About CYW FAQs

DOCTRINAL ISSUES OF OUR FAITH. (Frequently Asked Questions)

HERE ARE ANSWERS TO SOME BURNING QUESTIONS.

INTRODUCTION:

Questions have been asked, eyebrows raised and even Some write-ups made, by people, in respect of same aspects of Our (God's) doctrine, Some Who ask or write do that out of total ignorance because they do not really know. Others Simply ask because they feel they cannot accommodate.

For the former, they honestly want to be taught but for the latter, it is an enigma that does not need any Solution. Since blind arguments do not yield any Useful dividend, tolerance in ones life is very essential. It breeds good interaction or rapport With fellow beings, most of all, being in good terms with one's Creator and the bliss that goes With it.

By reading, ruminating and acCepting the scriptural explanations being given on these burning questions (not escheWing or shying aWay from the truth) throwing ego to the Wind, We will be able to join hands together to eulogize God's mighty name for His Mercies on us. Things like:

1 . Why we wear white garment?

White, in its entirety, denotes purity, and righteousness. It is synonymous with cleanliness. The native doctors', ritualist, occultists' and the likes', strange flair for white cloths still does not make it sacrilegious, as might be construed in certain quarters. The Holy Book's references and vivid explanations on the matter-white garment-speak for themselves. In Revelation 6:9-11, white robes were given to the great heroes of faith who, through the fire of persecution, sealed their testimony with their blood, in the course of their earthly ministry. To those gallant soldiers of truth, white garment stood as a token of divine approval for their labours in the Lord's vineyard, as well as a trophy of victory.

A vision of the redeemed souls was opened to John as they all stood before the Almighty, clothed in white robes, with palms in their hands. He said, "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes, and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb". (See Rev.7:9- 14). So, in this portion, white garment is depicted as an emblem of redemption. In 1 Chronicles 15:27,.ve see David and the Levites clothed in white robes as they were bringing home the Lord's ark of Covenant. Here, white garment is shown as a festival wear for the people of God. The body of Jesus was wrapped in white cloth as He was being buried. This was commemorative of the blameless life He lived.

The angels who appeared to Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus were in white robes. John 20: 11, 12. So were the angels who appeared to the disciples when

Christ ascended to heaven. Acts 1: 10, 11. This is an indication that white garment is the apparel of the heavenly beings. Now, we know that heaven is a place where nothing but the will of God is done. So, if it is the will of God that the Saints in heaven should dress in white, it should equally be seen as His will for us, for, Jesus says, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Matt. 6: 10; also read Revelation 3:4-5.

2. Why we Lift up our Hands in Prayer or Praise?

Lifting up of our hands is equally scriptural. The book of Exodus 17 tells of a tough battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites. It states, "And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hands, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hands, Amalek prevailed". (See Exo. 17: 11). Raising up of the hands is a sign of victory over the forces of evil. When your hands are raised, your fingers are all pointing to heaven from where comes your salvation and victory. In verse 12 and 13, you will observe that Aaron and Hur had to help to keep the hands of Moses up till the end of that battle, and, Israel defeated Amalek.

In 1st Timothy 2:8, it is written, "I will therefore that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hand, without wrath and doubting". In Solomon's prayer of dedication, the Bible says, he "Kneeled down before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven". 2nd Chron. 6:13. When we bless the Lord by Shouting, hallelujah to His Great Name, we lift up our hands, for it is written, "Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord .... Lift up your hands in the Holy Place and bless the Lord". ,Psalms 134: 1 ,2. So, you can see that lifting up of the lands is perfectly in accord with the doctrine of the Holy Scripture.

3. Why We Kneel Down?

Many people think it is old-fashioned to kneel down while praying. But let every true seeker of salvation bear in mind Paul's admonition that the Scripture is given to us, "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". 2 Tim. 3:16. We cannot worship God by following the dictates of our minds, when the Bible is there for us to read, and find out what is the will of God about whatever we want to do. Prayer did not start with this generation neither will it end with it. It is an age-old way by which men interact with heaven, either to give thanks for blessings bestowed, to ask for power of victory over problems and obstacles of life, to ask for power of victory over problems, and obstacles of life, or, to send a petition. As we read in Solomon's prayer of dedication, he knelt down before the Heavenly Father while expressing his appreciation of God's bounties and making supplications for the good of his people. 2 Chron. 6: 13.

