WORSHIPPING IS DRINKING

John 4:21-24 – Jesus responded, “Believe me, dear woman, the time has come when you won’t worship the Father on a mountain nor in Jerusalem, but in your heart. Your people don’t really know the One they worship. We Jews worship out of our experience, for it’s from the Jews that salvation is made available. From here on, worshiping the Father will not be a matter of the right place but with the right heart. For God is a Spirit, and he longs to have sincere worshipers who worship and adore him in the realm of the Spirit and in truth.”

Worship has become an integral part of public and private worship in the Christian world and it comes in every shape, size, and flavor. Regrettably not everything termed as music or singing qualifies for what Jesus was describing here. The woman from Samaria talked about a certain type of worship that was offered in a mountain in Samaria. Jesus got right to the point, worship is not about a style or a location, true worship flows from the heart of someone that has been touched by the Holy Spirit. He said it had to be in Spirit and in Truth. Jonathan Edwards had something to say about this worship in Spirit and in Truth, he said people who were not truly born again could howl but they couldn’t worship God. That may sound a little harsh but you get the point, true worship flows out of a heart touched and filled with the love of God. Worship is the true overflow of a heart filled with God’s love.

So this brings us to the point of this message. In order to become a worshipper my heart needs to be deeply affected by the Holy Spirit. Spending time in His presence or soaking in His presence is what transforms us into the kind of worshipper Jesus spoke about and is seeking; those who worship in Spirit and in Truth.

So in the practical world how would one do this? First, attend a worshipping church and actually arrive there in time for worship. Secondly, create an atmosphere and a lifestyle of worship by listening to worship music as often as possible. Finally, create a habit of worship in your own life. As Paul said, “speak to one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs making melody in your heart to the Lord”. Hang out with worshippers and you will be well on your way.