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Week:12, Season:1,
2014
Posted on Saturday by PCT
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Worshipping in the Spirit and in truth
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Scripture：《
John 4:19-24
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4：19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
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Therefore, from this Bible passage there are several point worth discussing:
Worshipping in spirit and in truth
Psalm 8:3-4 says, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” God is the creator and the ruler of the universe. We shall worship and follow him. God is our keeper; we shall connect with him so to receive his protection.
Why do people need to worship God? Because “the law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. (Psalms 19:7-9) Through worship we receive love and grace from God. The word of God brings strength, wisdom and the principles for living and offers us a guideline to pay attention to the details of our lives.
Places of worship
The Samaritan woman changed the topic from her personal life to religious questions. She wanted to question Jesus, “We Samaritans believe that Mount Gerizim is the holy place but the Jews believe that people should worship God in Jerusalem. What do you think?”
The Samaritan woman’s question is also our question today: where should we worship God? Which church is more spiritual? Which denomination is better? In this postmodern era, false prophets and teachers are acting like wolves wearing sheepskin. They speak with elegant eloquence and attract people with Prosperity theology point of views which confuses Christians and seekers of truth alike. Therefore, they are all asking the same question: where should we go to worship God?
As a Presbyterian Church minister, I must believe in the spirit of the Reformed Church to propagate teachings of Jesus and stand firm on the position of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan. Over 150 years Presbyterian Church has propagated the gospel of our saviour Jesus Christ and rooted it in Taiwan through education, medical services and social care. Our work has changed many situations where people were in distress and has helped the sufferers to be set free by Jesus. Their life has been renewed by Christ and this beautiful faith has been inherited from generation to generation. Jesus Christ has become a family heirloom for his followers and a source of blessings.
Forms of worship
How should we worship God? Psalm 32:2-3 says, “Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” Psalm 66:1-4 says, “Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.” Paul said in Ephesians 5:18-20, “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We should worship our Lord with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.
Some churches have more traditional and quieter worshipping forms; others have modern worship bands and use contemporary hymns. Generally speaking, older people prefer quieter traditional worship and young people enjoy lively modern worship. The function of a church is to bring people to Jesus; it relies on fellow church workers to work together. It is helpful to maintain a good balance between the forms of worship that older people and the youth prefer so to bring people of all ages to the Lord.
The attitude: in spirit and in truth
We must pay attention to the worshipping forms which can lead more people to the Lord’s table and be careful not to make the service become a personal concert or a show for fan clubs. Never forget that the object we worship is God not someone in a theatre. Our worship, singing and praises are to God. We sk the power of the Creator to help us praise from our heart; we shall remember the teachings from the Bible and apply this to our behaviour. What we do every day reflects our relationship with God. This relationship will be testified through worship. The life testimony is also a part of our worship.
Worshipping in spirit and in truth has an impact on people; an absolutely wonderful and positive effect. How our heart worships the Lord will be reflected in our behaviour; this is the ultimate purpose of worship: to make our life a wonderful testimony to propagate the works of God. True worship is that we show a pure and holy attitude in our daily life and marriage. This is the true meaning of worship of which Jesus spoke to this Samaritan woman.
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For discussion：
1.What are the contents of worship?
2.Which worshipping forms do you like? Why?
3.Have you ever been touched and changed by worship? Can you share why?
Please pray for：
1.So we can pray in our hearts during worship and make worship a part of our life.
2.Pray so church worship can help all brothers and sisters to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.
3.Pray so our worship can become a wonderful testimony to Christ. May the Holy Spirit anoint us with grace and help our worship to bring more people in the community to Jesus.
Prayer：
Lord, we praise your great works; we want to sing and praise you. We are created by you, our maker. When you said let there be light, there was light. You rule the whole universe. How small we are! May you show the way we should walk and help us not to be led into temptation or to be lost on the journey. Help us to know you deeper through all our worship and to rejoice because we believe you. May we receive the rain shower of the spirit in all of our songs of praise. May our life be filled with the grace of the Lord. In the name of Christ, Amen.
Something you can do：
1.Visit brothers and sisters who have not been to church for a while. Take hymn books, the Bible or “Keng Shin” weekly magazine and invite them to join in worship.
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