Thanksgiving, Praise and Worship
Part 2
By Iverna Tompkins
Transcribed by Jane Vaughn

We have been considering the story in John 4 – of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well in Samaria and we have seen that the conversation was about worship.  Iverna challenged us to be worshippers of God all week long and then to come to church as worshippers – already in the groove – with our focus on Him – ready for the corporate expression of worship.  She continues here… jv. ed.

If we were worshippers!  Just coming into this building and looking at another person who is full of God – it’s just    ::whhoow::   What a blessing!  “God, You’re so good!”  Or, hearing of someone’s healing: “God, You’re so good!” 

We must no longer get stuck thinking our “worship time” is – whatever time we start the service Sunday morning or Wednesday evening until the first speaker comes to the platform. 

As it is now, when the moderator comes to the microphone, there’s a mind-shift in the congregation that is pathetic!  As soon as the worship team stops singing or leaves the platform or whatever – there’s a mind-shift – to near cynicism.  “Oh, now they’re gonna stop the flow – and take an offering.”  You don’t read the Book!  They took offerings during worship!

I preach in churches where, during the worship, spontaneously, people come forward and lay money on the front of the platform.  I love that!  Because they are inspired in their worship to come and give something of themselves – just to come before His Presence and bring an offering! 

But we don’t do that.  We want everything categorized: “Now, where exactly shall I worship?” the woman at the well asked.       Now, it’s time to sing (and we do - most of us).       Now, it’s time to bow (so we bow down).      Now it’s time to shake hands (and we oblige).       Now it’s time to give my offering.       And now?  the speaker comes…

No matter how we arrange the service, it cannot be a flow – unless you let it flow.  No matter what we do.  The leaders can come together and talk as a group and even prayerfully plan it all: “Well, we’ll do this and then we’ll just flow right into that and then we’ll go into the other thing…”  But you won’t…. 

And we vote.  We have people here who gladly proclaim: “I like the worship here.  That’s why I come to this church.  I like that music.  It has a beat!  And it’s…  I just like it!”  Then we have other people in the same services that say: “I tolerate the music but I can’t wait for the ministry of the Word.”

So those who like the worship come and they enter right into it all.  And those who don’t – wait – voting.  Then, when those who like that part and it’s finished    ::pffwitt!::   so are they!  Then after the whole service you overhear the conversation between the differing parties: “Wasn’t that a good word from Pastor?”  “Uh, I don’t remember.  What’d he say?”  “Weren’t you the one doing the dance down here?”  “Oh, yeah! I love the worship!”  Honey – you don’t have a clue what worship is!

So Jesus (Who is God) says this to the lady in John 4: “God is sheer Being itself.”  He’s not a man – that He should lie (Num.23:19).  Not a woman.  He is – God.  And Jesus’ description of Him is: “He is sheer Being.  He’s Spirit.”  Then He says, “…those who worship Him must do it – out of their very being!”

Who are you?  Whose are you?  If people you work with came to this meeting and saw you in action – would it be a surprise to them?          It shouldn’t be.       It shouldn’t.     It should be a natural thing all the time – the person you are here in church should be the person you are everywhere, all the time. 

The words, our vocabulary, shouldn’t change – nor our voice tone.  We talk naturally out there but when we get in the church we adopt this quiet whispery, gentle little voice: “God bless you.  It’s so good to see you.  How’s the baby?  Are things better?”              Why don’t you just be you? 

Why don’t you just be you?  When we come to God, we don’t have to use a King James language! :-)  He knows “you” from “thou!” :-)

We have picked up an idea, in our minds, of how we will worship Him so much so that we’re at least two different people.  One out there – in the home and with the kids and on the job – and then another in church.  And I know we don’t usually use words like “bless-ed.”  But do you know how many people out in the world these days are saying, “I’m blessed”?  They’re not Christians even – to my knowledge.  Many of them used to say, “I’m lucky.” Now they’re saying, “I’m blessed.”

Well, hey!  Where did they get that word?            From someone who knew what it meant!      Learn to pick up on those things and say, “Oh! I am too!  That’s so great!”  I actually did that once and the lady said back to me, “You are too – what?”  I said, “I am too – blessed.”

Let’s not just have a language that is only understood among us.  Am I making sense to you?

Now, when Jesus said this to the woman at the well – that God was Spirit – she was startled because it broke her mindset.  Everything she thought . . . .  Everything they told you that your church background was – suddenly changes when you have a divine encounter with God!  That was Jesus’ entire goal when He came to this earth – to reveal God.  If you don’t believe me, you’ve never read John 17. 

