Who Do You Worship?

John 4:21-26 (ESV) ²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²² You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵ The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

As I sit here in my sun room reading, studying, writing, my mind wanders back to August of 2008 when I was doing much the same thing but in a different location and under different circumstances. At that time, having been a "born again" Christian for most of my life - about 40 years - I began to seriously question my faith; ie., why I believed the things I was taught to believe. I didn't doubt the existence of God, or the historical Jesus, but many of the ideas that I had been indoctrinated with seemed contradictory. And, in real life, my personal experience as well as the experiences of those I observed around me failed to line up to the supposed truths that I heard and accepted for so many years. If the Bible is God's Word, why do so many people arrive at different conclusions about what it teaches? If Christians are the "body of Christ" and we are supposed to be of the same mind, why are there so many denominations - sometimes being separated by the slightest points? The television evangelists were preaching that God wants people to prosper, but we must give - usually to their ministries - in order for God to bless us. And in reality, the only ones benefiting financially from their preaching seems to be the preachers themselves! Is this the message that Jesus brought? Is this the Church that Jesus said He would build? All these things, and more, led me on a "quest for truth"

Thank God that it didn't take years to arrive at an answer! It was literally within moments of throwing my hands in the air and calling out to the Lord Jesus that I began to be enlightened. In my search, I was led to a website that God used to open my eyes, but that was just the beginning. I have since discovered numerous resources that have aided me in my quest. I have now discovered the reality of the beatitude which says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." - Matt 5:6 (ESV)


Steeped in Tradition
In the passage of Scripture above, Jesus confronts the "tradition" of a Samaritan woman with regard to the worship of God. She believed that God should be worshiped on "this mountain", referring to Mt Gerizim where her forefathers, the Samaritans, had worshiped for years, and where there was once a temple that rivaled that of Jerusalem. The Jews, of course, worshiped on Mt Zion, Jerusalem. But Jesus corrects both views by declaring that location was not of primary concern. Rather it was a matter of knowledge.

Jesus pointed out that they, the Samaritans, did not know what they worshiped. The Samaritans were an offshoot of Jewish ancestry but whose worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was tainted by the introduction of various pagan rites and beliefs which they had incorporated as a result of foreign captivity. This is why they were despised by the Jews; their worship of God was not according to Torah; it was not pure. Jesus then goes on to assert not only that Jews DO know what they worship, but the time is coming, and now is, that "true worshipers" will worship the Father in spirit and truth."

Is it possible that Christianity has become, like the Samaritans, a religion tainted with pagan ideas and practices, Greek philosophy, so that we no longer know what we worship?

According to Jesus, worship is all about "the Father." The word "worship" appears eight times in these six verses. While there are numerous lessons that can be learned about worship here, what strikes me most is the fact that of the eight times the word is used, four of them refer to the true object of worship which is "the Father". Notice especially in verse 23 that Jesus says:

1. True worshipers worship the Father
2. True worshipers worship Him (the Father) in spirit and in truth
3. The Father is seeking such (true worshipers) to worship Him

It is a powerful realization, when one takes the time to examine the texts of Scripture, that in no place and at no time does Jesus ever accept worship as God. Attempts to find any reference to the worship of a 2nd person of a trinity, or any member of a trinity for that matter, are futile! In no place does the Bible ever speak of God as three, three in one, or triune.

In the birth account of Jesus, the kings (magi) desired to worship him (Jesus), but their purpose was to worship the newly born "King of the Jews"; ie. Messiah, or Christ - not God. (Matt 2:2) Further, in Rev 5:11-14 the elders said "with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain (a direct reference to Jesus) to receive...honor, and glory, and blessing." But then in verse 13, the same is said of "Him that sits upon the throne (a direct reference to God Almighty) AND unto the Lamb..." However, with regard to the word worship, the elders "fell down and worshiped Him that lives forever and ever." (Rev 4:9-10; 10:6; 15:7 - where this phrase clearly refers to God, not Jesus)

Worship God
Worship is translated from the the Greek proskuneo meaning, literally, to bow down, or prostrate oneself; to do obeisance in respect of the honor, dignity, power and/or authority of the one receiving worship. In Rev 19:10 and Rev 22:8-9 the angel refused worship from John and clearly instructed him to "worship God". Again, in Matt 4:10 Jesus' temptation to worship Satan was answered with "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." What is of particular interest is the fact that the word proskuneo is always applied to the worship of God Almighty, the Father, but can also be used of others. For example, in 1Chron 29:20, the Greek version (the Septuagint) employs the word proskuneo when it says that all the people "bowed... to the LORD and to the king". It is also used of the antichrist - the beast (Rev 13:8; 13:12). There are many other examples which I will leave to the reader to discover for him/herself, but it is imperative to understand that the word proskuneo itself does not designate the worship only of God.

