John 4:20-24 (NKJV) Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 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. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
With the resumption of on-site church services, I would like to address the topic of worship. First, we need to remember that worship is not about us but all about God. Second, we should not rush through the praise and worship segment because we want to soak in His presence. Third, praise, worship and dwelling in the presence of God are what enable us to find strength when we are stuck between the rock and a hard place. It is in His presence that He infuses grace into our hearts, speaks or grants us a vision and ministers to us personally.
Many things can happen in the presence of God, so we should be expectant and always hunger for more of God in our lives. We should intentionally relax and “bathe in the glory of God”. It is possible to be in a worship service every week and never truly worship, but simply go through the formalities of the service. Instead, we ought to take the time to do what Ruth Ward Heflin said in her book “Glory: Experiencing The Atmosphere Of Heaven”, to “praise…until the spirit of worship comes. Worship… until the glory comes. Then… stand in the glory”.
In the opening passage, Jesus was telling the woman at the well that a new day was dawning when everyone could worship regardless of locations. Do you know that for us, that hour has already arrived because we live in a time where the sacrificial system has been done away with and the ultimate sacrifice is found in Jesus Christ who has paid the price once and for all—the blood of Jesus Christ has satisfied the wrath of God!
Also, God is pleased with us when we approach Him by faith. This passage contains one of the greatest revelations that Jesus has given us in the Word. It shows us what God wants when it comes to worshipping Him—God is seeking worshippers, and that’s what he wants from us. Therefore, people should not be late for church and skip the praise and worship segment because it is dishonouring to God. In fact, the very purpose of coming to church is to worship Him, which is why we call it a worship service. Therefore, the most important portion of the entire service is the worship segment because it is all about God, when we truly praise and worship to the audience of One.
Sermon Series: ICS Worship Culture (Part 1)
那唯一的观众
约翰福音4：20-24我们的祖宗在这山上礼拜，你们犹太人却说，应当敬拜的地方是在耶路撒冷。21耶稣说：妇人，你当信我，时候将到，你们拜父，也不在这山上，也不在耶路撒冷。22你们敬拜你们所不认识的；我们知道所拜的是什么，因为救恩是出于犹太人。时候将到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心灵和诚实敬拜他。因为父正在寻找这样的人来崇拜他。24神是灵，所以拜他的，必须用心灵和诚实拜他。
随着现场教会礼拜的恢复，我想谈谈敬拜的话题。首先，我们需要记住敬拜不是关于我们自己，而是全然关乎上帝。其次，我们不应该匆忙地完成赞美和敬拜的部分，因为我们想要沉浸在祂的同在中。第三，赞美、敬拜、沉浸于上帝的同在，这使我们能够于两难的处境中找到力量。正是于祂的同在中，祂将恩典注入我们的心中，对我们说话或赐给我们异象，并亲自服侍我们。
沐浴在上帝的同在中，很多事情都可能发生。我们应该充满期待，渴望在生命中更多遇见上帝。我们要刻意地放松自己，并“沐浴在上帝的荣耀中”。有的人每个星期天都来礼拜但从不真正地敬拜，只是把这当作一个过场的仪式。其实，我们应该做的是花时间去做Ruth Ward Heflin在她的书《荣耀：感受天堂的氛围》中所说的：要“赞美……直到敬拜的灵临到我们身上，敬拜……直到那荣耀降临，然后……站立在祂的荣耀里”。
在开篇的段落中，耶稣告诉这个女人，新的日子将到，到时候每个人都可以随处敬拜。你可知道对我们来说，这一时刻已经到来，因为我们生活在一个所有的献祭制度都被废除的时代，而耶稣基督作了我们的终极献祭，祂已经毕其功于一役地付上了代价–耶稣基督的宝血已经止息了上帝的愤怒！
并且，当我们凭着信心来到上帝的面前，祂就会喜悦我们。这段经文包含了耶稣在圣经中赐给我们的最大启示之一。我们因此晓得了当我们敬拜上帝时祂想要的是什么—上帝正在寻找敬拜者，这就是祂想从我们这里得到的。因此，人们不应该迟到或者跳过敬拜赞美的环节，因为这样做是不尊荣上帝。说到底，我们来教堂的目的恰恰就是敬拜祂。这就是为什么我们将其称之为敬拜侍奉的原因。因此，敬拜是整个礼拜中最重要的部分，因为它全然关乎上帝，当我们真诚地赞美和敬拜时，祂是那唯一的观众。
讲章系列：ICS敬拜文化（第一部分）