wholeness

The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched VI Week 3

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Marsha had been following Jesus, committed to living for Him, but struggled with voices of shame and guilt. She found herself quick to condemn herself, even though she worked hard to love others and give them grace, despite their own past mistakes. Sometimes, accepting the on-going, unconditional, perfectly complete, gracious forgiveness of Jesus on our behalf is much harder than that choosing to forgive others of their sin. Pause to take note of where you are much harder on yourself than you are on others. Where are you pushing too hard and not allowing margin in your life for your own self-care, for rest, and for dedicated time spent with the Lord? Unless we are accepting Christ’s lavish love for ourselves, it will be difficult to love others!

2)  Laura’s life was made new because of the dramatic, insistent, presence of love. Love from neighbors. Love from adopted parents. Love from a sister. All of these examples of unconditional love pointed her closer and closer to the unending love of a Father God. When she finally experienced Jesus’ love for herself, she realized how deeply she had already been loved by Him through the people around her. Who has invested deeply into your life by showing you Jesus’ love? Who have you done this for and how have you seen it impact them? Take time this weekend to write a note to someone who has embodied Jesus’ love for you, and encourage them by letting them know they made a difference. How we love one another helps others see Jesus more clearly!

3)  Shannon made many attempts to fix herself, sure that if she found and followed the right formula, she would find freedom and wholeness. Everything she tried not only failed her, but left her feeling more broken than before. The cycles of working at religion were so empty. Everything changed for her with a gracious invitation to participate in biblical community. As people around her shared vulnerably of their own transformation and lived out in regular everyday life what it means to be loved by the Savior, Shannon couldn’t get enough of this sweet truth! Believers who loved Jesus more than their own comfort zones were pivotal players in Shannon’s dramatic life change. Are you investing with everything you have for the lives of those around you? Who have you written off as being “too far away” or “unlikely Christian”? Pray consistently about who the Lord is placing in your life for you to live like Jesus alongside.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Ephesians 4:31-32 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor
and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Prayer Journal
Like everything else, we humans try to work hard, fix it ourselves, rescue ourselves, and ignore the unmerited grace You offer through Your son, Jesus. Lord, I know I do this, even though I’ve been following You and studying Your Word for years. I still try to do the work You’ve given to me or love the people You’ve put in my life on my own power. It’s never effective without You, Jesus. Press this truth before me, Lord. Let me be reminded of my need to be totally dependent on You, Your Power, and Your forgiving, gracious love no matter what I do today!

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Sketched V Day 11 Paul, The Prisoner

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Sketched V Day 11 Paul, The Prisoner

Bri Bailey

February 11, 2019

Courage,Faithfulness,God,Gospel,Jesus,Paul,Sketched

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 90:1-17
2 Corinthians 11:24-27
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Acts 14:8-23

Staccato pounding on my door broke my concentration. Sighing, I laid down my pen and rose to cross the small room. Opening the door, I greeted the soldier before me, then stood back to allow him entry.

Marcellus strode into the room, peering around him in the semi-darkness. “For Apollo’s sake, man, put a light on,” he ordered. Suspicion spread across his face as his gaze met mine. “Unless you’re trying to hide something . . .”

“No, no,” I hastened to reassure him as I lit a lamp. “I was caught up in my letters and didn’t notice the setting sun,” I explained, gesturing toward the sheaf of parchments on my small table.

Ambling over to the table, Marcellus picked up the papers and idly glanced through them. One in particular caught his attention, and he read aloud, “Therefore do not be ashamed about the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His prisoner–”. (2 Timothy 1:8)

Breaking off, he snorted, “Prisoner of the Lord? You ought to know better than anyone that you’re a prisoner of Caesar.” I opened my mouth to reply, but he cut me off. “And big help your God has been to you. I’ve heard all about you. You know how to take a beating . . . I really don’t know how you’re still alive. Where was your God then?”

Tossing the letters on the table and retrieving a pile of chains from a corner of the room, he growled, “Enough nonsense. Let’s get on with it. It’s been a long day and I’m exhausted.”

A short time later, Marcellus’ even snoring filled the room. I shifted on my pallet, taking care not to jostle the chains that connected us. I’d learned the hard way that Marcellus’ sunny disposition grew even sunnier if he was awakened from sleep. Absentmindedly, I rubbed the finger he’d broken the first time I’d made that mistake.

