Spirit And Truth

 

But coming is the hour, and now is, when the true worshippers will be worshipping the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is also seeking such to be worshipping Him.

John 4: 23, Concordant New Testament 

How is it that you worship the Lord?  Is there a process you feel that you need to follow in order to somehow "feel close" to the Father?  Well, many a church might lead us to believe such things.  But how does the Father Himself desire to be worshipped?  I dare say that the mainstream church is seldom the example we should hold high when we speak of authentic worship.  I look at the relationship Adam and Eve shared with the Father in the garden.  However, if we can count spending time with a spiritual presence as a relationship then we might be on to something.  Look at the life of Adam and Eve in the garden.  Can we assume that there was communication between the Lord and man which He created?  Absolutely.  We have evidence of this after Adam and Eve partake of the forbidden fruit which the Lord had commanded them not to eat.  Immediately the Lord came looking for Adam and called out to him {Genesis 3:8}.  The gig was up.  Was this the first time the Lord had spoken to Adam?  I really don't buy into that.  I believe that Adam and Eve communed with the Lord in the garden each day.  Why is this important?  Because it sheds light onto how it is that the Father desires to be worshipped.  I refuse to believe that God requires all sorts of ceremonies and sideshows whenever we desire to commune with Him.  We're told that during His own ministry that Jesus would often retreat away from His disciples and others that He might commune with the Father.  We find one of these moments in John chapter 17, where Jesus speaks to the Father of His children becoming One with He and the Father {John 17:1-25}.  Is Jesus coming to the Father in spirit and truth in these instances?  Well, I would say that Jesus is communing with the Father in a way that many Christians have longed to yet few have ever done.  At least communing with Him in a deep and heartfelt way without even realizing it.  My late mother often referred to her prayers as her heart whispers, and she was right on the money.  During her prayer times, she would open her heart to the Father.  Yes, God knew what she was going to say even before she said it, but this was her worship of the Lord in spirit and truth.  

God is in spirit, and those who are worshipping Him must be worshipping in spirit and truth. 

John 4: 24, Concordant New Testament 

I have never desired to be a constant critic of the mainstream church, it's just that I have seen so much in my time there.  A dear friend has challenged me a few times to lay off the church, yet it's difficult to do with such an inviting target.  My reason for contrasting the mainstream church with the Jesus I now see in me has always been that others would see the freedom which I now see in Christ.  How we approach our worship of the Father is a classic example.  I believe that the very reason that Jesus presented to the woman at the well this radical new way of worship was not to degrade the church, but to bring God's children closer to Him.  The communing with the Lord which Adam and Eve enjoyed in the garden.  Spirit and truth.  God does not require His children to jump through all of the hoops of the mainstream praise and worship services.  As I contemplated this writing last night, I thought back to those times where I felt closest to God.  Those times when I opened my heart to Him and truly enjoyed communing with the Father.  Those times have become a regular part of my day now that I have seen Christ in me.  We have never needed a big church building to be near to the Father.  No, what we needed was the knowing in our hearts that He is with us always. 

~Scott~