Critical for understanding is the fact that the Bible everywhere admonishes us to worship God alone. The fact that "worship" can be used of others demonstrates that we must understand who and why we worship! In our text, the woman tries to side step the issue by stating that when Messiah comes he would reveal everything, to which Jesus replied, "I am he". The point here is that Jesus admits to being the Christ, the anointed one of God. While Jesus is worthy of praise and adoration for his character, works, and status as both Lord and Christ, he never accepts, nor encourages the worship of Himself as God. Rather, He always points to the Father as the One men should worship. In fact, he refers to himself in John 14:6 as "the way" to the Father. This means he is not the destination, but the door. Further, in Col 1:15 he is the image of the invisible God. The word image in that verse is eikon in Greek. An icon is a representation. Those familiar with computers know that an icon is a picture, or symbol, that represents a file or program on your computer. When you click on that image it opens the file or program you want, but the icon is not itself the file or program, it is the way.


It has become clear to me that the Church today has unwittingly substituted the worship of God for the worship of Jesus. We have made Jesus, who is the icon, the image of God, the object and final destination of our worship, instead of the "way" which God provided to Himself. I make no judgments here regarding the practice of idolatry, I only wish to point out that this substitution is so subtle that most people don't realize they are doing it. Yet, it is a very slippery slope, and a dangerous error for which I personally have repented. Jesus declares without equivocation that "true worshipers will worship the Father..."!

Massive Deception
A "true" worshiper is one who worships in truth! Those who worship the Father "must worship Him in spirit and in truth." The question is, how is it possible to worship the Father 'in truth' when we fail to follow Jesus own teaching about who God is? In John 5:44 and John 17:3 Jesus describes the Father as "the only true God"; ie., the only one who is truly, or in reality, God. Throughout the gospels he declares himself as the one who speaks God's message, the words God gives him to speak, and does only what God tells him to do (references are too numerous to mention). And even after his resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God, Jesus refers to the Father as "my God" (Jn 20:17; Rev 1:6; 3:2; 3:12). Further, the apostle Paul makes reference not just to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but "the God" and Father (Eph 1:3; 2Cor 1:3; 11:31), as also does Peter (1Pet 1:3) Does it not seem odd that God would have a God?


What strange blindness holds such power over believers that we cannot see the plain and simple truth of Scripture, but instead cling to, and in some cases vehemently argue for, an unintelligible creed which changes the person-hood of God into a substance made of three persons? I cannot comprehend all the dynamics included in this massive deception, but I know this, in the words of that great hymn, "I once was blind, but now I see".


So the question dear reader is this: Who do you worship? Are you willing to examine this issue with a clear mind and without bias, or will you simply continue to accept tradition without examination? As I complete this article it is Palm Sunday and therefore appropriate to reference John 12:13. When the crowds hailed Jesus, shouting "Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord", were they worshiping him as God, or as Messiah - king of Israel? Friends, Jesus is our king and as such, he is worthy of our praise and adoration. Without his life, his teaching, his death, resurrection and ascension, we would be lost in our sin and alienated to God, without hope of eternal life. But the Bible is clear, everything about Jesus points us to God, and to the fact that it was God who gave us Jesus' life and teaching; God who raised him from the dead and exalted him as Lord, to sit at His right hand.

So, as God is actively seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and truth, are you, or will you be, one found by Him?
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Filled

Have you ever heard one of those songs that just sticks with you… you know, a melody you just can’t get out of your head? Sure you have. We’ve all had the experience. And it’s particularly annoying when the song that’s “stuck” in your head happens to be one you don’t even like!

I play the bass guitar in the praise and worship band at our fellowship and we introduced a new song this past Sunday that I can’t stop singing. I’m OK with being “stuck” on this song because I genuinely like it. The song was written by a young man in our congregation, one of our worship leaders. The lyrics to the chorus say, “I wanna be filled, I wanna be filled, I wanna be filled with the holy spirit”. This is repeated several times in the chorus while the verses speak of surrendering our will to God.

