Not only is the Creator’s design to form one bonded family, but also as we will discuss, the ultimate goal of prayers and worship is to be performed as one bonded family. Conversation between the LORD and His prophets, priests, and people is expressed in hymns, conversation, or giving praise. When we read Sacred Scripture, we are praying; thus we should read intimately not casually, with pondering on the LORD's messages, thoughts, designs, wills, and feelings. When we converse with the LORD and His messengers, we are praying intimately. Therefore our conversation with the LORD ought to be reverent, sincere, intimate, and loving. In Scripture, prophets spoke back and forth with the LORD and some saw the LORD as a visible person. In that like manner we should converse with the LORD even when we do not hear in our ears or see in our eyes the LORD’s persona; yet we will feel it in our soul and ponder Him in our minds. Thus, reading the Holy Scripture, pondering on the Scripture, or talking, or singing hymns to the LORD are acts of praying that should be touching, intimate, and sincere.
Likewise, when we talk about the LORD or Scripture with others, it should be a form of prayer as expressed by Christ, “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18: 19). We listen to our friend’s pain, thoughts, hopes, and joy and that may prompt us to pray for their comfort, safety, healing, success, happiness, and strength. Therefore, our conversation with our friends in the fear and love of the LORD with members of the one bonded family should be elevated to prayers. We should pray when we arise out of bed and before eating or doing anything including dressing, sitting, standing, laying down, walking, running, playing or working. Thus, it should be of no surprise that the LORD summarized the Commandments into love God and love your neighbor – and those are prayers of love. Sometimes in our prayers, we listen tentatively or help eagerly and generously. Our communication with the LORD or with our neighbor likewise are prayers if we elevate our communications and think of them in that sense. This type of living is a pure joy and the peace of the LORD that fills our hearts and the heart of our Heavenly Father. It comes with practice that is assured to awaken our souls and passion to love the LORD with all our heart, all our mind and all our will. Therefore, the Commandments of the LORD are no longer difficult and foreign to me, but will grow to become myself. Then, my life would follow and express the design of the LORD.
However, I find that worshiping the LORD, is what distinguishes the one bonded family from the non-family members. The members of the one bonded family worship in a like manner and the worship is offered only for the LORD. When the one bonded family worships the LORD, they always build an altar and offer sacrifices to glorify the LORD. Although Cain and Abel communicated with the LORD (those communications are prayers), they also offered sacrifices as a sign of worship to glorify the LORD. Prayers were insufficient without worship or offer of the sacrifices. The choice of sacrifice is important. Cain and Abel chose their own sacrifices and Cain’s sacrifice was unfavored by the LORD. However, the sacrifices assured to be accepted and pleasing to the LORD are those prepared or asked by the LORD. For example, He asked Abraham to offer His son Isaac and then He substituted the ram. Therefore, the best way of worshiping would always be the choice of the sacrifice provided by the LORD. Therefore, worshiping the LORD is the most pleasing form of homage that can be expressed to the LORD by the one bonded family.
Our prayers or our hymns or requests from the LORD may be rejected by the LORD. Although explaining the Scripture is a form of praying, if our understanding is erroneous, then although we use Scriptural language, such erroneous and untruthful prayers most likely would be rejected by the LORD even when we do not mean to teach errors. Therefore, I find that the LORD wants our worship to be acceptable by communicating specific sacrifices, specific celebration, and even offering the sacrifice Himself. Worship demands a sacrifice because it acknowledges the LORD’s supremacy over everything including our lives. In prayers we can acknowledge the LORD’s supremacy, but the offer of sacrifice in worship is the proof and the unifying worship of the one bonded family. We each may pray different words from one another, but in worship the one bonded family offers the exact same feast that distinguish her from everyone else. The sacrifice of the worship becomes the identity of the one bonded family.
