In Spirit and Truth

The Bible recounts some interesting conversations between Jesus and other people.  Sometimes these stories leave us scratching our heads in confusion, and other times they leave us in awe of his wisdom.  The story of his discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well is probably a little of both.  

John 4:19-23 says this, "'Sir', the woman said, 'I can see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.'  'Woman,' Jesus replied, 'believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  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 worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks."   

With this statement, Jesus effectively releases the Samaritan woman from the notion that people can only pray to God in certain areas, and at certain times.  This isn't really controversial today, but it was back then.  Preaching and teaching was to be done in the Synagogue, and in conjunction with the Pharisees.  Jesus was considered a rebel because he walked around preaching in the street and from hilltops, and people often marveled at his wisdom (especially because he did not throw in with the religious elect).  

This changes the mindset of the devout Christian.  Because Jesus made atonement for our sin, we can now pray to the Father at any time, and in any place.  You may pray in the car on the way to work, at home before dinner, in a hospital room, or before sporting events.  This revelation no doubt expanded the mind of that woman two-thousand years ago.  The effects of this spiritual freedom are still being enjoyed today, at least in our country.

So what does worshipping in spirit and truth really mean?  Ideally, when someone praises and worships God there is a combination of passion (spirit) along with an accurate view of who the Lord really is (truth).  If both of these stipulations don't exist, then we are falling short when it comes to returning praise to the Father.  We are in a similar position as the Samaritan woman at the well.  Once Jesus realized that she didn't have a true picture of who the Biblical God was, he corrected her.

Let us now take a moment to unpack what this kind of 'lukewarm' worship might look like.  If you have spirit but no truth - in other words there is an emotional high only - then at the end of the day you will walk away empty.  This kind of church experience often leads to hollow worship and a congregation that can fall away from the faith at the first sign of trouble.  By contrast, if you have truth but no spirit, it can lead to legalism and Pharisee-style encounters with people.  There is head knowledge, but no real passionate connection with Jesus himself.  This type of faith would definitely lend itself to a miserable experience over time.  You would never feel quite good enough to earn God's approval.

I once heard a preacher's story about a large congregation.  On any given Sunday they would pack in a few thousand worshippers.  They would sing songs, pray from time to time, and then deliver a sermon.  But when it came time for the singing, God couldn't hear them.  Peoples' mouths were moving, but it was as if nothing was coming out.  Something was missing at these church services.  There was no connection to the real, living God.  Some of the people had spirit but no truth, yet others had a sprinkle of truth but without any emotion attached.  Joyless voices in a tired congregation.  

This is not the experience that God desires for you and I.  God wants us to actually connect with Him.  And the best way to do that, is to both study His Word so we can understand who He is … and to bring our whole being and emotion to the forefront when we praise Him.  

There are churches in China that have to meet "underground."  They literally meet in basements, back alleys, and private homes - far away from the government's curious eyes.  These Christains are often persecuted for their faith, so they hide church away in a safe place.  No air conditioning, no comfortable pews, and no large church building.  You are lucky if there are any folding chairs; much of the time it is standing room only.  The services can go on for hours and hours.  No one checks their watches if the sermon runs long.  There are no disputes about wearing a mask, and no talk about politics.  Just a room full of believers worshipping in spirit and truth, often only a few moments away from being caught at any given time.  Imagine the faith being generated in a climate like this.  

I would like to point you now to a famous piece of Scripture from Deuteronomy 6:4-5: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."  You see, God is looking for fully engaged believers like this.  We know because He told us so.  My fear is that this type of worship is becoming more and more uncommon in America as time goes by.  Granted, we are not the only country suffering from lukewarm living, but I have a feeling that in many churches in a variety of places, people are singing ... but there is no sound coming out.

May you work to fight against this type of soul-less worship in your own life.  Instead, bring your whole being to the cross every Sunday.  Even better if you live like this Monday through Saturday as well.

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A Lighthouse Church

My mother used to love lighthouses.  Growing up, I remember seeing several pictures of lighthouses on our walls at home.  I never questioned it as a little boy, it was just something all of us kids accepted.  Now that I am older, I often wonder what part about them she liked so much.  Was it the serene ocean coastline that appealed to her?  Was it just the fact that there are so many photos and paintings of lighthouses out there in general?  

Most of us know the purpose behind these magnificent buildings.  They exist to help guide ships into safe harbor during inclement weather or the dark of night.  They help pilots navigate to safety; they are literally a beacon for ships in the night.  I do wonder if my mother was a beacon herself, or if she was searching for guidance.  Maybe neither one - or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

At any rate, it spurs in me another fond memory about my family.  I attended my sister's graduation from college years ago.  It just so happened to be during the winter term, and there was a large snowstorm forecast for later that day.  After the ceremony and ensuing celebration dinner finished up, my parents and I started out on the journey home (it was a two hour drive).  Alas, we ended up caught in the blizzard.  You literally couldn't see more than about fifteen feet or so in front of the vehicle, and less than that on either side.  We even debated pulling off into a small town and seeking a hotel room for the night at one point.  

Finally, however, we ended up behind another vehicle at one point in the trip.  The tail lights from this car helped guide us all the way through the snowstorm.  Almost magically, shortly after the heavy snow abated, the car turned off onto an exit and disappeared from sight.  We got what we needed though - it was safe to drive again.  I sometimes wonder if this was a God thing - like some type of spiritual Good Samaritan placed in our path to help us navigate home when we needed it.  Just like a beacon … just like a lighthouse.

Pastor R. Loren Sandford from New Song Church talks about something called a 'lighthouse church.'  In his opinion, these churches represent a healthy connection between God and His people, and they are a rare thing in this day and age.  There are four points that compose these churches.

First, a lighthouse church is presence-based.  In other words, the church convenes each Sunday for the purpose of glorifying and worshipping God - not just to listen to the pastor talk or for mere entertainment value.  If your church has an awesome sound system and large screen TV's, that is great.  But remember, all of this isn't a requirement to give thanks to a Holy God.  The parishioners should be more interested in Him than the presentation.  

Second, a lighthouse church has freedom to move.  This means that if the Holy Spirit shows up during service, it need not necessarily stick to the bulletin.  Real Christianity is sometimes messy, as opposed to polished or refined.  The leaders in one of these churches can get out of their own way, and let God do His thing.  They espouse purpose over preference whenever possible. 

Third, these churches tend to have a culture of honor.  This means that all people are welcome, regardless of background.  This doesn't mean that a church must affirm all viewpoints - Biblical sin must still be recognized as such.  But I think it does mean that a lighthouse church understands all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  As such, they welcome the opportunity to share God's Word with anyone He sends their way.  

Finally, a lighthouse church promotes a healing atmosphere.  On any given Sunday morning, you won't hear a sermon designed to incite hate or divisiveness.  Instead, you will hear about God's saving grace through faith, and Jesus' offer of salvation.  Jesus healed people both physically and psychologically; churches must understand how to create a loving environment like this each week.  

John 8:12 is one of my favorite pieces of Scripture.  It says, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"   We need modern day lighthouses to shine bright in the darkness.  Strive to create a lighthouse church atmosphere in your own congregation.  Look around each Sunday: does your house of worship have all four of these things in place?  If not, is it at least a work in progress?  

Jesus helps us to navigate our way through this world.  I firmly believe that most problems stem from the fact that people have forgotten how to relate to God.  So much of our lives are spent searching for meaning in complex and difficult ways.  A lighthouse church should remind people that what they are really looking for is God.  And once they acquire this knowledge, to pass it on and share it with others.  

Be the beacon in a snowstorm for other people.  Live a lighthouse type of life whenever possible.

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