Uniquity

Acknowledge and connect, offer and receive
Interface?
The Ruach Hakodesh.

The true worshipers worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.


I was reading a section in J Gresham Machen's "Christianity in the Modern World", in which he was explaining (in an attempt to counter a false perception as much alive today as in the 1930's when he wrote it) that Christianity can't be boiled down to a shared experience, off of which we build doctrine, but rather a doctrine, from which comes an experience. He used an interesting example: The Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus spoke to her about himself, the living water, and then addressed her situation with the statement about her having no husband. She responds by what seems to be a sidestepping of the issue (her own personal sin) with a doctrinal question-"Where are we supposed to worship? In Jerusalem, or Samaria?"
Machen points out that Jesus doesn't (like so many who want to share the gospel today) brush aside this "rabbit trail" and tell her "Never mind that, we'll deal with that after you've had an experience-let's focus on your sin and it's cure" - no, Jesus answers her doctrinal question with a direct answer, - a teaching about true worship. I appreciated that from Machen, I've never noticed that about Jesus' response to her before.

Later, Josiah asked to see "The REAL Jesus movie" (By which he means "The Gospel Of John" - by Visual Bible) so I put it on for him and sat down to watch. I really appreciate being able to listen to the whole gospel with visuals so I can put what's being said into context. As I watched it came to the part where Jesus is speaking to the Samaritan woman, where he says: "But the time is coming and is already here, when by the power of God's Spirit people will worship the Father as he really is, offering him the true worship that he wants. God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is." I think that's where the doctrine hits the road. When you hear something like that, you can either ask God to give you the power of His spirit to worship him truly, or you can ignore it and worship him falsely-or not at all. It's expressed so naturally, as a doctrine, but it needs to be experienced to be obeyed.

And gosh, God knows I need His Spirit to really worship Him! I know it doesn't come naturally, at all.