The writer, I’m sure, understands the Holy Spirit to be a Person – the 3rd Person of the Trinity. This also was my belief until I learned the truth about the trinity. I now know that the bible teaches no such thing as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all being of the same essence and equality, yet not three gods, but one. Rather, the holy spirit as presented in Scripture, is God’s gift to the believer at conversion. E.W. Bullinger’s work “The Giver and His Gift” is helpful on this subject. Although a trinitarian himself, Bullinger notes the different usages of “holy spirit” throughout Scripture. Sometimes it is used to refer to God’s gift, and other times as a synonym for God Himself. The gift of holy spirit is God’s personal power at work in our lives; the imparting of divine nature, and that which gives the power we need to become like Jesus. But we must surrender to that influence at work in our hearts. I guess this is why the song has had such an impact on me these last few days. (I wake up singing it to myself… I sing it throughout the day… I’m singing it now!) I realize how often I fail at surrendering my will to His, and allowing myself to be led by the gift of God’s holy spirit within me.

Nevertheless, it is my desire to be “filled” with the holy spirit! But the real issue is: What exactly does that mean? Paul helps us understand by contrasting spirit-filling with intoxication. He says, “don’t be drunk with wine… but be filled with spirit.” (Eph 5:18) To be intoxicated with wine is to lose control of one’s faculties. A drunk person cannot be reasoned with or properly judge reality. By contrast Paul says, be filled with spirit.
I was amazed in my research to realize that I have been mislead about the real meaning of this verse, but I suppose this is also true of the majority of Christians with an orthodox background. Most bible translations capitalize the word “spirit” which automatically leads  the reader to believe that Paul is referring to the Holy Spirit. Some translations even add the word “holy” to the text for  clarity. And most translations add the definite article “the” so there is no mistaking that Paul refers here to the Holy Spirit. However, the original Greek text does NOT have the definite article, nor does it include the word holy, it simply says “plerousthe en pneumati” – be filled with spirit. To capitalize the word spirit and add “the Holy” is not only inaccurate, but misleading!

Further, this verse is read by many as though Paul is saying don’t be intoxicated with wine but be intoxicated with the Holy Spirit. This is just not the case at all! Paul uses methusko for wine, which means “to be drunken”; but for “filled” he uses the word pleroo, which has nothing to do with intoxication! The word is variously translated as “complete, fulfilled, finish, made full, satisfy, filled,” etc. .Consider how the word is used in the “Sermon on the Mount”. Jesus said “Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you will be filled” (Matt 5:6). Also in Acts 5:3, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie…”. As in the previous two passages, the word is used figuratively here in Ephesians to mean “be fully supplied or abound with spirit; that is,  live in such a way that we are satiated with, and motivated by, our new spiritual nature rather than a carnal one. Paul said the same thing in Gal 5:16 where he uses the term “walk in the spirit”. Again, there is no article in Gal 5:16, nor should spirit be capitalized. Literally, he says “walk in spirit”; ie. live your life according to the spiritual nature.

Ephesians 5:18 is also written as an imperative in the present tense indicating that it is a command to be carried out on a continuing basis rather than as a single, or occasional event. I have actually heard it taught in the past that because we are imperfect vessels, we leak, and therefore Paul tells us we need to be refilled from time to time. But this really reveals a most unfortunate and basic misunderstanding not only of the nature of man, but, but the nature of God as well. We are not empty vessels to be filled up with a substance called “spirit”, much less to be inhabited by another person; ie. the person of The Holy Spirit. Paul does not teach that we are to be intoxicated, consumed, or taken over by a force or influence outside of ourselves. Instead, we are commanded to yield the right of way to the divine nature; to leave no room in our lives for wasteful, carnal, activities. We are to become complete, fully satisfied in spiritual things.

Furthermore, it is our responsibility to do this. More than making good decisions, it is learning to hear what God is saying to us on a personal level and responding in a positive manner. This is how Jesus lived, and He is our example. Not that we can ever achieve intimacy on the same level as the uniquely begotten Son of God, but it is certainly a worthy goal.

Faulty, nonsensical, and foolish interpretations of Scripture could be avoided if those in responsible positions would take the time to be more investigative and thorough in their research and study. More attention should be paid to the volume of excellent scholarly work available today, enabling us to more accurately interpret Biblical literature. But it seems that many, while paying lip service to being “filled” with the spirit, are more interested in quirky manifestations or keeping within their traditions than exploring the truth as it is already revealed in Scripture. God help us - help me - to be a better student of the word, and a better example of what it truly means to be “filled with spirit”!