This year, New Piney Grove will focus on different aspects of worship each month, starting with "Vain Worship." The document discusses how worship must be "in spirit and in truth" to be acceptable to God. Vain worship produces no spiritual fruit because it is hypocritical, stemming from hearts that are far from God Monday through Saturday. Vain worship is defined as being about pride, priorities, and pretense rather than a repented heart, and does not depend on acts, prayers, or feelings. The document encourages avoiding vain worship.

1. NEW PINEY GROVE
2017 THEME
ACCEPTABLE
WORSHIP

2. This year will be devoted to understanding
and learning more about worship. We will
have a different focus each month, but the
main emphasis will be learning how God
wants us to worship Him. This month our
focus will be “Vain Worship.” The Bible is
clear in what type of worship is acceptable
to God. Our efforts to worship God in ways
which are not “in spirit and in truth” are
vain. It other words, it has no spiritual
value and is therefore useless.

3. The biblical word “vain” (matēn) means
fruitless. It is also translated as
groundless, pointless and even can be
rendered as deceitful. Despite our
prayers, preaching or singing, worship is
pointless for those whose hearts are far
from God. Their actions Monday through
Saturday, do not line up with their
participation on Sunday. Therefore, what
we offer to God in worship is hypocritical
and does not and cannot produce fruit.

4. VAIN WORSHIP IS
• Not About acts of sin; God desires a
repented heart and a broken spirit
• Not about how well you pray
• Not about how you feel
• It is about your pride
• It is about your priority
• It is about your pretense

5. DON’T
WORSHIP IN
VAIN