Copyright 2009 Theresa Harvard Johnson
(Revised December 2011)
John 4:24
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
For years, I had a wrong perspective of this passage of scripture. I saw worship unto God as an outward act — in which I lifted my hands and made declarations into the atmosphere. At the end of the service or that moment, I actually believed I had worshiped the Father. I thought worship was the process of telling the Lord how wonderful He is. I quickly learned that flattery did not move the Father.
I came to know that my "worship" was learning to live the life I professed and taught through the Word. I learned that worship was relating to the Father through my reverence and reverential fear of Him. I learned that the Word "sold out" meant that I was willing to give up everything to be like Christ in spirit, soul and body. I learned that worship was pressing beyond my selfish desires and completely surrendering my heart and mind to HIS will.
True worship is a lifestyle.
1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "You were bought with a price [purchased with preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
No outward worship will ever take the place of inner relationship. Everything we DO and everything we SAY exemplifies our relationship or lack thereof with the Father. This is why "Theresa" cannot say and write anything. This is why the passion for "souls" must be at the forefront of my mind. This is why we must join forces as a body of believers to preach the gospel and make disciples. Making disciples IS the equipping of the saints. THIS reverential fear of the Father is the BEGINNING of worship.
Without it, our ministries are no more than hay, wood and stubble in the earth.
Psalm 89:7 says, "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him."
Anytime believers come together for "Jesus" or for things of God — the FEAR OF HIM is expected to be in the midst of us. In the places where YOU GO and the things that YOU DO is this type of fear present? Do you bring it with you? Are those around you also REVERENCING HIM? These are serious questions my brethren.
1 Peter 1:15-16 says, "…but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
Are you earnestly seeking to see every part of your life exemplify holiness? True worship REQUIRES holiness!
Spirit-to-Spirit for the believer is communing with God on the level that He demands from you. It is meeting the standards released to us… and it is only at these standards that He will come and dwell with us. In my own walk with the Lord, I see Him meet me consistently at my place of submission as I seek out and attain greater in Him.
There have been many times when I've tried to meet the Lord Spirit-to-Flesh. I had to come to a place in my life when I realized I couldn't force Him to change for me. Instead, I had to COME UP to a place where I could meet with Him in SPIRIT and in TRUTH. I'd often cry out to him saying, "Father, I don't know how to do this… but you do. I want to do right Lord but it seems like I'm always pulled toward sin. I repent and submit to you. I can't do this without you. Jesus… I need you."
It is in a place of sincerity and submission that the Lord will lift us up. Where we are now, as a body of believers, is requiring us to STEP UP and surrender like never before. We must learn to relate to the Lord our of our WORSHIP AND REVERENCE — for the sole purpose of knowing His will for us and our direction in Him.
Make a decision today to worship Him in Spirit & Truth.
