HOW
THEN SHOULD WE WORSHIP?
If
Christianity is wrong, Islam is wrong, Judaism is wrong, how then should we
worship?
We shall
look closely at the discourse between the Samaritan woman and Jesus Christ in
John chapter
4 to carefully see how Jesus Christ gave the answer to this
question.
But
before we do, it is imperative that we forget not that there was no religion in
the beginning. When God made the first man, he made him a spirit being. Man was
in cordial relationship with God through his spirit. God made man to rule and
dominate the earth realm while he dominates the heavenly realm. God had to be
in constant connection with man in order to relate his counsel to him and in
order for him to function exactly like God on earth.
Now,
this was what Adam lost. He lost this relationship. The spirit of man died, he
became controlled by his mind. His control faculty became his senses. He no
longer receives constant communication from his creator. This birthed religion.
Now the
above will help us to understand why God has commanded us all to return to him
and let go of religion.
Now,
in John Chapter 4… (My words are in brackets)
1-2:
The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John,
although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.
(You
see that? Religious Ego!)
3-4:
When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to
Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. (Jesus was disappointed at the reactions
of these people who thought he came to start another religion, so he left.)
5-8: So
he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had
given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was
from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a
Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a
drink?" …His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
9 The
Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How
can you ask me for a drink?" …For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.
(This
is what we discussed in the first lesson of this series about the
discrimination and hatred caused by religion. You see how the Samaritan woman
denied Jesus of water? What if it were to be another person who is at the point
of death that needs water? You remember the story/parable of the Good
Samaritan? That is just how religion had made the Jews not associate with
anyone for it is abomination to them)
10
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks
you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living
water." (This is what we have discussed in lesson four; the inability of
people to know who Jesus is has caused religion to dominate the more. The
knowledge of Christ is very important; it is this knowing that can set one free)
11-12
"Sir," the woman said, "You have nothing to draw with and the
well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our
father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his
sons and his flocks and herds?" (This woman is really under the chains of
ignorance, he compares Jesus Christ (God incarnate) to Jacob. Imagine!)
13-15
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but
whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give
him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The
woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty
and have to keep coming here to draw water."
(Jesus
speaks of the reception of the Holy Spirit as the living water he would give
upon salvation)
16-19
He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." "I have no
husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say
you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you
now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet.
(Jesus
changed the discussion now; he wants to explain more about the living water but
the woman missed it again! She calls him a prophet now; at least she has graduated
in knowledge from comparing him with Jacob. But she is still not getting what
the master is conveying. This surely is not a prophetic meeting, although Jesus
was operating the gift, so she asked another different question from her
prophet which is the question we are particular about in this lesson. Now see
what she asked…)
20 Our
fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we
must worship is in Jerusalem."
(You
see religious differences? So when you see two people arguing about a religious
matter know that it has been existing for long. One claims this, another claim
that…)
21
Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship
the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
(Did
you hear Jesus say NONE? Yes none is God’s approved way of worship!)
22 You
Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for
salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the TRUE
WORSHIPERS WILL WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH, for they are the kind
of worshipers the Father seeks.
(Interesting,
the kind of worship that the father seeks is the worship in the spirit. Only
those who do this are true worshippers, others are fake. That was what Jesus
what trying to explain to the woman about the living water. He said if she
drinks the living water, she would thirst no more. “thirst no more” talks about
an end to the longing in the heart of man for God. It is just the required
solution man has been waiting for. The Holy Spirit! Why does the father seek
such worship? The next verse…)
24 God
is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
25 The
woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming.
When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
(See
MUMU again? Still looking out for the messiah? That is just how ignorance of
who Jesus Christ is has sponsored religion. We all need to know this and we all
need to reach the world with the gospel of salvation and the revelation of
Jesus Christ. That the world may know that Jesus Christ is the messiah and has
come to end mankind’s ancient search for their creator.)
So the intention of our loving father in sending Jesus
Christ was to open our eyes to see that we have been worshiping him in a very
unpleasant way. Since he is Spirit, no religion can please him. The worship
must necessarily be in the spirit.
The purpose of Christ’s death and resurrection is to save us
from the control of the flesh as explained in the introductory part of this
lesson and to born us in the spirit so as to be able to relate with him
properly in the spirit.
At new birth, we are born of the spirit, and the Holy Spirit
is joined to our spirit. In this way, we are eligible to relate with God the
same way Adam had been relating with him in the garden.
God now expects everyone to repent and to return to his kind
of worship. The Worship not made by some set of rules or routine but made in
the Spirit and in Truth.
Amen!