Worship and Music
TRUE PRAISE OR TRADITIONAL PRACTICE
John 4:20-24
In Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, the woman asked two questions about the place of worship. In verse 20 she says, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
In verse 21 - 23 Jesus responds saying, “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship you know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 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.”
From these passages I want to attempt to answer two questions -
(1) What is a true worshipper?
Jesus talks about true worshippers, so by implication there must be false worshipers. It is important to know what makes you a true worshipper, because you don’t want to be a false worshiper.
What make a true worshipper is not where you worship, but who you worship, and how you worship. Verse 23 says true worshippers will worship the Father, which answers the ‘who’. And Jesus says in Verse 24 that they will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth, which answers the ‘how’.
Let’s focus on these two vital aspects of worship - spirit and truth.
Worshipping God in spirit refers to the nature of our worship. This is worship that emanates from the spirit and must be propelled by the indwelling Holy Spirit, flowing from the inside and expressed outwardly.
In our circles it is so easy to go through the outward motions. People might think that you are a true worshipper when you lift up your hands, bowing down, clapping or dancing. And there is nothing wrong with that. I believe we should express our worship outwardly, but it must begin from the heart. In Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus says you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. It must start in your heart and not just be an outward show.
In Mark 7:6-7 Jesus says “they worship me only with their lips but their hearts are far away from me|”. Jesus is speaking of a kind of worship which comes to nothing – “In vain they worship me.”
In vain means empty; it also means fruitless and ineffective.
1 Corinthians 14:15 speaks of singing with the spirit, but also singing with understanding. It is vital to pray in the spirit, but also pray with understanding. Do not worship God from an empty heart or head.
Psalms 47:7 “For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding”. I believe worship to God should be insightful, so your understanding has a role to play when worshipping Him. If you want to worship God in truth, you must have some knowledge of Him. You cannot be a true worshipper unless you know the truth about the one whom you worship. You are not called to be a lazy worshipper, but a zealous one who seeks to find out the truth about God.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
(2) Why is God looking for true worshippers?
It is so amazing that the Sovereign God can be seeking for somebody who can worship Him. God doesn’t lack or need anything, because the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Why is He seeking true worshippers? The definition of seeking is; lacking, not yet found, out of reach. God is actively searching for worshippers amongst us mere mortals. The reason why is not because He is selfish, but for us to be able to break into His presence. Worship does not change God; He is the same before you worship, while you worship, and after you worship.
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
This verse answers the question, who is He seeking and why is He seeking? Quite simply, He is seeking those whose hearts are turned towards Him, so that He may show Himself strong on their behalf.
May God find a Worshipper in you. Remember always that the level of praise and worship in your life will determine the level of God’s presence in your life.
All of these programs and communities are means to the end of worship. Worship is an end, not a means. And we want you to join us in worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
It is great news that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. This means that worship is a feast for the souls of God’s hungry people.
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