The bible records of Paul and his Ephesians elders thus, "And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all". (See Acts 20:36). Another portion says, "And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with their wives and children, till we were out of the city: AND WE KNEELED DOWN ON THE SHORE AND PRAYED". (See Acts 21 :5). Can you now see that kneeling down while praying is found both in the Old and New Covenants? It is a sign of respect to the Creator of heaven and earth. "0 come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker". Psalms 95:6.

4. Why We Bow Down Our Heads?

We bow down our heads to the Almighty in worship and adoration. In Exodus 4:31, when Moses delivered God's message to the Elders of Israel, that they were soon to be liberated from bondage, the information is, "And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped".

When the Lord sent fire from heaven which consumed Moses' sacrifice, the entire congregation gave a shout of praise and fell down on their faces as a sign of worship. Lev. 9:24. We see in Revelation 7 verse 11 that the same mode of worship is practiced in heaven, for it is written, "And all the angels round about the throne and about the Elders and the four breasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God"" After Solomon's prayer of dedication, the Lord sent down fire and consumed his sacrifices, "And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement. and worshipped and praised the Lord, saying, for He is good; for His mercies endureth forever". (See 2 Chron.7:3). We believe ardently in the Bible. The worship of the Creator of heaven and earth did not just start with us. We have predecessors those who did it before us. We only have to read the Bible and follow their examples, in all those areas where it is established that that their deeds were divinely approved. For more references, read Rev. 19:4, Gen. 19:1, Num.22:31.

5. Why We Off Our Shoes?

We put off our shoes before stepping into the holy place, this is in consonance with God's express instruction to Moses when he encountered Him at the burning bush: "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" Exod. 3:5. God has right to say His DOS and DONTS, and we must respect His principles, just as we naturally expect people to respect our own. God has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He does not alter anything that goes out of His lips. Psalm 89: 34. If it was an abomination to wear shoes on the holy place in the days of Moses, it is still an abomination today.

When Joshua encountered a heavenly Messenger at Jericho, the record was the same: "And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto Him, what saith my Lord unto His servant? And the Captain of the Lord's hosts said unto Joshua, 'Loose thy shoes from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy". Have you ever cared to think how God must be feeling, seeing that people red the Bible but refused to live by its warnings and admonitions? Has it ever disturbed your mind that Christians consciously make demarcation in the Bible, choosing one part while rejecting the other? But look at the Moslems. They believe and practice everything in the Koran from cover to cover. Have you also discovered that those Christians who attack the Old Testament, discarding it as out-dated still go bad.:. to the same Old Testament when they preach on tithe paying, seed-sowing and gift offerings? Get it into your head: the deceiver and the deceived shall face divine punishment. Read Isaiah 9: 16 and Hosea 4:9. If you are a child of God, you ought to live by what the Bible says in order not to be disappointed at last.

In the Book of Exodus 28:1-end, God gave detailed instructions to Moses, on how to make priestly garments for Aaron and his sons to wear, when they go in to minister before Him in the Holy Sanctuary. In this detailed description of the items of materials to be made, God told Moses to make the holy garments for Aaron and his sons for glory and for beauty. These items were recorded in verse 4 of the above chapter " ... a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, and a broidered coat, a turban, and girdle ... ".

God also said, "And for Aaron's sons you shall make coats, and you shall make for them girdles, and head-pieces shall you make for them, for glory and for beauty. And you shall put them upon Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, and shall anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office. And you shall make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness: from the loins even to the thighs they shall reach. And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in to the Tabernacle of Congregation, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the Holy Place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever to him and his seeds after him" Exodus 28: 40- 43.

