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Welcome, new subscribers to my monthly Live to Love blog. I’m honored that you would join us here at The Spirit of Elijah Ministries International in turning our hearts to God.
John 4:23-24 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
I have chosen truth as my word of the year, therefore each month I aim to encourage us to love and pursue truth. Truth is reality, and reality is what God says, does, hears, and sees. If God says it, it is reality. If He speaks, it happens. If He hears something, it truly occurred. If He sees something, it happened. Truth is reality.
John 4:23-24 are from Jesus’ encounter with a woman at Jacob’s well near the city of Sychar. He spoke about the time period that began with His coming and ends when He returns. We are in that era, the time when worship of God, the Father, is in spirit and truth. We learn from these verses that today, God is seeking such worshipers. I pray that He will find you and me among that number.
Soul-satisfying, eternal love
Soul-satisfying, eternal love comes from worshiping the Father in spirit and truth. Honest, truth-loving worship in the presence of God satisfies our souls because we were made to worship God. The source of love is not external worship of a material nature. When we realize in our hearts that God is spirit, we know the truth. Our consciences recognize that God is always with us and has seen everything about us. To worship in spirit is to believe Hebrews 4:13. “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Since truth is what He sees, we know that we are known, which makes us honest. Jesus, was God, inviting the woman to worship His Father in spirit and truth as He revealed to her that He knew the truth about her.
He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly” (John 4:16-18).
When we know that we are known by God (that’s worshiping in spirit) and come to Him as He sees us (that’s in truth), we experience His soul-satisfying eternal love which produces worship—the kind God seeks.
Found only in Jesus
Without Jesus it’s impossible to worship God in spirit and truth. Those who have the Son of God living in them have the Spirit of God dwelling within. He is the Spirit of truth who pours out the love of God in our hearts as Paul wrote to the Romans.
And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:5-8).
As we come to the Father in truth as sinners, aware of what He sees, we rely upon the substitutionary death of Jesus for peace with God. Believing He was sent by the Father to reveal His love and mercy toward sinners, we can’t help but be overwhelmed by divine love. The Spirit guides us to the truth, namely that God loves us in Christ, having justified us through His death. And if we were incorporated into His death, we certainly are raised to life with Him. As we rely on God’s love revealed in Jesus we worship Him with joy and hope. The love we experience as we look to Jesus is poured out in our hearts and becomes a “well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Those who drink of this water experience soul-satisfying, eternal love which produces worship of the Father.
Become a true worshiper and a well of life-giving water
The conversation between Jesus and the woman ended with a stunning declaration.
The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming ( He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
Do you believe Jesus is who He said He was? Have you found life in this world to be dissatisfying, complicated, and lonely like the woman who met Jesus at the well? So did Jesus. What made Jesus different from the woman was that He found His satisfaction in the love of His Father rather than anything or anyone in this world. He is a true worshiper of the Father, and He lives in all who believe and look to Him for soul-satisfying, eternal life.
The death and life of Jesus is the source for worship of the Father. His Spirit makes our spirits alive, aware of God’s presence, and creates the well of water springing up to eternal life. Believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, sent into this world to make true worshipers of the Father. I hope you are inspired to worship the Father in spirit and truth by looking to Jesus’ death for the forgiveness and removal of all of your sins, and to His life within for soul-satisfying, eternal love.
Would you like to share in our expression of love to South Africa?
We have begun to make plans to return to South Africa for an extended period of time to build up and expand Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry. God has been pleased to open many doors in this amazing country to preach the gospel, call out men to turn their hearts from their work and their stuff to God, impact influential business leaders, mentor and equip church, missions, and ministry leaders, and plant and water the seeds of live to love already sown. Alma and I plan to travel in early September and return towards the end of November. God has provided a care-giver for Amanda so that Alma may go with me and so Amanda can remain at home and comfortable in her normal routine.
We expect the travel and care-giver expenses for this ministry effort to be $10,000. I am extending to you the privilege of participating with us in expressing God’s love to the South African people and to Amanda in caring for her while we are gone. If you would like to love them with us, you may donate on our websites (spiritofelijah.com or livetolovewithjesus.com) or mail a check to Elijah Ministries, PO Box 377, Bulverde, TX, 78163.
If you are not led to give financially, we definitely would love to have you be a part of the prayer team. We believe He knows the people He plans to love through us, so we pray for Him to guide and confirm our steps. The preparation and entire ministry will need to be bathed in prayer. We therefore pray for hearts to be prepared and for God’s anointing on us as we serve and on His word. Amanda will need God’s grace, as will we, to be separated for such a long time. Her care-giver will also depend upon God’s grace to love and care for Amanda. You can sign up for the prayer team be emailing us at prayerteam@livetolovewithjesus.com. Thank you so much for praying for us and giving out of love as the Holy Spirit leads you.
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