Christmas has come. Santa Clauses, and Christmas trees and presents are everywhere on the streets. The whole city is decorated with illuminations and colorful ribbons, full of joy. Walking in the bustling crowd, I couldn’t help thinking: Do people still remember the redemptive work done by the Lord Jesus incarnate?

When I attended services in the church, I often heard others said: In the second half of the year, the church mainly concentrates on the preparation of the Christmas party, for the Christmas meeting is a most-attended meeting. But after that, people return to their old life. It seems that Christmas is only an occasion for reunion, celebration, and fun. Whenever I saw such scenes, I would think to myself: After Christmas is over, what will remain in our mind? The performances? The presents we’ve received? Nice food? Or the salvation of the Lord Jesus? How many people receive the Lord’s salvation because of Christmas party? How many brothers and sisters come to understand the Lord Jesus’ mind of saving us because of Christmas? Is such action really in accordance with the Lord Jesus’ teachings? However, I never found out the answer. All that I could do was to comfort myself again and again: Better to do than never try. So, previously, I spent every Christmas like that.

It was not until I accepted God’s work in the last days and read God’s words that I finally found the answer and understood God’s will. I read God’s words, “‘But I say to you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day’ (Mat 12:6–8). … When the Lord Jesus said this, there was a premise behind His words, which was that under the law, people had come to see the temple as something greater than God Himself. That is, people worshiped the temple rather than worshiping God, so the Lord Jesus warned them not to worship idols, but to instead worship God, for He is supreme. Thus, He said: ‘I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.’ It is evident that in the eyes of the Lord Jesus, most people living under the law no longer worshiped Jehovah, but were merely going through the motions of sacrificing, and the Lord Jesus determined that this constituted idol worship. These idol-worshipers saw the temple as something greater and higher than God. In their hearts there was only the temple, not God, and if they were to lose the temple, then they would lose their dwelling place. Without the temple they had nowhere to worship and could not carry out their sacrifices. Their so-called ‘dwelling place’ is where they used the false pretense of worshiping Jehovah God in order to stay in the temple and carry out their own affairs. Their so-called ‘sacrificing’ was just them carrying out their own personal shameful dealings under the guise of conducting their service in the temple. This was the reason people at that time saw the temple as greater than God. The Lord Jesus spoke these words as a warning to people, because they were using the temple as a front, and sacrifices as a cover for cheating people and cheating God. … Those people that value rules see rules as greater than God, those people that love status see status as greater than God, those that love their career see careers as greater than God, and so on—all their expressions lead Me to say: ‘People praise God as the greatest through their words, but in their eyes everything is greater than God.’ This is because as soon as people find an opportunity along their path of following God to display their own talents, or to carry out their own business or their own career, they distance themselves from God and throw themselves into their beloved career. As for what God has entrusted to them, and His will, those things have long since been discarded. What is the difference between the state of these people and those who conducted their own business in the temple two thousand years ago?”

God’s words made me understand why God said “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.” Mercy is God’s disposition and God’s salvation of man, whereas sacrifice is merely a formality in the eyes of God. Nowadays, churches hold lavish parties for celebration. By doing so, they are not worshiping God sincerely, but only focus on outward formality like those who worshiped God in the temple. If one believes in God yet merely focuses on outward practices and doesn’t walk in God’s ways, could he be called one who reveres God? In retrospect, since I became a Christian, though I often read the Bible, prayed, and attended meetings, I didn’t esteem the way of the Lord, much less did I understand it. Which is greater, God or the temple, the festival or the way of God? I was not clear about this in my heart. Thus, I placed great importance on action, thinking that it’s better to do than never, but I didn’t know God’s will and what God approves. Take Christmas for example. Many people outwardly pay great attention to this festival. However, they take part in it for social intercourse and fun. Isn’t it sating the lust on the pretense of worshiping God? After reading God’s words, I understood this: If one believes in God yet doesn’t know God or the way of God, he will easily repeat the mistake of the Pharisees, considering the temple to be greater than God. Such belief can’t be approved by God, and neither can he be saved by God when he believes in that way.

Having known God’s will, I didn’t take part in the Christmas party this year or run and bustle for celebrating it, but spent it eating and drinking God’s words and fellowshipping about God’s will with brothers and sisters. I had great enjoyment in it. This is the true worship of God!