Spirit & Truth

God is searching for worshipers that will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Our worship may look different from one another’s but that doesn’t matter, it’s the act of true and sincere worship that God desires.

God doesn’t want you to know about Him from a distance, nor does He want a causal relationship with you. God wants to be near you. He desires a deep personal relationship with each and every one of us. God is a seeker. He is seeking the opportunity to make His presence known to us. He wants you to know His manifest presence in your life!

Worship is the key to drawing God's presence into our lives. True & sincere worship is an invitation to God. It allows God to move like nothing else and attracts Heaven to Earth. God loves our worship with His whole heart, this is why He seeks out people who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth!

...true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." John 4:19-23 (NIV)

Worship isn’t only for church services, and it's not limited to songs and music. Worship, in the name of Jesus, can be a daily part of our lives! But how do we enter into true and sincere worship? How do we praise God for who He is in Spirit and in truth?

I invite you to watch this message, Spirit & Truth, from Worship Pastor Jaron Burkhardt. In this message Pastor Jaron shows us how we can enter into true and sincere worship in Spirit and in truth, attracting Jesus to us and in doing so experiencing a deeper manifest presence of God in every area of our lives!

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NIV)

WATCH IT

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People of the Bible: Solomon

If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?

This was a question posed to Solomon in the old testament. Knowing what he asked for may surprise you.

Solomon was King David’s son and after David’s death, Solomon became the king of Israel. When Solomon took the throne after David’s death, God appeared to him in a dream and asked him what he wanted. Solomon told God that he wanted wisdom so he could govern Israel fairly. All he asked for was wisdom.

God was very pleased with Solomon’s response and he granted him this wisdom. And because he asked for wisdom instead of fame or riches God also gave him these as well (1 Kings 3:10-14). Solomon is famous for being one of the wisest and wealthiest kings in world history.

He was extremely blessed during his lifetime as king. Solomon became so famous that people from all around the world would come to his palace to sit under his teaching or to just see the man for themselves.(See 1 Kings 4:34)

He wrote much of the book of Proverbs from his God-given wisdom as well as the book, Song of Songs. Solomon is also known for building the great Temple. The temple took seven years to build and was worth over half a billion dollars in today's money. This temple stood for around 500 years until it was eventually destroyed by the Babylonians.

Unfortunately, for centuries Israel would go back and forth between serving God and sinning against God. Eventually, their worship became so muddied that even the people who thought they were worshipping God were doing it in vain. That is until Jesus came on the scene. Jesus reshaped the way people thought about God. Jesus showed them that God wasn’t found through the law but faith, and anyone who put their faith in Jesus, who is God, would have eternal life.

So be encouraged today, God hears your prayers, just as he heard Solomon in 1 Kings. Pray for the big things. Pray for the little things. Pray for your family. Pray and pray some more. Oh, and don't forget to pray for wisdom!

We serve a God who answers prayers and will bless us greatly when we seek him first.

God Is Our Great Physician

When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

(Matthew 9:12 NKJ)

A few years ago, my husband became ill. It didn't take long after we sought treatment from the physicians to find a tumor growing in his digestive system. Within days of the tumor being identified, he was scheduled for surgery with one of the best gastroenterologists in our region. Having that tumor removed, as soon as it was found, saved his life.

It's easy to decide to have something removed when you realize how dangerous it is to the health and well-being of your body.

The Word of God declares that God is our Great Physician. We often lean on God for the healing of spiritual, emotional, or physical pain, and His Word can guide us to recovery. But I wonder how often you turn to God to be a surgeon in your life.

Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:12, they considered themselves “healthy” before God because of their observance of the law. They failed to acknowledge their spiritual sickness. Jesus was pointing out to them in this verse that only those who acknowledge their sickness can receive the help they need.

How often do you ask God to cut away the attributes that make you spiritually unhealthy?

I want to encourage you to ask God to show you the “tumors” of your spiritual life. For example, do you struggle with discontentment, pride, disobedience, selfishness, ungratefulness, offense, bitterness, anger, or hate? All of these adverse attributes and many others can make us spiritually unhealthy.

With the same urgency that my husband had his physical tumor removed, we should seek God to show us the areas of our spiritual life where things are growing that shouldn't be. Then allow Him to begin the work to remove them. Surgery can be painful, but it's always for the good of our health.

The Pharisees couldn't see their spiritual sickness- and it hindered their relationship with Jesus. I don't want anything to hinder my relationship with Jesus, and I'm sure you don't either. Thankfully we can prevent this from happening in our lives! We are all sinners in need of Jesus, and we can trust Him as our Great Physician, He is the best surgeon we will ever have.