12月29日

標　　題：真實的敬拜

經　　節：時候將到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心靈和誠實拜祂，因為父要這樣的人拜祂。神是個靈，所以拜祂的必須用心靈和誠實拜祂。（約翰福音四章23-24節）

我們被造是為了要以心靈與真理來敬拜神。當耶穌在井邊對那撒馬利亞婦人說話時，祂以神活水的信息來幫助她（約翰福音四：13—14）。

耶穌獨自尋找這個婦人，要賜給她豐盛的生命。天父也以同樣的方式尋找我們，要讓我們真實的及個人的與祂相會。那個撒馬利亞婦人曾經聽過神；耶穌說真實的敬拜應該是與神[面對面]，敬拜不是宗教，也不是教條。敬拜是親密及充滿活力地與神相遇。真實的敬拜包括完全認識神是聖潔的、是至高至偉大的、是全能的、是仁慈的、是有憐憫的。這個認識讓我們領悟到自己的罪。

真實的敬拜是生命的轉變！它讓敬拜者本身恨惡罪。真實敬拜的結果是悔改、完全的順服、並且想要成為聖潔（以賽亞書六：1—8）。真實的敬拜會使人願意施憐憫，及願意饒恕。這也包括喜樂地接受神恩慈的賜予。真實的敬拜不會排擠人。誠如那位撒馬利亞婦人，馬上跑去告訴大家自己與主相遇，因為真實的敬拜會驅使敬拜者想要其它人一同來敬拜。因著這個婦女與耶穌相遇，許多同村的人也來認識耶穌。一個真實敬拜的人會有平安的感覺，並且滿懷信心期待神的作為。真實的敬拜會帶來真實的轉變，我們的生命會反映出我們所敬拜的那一位。

True Worship

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. (John 4:23-24)

We are designed to worship God in spirit and in truth. As Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, He sought to help her do this by imparting to her God’s living water (John 4:13–14).

Jesus sought out this woman personally to give her abundant life. In the same way the Father seeks an encounter with each of us that is real and personal. The Samaritan woman had heard about God; Jesus said true worship must be “face to face” with God. Worship is not religion or ritual; worship is an intimate and vital encounter with a Person. True worship includes the full recognition of who God is: Holy, Sovereign, Almighty, Loving, Merciful. This recognition brings about the realization of our own sinfulness.

True worship is life-changing! It creates within the worshiper’s heart a hatred for sin. True worship results in repentance, obedient submission, and a desire for holiness (Isa. 6:1–8). True worship generates a desire to show mercy and to express forgiveness. It includes a joyful acceptance of all that God has provided by His grace. True worship is not exclusive. Just as the Samaritan woman rushed off to tell others of her encounter with the Lord, so true worship will compel the worshiper to include others. As a result of this woman’s encounter with Jesus, many others from her village came to know Him as well. The one who has truly worshiped will have a sense of peace and a confident expectation of what God is about to do. True worship produces a transformed life, reflecting the One who has been worshiped.