A Brand New Worshiper

A Brand New Worshiper

“Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (Jn. 4:29 KJV ). I believe this statement came from the heart of a brand new worshiper. This woman was an outcast as far as the Jews were concerned, because she was of the wrong race. She also seems to have been an outcast as far as the women of Samaria were concerned since she came to the well alone. This may have been because she had had five husbands and now lived with a man who was not her husband. However, the Lord wanted to meet her, and He planned His trip because of His interest in her. This woman who was born wrong and who lived wrong was the one that the Lord told, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him” (Jn. 4:23).

The first time any of us truly worshiped the Lord was when we trusted Him as our Savior. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6). The Jews were no longer true worshipers. They practiced the proper rituals but they rejected the Lord who was pictured in their ceremonies. They didn’t worship in Spirit. The Samaritans were not true worshipers. They were worshiping in “this mountain” rather than Jerusalem. So their worship wasn’t according to the truth. They also combined elements of paganism with elements of Judaism (2 Ki. 17).

This woman admitted to the Lord that she was living with a man that was not her husband. When she went to tell others that she had found the Messiah, she told them that He had told her everything that she had done. While the Lord dealt in a compassionate way with her sin, He didn’t reject her because of it, nor did He reject her because of where she was born.

I suspect that this is the first time she had actually been treated with respect by a man, and this Man was a Jew. So she said, “Come see a man.” She seemed to understand that the Man who had accepted her could also accept and bless her friends. She was quite an evangelist. Her friends came and heard and believed, not because of what she said but because of what the Lord said to them (Jn. 4:42).

Worship is not just a time of praise or a ceremony where we “break bread.” Worship involves the words, actions and attitudes of one who has truly fallen in love with the Lord. It may be expressed by “falling down” – that is, by our posture. It may be expressed by praise or ceremony or sacrifice. But it cannot be expressed without devotional obedience (Heb. 11:8). When we worship someone, we need to know what pleases Him. We can’t tell Him what pleases Him; He tells us.

The true worship of the Samaritan woman, after meeting and talking with the Lord, was obvious. As a result, her gospel preaching was effective. She didn’t need to be taught to worship. When she realized that the One she was speaking to was the Messiah she was looking for, and that He could permanently satisfy her spiritual thirst, her worship was automatic. She certainly wasn’t ashamed of her new-found Savior and Friend when she invited others to “Come, see a man!”

The Father is still seeking true worshipers. He wants our ceremonies to please Him, our songs to glorify Him and our messages to accurately describe Him. He is seeking us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bruce Collins is an itinerant evangelist and writer of short, evangelistic meditations that are available periodically at http://bdcministries.faithweb.com. He lives in Waterloo, Iowa.