Wanted: True Worshippers

“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.” (John 4:23)

This Samaritan woman, of whom we read in verses four through twenty-nine of John four, found Jesus to be a Man who knew all about her, yet did not refuse to converse with her, even though the Jews at that time had “no dealings with the Samaritans” (v.9). After sweeping aside ethnic arguments and pointing out her moral (or, rather, immoral) condition, He shot down her assumption that worship is confined to a certain place, by saying, “[T]he hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem, worship the Father” (v.21).

We who are believers are not beyond making the same mistake. We are tempted (and sometimes programmed) to limit our worship of God to a particular time and place. But the only prerequisites for worship as laid out in this passage are 1) that it be in line with the Word of God; and 2) that it be accompanied by the presence of the Spirit of God. There are at least two dangers connected with this mistake.

First, it will rob us of precious, daily worship. The same Holy Spirit we are often more conscious of in church, is the same Holy Spirit we brought in the door with us! And I can assure you, God is every bit as worthy of praise and worship on Monday as He is on Sunday, regardless of how we may feel on either day.

Obviously, then, the second danger would be in thinking that the only place to worship is with our brothers and sisters with whom we worship in the local church. Make no mistake; it is needful, even imperative, for us to assemble with the people of God (Heb.10:25) and to participate in collective worship. But if that becomes our sole point of worship, we can easily flounder spiritually if it is taken away. As Jesus said in verse twenty-one, things do change. And we change. But our worship should be constant amid any and all change.

God has made Himself available to us at all times, not just for help but for worship, as well. Jesus said true worshippers worship Him in spirit and in truth, anywhere, anytime, any place, under any circumstances. That’s the kind of worshippers the Father is looking for. Are you one of them?

"If you cannot worship the Lord in the midst of your responsibilities on Monday, it is not very likely that you were worshiping on Sunday!" ~ Whatever Happened to Worship? A.W. Tozer