Mentoring Manna:  True Worshipers

© 2003 Pastor Keith Hassell

MM00090

John 4:23-24 (NKJV) “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

            As He traveled, Jesus came to a town called Samaria.  The Samaritans were inter-racially mixed Israelites.  Because the Jews despised them, the Samaritans rejected Jerusalem as the place of worship, established their own place of worship, and accepted only the Law of Moses (first five books of the Bible) as Scripture.  Jesus met a woman of Samaria who questioned him about the right place to worship. Should people worship in Samaria or in Jerusalem?  Who are the true worshipers?

            First, true worshipers are not defined by the place they worship: “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.”[1] God cannot be contained in a temple (or church building) made with hands (Acts 7:48). Neither is He worshiped with men’s hands as though He needed anything (Acts 17:25). God does not dwell in buildings, structures, organizations, or denominations.  It is true worship of the Father that is central for all who desire to be true worshipers.

            Second, true worshipers are Scriptural worshipers.  The Samaritan’s worship was defective.  Jesus stated that the Jews worshiped God with a true knowledge of God---a more complete understanding because they accepted all of God’s word rather than just a part. We cannot pick and choose how we will worship God.  We cannot create our own god by cutting and pasting passages together. True worshipers accept God’s word as the revelation of who the Father is and as the foundation upon which legitimate worship toward God is built.

            Third, true worshipers worship God in spirit.  True worshipers do not worship God out of dead religious form and tradition.  No, their spirit is alive in worship of the Father.  Worship is like the air they breathe.  Sincere passion for God defines those who worship in spirit.  Empty form and legalism characterizes those who do not.

            Fourth, true worshipers worship the Father in truth.  It is not enough for our worship to be sincere.  The Samaritans were sincere.  So are adherents to other religions. False worshipers can worship with passion, but passion based on a lie is still deception. True worshipers must worship the Father in truth.  We need the revelation of God’s word to correctly understand the person and nature of God the Father who desires to be worshiped.

Fifth, true worshipers come to the Father through Jesus Christ:  “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’”[2]  True worshipers do not worship the Father by means of sacrifices and bloody offerings, but in a manner that receives Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all things. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only way of direct access to worship the Father.[3]  To deny the Son is to be denied access to the Father.

            Sixth, the Father is seeking true worshipers. Every religion produces worshipers. Worshipers abound in every place. But the Father is actively seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and truth.  He is looking for worshipers whose spirit is sincerely alive with passion and for those who worship Him in truth.  These are the worshipers God desires.  These are the ones His heart pursues.

Application:  Are you a true worshiper of the Father?  Don’t settle for being a “religious” worshiper or one whose worship is built on ignorance and lies. Draw near to God in sincerity and in truth. The Father is looking for true worshipers right now.  Will He need to look any further than your own life?  Make a decision that you will not be among those passed over in the Father’s search for true worshipers who worship Him in spirit and truth.

Prayer:  “Heavenly Father, I want to be a true worshiper.  Help me to worship You in spirit and truth. Increase my sincerity and passion in worship. Increase my knowledge of Your truth. I want to be among those You call ‘true worshipers.’ I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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[1] John 4:21 NKJV

[2] John 4:25-26 NKJV

[3] John 14:6