Quietness settled over my body, and my mind drifted back to Marcellus’ derisive critique of my words. This wasn’t the first time the phrase “prisoner of the Lord” begat confusion; I’d used the term in my letters to both the believers in Ephesus (Ephesians 4:1) and brother Philemon (Philemon 8-9), receiving bewildered replies each time.

Recipients of my letters had expressed incredulity that, given my suffering for the gospel, I would willingly bear the title “prisoner” of anyone.

For indeed, I had suffered.

Five times, I had endured the maximum religious punishment of 39 lashes.
Three times, I had been beaten with rods.
Three times, I’d been shipwrecked, spending a long, chilling 24 hours in open water.

In my years of spreading the gospel, I’d been in danger from rivers, bandits, fellow Jews, and Gentiles; in the city, in the country, at sea, and from false believers; gone without sleep, without food, and without water; and found myself cold and naked.

I even died.

And that story summed up my joy at finding myself the Lord’s prisoner.

When Barnabas and I first visited the city of Lystra, God used us to bring wholeness to a crippled man. Despite our protestations, the townspeople revered us as gods . . . for a few days. Immature and quixotic, the people were turned against us by Jews from Antioch and Iconium.

Less than a week after attempting to worship at my feet, the people of Lystra stoned me.

But God.

God’s plans were much, much bigger, and so He breathed life back into my body. Months later, I stood once again at the gates to Lystra, gathering my courage to enter the city. As I made my way through the bustling main streets, face after face turned from business-as-usual to shock and amazement.

One burly man came to a full stop directly in front of me, giving voice to the thoughts of the crowd: “But . . . but you were dead. I saw you. What power has brought you back? Alive?”

And the gospel spread through Lystra with a potency I couldn’t have imagined.

Far from quelling the word of God, my suffering instead spurred it on.
I came to understand I was never imprisoned by the whim of human rulers.
Rather, I was strategically positioned by God for the furtherance of the good news.

In my greatest moments of human weakness, His supernatural strength was made perfect and His power was displayed for all to see.

And now here I lay, chained to a Roman guard, as I have been every night for some years. To all appearances, I am on a fool’s mission, the result of a seeming misstep in my testimony before Agrippa.

But God.

God made a way for His word to reach even Caesar, should my house arrest end with an audience before the Roman ruler. Until then, a new opportunity to share Jesus presents itself at my door every evening at sundown.

I sense that my time grows short. Like Moses, my prayer in these final days is for God to prosper the work I have begun here and abroad, creating His own legacy from my lifetime of ministry. Until the day He calls me home, I remain faithfully and joyfully in service to my Rescuer and Redeemer, yes, as His prisoner.

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good news,plans,positioned,prisoner,suffering,wholeness
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Contentment does not mean I’m happy or I don’t question events in my life, rather I know I can find eternal joy in recognizing how earthly circumstances do not define me or control me. They should push me and cause me to draw closer to the One who loves me and saves me. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
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Awaken Day 15 Soul Song

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 119
Psalm 34:8-10
Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 150

Awaken, Day 15

God awakened me to the life-giving nature of His Word during a low season physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.  My journey to wholeness and healing involved a combination of common graces such as food, exercise, medication, friendships, counseling, and sleep. However, the foundational truth God showed me is that His Word is my very life.

Far from being a band-aid, His Word became a soul-companion
walking with me through challenge, pain, difficulty,
temptation, joy, blessing, and doubt.

Index cards of truth were stashed in my purse,
providing a quick intake of truth while waiting in the check-out line.
Songs of truth were kept in the car for long drives, defending my mind against preoccupation with lies or despair.
Settling into a daily reading plan of His Word with purpose and intention was transforming into a lifeline, and not just something to check off.
Reading the Scriptures and thoughtfully meditating on them made me want more.
I tasted and saw through His Word, that God is good, (Psalm 34:8).

The author of Psalm 119 takes us along his own journey of tasting and seeing (verse 103), in his tribute to God’s Word.  He wants us to understand that to encounter the One true God, we must turn to His own Words for life.

HIS WORD IS TRUTH
The psalmist uses all kinds of language throughout the chapter to affirm his position on God’s Word. However, when verse 160 comes around toward the end, it acts much like a thesis declaring, “The sum of Your Word is truth”.

God’s Word is the standard and plumb line (Isaiah 28:17). It tells me what is true, and brings clarity when I’m foggy, tempted, confused or simply ignorant. In a complimentary way, Psalm 107 gives a dramatic look at the war being waged in the heart of one seeking out truth in the wrong places. When the people finally “cried to the Lord in their trouble”, “He sent out his word and healed them” (verse 19-20).

