Hindrances and Helps to Worship

“There is Samaritan worship. Samaritan worship is heretical worship in the correct meaning of the term. A heretic is not a man who denies all of the truth, he's just a very persnickety man who picks out what he likes and rejects the rest. Heresy means I take what I like and I reject what I don't like.” -A.W. Tozer, The Chief End of Man.

In John 4, Jesus has an incredible encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. In their conversation, she states, "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship" (4:20).

This is the heart of Samaritan worship. You define and practice worship like this and we define and practice worship like that. You can hear the impetus of the modern phrase, "to each their own." In response, Jesus gives one of the most clarifying statements about worship found in the New Testament.

"Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:21–24 - ESV.)

Exercise: Take a moment and write down and maybe even discuss with your family or some friends what you consider as the definition or description of worship.

Does your understanding of worship resemble a Samaritan mindset of preference or priorities? Or do you find the focus of your conversation to be seeking God on His own terms and prescribed ways?

Last Sunday, we looked at some of the hindrances of worship:

Unholy or Unhealthy Interests (Deut. 12:29-31)

False Prophets & Teachers (Deut. 12:32-13:5)

Harmful Relationships (Deut. 13:6-11)

Following the Crowds or Culture (Deut. 13:12-18)

Living Impure or Unclean (Deut. 14:1-21)

This Sunday, we will continue through Deuteronomy 14-15, as we consider some "helps" to experiencing and cultivating a life of true Worship. In Deuteronomy 15-16, we find some helpful patterns and descriptions to help us cultivate a life of true worship.