Article | - 5:52 pm
God Wants to Dwell in You and Be Worshiped in Spirit and Truth, That Is, With Intelligence and Sincerity
Idolatry seems to be a mark on human beings. After all, when a person does not know the True God Creator of Heaven and Earth, they are naturally superstitious and idolatrous. When faith is not based on the Living God and His Word, one can have faith in anything: in a stone, crystals, the influence of the color of the New Year’s Eve clothes, attribute powers to the elements, and try to hold on to something.
And God spoke all these words, saying:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
“You shall have no other gods before Me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. (Exodus 20:1-7)
It is impossible for a person to know the Most High and be idolatrous, because He hates idolatry, as expressed in the first commandment.
“He did not allow humans to make an image of Him because He is Spirit and does not want to be worshiped through an object, but in spirit and truth, that is, with intelligence. He did not leave drawings or images, but the Word, the Bible, because whoever wants to know Him has to use their mind, their intelligence, listen to the Word and believe or not,” explained Bishop Renato Cardoso at the Temple of Solomon during the Sunday service.
God’s greatest desire is to dwell in the temple that He built with His hands, which is the human being. “This is our fight to make people become temples of the Holy Spirit. And today, people cannot claim ignorance; the Gospel is being preached by us and by other churches. They can say they didn’t want to, but not that they didn’t have the opportunity. The Bible is available to everyone; it’s free on the internet. There’s a church on every corner. People have access to the Word; they can’t say they don’t have knowledge. Therefore, ignorance is no longer a defense,” emphasized the bishop.
There will come a day when everyone will stand before the Judge in judgment (Acts 17:31), and if their sins are not dealt with by the Lord Jesus through the blood shed on the cross, they will suffer condemnation.
“It is not God or the devil who casts people into hell. It is sins that separate a person from the Lord. This happens because they resisted His forgiveness. That is why we must repent and be baptized in water, without which there is no forgiveness of sins or salvation. He is offering it, giving the opportunity, but if a person does not want it, He cannot force them,” he concluded.
Until December 31st, there will be water baptism in all locations of The Universal Church for all who want to repent and start 2025 with a new life. If you would like to be baptized in water, please look for The Universal Church near your home to learn more. Click here to find the nearest location.
The church is open daily. All are welcome. Come as you are. For more information on locations, please call 1-888-332-4141 or text 1-888-312-4141. You may also contact us via our contact form (click here).
For those who live in areas without a location of The Universal Church, you may also connect to our Virtual Church via Zoom Conference.
Contributors:
Rafaella Rizzo (Translated and Adapted From Original)
