Text: John 4:19-24
Memory Verse: ”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” (John 4:23).
The approach to worshipping God is as vital as the acts themselves. Working remotely is innovative, but for onsite-structured enterprises, it is unacceptable to the owners. So, whether it is holy living, Bible teaching/preaching or sharing, repenting, praying, fasting, music and singing, bowing, lifting hands, dancing, or giving, the way they are done cannot fall short of standard.
The implied way is not characterised by physical properties; rather ‘in spirit’. “…that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6), meaning acts of worship, in places or by persons not born of the Holy Spirit is no worship at all. The Holy Spirit is central here.
He is, however, dynamic. Two cripples were healed in Acts 3 and 9. Peter held one up, but did not do so to the other. Two earthquakes in Acts 4 and 16 reveal that psalms were used during the worship in one, but prayer and hymns were used during the other, pointing to the error in presuming that worship can be all figured out.
Believers should always ask and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit for every worship because laid-out patterns invalidate it. A two-hour all packed service following our routine religious schedules may be ineffective, but a few moments of Holy Ghost driven worship manifests God.
Zechariah 4:6 admonishes dependence not on human resources or might, but on revelation(s) from the Holy Spirit, worship inclusive. So, cathedrals, houses, instruments and skills should not shift focus away from this anchor of worship – in spirit – whether spontaneous or recurring.
Prayer Points:
1. Dear Father, help me to live a life of worship to You.
2. Dear Lord, equip me with the will to follow through on every directive from Your Spirit, without hesitation or delay.