Where are the TRUE worshippers at?

I can remember being a little girl saying, “I can’t wait to grow up”… If I knew that some parts of growing up were going to hurt and sometimes even be uncomfortable I would have probably thought twice about anticipating being a “grown up".

As a worship leader and actually acknowledging that leading worship is a part of my calling, I have recently been experiencing some growing pains. Growing up isn’t easy, I have come to realize. But all of it is not that bad. I am learning to deal with the changing of my voice, the maturing of my voice and taking steps to improve my delivery. That’s been the easy part, well not that easy but it’s not as hard as embarking on a new level of discernment, responsibility and accountability.

Last night as I was began to settle down from the long day I had, a question raised in my head, “Where are the TRUE worshippers at?” I had just finished crying my eyes out of frustration and passion at the same time and that question the end result. I prayed with the question still heavy on my heart. Woke up this morning. Question still there. Got to work. Still there. It led me to John 4.

Frequently I have heard people reference verse 23 and 24 when it comes to true worshipper. Honestly, reading 2 verses didn’t help me much so I decided to read the entire chapter. The words leaped off the pages!

It begins with the Samaritan woman at the Well. In verses 7-8 the Samaritan woman is asked by Jesus for a drink while she drew water from a well. Her response went something like this, “How can you ask me for a drink? Do you know who I am? I am a Samaritan.” Sounds pretty familiar… God asks us to do things all the time, like worship, and we automatically disqualify ourselves, “Who me? Do you know who I am? I’m all messed up. Go ask someone else”. Jesus’ response is so funny to me. “If you knew who I was YOU would be asking for a drink…” It’s clear she didn’t know who he was. What’s even funnier is that we do the same thing. Sometimes we are in the presence of the Lord and do not even know it! The Samaritan woman may have had an excuse though. She didn’t know him. We know him or we should know Him (not just know of him), but we don’t acknowledge his presence.

Jesus went on to tell the woman that he would give her fresh, living water. He said that “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). You mean to tell me that the very one who can give us LIFE stands right there in our faces and we don’t even know it! WOW!!!!!!! That is upsetting.

So after this Samaritan woman acknowledges that the man she is talking to at the well is a prophet, she sort of questions him by saying, “Our ancestors worshipped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place to worship right?” In verse 21-23 Jesus tell this one that the time is coming that Samaritans will worship the Father neither at that mountain nor there in Jerusalem. I think I can go as far to say that He may have even been alluding to the fact that the time will come where there won’t be a particular place of worship , it won’t matter where you go, rather it’s on a mountain or in a particular city.

Well my friends, that time is NOW! It doesn’t matter where you go to worship… you can worship at home, at church, in a parking lot at the beach, wherever. In fact Worship is not even you may think it is. Worship is a lifestyle! It’s not necessarily singing a song and lifting your hands and swaying back and forth to music. In fact, John 4:23-24 says that it’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. So can you worship God on your job? Yes! Can you worship God in the grocery store? Yes! Can you worship God in church, even if you are not a part of the Praise and Worship Team? Yes! Can you worship Him in dance? Yes! “Yet a time is coming and has NOW come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks” (John 4:23).

The Gist:
God is looking for the kind of people are in pursuit of the truth in their worship. He is searching of those who are purely and honestly themselves before him in their worship. He’s looking for those who are worshipping Him (and only Him) out of their very being, their spirits , their true selves in adoration, reverence and honor.

The Result of your True Worship:
After the woman at the well encountered Jesus she went back to her village and told them all about it. I can just imagine the excitement on her face as she urged the people to come see for themselves. “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out!”, she said. After they went to see Jesus for himself the bible says that many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness! WOW! Isn’t that what were called to do? Draw people to Christ and the Kingdom of Christ? We are to do the same thing that the Samaritan did in our worship, proclaim Jesus and to create a d compelling witness so that others can come to Him.

My Encouragement:
As I am beginning to examine myself, my heart, motives and my heart behind my worship, I encourage you to do the same. Are you only a beliver when you have become dazzled by a miracle (John 4:48)? Are you only worshipping God in one particular way or in one particular place? Can people witness the presence of the Lord through your worship? Have you disqualified yourself because of you are or used to be? Is your worship out of adoration and reverence? God is asking, “Where are the true worshippers at?” Can you answer Him by saying, “Here I am Lord, I will worship you in spirit and in truth”?