John 4:21-26 (NKJV)
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such 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” (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.”
So much of the Christian experience is misguided theatrics centered around "ego driven entertainment." The vast majority of Christians DO NOT READ the Bible on a consistent basis. Like sheep, they prefer to be fed by the Pastor. Like a traffic light, they wait for the signal to tell them when to "stop" and when to "go."
Praise and worship is the cornerstone of the relationship between the Believer and the Lord God! God is SPIRIT! That takes Him out of the realm of the PHYSICAL. Therefore, one would conclude that physical praise and worship is null and void UNLESS it is exercised in the spirit of TRUTH (Christ)! Hammond organs, theatrical mass choirs and "buck dancin'" minstrels are NOT PRAISE and WORSHIP. All that is, is "folk's carryin' on" in church to be seen as spiritual by their friends...now I am not sayin' the Spirit of God can't move, but most of the time it's scripted behavior!
The Samaritan woman is a prime example of the life of transition a Christian can go through when he or she "encounters" the Lord God face to face! If anybody should have been gettin' they Holy Ghost Groove on, it should have been her! But no, she was introspective and calm and listened to the words of the Father. Over a period of time, she caught the revelation of who He was (albeit He had to tell he who He was!)
It is inevitable that the revelation of who He is and, more importantly, who He says you are to Him, will manifest in the quiet moments of intimacy. This exchange seldom, if ever, happens in the midst of the congregational experience on Sunday. Church is not designed for "intimacy with the Lord." You don't have to "Lift Up Yo' Hands and Slap Somebody" or "Turn to Yo Neighba and say Neighba..."
The Samaritan woman represented a "bastard" race of children born to the descendants of the Exile. We were ALL bastards until Jesus sacrificed His life for us. Samaria was the region between Judea and Galilee. The Jews hated the Samaritans because they considered them "impure" Jews; yet Jesus had no such bias. Jesus represented "total access" to the Kingdom of Heaven. He is the DOOR! He is the WAY. He is the TRUTH! He is the LIFE! The journey from Judea to Galilee took three days. The Samaritan represents ALL of us who lived in SIN and played around with it until we encountered the "LIVING" Christ!
This woman had five husbands and was currently "shackin' up" with another dude when she met Jesus. Christ makes worship a matter of the heart, not necessarily an outward display of emotion. Praise is the perpetual state of the Believer who loves and fears the Lord. Praise represents thanksgiving for who He is and what He has done for us (while we were yet sinners).
Praise and worship is what we do when we have the ability to sin; when no one else is watching and we won't get caught...and still NOT DO IT!
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (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.”
So much of the Christian experience is misguided theatrics centered around "ego driven entertainment." The vast majority of Christians DO NOT READ the Bible on a consistent basis. Like sheep, they prefer to be fed by the Pastor. Like a traffic light, they wait for the signal to tell them when to "stop" and when to "go."
Praise and worship is the cornerstone of the relationship between the Believer and the Lord God! God is SPIRIT! That takes Him out of the realm of the PHYSICAL. Therefore, one would conclude that physical praise and worship is null and void UNLESS it is exercised in the spirit of TRUTH (Christ)! Hammond organs, theatrical mass choirs and "buck dancin'" minstrels are NOT PRAISE and WORSHIP. All that is, is "folk's carryin' on" in church to be seen as spiritual by their friends...now I am not sayin' the Spirit of God can't move, but most of the time it's scripted behavior!
The Samaritan woman is a prime example of the life of transition a Christian can go through when he or she "encounters" the Lord God face to face! If anybody should have been gettin' they Holy Ghost Groove on, it should have been her! But no, she was introspective and calm and listened to the words of the Father. Over a period of time, she caught the revelation of who He was (albeit He had to tell he who He was!)
It is inevitable that the revelation of who He is and, more importantly, who He says you are to Him, will manifest in the quiet moments of intimacy. This exchange seldom, if ever, happens in the midst of the congregational experience on Sunday. Church is not designed for "intimacy with the Lord." You don't have to "Lift Up Yo' Hands and Slap Somebody" or "Turn to Yo Neighba and say Neighba..."
Jesus ministers to a Samaritan woman at the well.
The Samaritan woman represented a "bastard" race of children born to the descendants of the Exile. We were ALL bastards until Jesus sacrificed His life for us. Samaria was the region between Judea and Galilee. The Jews hated the Samaritans because they considered them "impure" Jews; yet Jesus had no such bias. Jesus represented "total access" to the Kingdom of Heaven. He is the DOOR! He is the WAY. He is the TRUTH! He is the LIFE! The journey from Judea to Galilee took three days. The Samaritan represents ALL of us who lived in SIN and played around with it until we encountered the "LIVING" Christ!
This woman had five husbands and was currently "shackin' up" with another dude when she met Jesus. Christ makes worship a matter of the heart, not necessarily an outward display of emotion. Praise is the perpetual state of the Believer who loves and fears the Lord. Praise represents thanksgiving for who He is and what He has done for us (while we were yet sinners).
Praise and worship is what we do when we have the ability to sin; when no one else is watching and we won't get caught...and still NOT DO IT!
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