Have you ever sat in a church service and felt like the message wasn’t for you, but it was meant for someone else?
What’s good for some is NOT good for All.
You may not be surprised, that the answer to this question starts with Jesus, as he is talking with the Samaritan woman at the well.
KEY TRUTH: Jesus who is Jewish, is talking to a Samaritan woman, treating her as His equal regardless of customary traditions of this time period, that a Jewish man should not speak to a Samaritan woman while they are alone.
The woman at the well questions the ability of Jesus to provide “living water” (SPIRIT) because he lacks a bucket and a rope. She then uses Jacob as the benchmark of authority and challenges Jesus to give her this water.
Jesus then reveals the TRUTH.
The woman claims she has no husband. In fact, she does not. She has had 5 husbands. In addition, the man she is with now, is also not her husband. Again, the woman tries to divert him from the truth by talking about religion focusing on where the Jews and Gentiles should worship.
Jesus responds to the woman:
John 4 23-24 NIV
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
In reference to the conversation with the woman, Jesus is referring to worship not being confined to a single geographical place. He is also defining that worship is not necessarily regulated by the temporary requirements of old testament law.
Here is the underlying KEY TRUTH in the message from Jesus:
Jesus is telling us, that separation of Jew and Gentile is no longer relevant. He is telling us that central places of worship are not necessary. He is saying that ALL God’s children have EQUAL access to God through Him. Worship is the matter of the heart, not external actions. Worship is directed by TRUTH rather than ceremony!
The root of the Spirit is Jesus. Jesus is LOVE.
Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth requires loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
True worship must be in spirit, meaning it engages the whole heart. Without genuine passion for God, there is no worship in spirit. At the same time, worship must be in truth, meaning it must be properly informed. Without a true knowledge of the God we worship, there is no worship in truth. Both spirit and truth are essential for worship that honors God.
Spirit without Truth leads to shallow emotional experiences that compare to being High. As soon as the emotion is over, the feeling ends and the worship ends.
Truth without Spirit can result in a passionless encounter that can simply lead to joyless legalism.
When Spirit and Truth are both present, the results of worship are joyous appreciations of God that are backed by scripture.
In my search for TRUTH, I was directed to 18th century Theologian Johnathan Edwards.
Edwards said “I should think myself in the way of my duty to raise the affections(emotions) of my hearers as high possibility I can, provided that they are effected with nothing but TRUTH.” (TRUTH emphasis mine)
Edwards realized that TRUTH and ONLY TRUTH can correctly effect the emotions of worshipers in a way that brings honor to God.
· Emotionalism without truth, leads to fanaticism or shallow spirituality.
· Intellectualism without affection, leads to cold, lifeless religion.
Worship in Truth = Deep Heartfelt Love from the Holy Spirit.
Worship in Spirit = Correct Knowledge of God and Scripture
GOD-HONORING WORSHIP REQUIRES BOTH SPIRIT AND TRUTH.
