ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 PULELULU SIULAI 22, 2026

‘AISEA 1-4; 1 SIONE 3:16-24

God is not content with your apathetic participation in the formal rituals of the church; he wants to rule your heart.

‘Ikai finangalo lelei ‘a e ‘Otua ki ho’o tauhi fakatu’unga me’a pe ‘a e oua ‘o e lotu; ‘oku ne fiema’u ke ne pule’i ho loto. 

God has gifted us with the local church, where we can be instructed in the gospel, lift our voices in songs of praise, give out of the treasures he has provided for us, and enjoy the community of his people. The church, with all of its rituals, is a precious gift from the God of grace. Your participation in the life and activities of the church is meant to flow from a heart that has submitted to your Redeemer. But that is not always what happens in worship. Formalism is one of the gospel's most seductive and deceptive counterfeits. It looks like real Christianity on the surface, but it lacks that which Jesus came to redeem and rule: the heart. Formalism is not new. It was around in the Old Testament, where we see how seriously God responded to this counterfeit worship:

Hear the word of the LORD,

you rulers of Sodom!

Give ear to the teaching of our God,

you people of Gomorrah!

"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

says the LORD;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of well-fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

or of lambs, or of goats.

"When you come to appear before me,

who has required of you

this trampling of my courts?

Bring no more vain offerings;

incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations-

I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

Your new moons and your appointed feasts

my soul hates;

they have become a burden to me;

I am weary of bearing them." (Isa. 1:10-14)

Everything that God here calls an abomination-sacrifices, burnt offerings, coming to the temple, the Sabbath, convocations, appointed feasts-are practices he ordained and commanded his people to participate in. But they were to flow from hearts that were faithful to him, producing a life of willing obedience to his commands.

This passage is a warning to us. We must not pride ourselves on the consistency of our church attendance, the regularity of our giving, or the degree of our theological knowledge. God designed us to live out of the heart, that is, everything we do and say is controlled by the thoughts and desires of our heart. And he will settle for nothing less than the ownership and true worship of our hearts. 

He will not be satisfied with our singing songs of grace on Sunday if throughout the rest of the week we respond gracelessly to the people we live and work with. How about you? Is there a disconnect between what you say you believe, what you celebrate on Sunday, and how you live your life on the other days of the week? Thankfully, God gives forgiving and empowering grace for this struggle.