What picture do you think the average person has of worship? A “worship service” led by clergy? (Where is that picture found in the New Testament?) Those who have that picture are also likely to ask: Should I worship at Church A or Church B?
A Samaritan woman probed Jesus in a similar way: “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people [Jews] say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” (The whole discourse can be found in John 4:20-24.)
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Old worship required you to physically go to a designated location; either the temple in Jerusalem or one of the competing idol temples if you were an idolater. Man has a body, a soul, and a spirit. (See 1 Thes 5:23) True worship is not done with the body; according to Jesus, it is done with the spirit!
True worship takes place 24/7, everywhere your spirit goes. The only question is whether you are worshiping God or idols. Ephesians 5:5 says that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ!
Romans 8:6 says that the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life. A covetous or immoral mindset is idolatry. A mind set on Christ is true worship. It’s a simple life or death decision. Whatever you consistently set your mind on is what you consistently act like.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)
Christians want to act like Christ and love others just as He loved us; which is the new commandment (See John 13:34). This is why we assemble, considering ahead of time how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds through psalms (songs), teachings, and exhortations.
Organized religion depends on false ideas in order to stay in business. Instead of edifying each other and building the body because we worship God, they teach people to sit at their feet to worship God. But just because a body is sitting in a pew, it doesn’t mean the mind is engaged.
We need a massive reeducation campaign to help people see how they are being duped. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Dig deeper and revolutionize your life by reading the Transformation study guide.
Next up: Transformation of character v. Go through the motions >>>
