The Power of Worshipናሙና

WORSHIP AND HOLINESS

INTRODUCTION

Some comparisons are found in the above verses: 

If we look at the Bible verses, we can learn that God is looking for those who worship Him in Spirit and truth.

The Samaritan woman had an encounter with Jesus and her life was transformed after receiving the revelation from Jesus.

DISCUSSION

A. God is looking for true worshipers 

Everything that is created by God has a purpose to glorify Him. Everything that happens on earth is a process to reveal the glory of God, therefore the Lord is seeking the true worshippers who will give Him the glory; the worshipers who worship Him not just for one to two hours in the church on Sunday, but those who worship Him in every moment of their lives. 

1. The right ones, and not the false ones 

The dialogue between Jesus and Samaritan woman described a comparison between the true and false worshipers. 

The opposite of ‘true’ is ‘false’. If there is a true worshiper, there is also a false worshiper.

- The Samaritan woman worshiped the God whom she did not know (false worshiper) while Jesus, who was a Jew, worshiped the Father, the Spirit whom He knew very well (the true worshiper).

- The Samaritan woman worshiped her god in the mountain, in Jerusalem which is a physical object (false worshiper) while Jesus worshiped the Father who was the Spirit. This Spirit is a spiritual object that could only be responded to with an earnest heart (true worshiper)

What Lord Jesus says about the importance of true worship, which is worship through heart, is right, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Mat 15:8) 

2. The priority 

To be a true worshiper is not a choice for us. In verse 23b, it is said that the Father Himself ‘seeks’ the kind of worshipers. The original word used for the word ‘seek’ is ‘zeteo’ which means to seek until someone finds it. This is talking about the priority of true worshipers.

The Lord is seeking true worshipers. There is no higher priority than a condition when God Himself tries to seek and find.  

B. The true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and truth 

As true worshipers, we have to worship in spirit and truth. The Father is our focus of worship. Worshiping in spirit but not in the truth will cause us to worship false gods. Worshiping in truth but not in the spirit will cause our worship to be so rigid and dead. There is no life in it. 

1. We have to worship the Father who is Spirit 

God is Spirit. He is not limited by space and time. He is omnipresent. He was there before the earth was created by Him. When we were born again, He took over our spirit (John 3:6) so that we could worship Him. Because of His omnipresence characteristics, we could worship Him anywhere.

2. We have to worship the Father in the Spirit 

To worship God in the spirit means to worship Him from the depth of our hearts that are directed by the Holy Spirit’s life and actions. The main factor to become a true worshiper is to guard and direct our hearts only to God.

3. We have to worship the Father in truth

To worship God in the spirit means to worship Him based on His Lordship characteristics that are written in the Word of God. We worship God because of His love, His justice, His grace, and His will. The Word of God is the only source and guidance to worship in the truth. 

C. The true worshipers worship in holiness 

“God is holy”, this is one of Jesus’ characteristics when He talked with the Samaritan woman. This was proven when the Lord asked about her many husbands (John 4:17-18), in which she gave an honest answer about her sinful and unholy life. After this, the Lord continued with true worship.

God said this to explain the relationship between holiness, life, and worship. This was confirmed by Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Service (worship), body (life), and holiness are series that cannot be separated. One of the true worshiper’s characteristics is holiness. 

CONCLUSION

1. We can worship God because He is the Lord. Our love and total surrender to the Most Holy One come from the fact that the Lord has first loved us.

2. Worshipping God is a life with a heart that wants to love and glorify the Lord based on the truth of the Word of God.

3. A life consists of  the physical body, soul, and spirit which are given as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to the Lord.