Worship in Spirt and Truth
There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans). Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do you get that living water? You are no greater than our father Jacob, are you, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw." He said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
This is a great story. First of all, I love the way Jesus entered so easily into conversations with people. People were drawn to Jesus. He was the Son of God but He was also the Son of Man. He was approachable and normal. As true worshipers, I believe God wants us to be the same way. Are we approachable? Perhaps we are by our familiar church family and friends, but what about the unbelievers? Are they drawn to us, or have we become weird, unapproachable, judgmental people? This is a hard question but one I think we need to ask ourselves.
Jesus then directs a normal conversation to the real issue...worship. In John 4: 19, Jesus speaks directly into this woman's life and immediately she realizes that this is no ordinary conversation. He doesn't condemn her, but He offers her a drink from the river of life. My friend, this is what people are really looking for. Let's make sure we offer the "real thing" every time we have an opportunity. Jesus goes on to tell this woman that the Father has been looking for her for a long time. He wants her to become a true worshiper of God. Suddenly a little uncomfortable, she tries to redirect the conversation to something a little more general, like religion. (John 4: 20) But Jesus immediately brings the conversation back to the issue at hand. God is looking for worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth, not with the traditions and liturgy we have practiced for years.
I believe Jesus has given us a great picture here of what it means to be a true worshiper. In verse 23 of chapter 4, Jesus said, "The hour is coming and now is when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." I believe we are living in that day (the hour is coming) when the Father is going to re-define what true worship is. Jesus also used the phrase, "and now is." I think Jesus was telling us to look at His life as an example on how we are supposed to live as true worshipers. He was saying to that woman, "Look at my life now. I am a true worshiper and I am worshiping my Father in spirit and truth." We must pattern our lives after His if we want to be a true worshiper.
As I have looked at the life of Jesus in the Gospels, there are hardly any direct references to praise and worship music as we know it today. Does this mean it wasn't an important part of His life? Not at all. In Matthew 21:15-16, the chief priests and scribes were upset because the children were lifting their voices in praise saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Jesus responds to them by quoting (actually paraphrasing) Psalm 8:2. "Yes, have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?" It is clear that Jesus understood the principles and the importance of praise and worship when it is pure and innocent like that coming from a child. This kind of praise brings us strength and silences the enemy! (Psalm 8:2) Another reference to music is found in Matthew 26: 30 after Jesus had celebrated the Passover with His disciples. "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." Apparently, Jesus and His disciples loved hymns too! (And we thought "blended worship" was a new thing!).
Jesus was a true worshiper, yet in His life as we see it in the Gospels, He did not spend a lot of time talking about the different styles and forms of worship music that have become such controversial subjects in our churches today. Instead, He spent His time focusing on the real issues of worship such as sincerity, honesty, character, and our heart motivation. Jesus knew that if these issues were addressed in our lives, our worship to the Father would be full of spirit and truth.
As a worshiper and a worship leader, I am always analyzing what I am doing and why I am doing it. Is it sincere, honest, and heartfelt? Does my life on and off the platform reflect the pattern given by Jesus as a true worshiper? When people have a conversation with me do they recognize that there is something different about me and are they challenged to have a deeper relationship with the Father because of our conversation?
I want to challenge all of us to look to Jesus and His life as an example of a true worshiper. Let's use Jesus as the standard and not try to imitate anyone else. Then, and only then, will we become the worshipers the Father is seeking. We will be those who worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.
Source: www.integritymusic.com
