In Spirit and In Truth
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24
What do you expect when you “come to worship”? Do you expect to feel “good”, or better than when you arrived? Do you expect to feel reverent? Excited? On fire for God? Smarter or wiser? Do you feel closer to God? Is it the highlight of your week? Are you convicted? Do you feel unworthy? Or do you feel frustrated, confused, disappointed, tired, bored, or even angry? Did we do it right, or are you worried that we may have missed something or that some things weren’t done just right? Do you feel anything at all? Or did you come to just punch your “time clock” so that God and the Elders knew you were there?
What does God expect of us? Most of these feelings I just described have to do with “us” – how WE feel. Too often we focus on ourselves in our worship. In John 4, the Samaritan woman asks what she thought was the important question, “where is the right place to worship?” And I believe that the answer surprised her. Basically, Jesus told her that the “where” doesn’t matter, it’s the “how” that matters to God.
The Greek word that Jesus uses means to prostrate oneself in homage, or reverence, or adoration (literally to “kiss toward”, like a dog licking his Master’s hand). Our job, as worshippers is to ascribe worth to our Father...to realize that we are not there for us. We do not come to our worship assemblies to feel good, or Godly, or penitent, or righteous, or pious. We come simply to honor our God and Creator, who loved us enough to save us from our sin and ourselves. Our job, as the worship committee and as worship leaders, is to help you facilitate your worship – as you come into the presence of God in adoration. Each song is designed to help you focus your thoughts and heart on honoring God and encouraging one another. For each speaker that is chosen, we suggest that their thoughts be designed to help us remember Christ’s sacrifice. Each prayer offered is to direct our hearts in praise and submission to the Father as we petition Him for the needs of our church family and for guidance.
There are ample opportunities for men to serve in the worship service, and I truly appreciate your willingness to be assist and support the worship of your brothers and sisters. Whether or not you play a visible role in the service, I encourage you to do all you can to minimize distractions and to uplift and serve those around you.
Most of all, remember that worship is about what we give to God, not about what we get out of it.
What do you expect when you “come to worship”? Do you expect to feel “good”, or better than when you arrived? Do you expect to feel reverent? Excited? On fire for God? Smarter or wiser? Do you feel closer to God? Is it the highlight of your week? Are you convicted? Do you feel unworthy? Or do you feel frustrated, confused, disappointed, tired, bored, or even angry? Did we do it right, or are you worried that we may have missed something or that some things weren’t done just right? Do you feel anything at all? Or did you come to just punch your “time clock” so that God and the Elders knew you were there?
What does God expect of us? Most of these feelings I just described have to do with “us” – how WE feel. Too often we focus on ourselves in our worship. In John 4, the Samaritan woman asks what she thought was the important question, “where is the right place to worship?” And I believe that the answer surprised her. Basically, Jesus told her that the “where” doesn’t matter, it’s the “how” that matters to God.
The Greek word that Jesus uses means to prostrate oneself in homage, or reverence, or adoration (literally to “kiss toward”, like a dog licking his Master’s hand). Our job, as worshippers is to ascribe worth to our Father...to realize that we are not there for us. We do not come to our worship assemblies to feel good, or Godly, or penitent, or righteous, or pious. We come simply to honor our God and Creator, who loved us enough to save us from our sin and ourselves. Our job, as the worship committee and as worship leaders, is to help you facilitate your worship – as you come into the presence of God in adoration. Each song is designed to help you focus your thoughts and heart on honoring God and encouraging one another. For each speaker that is chosen, we suggest that their thoughts be designed to help us remember Christ’s sacrifice. Each prayer offered is to direct our hearts in praise and submission to the Father as we petition Him for the needs of our church family and for guidance.
There are ample opportunities for men to serve in the worship service, and I truly appreciate your willingness to be assist and support the worship of your brothers and sisters. Whether or not you play a visible role in the service, I encourage you to do all you can to minimize distractions and to uplift and serve those around you.
Most of all, remember that worship is about what we give to God, not about what we get out of it.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
posted by Carl Wheeler at 6:52 PM
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