survive, so the inhabitants will show love for one another. With fulfilling work the world will be brought to a paradise. Our loved ones whom God considers were faithful to him and also those whom he considers never had a fair chance to know the truth will also be brought back. Don’t think that this all sounds too good to be true. Just ask yourself.this question?
If God has the power to create this universe from nothing and life from the matter that he created is there any task that he is not equal to. Humans can record moving pictures of our loved ones. We can also record the sound and speech of our loved ones. Would the task of recording every atom in our body and its precise place and stored till the resurrection be too much for God. Think about. If you want to contact me for any reason you can e-mail me according to the links on my site.

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