There we read Jesus cried out: “Oh, Father, I finished the work You gave Me to do and I told them all about You.  I’ve given them Your Name…” (Jn.17:4,6,8,26, et.al.).  We walk through the names of God: Jehovah Jireh – Nissi – Tsidkenu.  All the names we have learned in the Old Testament, the Names of God, show us Who He is.  They give the essence of Who and What that Spirit is.  He isn’t Shammah sometimes and Tsidkenu another.  He is ALL of that all the time!  The Great I AM! 

That’s the full revelation Jesus brought.  It was the whole purpose of Jesus to reveal the Father and to reveal the access to the Father.  You see, the way of the cross is the access to the Father.

It wouldn’t do me any good for Him to come and spend three years telling me how wonderful the Father is and how He loves us and how He sent Himself, Jesus, to come and how He was going to pay the price to be the holy spotless lamb to satisfy the Father and the requirements of sin on our behalf – all of that wouldn’t do me one bit of good if He didn’t tell me how to get there! 

How do you get to the Presence of the Father?  It’s by the Blood that Jesus shed!  By the way of the cross!  But if we just have the cross. . . .  There are some religions that are still (pardon me for saying it like this, but…) stuck at the cross.

I appreciate all He accomplished at the cross.  I do!  And I think daily: “Thank You, Lord, for my salvation.  Thank You for the Blood of Jesus.  Thank You I have boldness to come before the presence of the Father – because of the Blood.  And because of the Blood cleansing me, You, Jesus, live in me and I, Jesus, live in You, and we come before the Father as one.”

That whole road of access was made known through the cross.  But if it was just to make known the road, what good it is to the Father – to have a world full of children who know how to get to Him but don’t come very often – because they have issues.  Issues with Him and issues with one another.

This little lady at the well was a hearer – she heard what He said.  She found salvation in Him, and as a result of that encounter, the entire town was saved – because after her encounter with Jesus, she was different from what she had been before. 

You see, her relationship with the town was with the men.  So when she went back into the city changed, it was quite evident and they all said, “We want to see this Jesus.”  She testified: “He told me everything – all I ever knew – all I ever did.  He told me everything” (Jn.4:28,29).

There’s another occasion in the Bible where it tells us: here were Peter and John and they were just expounding the Word of God, and “they took note of them” (Ac.4:13).  In other words, the people who heard them were startled.  “I didn’t know they could do that!  These are not college people; they’re non-degreed.  These are unlearned men but listen to them.  WOW!”  The world would say, “WOW!  Listen to what they’re saying.”  The Bible says, “They took note of them that they had been with Jesus.”

People will take note of you – if you’ve been with Jesus.  They will.  There is something – different.  You can’t really touch Him without it showing.

The amazing thing to me about salvation is the simplicity of it.  What I mean is, all the complexity of salvation was paid by Jesus.  It’s all that: He had to be born and live and preach and be beaten and die and be buried and resurrected by the Father.  That’s the complexity of salvation.  Awww, Church, that is something else!  But it’s done!  The simplicity of it is: “I am a sinner – and I recognize He’s the Savior; He paid that price for me.”  (cf. Rom.3:9; 6:23; 2Cor.5:21; Gal.3:29,22; 1Pet.2:24).

I watch people come down this aisle and pray a simple prayer, such as: “I’m the sinner – You’re the Savior – I ask You to forgive and cleanse me of my sins and come into my life.”  Now the miracle that instantly takes place in them – I never get used to!  (cf.Jn.1:12).

Here’s a person answering the altar call that comes down to the front looking like this: sad, dejected, depressed, lifeless, just expressionless.  Then the saving encounter with God through prayer and suddenly – Change!  It’s actually visible on his countenance as: life and light, a fresh smile and eyes brightened. 

If you had spoken to that same person at the beginning of the service – you know: “God bless you.  Good to see you” – you would have encountered them all downcast.  But at the end of the service after they have accepted the Lord as Savior   ::clap!::    What a change! HUGS! for all! 

That’s a miracle!!  We should never get used to that!  We ought to be thrilled every time we watch God perform such miracles!

But just as equally is the thrill of the knowledge that at all times, whether I have trouble or I do not have trouble – whether I’m in pain or I’m feeling great – whether it’s morning, noon, or night – whether I’m at work or in my home or in a church service – I can always touch His Throne!  I can come before the Father at all times – any time I want!  Any time I want!  (cf.Heb.4:16; 10:19,22).

That’s what Jesus was trying to get through to her.  You don’t have to have a certain place and have someone authoritatively announce: “The Lord is in this place!”  My answer to that (I think it; I don’t dare say it) – but my answer is: “DUH!” :-)

Think about it.  Here are His people gathered together – in His Name – and I need a leader to resonate: “The Lord is in this place!”?  I know He’s in this place!  I brought Him!  I expect you to see Him!  I expect you to bring Him!  And when we all get together, the Lord is really in this place! (cf.Mt.18:20).  That’s what we have to see – about worship.

Go to Part 3