HIS WORD IS PROTECTION
The instructions of God are guardrails on a dangerously high bridge, like boundaries on a forest trail and bright lines on a busy highway. The psalmist pleads in verses 9-11, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Verse 133 similarly says, “Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me”

I’m so grateful for the psalmist’s example!
He’s honest about our frail human nature easily lured away and deceived by sin. Obeying God’s Word is not a badge for the pious – no! It’s a weapon for the one who understands their capacity to sin, and clings to the Word to guard her heart (verse 176)!

HIS WORD GIVES HOPE
Consider how the psalmist conveys hope in God’s Word:
“Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” (verses 49-50)

“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction” (verse 92)

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.” (verse 114)

God intends our suffering to drive us to Him, His Word, and lean on His promises.
Psalm 143 exemplifies how David’s suffering sent him running to God and clinging to the promises in His Word. Our suffering may come by evil hands or hearts, but affliction teaches and points us to the unwavering character of God (119:71).

Humility Asks for Help
Knowing the value of God’s Word is critical, but a humble position is prerequisite to even this.  Over and over the psalmist asks for help to see, understand and keep God’s law.  Yes, he declares trust in and belief that God’s Word is perfect, yet in the same breath,
he asks for help to keep believing and following it.
Plenty of times! (verses: 12, 17, 27, 34, 36-37, 43, 66, 73,117, 135,169).
This carries the same posture of the father in Mark 9:24 who says, “I believe, help my unbelief!”

How comforting it is to know that we can
firmly declare truth while acknowledging we have not arrived at perfection.
We do not yet fully believe all we should,
and we need His constant help to keep believing and walking in God’s ways.

When we rightly see ourselves in great need, and see God for who He is, Majestic King, Compassionate Shepherd, and Mighty Lord, we will respond with praise and exaltation.
We see a beautiful example of this in the completion of the Psalms in chapters 146-150, (written for the dedication of the second temple.)

Just as the author of Psalm 119 consistently declares,
let us also taste and see God’s Word as our very life.
Not for a badge, but for a vision of who God is and what is true.
This will propel our hearts and lives to cry out,
“Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” (Psalm 150:2)

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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Worship Day 4
Lifestyle Worship: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

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John 4:23-24 English Standard Version (ESV)

23 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. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The Questions

1) Who is speaking in these verses and to whom are they speaking?

2) What is the greater context of this passage?

3) What hour is being referred to in v. 23?

The Findings for Intention

1) Who is speaking in these verses and to whom are they speaking?
In this passage, Jesus and a woman of Samaria are exchanging conversation at the water well outside of the town of Sychar. This would have been very odd for a man to speak to a woman, but even more so since Jesus was Jewish and the woman he was speaking to at the well was a Samaritan. This would have been completely unheard of in the 1st Century, the male female exchange as well as the cultural exchange between Jew and Samaritan.

2) What is the greater context of this passage?
In looking at these few verses it is hard to see the context of what Jesus is talking about in this short passage. Yes, he is saying God desires true worshipers – those who worship in spirit and in truth. The greater context of the conversation is dealing with a couple of different things, one of which is how Samaritans worship and how Jews worship. The Samaritan woman points out that she is considered not as holy or wrong in her worship because of where she worships God. Jesus is saying the time has come for all worshippers of God to be authentic and it will come through Him and by Him.

3) What hour is being referred to in v. 23?
All throughout John, Jesus refers to “an hour that is coming” and He is foreshadowing His crucifixion. In this passage He says, “the hour is coming and now is here” which refers to His presence as the God-man. Once Jesus’ ministry began, the way in which people worshipped would radically change.

The Everyday Application

1) Who is speaking in these verses and to whom are they speaking?
The amazing part about this exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is that it should have never happened. She was going to the well, the social hub of the city, in the hottest part of the day because she was ashamed of her life and didn’t want to be around the other ladies of the town. Jesus sought her out, spoke to her, and then shared how she could worship with authenticity and truth. It didn’t matter that He was Jew and she was Samaritan, what mattered was she was willing and He was able! Just as He still is today….if we are willing, He is able! Authentic worship comes only after a transformative encounter with Christ.

