Text: John 4:20-24
“Jesus said unto her: Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

Ye worship ye know not what; we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews.

But the hour cometh, and now is when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.”

The woman at the well of Samaria, already embarrassed by Jesus’ knowledge of her five previous husbands, a secret she guarded so jealously. She quickly introduced a different topic, lest she be more embarrassed. She raised a religious question, a raging controversy between the Jews and Samaritans regarding the proper place of worship.

In doing this, she struck a chord very dear to the Lord’s heart: “worship of the Father”.

Worship is perhaps the most important indulgence of any God follower. The key thing to note about worship is that it is a product of covenant and is defined by the covenant. That’s exactly what the Lord was saying in that teaching. Under the law, you worshipped God in a way that generated controversies regarding location, whether it be in Jerusalem or Mt Gezirim, but a new dispensation is around the corner, where the worship of God will assume a new form and style, ‘worship in spirit and truth.’

‘The Father’, Jesus says, ‘seeks such to worship him.’ Take note of the word ‘seeks’ in that verse. That means it’s important to God. That means those who do so are few, hence the seeking. And most importantly, that means he detests those who worship him in any way other than ‘in spirit and truth’. That’s huge.

Worship is often misconstrued, even among Christians as the act of singing, chanting praises, or adopting physical postures like kneeling, bowing, prostrating etc. To some Christians quick beat music that goes with clapping and dancing is ‘Praise’, whilst slow dragging music is ‘worship’. 

How wrong! Worship is not singing to the Lord. Singing to the Lord in whatever tone or tune, beats or lyrics is only a form of expression of a worshipful heart. Worship of the Lord is bigger and could be expressed in various other forms than singing, lifting up of hands or dancing.

So Pastor, what is worship?

Worship is what we owe God as the benefactor of our lives. It’s our submission to his goodness and providence. It’s our own part of the deal. Every married woman here knows that when a man puts a ring on her finger and says: ‘I do’, she has her own part of the deal.

Worship is not work. It’s a consummation of a relationship. It’s an attitude or disposition (if you like) towards God. The Lord himself forbad any form of labour in worship, even under the old covenant of Law. (See Exodus 20:25). He instructed Moses to ensure that the Altar is not made of hewn stones and no steps should be carved leading to it. ‘Hewn stones’ is done with tools, and this represents human works, while ‘steps’ represent methods. Human efforts and formats have no place in worship of the Lord under the new dispensation of grace. They corrupt the whole plan of redemption which is: ‘grace freely given and freely received’.

Philipians 4:7 – “And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.

One of the greatest forms of true worship is found in the way we live. If we have found grace in Christ,  does it reflect in our lifestyle? The first indication that you have understood the mystery of God’s grace is when you are able to dole out grace freely unto others. Look around you: ”Who needs to take you for granted? Make that to happen for them cheaply. Not because you are naive or weak, but because of the Lord. That’s grace. That’s worship unto the Lord.

When you deliberately refrain from reaping all your profits painstakingly, leaving off some corners for your labourers, that’s grace. It’s a form of worship.

Are we in God’s rest? That’s the one place the Bible approves ‘fear’: let us fear lest we enter not into God’s rest. In fact, we are admonished to labour our way into it.Entering into and remaining in God’s rest is a worship lifestyle. The Lord is sanctified continually in your heart. He alone is your fear. You do not fret at what the world frets upon. Your mind is stayed on the Lord. That’s worship.

Isaiah 26:3– “Thou shalt cause him to dwell in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon thee…”

This was a prophecy regarding the times we now live in. Those who stay in the worship lifestyle will have peace inspite of the tumultuous present age.

Jesus said: ” Fear not little flock, for it is your father’s good pleasure, to give you the kingdom.” (Lk 12:32).

How about gratitude? How about contentment?The greatest worship of God is to be grateful and content with what you are today; your present station in life and your goods, no matter how large or small. 

Paul says: “For I have learnt in whatever state I am, to be content…” (Phil 4:11). Friends,that’s worship.

How about your own world view? How do you see issues? From the prism of human intellect, political or social correctness? Do you maintain a biblical world view despite the hazards of sounding stupid or bigoted before your folks? Yeah, that’s worship brothers and sisters. Enoch did so in his generation. Godly lifestyle was out of fashion in his day, but he stuck with it, and God took him. That’s worship. Your views on abortion, or same sex may look moribund, but that’s godliness. It’s a worship lifestyle. 

Hear Paul: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,  it’s the power of God unto salvation to us who believe…” That’s worship.

How about your submitting to God’s sovereignty on a matter? I mean doing something you will normally never do. But just because it is God. Hear Queen Esther ‘s response to Mordecai: “And, if I perish, I perish…” Friends that’s worship. 

I was once faced with what many could call a tough decision at Dubai lnternational Airport. I was about to board a flight to Nigeria. A lady approached me with a request I considered bizarre. She wanted me to accept one of her baggages and check it into the airline as my own, because she had excess luggage. At first I stared at her like : “hey, who does that these days, are you kidding me?” But when she kept pestering me, I didn’t know when in frustration, I uttered a short prayer in tongues. Ah! She quickly latched unto that. Sir, I am a believer. I am a Pastor’s wife. Pastor who? …And before you knew it, I was like Queen Esther. “If I perish, the Lord knows I am not doing this for this woman, but for Him”. So  I checked in the luggage. At Lagos, she got her box and came to thank me. I said to her: “don’t thank me because I couldn’t have carried your luggage. I did it unto the Lord as Christian duty. I did you no favour Madam”.

If you live and walk in the spirit, you are in worship of the Lord. Gal 5:15-16.

Selah!

– Nich Mbaezue Ph.D.