A Few Thoughts on Worship (2)
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. John 4:20-22
We must not miss the fact in verse 4 that Jesus had to travel through Samaria. It would not have made sense since the Jewish people avoided contact with the Samaritans, considering them unclean. Jesus obviously stood against this racial practice.
- For the woman at the well, Christ needed to go through Samaria for her sake. She needed the water that would quench her eternal thirst.
- For us, we need to understand the nature of true worship.
The woman at the well equated worship to be outward conformity. She also understood worship to be related to a place. People do that today – even Christians, considering the local church to be the place of worship. It is important to recognize that worship is not simply something we do between 10:00 A.M. and 12:00 P.M on Sunday mornings. Neither is it something we do by habit or routine. Many consider worship as monotonous and meaningless and it can become that if we link the place or the form of it to certain liturgies, confessions, or traditions. Like the woman at the well, it is easy to see how unbelievers would understand worship to be mundane. They do not personally know our magnificent and omnipresent God. Without recognizing God’s presence, spending the time in some formal worship will be totally boring.
For us, it is important that we understand that the preparation for worship is crucial if we are to experience genuine worship. We must be honest on this matter. There are people who stay out late on Saturday night for all kinds of different reasons and then come to church tired. They have done nothing to prepare for worship. Should they honestly think they will experience genuine worship? Worse is the family that comes to church arguing the whole way and then suddenly turn on their Christian charm when they get out of the car. Can they honestly think they will experience genuine worship? What people do prior to worship, whether it is personal or corporate will determine if true worship is experienced. What they do beforehand will determine whether they receive anything from the “worship” service. We should also recognize that the form of worship is not so nearly important as the preparation for it.
Like the woman at the well, many equate the place as necessary to experience genuine worship.
In the past, people have said, “We can experience worship at the mountains or on a beach or even in my basement.” There is some truth to the statement since our corporate worship is an expression of our personal worship. However, if a person or family is at the beach or in the mountains every Sunday morning when the saints gather, we can be sure they are not worshipping the Lord. No, you do not need a beautiful cathedral to worship, but there is something very important relating to the saints encouraging one another in true worship.
In Nehemiah 8, Ezra opened the Word of God in the sight of the people at which time the people all stood up (v. 5). He read the word of God and gave the meaning, causing the people to understand it (v. 8). The people recognized the majesty of God and responded, “Amen, Amen!” They saw themselves as God saw them and they wept hearing the word (v. 9). They responded to the truth of God which led them to bow the knee in worship. “All worship is an intelligent and loving response to the revelation of God because it is the adoration of His name (Erwin Lutzer). God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18).
The psalmist prayed, Teach me Thy way, O LORD my God, with all my heart to fear Thy name (Psalm 86:11). In genuine worship, there is a reverence in recognizing Who God is. The Bible often calls this, “fear,” causing the worshipper to bow down in recognizing the contrast between Who God is and who we are.
Do you have a longing to draw close to God? Are you in His Word enough so you see Him in contrast to yourself? How often do you recognize His presence in your daily activities? How often do you call upon Him in preparation for worship? Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).
George Stiekes serves as a Lay Pastor at Bethany Bible Church in Hendersonville, NC. See here for a more complete bio of brother Stiekes extensive ministry. We republish his material by permission.
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