2) What is the greater context of this passage?
Dealing with lies you have been told or misconceptions of the truth slap you in the face at times. For the Samaritan woman, Jesus confronted her sin, her life in the past, present, and future, and her worship. In His pursuit of her, He showed the person she would come to truly worship. The where of her worship was earthly and futile but the Who of her worship is what mattered most. He showed her and taught her the truth of who He was, and it radically changed her life. She worshipped differently, authentically for the first time. We have that same opportunity; that same pursuit and confrontation happens when we encounter Christ. We have to ask ourselves, are we transformed? Are we being real before the one true God?

3) What hour is being referred to in v. 23?
Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection permanently and eternally transformed our lives. Once He walked on this Earth, a King stepping out of Heaven, and the stage was set for what had been inevitable from the beginning of time. We can worship in spirit and truth because of Who we worship and the relationship we have with Him. His hour came so ours would not!

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I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
3) Write down your questions as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God in your everyday!

The Community!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

The Why!

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

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See all past studies in Worship!

Brave Day 6
Victorious Bravery

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesians 3
Hebrews 10:19-25
Deuteronomy 31:1-8

attachment-1-11I was coming off of a very long weekend of intense marriage strengthening exercises (AKA: hours of conflict). It was Monday and we had worked through our issues and were holding hands again with fingers interlocked, but our hearts were still shaking. I sat watching my son working in physical therapy when Brave walked in the door.

She was white haired with shuffling steps and thin, wrinkled skin wrapped around bones that were at least 9 decades old. Her smile was wide, despite her timid steps…because she grasped the hand intertwined with hers. I nearly dissolved in tears at the duo. They may as well have been waltzing on a ballroom floor, their intimacy was so obvious, their connection so deep.
She was his princess and He was her Charming.
They laughed together and made little jokes. He helped her to a seat and she straightened his shirt. I couldn’t help but wonder how many long weekends of “intense marriage strengthening exercises” they had walked through on their journey to “here”.
How many times had their eyes shone with anger instead of satisfied love?
What had their first decade together been marked by when He was handsome and Her skin was pristine? And, did it really matter now?
All those struggles,
all those hurt feelings,
all those times they surely had felt it wasn’t worth it…
and here they stood, hearts knit together and conflict overcome. Victory.

As I watched the pair and thought about my own marriage, it occurred to me that it wasn’t about the current conflict, but rather the end result and finishing well. When this sweet couple were in their 30’s or 40’s or 50’s, they had no way to see where they would be or how rich their relationship would grow.
They simply believed it would be worth it and so they pressed on.
That is the essence of brave.
They saw an end by faith.
They chose being brave over walking out.

As Christ-followers our bravery is rooted even deeper.
Our hope is sure.
We pursue Christ in every area, not because we are so steadfast or honorable or worthy, but because the hope of Jesus is enough.

This abiding hope isn’t some pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking,
bravery is ours because it has already been won.
Paul passionately portrays Christ’s unfathomable love in Ephesians 2 by describing the sacrifice He chose for us so that we may be
saved by grace,
raised with Christ, and
seated with Him in the heavenly realms.
This is a little technical, but bear with me 🙂 All of those verbs are past tense: saved, raised, seated – no question.

In God’s timeline of salvation (surrendering control to Him),
sanctification (God working in you), and
glorification (when we will be redeemed fully in Heaven), the assurance of these events for genuine Christ-followers is
so certain that it’s already been done.

Once you cross the line of faith, victory is solidly yours to own and wrap up in and bank on.
In life,
in conflict,
in loss,
in illness,
in tragedy,
in death,
victory is ours and by it,
bravery is available in quantities we can’t even begin to imagine.

That kind of bravery is the fuel
for lasting marriages,
for overcoming abuse,
for freedom from addiction,
for life where death has reigned,
for healing in relationships,
for integrity in place of fear.

It’s the same bravery that was stamped across the life of Joshua as he assumed leadership from the legendary Moses, for Solomon as he undertook building the temple, and for God’s people as they crossed into the Promised Land.
“Be strong and courageous, do not tremble or be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you.” (Josh 1:9)
God spoke it over His people and His chosen leaders countless times.
And He still speaks it over us.

Be brave; The Great I Am is with you. (Deut 31:6)
Be steadfast; your hope is sure. (Heb 10:23)
Be bold; Christ holds your eternity. (Eph 3:17-19)

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Brave Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Brave!

