John 4:23 " But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way"
Worship.. what a "sensitive" subject. Seems like everyone has an idea of how worship should be conducted (as shown in our Middle School survey). Indeed, if you search today you may find every type of "worship style" from very traditional and liturgical to extreme contemporary laser light shows. But is this how we should be evaluating the effectiveness of our worship? Can you measure how well you worship? Is it how many times you attended, participated in prayer, heard the Bible, or well you sing?
From the passage above we are told that the Father seeks worshipers. Some times (all times?) God actually initiates the worship as when the prophet Isaiah was called to worship in Isaiah chapter 6. For Isaiah this was a "significant spiritual / emotional event". Similar to Saul on the road to Damascus there is no doubt he experienced our Lord's presence. We read in John 4 that true worship does not depend on your location, position, our church arrangement, but your spiritual relationship. John also tells us It also requires listening to Truth. And how do we measure truth? By God's Word of course.. the only source of truth.
So how do you measure your worship? When listening to the truth, be it scripture read or a sermon spoken, Ask yourself "What am I learning about God"? Next, ask yourself "What is He asking me to do?" In the Isaiah passage he immediately volunteered for service. "Here I am Lord.. Send Me". This only occured after he had done something else. He Confessed his Sins. Effective worship will most always result in a realization of how great and Holy God is compared to our sinful lives. God calls us to confess our sins and draws us close to him in relationship. Following this you want to tell him of your love, either through prayer or song.
So How's Your worship? How are your experiencing God's presence? Are your experiencing God's Truth.. Is His Word Alive? Do you feel the call to Praise Him? Confess your Sins? Do you feel the need to serve others?
Tim
