“The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 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 4:19-26)
It is all around us, market-driven, feminized, entertainment and emotion driven Christianity rife with Golden Calves and High Places. Millennials and Gen-Z seekers are rejecting this style of Christianity because it is fake. They are turning instead to the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church. (1)
The fake church has, “abandoned the God of the Bible in exchange for a god that was created in the mind of man and resembles man…Contrary to Scripture they think that He makes mistakes, changes, and is largely absent. They deny Jesus’s divinity and see the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force. And since many believe that our God is the same as the god of the non-Messianic Jews and Muslims, they think He accepts any and all worship. As a result, they teach an overly-simplistic version of God: that God is love—and not much else. They have no concept of His holiness, righteousness, justice, and wrath.” As a result, within the fake church God is viewed, “as the harmless and lovable grandpa who could never hurt a fly, much less condemn anyone to hell”. “The modern view of Jesus is similarly worthless, lacking any semblance of power (as a result) the church at large (like society) has become very effeminate, so the resulting depiction of Jesus has become effeminate as well.” “Many misunderstand “gentle Jesus meek and mild”, forgetting that gentle doesn’t mean docile and meekness means immense strength restrained by self-control—i.e., ideal masculinity. Most people couldn’t imagine Jesus with a sword (Matthew 10:34) and a robe bloody from trampling His enemies (Revelation 14:19-20, 19:15 cf. Isaiah 63:3). They would be appalled to know that it was the pre-incarnate Christ (the Angel of the LORD) who annihilated 185,000 Assyrian soldiers (2 Kings 19:35, Isaiah 37:36). But that is exactly what Scripture says about Jesus Christ, so if you cannot imagine Jesus ruling the nations with an iron fist (Revelation 12:5 cf. Psalm 2:9), you are worshipping an idol erroneously called “Jesus”. Churches that teach these things are committing idolatry and leading their people to commit idolatry. ” “In many ways, the church’s idolatrous false god made in man’s image is a modern golden calf.” (American Idolatry: The Golden Calves and High Places of the American Church, Dan Hult, Staff and Hammer Blood, Dec. 14, 2023)
So what are the absolute essentials of true Christian worship?
- God is seeking worshipers who worship the Father. God is the focal point, the only object of worship. Worship is not about the congregation, making us feel happy, giving us emotional highs, or about how many pews are filled.
- Worship in spirit and in truth. The foundation of worship is the theological truths about God Himself, His attributes, and His works such as creation ex nihilo. True worship is not market driven, entertaining, emotions focused, sensual music, or empty messages.
- You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship. The minds (spirits) of worshippers are to be fully engaged and focused on God Himself. True worship is not an unengaged, bored mind or a moving mouth with words coming out while the unengaged mind is in wander mode.
- Worship in spirit. Emotions are not central but rather genuinely and spontaneously emerge from the truth of our Lord that takes hold of us as we worship.
God is very serious about how He is worshipped. He struck Ananias and Sapphira dead, as well as believers in Corinth for unsubmitted or fake worship (Acts 5:1-5; 1 Corinthians 11:27-30) Therefore, the hearts of true worshippers must be fully submitted to the Lord our God in order to be welcomed at His table. The self-willed, defiant, rebellious worshipper living in disobediance is not welcome before God without first repenting since God says He hates worship from unbroken worshipers.
Much of the contemporary church is a failure, which is why it is mocked, scoffed at, and ridiculed by the unsaved. Through the years Christians have turned the Lord’s gospel into a shameful joke. True revival within our churches will not come without repentance and a turning back to true worship.
Let us pray:
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – Your intercessors cry out to You for the renewing of the fake church that has wandered away into the idol-making factory of the imaginations of sinful people and now worships golden calves at high places.
Let it be Your Will Lord to forgive Your church for its sins of commission and omission. Wake up the wayward church to the transforming power of Christ’s work on the cross. Lead Your wandering church back to worship in spirit and truth that is pleasing to You Father God..
Create in Your church a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within Your people. Do not cast Your sinful church from your presence or take your Holy Spirit away. Restore to Your lost church the joy of Your salvation and grant Your wayward people a willing spirit, to sustain them. In the precious and Holy name of Jesus our Mighty Lord and Savior we pray. Amen
2025@SpiritedIrish
- Fake Worship is a Problem Everywhere, Kevin Schaal, Aquila Report, 5/26/25