Day Fourteen
Desperate for Truth: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper posts are intended to help us go farther into God’s word than a simple surface reading
and are designed to help us discover new tools in the process.
Curious as to why we Dig Deeper? Here’s Why! 

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out Desperate For Truth!

John 4:20-24 English Standard Version, ESV

20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.23 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. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

My Questions

1) Why was this woman arguing with Jesus over where to worship?

2) In v.21, Jesus says “an hour is coming”, what is referring to?

3) How is Jesus defining “true worshipers”?

The Tools

A trip to www.studylight.org is in order here.
We will get super cozy with this site as we study Scripture together!
Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom!
It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse?
Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage?
Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

The Findings for Original Intent

1) John 4 shares an encounter that Jesus has with a Samaritan woman. In order to understand why she is arguing about worship location, we look to the history of the Samaritans. In the history of the Israelite nation, there was a kingdom divide, the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) and Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom while Jerusalem was the capital of the Southern Kingdom. When the Assyrians invaded the Northern Kingdom (Israel) they carried off a lot of the Jewish families. However, there was a group of Israelites that remained and the Assyrians repopulated the Northern Kingdom with five eastern tribes to squash the Israelite identity and customs. As a result, these eastern tribes and the Israelites intermarried and assimilated into one culture. They became known as the Samaritans and were considered “half-breeds” because they were only part Jewish. Eventually, the Babylonians conquered both Northern and Southern Kingdoms and the entire region became known as Samaria. This led to the Exile which was prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11-12). The exiles were taken in waves to Babylon but there were some that were never taken. The sick, the weak, the poor, and the unskilled were left behind. Those that were left behind in Samaria began to establish their own practices of worship, their own place of worship (Mount Gerizim), and their own adapted Pentateuch in Aramaic. When the Jews returned, this caused tremendous strife and tension between the orthodox Jews and the Samaritan Jews, which still exist today. When the Samaritan woman argues with Jesus, her argument is based on hundreds of years of bad history between the “real” Jews and the Samaritan Jews.

2) Throughout John’s gospel, Jesus refers to “an hour is coming”. We see this phrase used when Jesus is foretelling his crucifixion and resurrection. In John 12:27, “But for this purpose I came to this hour.” Digging into the word “hour” here helps us to understand it does not mean a fixed time on the clock, rather a definite point of time. It refers a time where something will happen to change how she will worship.

3) A true worshipper worships in spirit and truth. Again, word study helps to gain a clearer representation of the phrase “true worshipper”. The word “true” is that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name, real, true genuine. There is understanding in Jesus’ words that a true worshiper will know God and the place they worship will not matter but more their heart and desire for the one true God in that worship.

The word “spirit” here is the same word for the third person of Trinity. Apart from the Holy Spirit in our life, we cannot worship God. The role of the Holy Spirit is to “teach you all things, and bring to you remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26) In this passage, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will come when He leaves to remind us, help us, and guide us into God’s truth (John 16:13). He, the Holy Spirit, enlightens our eyes to the truth of God’s word so that we may worship Him.

Some Applications for Our Everyday Lives

1) The Samaritan woman’s argument with Jesus gives Him opportunity to explain the New Covenant. In her mind, she has been made to feel like she is less than a “true” worshipper of Christ because of who she is and what she has done when in fact Jesus takes this opportunity to set her right. Consider ways you feel “less than worthy” of an intimate relationship with the Almighty, and let your heart listen to the words of Jesus. It isn’t the place of worship, our past, or the rules we try to keep, that dictate intimacy with Christ, but rather the authenticity of our faith in the One True God.

2) Jesus’ “hour” finally came, in part, with his death, burial and resurrection. Romans 8:18-19 says, “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” We wait for the “hour” to come just as the Jewish people awaited a Messiah that would set them free. We eagerly wait for the “hour” that Christ will return and restore all things. In what ways can you live focused on that approaching hour?

3) Just as Jesus wanted the Samaritan woman to realize that God desired an intimate relationship with her, He’s extending the same offer to us! It was the woman’s choice to worship the Lord, not a country or people or even her past that defined her. Just a woman standing in front of a great big God, submitting out of reverence, awe, and a desire for authentic worship. Because we have Christ’s resurrection power, we too can “put to death the deeds of the body” (Rom 8:13) and truly be free to worship!

Want To Try It For Yourself?!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
3) Write down your questions as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers.
Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes
(click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and
embrace the fullness of God in your everyday!

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Desperate Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? See all past studies in Desperate!