Because, worshiping is a special identity feast of the one bonded family, certain preparations, organization, and authorized celebrant leaders become important. God is a LORD of order and we can understand that by noting the specific order of Creation forming the requirement for the material world first, then light and darkness, then water and air, then food, then living creatures, then man and a period of rest and relationship with man. We can also see the organization and order in the design of the incredible human organs and genetic codes. Therefore, we should expect that worship and authorizing the leadership of the one bonded family are vital areas in the Creator's design that have to be well organized and authorized by the Creator before it is a blessing. Note how the plan to save man took thousands of years of communication in organized mysteries that require an intimate relationship with the LORD to deeply understand His incredible wise and majestic design. Prayers may have little organization as long as they are conducted with righteousness, reverence, and a contrite heart.
On the other hand, worship is glorifying the LORD and asking Him to redeem our continuous transgressions against Him and that worship must be conducted with utmost majestic organization and authority for the LORD to favorably accept it. We note the selection of the sacrificed animals how they must be certain animals and they ought to be examined and double checked for a certain age and they must be without blemishes. The sacrifice must be performed on designated altars and by the authorized one bonded family fathers, prophets, kings, Patriarchs, high priests, or priests. Even the parents of Christ, who is the perfect sacrifice, did not worship independently, but followed the design for the one bonded family that was performed by the priests in the Temple. Yet, the parents of Christ prayed and sang hymns in the Temple and also everywhere to the Heavenly Father and the Son Christ. Those prayers and songs are an intimate conversation that loving parents would have with their God Persona Son anywhere and most of the time. Note that the LORD provides specific instructions for the worship sacrifice so that the atonement will be accepted. For example, the LORD my ask for a sacrifice from a male herd with certain instruction so that, “he may be accepted before the Lord.” (Leviticus 1: 3). Then, the authorized priests and sons of Aaron the High priest of the one bonded family would perform the worship sacrifice with precise organization and according to instructions,
Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. (Leviticus 1: 5-9).
Note how the LORD demands sacrifices as the aroma soothes the LORD. Other specific instructions are demanded by the LORD for offering of the sheep, goats, turtledoves, or young pigeons while repeating in verses 13 and 17, “an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord.” (Leviticus 1: 13 and 17). This is the same description repeated in many places in the Sacred Scripture. Note the LORD’s anger was soothed and He swore a Covenant with Noah, “The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man.” (Genesis 8: 21). Worshiping the LORD should be expected to continue to eternity as the glory of the LORD is for eternity. Note, there are various offerings, but all would continue to be imperfect scenarios until the LORD in Christ provides us the perfect worthy sacrifice to continue to offer in worship for the glory of the LORD.
When the consecrated sacrificial offering is authorized for me to consume, then I should examine my conscience to approach it worthily because the Temple becomes my own body, “do you not know that your body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6: 19). Indeed, the one bonded family is invited and authorized to consume the sacrifice and especially the perfect and majestic sacrifice offered and designed by the Creator,
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the Saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2: 19-22).
It is an absolute magnificent privilege and ecstatic joy for me to realize that I am knitted thread by thread to be made a brother of the Saints, a household of God with Christ its corner stone into majestic palace as a dwelling of God in the spirit. Prayers can and should be a personal intimate unique conversation with the LORD that includes iconic symbolism with spiritual meaning specific to the one bonded family that is not understood by outsiders. However, worship and sacrifice is the Holiest event of the one bonded family in communion with the Saints and every brother and sister that unites us in worship. Thus, prayers and singing hymns without regularly and intimately participating in an authorized sacrifice with the one bonded family is unfortunately and obviously lacking the proper homage, glory and worship of the LORD. The Creator designed a one bonded family that not only prays and sings individually and together, but also offers the best-organized and highest Holy and worthy sacrifice possible in a reverent and elegant one bonded family feast. Worshiping and offering sacrifices to the LORD can never cease, but the sacrifices offered can be elevated to the perfect offering as the consecrated Bread and Wine that Christ made into His holy Body and Blood. Thus, we can never stop glorifying the LORD with prayers, hymns, and sacrificial offerings.
LORD, I have nothing, I need nothing, I lack nothing, and I desire nothing except YOU my LORD!