I was reading this morning in John where Jesus begins a dialogue with a Samaritan woman. He surprises her by telling her some of her own life story. Then Jesus began to teach her about the true nature of worship.
He then said “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24
As I think about our churches and culture today, I see many churches that look more like American Idol and Americas Got Talent. We’ve created a culture of entertainers and congregations that want to be simply entertained. Often, when we mention praise and worship, many think only of the music, the singing and playing. If the music isn’t good or too loud or too soft, we just go somewhere else. If the music moves us, then we think we’ve had a wonderful worship experience.
Is this the worship that God is seeking? Is the message getting lost in the presentation? Is worshiping God in spirit and truth not about what we get or feel but what we offer to an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God (those are some high dollar words for the nature of God)? I believe that worshiping in spirit and in truth is worship that involves the whole heart and is in harmony with God’s revealed truth. To quote the prophet Boston, it’s “More than a Feeling.”
If God Himself is the one seeking worshippers, will He go where worship is shallow and meaningless? Will He associate Himself with those who are more concerned with entertaining the world than in truly honoring God? I believe (and scripture backs this up) that God will seek and will find those who worship Him the way He desires to be worshiped. My prayer is that Three Point would be the church that is concerned about the One who we are to glorify and not what we get out of it – that we would not be like the culture around us, but that we would be different as we seek to follow Jesus.