12月29日
标 题：真实的敬拜
经 节：时候将到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心灵和诚实拜祂，因为父要这样的人拜祂。神是个灵，所以拜祂的必须用心灵和诚实拜祂。（约翰福音四章23–24节）
我们被造是为了要以心灵与真理来敬拜神。当耶稣在井边对那撒马利亚妇人说话时，祂以神活水的信息来帮助她（约翰福音四：13—14）。
耶稣独自寻找这个妇人，要赐给她丰盛的生命。天父也以同样的方式寻找我们，要让我们真实的及个人的与祂相会。那个撒马利亚妇人曾经听过神；耶稣说真实的敬拜应该是与神[面对面]，敬拜不是宗教，也不是教条。敬拜是亲密及充满活力地与神相遇。真实的敬拜包括完全认识神是圣洁的、是至高至伟大的、是全能的、是仁慈的、是有怜悯的。这个认识让我们领悟到自己的罪。
真实的敬拜是生命的转变！它让敬拜者本身恨恶罪。真实敬拜的结果是悔改、完全的顺服、并且想要成为圣洁（以赛亚书六：1—8）。真实的敬拜会使人愿意施怜悯，及愿意饶恕。这也包括喜乐地接受神恩慈的赐予。真实的敬拜不会排挤人。诚如那位撒马利亚妇人，马上跑去告诉大家自己与主相遇，因为真实的敬拜会驱使敬拜者想要其它人一同来敬拜。因着这个妇女与耶稣相遇，许多同村的人也来认识耶稣。一个真实敬拜的人会有平安的感觉，并且满怀信心期待神的作为。真实的敬拜会带来真实的转变，我们的生命会反映出我们所敬拜的那一位。
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.
