“You are worshipping that which you have not perceived. We are worshipping that which we have perceived.”
If you’ve ever been at Anfield (home ground of Liverpool FC for all non-football people), or you’ve seen the Kop just before the match kicks off, you’ll know that everyone in the place experiences a moment of worship together.
It’s a breathtaking atmosphere, quite unique in football circles. And world renowned. Have a look.
OK, so it’s not true worship. True worship is that which comes from Jesus himself, through us, and is what the Father is seeking.
But it is worship. And you could never tell me otherwise. You couldn’t tell me that it isn’t passionate and that there isn’t immense feeling and emotion in it for those worshipping.
They worship what they know. They worship what they see and experience.
Jesus speaks of worship to a woman he meets at a well. She asks him where is the place to worship. She thinks externally. This place or that place; Which is the right place?
And Jesus says neither. The right place is within you. Those who worship the Father do so within themselves.
Worship begins internally and overflows to bring transformation, to us first and then to others. How much worship of God is externally motivated? Stimulated by the external, rather than stimulated from the Spirit within?
True worshippers are those who see the Father through Jesus, who respond to the Spirit within, and whose lives overflow with worship.
Is it possible to worship God and it not be true worship? To worship what you don’t perceive?
Jesus said it is. It’s worship, but it’s not true worship. Therefore it’s not what, or who, the Father is seeking.
True worship comes from what is perceived in our spirit. It comes from what we see of the Father through Jesus. It comes from a spirit that is one spirit with him, as his Spirit bears witness with our spirit.
And how much do we worship that is external? Professing to worship God, how much do we worship that is not him? Money, people, places, possessions etc. All these can be the treasure of our heart above the one who desires to be the treasure of our heart.
Do you and I see? The Father desires to be one with us. He is actively seeking those he can be one with. His desire can be our desire, to be one spirit.
As we eat of the bread of Life, our eyes are opened to the Father. We see Jesus, we see the Father. We see our oneness.
True worship emanates from a spirit that is one with the one that is worshipped.
To see is to worship. In Jesus, to the Father, it becomes true.
Eat, drink, truly live, and truly worship today.
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Life Into Harmony 
Profound and challenging and so true!!!!
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i have just returned from a short conference and during a ‘fill in section’ a Whitney Houston song rang out. the place erupted with most standing, singing and swaying like a mass karaoke night!! lots of fun. within half an hour the same reaction happened to a worship song. I’m not knocking it there is something very powerful about corporate worship and mass declaration but as we sang together Jesus in a refrain over and over, I could feel the beat of the music in my chest it was that loud but I couldn’t help ask myself the question: was I in proximity to Jesus but not intimacy with Him? Was my heart attitude worship or external reaction? The speaker was great and when she mentioned John 4 I thought my heart would burst because I hadn’t seen what she shared before. later back in my room as I read over it and prayed that’s when I felt the oneness and worship flowed: in Spirit. Reading this articulates that but my question (or musing over it more!) is when 3 of the disciples go up the mountain with Jesus Mark 9 they love the experience with Jesus and seeing Him radiant in His glory so much they want to stay there built an altar but they ‘come down the mountain’ into everyday life. what does that look like? how do we keep aware of the oneness and worship in everyday situations washing up, daily tasks, everyday conversations? or is it regularly pausing to avoid sleepwalking through the day but awake and alert to His presence and oneness and letting worship flow then?
loving what you share – challenges and adds to my thinking.
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I love this Pete.
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I always liked the book Practicing His Presence which includes excerpts from Frank Laubach’s letters. A diary of how to keep God in mind in every day life! Still working on it myself… 🙂
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