In the Old Testament there were two main places where people met with God. Moses met with God on the mountain in the middle of the desert. You’ve heard the stories, burning bush, ten commandments, staff into a snake and back again. And hundreds of years later, after God’s people began inhabiting the promise land, the high priest met with God in the inner room of the temple. From this place, the high priest was able to hear directly from God, pray directly to God, and receive judgments for crimes that had been committed. For the people in biblical times, these were the only places where an encounter with God was possible, and these were the only people who were privileged enough to enjoy it. This was true, until Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:23-24. After talking about worship in the temple and on the mountain, Jesus says,
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers much worship him in the Spirit and in truth.”
Here we see that because of Jesus, we no longer have to travel to the top of the mountain or study to be a high priest in order to have an encounter with God. But because God has poured out his Spirit for all people, we encounter him when we begin to live in and through his Spirit inside of us. And not only that but this is how God desires to be worshiped. This is what he seeks, what makes him happy.
This is what “Encounter” is all about. The mountain and the temple are not the only places where one can meet with God anymore. Anyone can encounter him anywhere. And yet we still live like God only dwells in certain places. We’ve replaced the temple with a church sanctuary, and we’ve replaced a mountain with a spiritual retreat to the woods or to summer camp. But part of the good news of the gospel is that God has poured out his Spirit for all people, so now we are able to encounter him and give him the worth he is due anywhere and anytime, because his Spirit and truth now dwell within us. We need not search for something that is already inside of us, we need only release it.
To worship God does not require anything special, other than to have an encounter with the Spirit of God that is already inside of you. It’s a realization of that Spirit and a reminder of the truth. By doing these things, wherever we so choose, we are giving God the kind of glory and worship he seeks. In short, we make him smile.
-jon
*IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE VIDEO YET AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT....
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers much worship him in the Spirit and in truth.”
Here we see that because of Jesus, we no longer have to travel to the top of the mountain or study to be a high priest in order to have an encounter with God. But because God has poured out his Spirit for all people, we encounter him when we begin to live in and through his Spirit inside of us. And not only that but this is how God desires to be worshiped. This is what he seeks, what makes him happy.
This is what “Encounter” is all about. The mountain and the temple are not the only places where one can meet with God anymore. Anyone can encounter him anywhere. And yet we still live like God only dwells in certain places. We’ve replaced the temple with a church sanctuary, and we’ve replaced a mountain with a spiritual retreat to the woods or to summer camp. But part of the good news of the gospel is that God has poured out his Spirit for all people, so now we are able to encounter him and give him the worth he is due anywhere and anytime, because his Spirit and truth now dwell within us. We need not search for something that is already inside of us, we need only release it.
To worship God does not require anything special, other than to have an encounter with the Spirit of God that is already inside of you. It’s a realization of that Spirit and a reminder of the truth. By doing these things, wherever we so choose, we are giving God the kind of glory and worship he seeks. In short, we make him smile.
-jon
*IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE VIDEO YET AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT....
