John 4: 22-24
22 “You Samaritans worship something you don’t understand. We Jews understand what we worship, since salvation comes from the Jews. 23 But the time is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. In fact, that time is now here. And these are the kind of people the Father wants to be his worshipers. 24 God is spirit. So the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ERV
This morning, I was in a phone conference Bible study with other members of the church I attend. I love participating in these Bible studies because we get to hear what some of us get out of the word that is shared and the unique way in which God speaks to us out of the same passage. So I heard one sister share her testimony about how God sent a maintenance person to her apartment to give her a warning about her outdated smoke alarms even though she had not placed the order with the apartment management to come and check them out for her.
When someone sends an alarm it is a warning that cannot and should not be ignored. The maintenance person told her she needed new and updated smoke alarms throughout her apartment because the ones she had were no longer fit to be used; neither did they work because they were outdated.
The Lord spoke to me through that testimony to let me know that it is the same with His Church. The view and understanding His people have about the way He wants to be worshiped is full of the influence of the world and does not fit His description of the true way this is to be done as it is found in His Word. This makes them ineffective in their walk as believers in these end times.
But unfortunately, the enemy came and stole the true worship of God through wrong doctrines and through attacks on God`s people that left them preoccupying themselves with the cares of this world more than on desiring to seek the Kingdom of God and all His righteousness. Matthew 6:33 says in the Easy-To-Read-Version, 33 “What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” This is a principle of the Kingdom of God that we must pay careful attention to.
One important reason is that just as the Samaritans mentioned in the initial passage of John chapter 4, many in the body of Christ have mixed views of what it means to walk with and worship the Father in Spirit and in truth as a lifestyle. The Samaritans were people rejected by the Jews because they were considered tainted people who were part Jew and part Gentile. Their ancestors had intermarried and had children from idolatrous races. Something the word of God says is not to be done (Exodus 34:12-17; Deuteronomy 7:3-4).
But God has mercy on His people that have perished for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6) of Him and of the ways of His Kingdom. And just like when Jesus visited the Samaritan woman at the well who is the one He explained the true way to Worship the Father who is Spirit, this is certainly a high time for the body of Christ to learn what it means to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.
James 1: 26-27 says,
26 “You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. 27 The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good.” ERV
This is indeed the way to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Saying anything that comes to mind about Him and about His people, not realizing that we may be speaking against the move of the Holy Spirit in a brother or a sister`s life, or even our leaders, causes us to enter into the realm of giving worthless offerings to God with our mouths. Also how we talk about the Father and the ways of the Kingdom is important because the Bible says we are judged by the words we say (Proverbs 6:2).
We see this evidence in Job 42: 7-8
7 “After the Lord finished talking to Job, he spoke to Eliphaz from Teman. He said, ′I am angry with you and your two friends, because you did not tell the truth about me, as my servant Job did. 8 So now, Eliphaz, get seven bulls and seven rams. Take them to my servant Job. Kill them and offer them as a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will answer his prayer. Then I will not give you the punishment you deserve. You should be punished, because you were very foolish. You did not say what is right about me, as my servant Job did.′”
We need to be careful not to curse our wilderness season, the land He has called us to be fruitful if it is different than the place where we were born and raised, nor curse our brothers and sisters with our words, only because we are too careless or lazy to intercede for them and ask God how we can pray or help them in their situation because in our religious view (without realizing it), we think the Word of God is meant exactly the way you interpret it. Our wisdom is not from above when we respond in this way (James 3:17).
We are to judge things not only by the logos but more importantly by the spirit of the Word (John 6:63). I have found this aspect of the walk of the Believer to be absent and they are also unskilled in discerning why a person is going through what they are going through, and how they can bring heaven down to earth on behalf of others. God will not allow them to see into what they are judging with self-righteousness instead of the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus who came not to judge the world but to save it (John 12:47).
So let`s take another look at the way God admonishes His Church to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, found in James 1:26-27,
26 “You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. 27 The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good.” ERV
Therefore, the three components of worshiping the Father in Spirit and in truth include:
1. That we not only observe and are careful about the things we say about God and about others. This is also a word for leaders because we are accountable for what we teach others about God.
2. That we make sure that the orphans and the widows that are among us and are an essential part of His body are taken care of, are not ignored, and that they lack nothing. This means that we cannot ignore the cries of the poor and destitute in God`s house because the Word says that when they cry out to God and are ignored, God takes up their case and those who shut their ears to their cries, will be ignored when they cry out in their time of need (Proverbs 21:13).
3. That we keep ourselves free from the world`s evil influence. Romans 12:1-2 explains how. 1“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].” AMP
This means that our goal is to become one with God through His Son Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him and that we mature in our walk as believers manifesting our spiritual completeness (through our love walk) and exercise our spiritual gifts in unity with one another without competition or strife.
Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him.” AMP. This explains that our Father is perfect in His giving to us and He calls us to be as perfect as He is. But how do we do that?
Matthew 19:2 describes, “Jesus answered him, “If you wish to be perfect [that is, have the spiritual maturity that accompanies godly character with no moral or ethical deficiencies], go and sell what you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” AMP
John 4:22 says, “We Jews understand what we worship, since salvation comes from the Jews.” ERV. This verse clarifies and gives us testimony of how the early Church worshiped the Father in Spirit and in truth as described in Acts 2:44-45
44 “And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole]. 45 And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need.” AMP
Acts 4:32-34 adds, 32 “Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one [of them] claimed that anything belonging to him was [exclusively] his own, but everything was common property and for the use of all. 33 And with great ability and power the apostles were continuously testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace [God’s remarkable lovingkindness and favor and goodwill] rested richly upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them, and bringing the proceeds of the sales 35 and placing the money down at the apostles’ feet. Then it was distributed to each as anyone had need.” AMP
Thus, this is the acceptable and pleasing way that God`s people are called to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. To God alone be all the glory. ▪ © 2017.
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