God, we know, never make mistakes. He knew what and how He wanted His things to be from the beginning. In the above descriptions, notice that there was no mention of shoes among the items.

One may reason, that God should have included shoes in the above descriptions, since they will be working in the Holy Sanctuary, where there are knives, cutlasses, shovels, and all sort of metals, used for work in the Sanctuary. To prevent from them stepping on a sharp object that may injure them. But no, there were no shoes. because God does not want His children to wear shoes to worship Him or when standing in His presence. That is why He did not include it in the detailed instructions to Moses, when He asked him to make those garments for Aaron and his son,

6. Why We Clap Hands?

Clapping of hands is a part of praise and worship. When someone does something you heartily accept, you are moved into clapping of hands, hailing him or her. The Scripture says that the Lord, "Daily !oadeth us with benefits". Psalm 68:19. So we should sing unto Him sweet songs with clapping of hands, in appreciation for all He is doing in our lives. David had this to say, "0 clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph" . Psalm 47: 1.

7. Why We Dance?

Dancing is a natural phenomenon. It is one of the ways of expressing joy. Whenever any good things come our way, even without knowing it, our bodies begin to move. The nodding of our heads, coupled with the rythmthical movements of our bodies, in appreciation, tell the whole story. We therefore dance in the Lord for His goodness and mercies to us which are innumerable. Of David, when they brought home the ark of Covenant, it is written, "And David danced before the Lord with all his might". (See 2 Sam. 6:14). In Psalm 150:4, we are enjoined to "Praise Him with the timbrel and dance". "And Miriam the Prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and 'with dances. And Miriam answered them, sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea". (See Exod. 15:20,21).

8. Why We Sprinkle Water?

God said, "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and wit! bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from at! your filthiness, and from all your idols, will i cleanse you". (See Ezekiel 36:24, 25). We bless and sprinkle water in recognition of the fact that it is possible to contaminate uncleanness in the course of our daily activities. The physical cleansing of the outer body through sprinkling of water foreshadows the spiritual cleansing of the inner man, which comes through one's acceptance and practice of the Word of Life. Our Lord and Saviour had this to say, "Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you". (See John 15:3).

9. Why We Worship on Saturday?

God's explicit instruction in the Ten Commandments states, "The Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God". (See Exodus 20: 1 0). Some people's impression about the Sabbath day is that no particular day is pointed out in the Bible as the Sabbath. The truth is that He who instituted the Sabbath revealed it to His people. "You made known unto them thy Holy Sabbath" . (See Neh. 9: 14). Are you confused about which day of the week is the Sabbath day? Learn from the Jews, for the Heavenly Father MADE IT KNOWN to them. Remember He called them His witnesses. (See Isaiah 43: 10). They (the Jews) are still in the world today, keeping the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week Saturday. Your Calendar, your dictionary and the encyclopedia are all testifying that Saturday is the Seventh day of the week.

It is a historical fact that it was Emperor Constantine who in AD 321 made a royal edict, changing the sabbath day from saturday to sunday. Consult the following research sources on this issues

  • The Chambers Encyclopedia, New Revised Edition, published by International Learning System Corporation Limited, London Page 123.
  • Peter Heylyin History of the Sabbath (1630).
  • J. A. Hessey, Sunday, its Origin and Present Obligation (Bampton Lectures, 1860; 5th Edition, 1889).
  • A. E. Milgram Sabbath Day of Delight (1928).
  • Rev. Father Stephen Uche Njoku Curses, Effects and Release Pages 4;

  • Jesus Christ tells us in Luke 6:40, that, a disciple is not above his master. He is the Master and We are His disciples. Jesus Christ worshipped God with His fellow Jews on the Seventh day of the week, "As His custom was". Luke 4:16. As His followers, We ought to follow His example, for it is written, "He that saith he abideth in Him, ought himself also to walk even as He walked". ,1 John 2:6. For more clarifications, read Matthew 28: 1, Mark 16: 1-2;9, John 20: 1,19.

    Reference: Siddur (CYW Liturgy 2009) pg 333 - 342. All Rights Reserved.