True Worshipers

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him" (John 4:23).

I have always liked the picture of God in this text. While it is not incorrect to think of God as seated upon a throne and reigning over the universe, it is more encouraging to contemplate John's picture of Him taking a special interest in men and seeking for "true worshippers." Jesus, in the parable of the lost sheep, gave us this picture of God also as He symbolized Him as a Shepherd seeking the one who was lost.

What kind of men is God seeking "to wor­ship him"? Probably if we were to ask a score of people this question, we might well receive a score of different answers. Some would say that God looks for good men, others holy men, or men of strong character, overcomers, men who no longer have tempers, men who lead perfect lives. But is this the type of man that God has called in times past? Not especially.

As one looks through the Sacred Record, he finds a variety of types of men who have been called to various positions of trust in God's work. Amos says of himself, "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycornore fruit: and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go prophesy unto my people Israel" (Amos 7:14, 15). There was nothing unusual about this man that might indicate that he would be called to prophesy to Israel.

Jesus invited Nathanael to be one of His disciples. As Nathanael approached Him, Jesus said, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael immediately asked in surprise, "Whence knowest thou me?" "Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee," (John 1:47, 48). Nathanael was a good man, one in whom was no guile, but we fail to see anything outstanding about him in the description given. He was simply sitting under a fig tree, apparently pursuing a very ordinary type of existence, when Jesus called him.

In Old Testament times a man named Sam­son was called to serve God. He, however, was unusual in that he was selected before ever he was born. God said of him that he was to be a Nazarite from his birth. Before being selected this man had no opportunity to show good or bad characteristics. As we call the roll of those whom God has selected to be worshipers and special servants of His, we find it difficult to recognize any special pattern being followed. Men of high and low station alike were called. Some were proud and some humble. Some were placid men and some were tempestuous. Some were dependable and some erratic. Some were men who always believed. Some doubted. They were not all forceful, dynamic, fearless, intellectual, kindly, or thoughtful. How might we then describe a "true worshipper," one whom the Father is seeking to worship Him? What makes up a perfect Christian?

Differences in the make-up of men are ap­parent from the earliest days of life. When we were born, we each came into this world with a powerful set of impulses. We didn't manufacture these. We came equipped with them. They make us individuals different from all others. We might call these impulses in­stincts. At least they are "natural impulses prior to experience or instruction." What we do with them decides the type of person we are. All religion concerns itself with giving instruc­tion on how to handle these powerful inner forces.

Dealing With Life's Problems

In the main, it is agreed that there are three major methods for coping with these in­ner drives. The first of these, and a very popu­lar one, is "let your instincts go." Those who give this counsel state that these instincts are God-given and demand expression. I recall at one time hearing a young woman defend a serious moral lapse with just such an argu­ment. Such reasoning places the blame for any wrong act upon the God who gave the im­pulses. Samson, the man whom God called be­fore his birth, is an example of one who fol­lowed this line of reasoning. Despite the fact that God had a great work outlined for this man in delivering Israel from the yoke of the Philistines, he quite overlooked the necessity of making himself an instrument through whom God might work. Illustrative of his outlook was his method of choosing a life companion. As he looked upon a beautiful maiden he said to his parents, "Get her for me." No thought was given as to whether she would fit into God's plan for his life. No consideration was given as to whether she would contribute to his ul­timate goal. He was a believer in responding to the impulses and feelings that arose within his soul without thought for the future. Every­one knows the sorry end of Samson's life.

Today we hear a great deal expressed about the need of shaking off the restraints of "puri­tan religion" and living "in accord with our natures." Although this is presented as a new outlook, it is really not new. Many years ago Nietzsche preached this doctrine: "Get rid of your pious priests and their weak-livered gos­pel of mercy. Purge out of your souls this disease, this devil of Christianity. Progress de­pends on the strong men and the strong peo­ples." Christian attributes of mercy were to be discarded in favor of a "strength" that caused men to give full vent to their hates and pas­sions. Nazism gave to the world full portrayal of the outworking of this doctrine, and stories of mass executions shocked the world. Karl Marx preached, "Assert yourself, be strong, fol­low self-interest or class-interest, and life will balance itself." And a number of nations have given to the world a portrayal of the inhuman results of following this doctrine of seeking whatever would please the self no matter what the cost. The world has thus seen in the ex­amples of nations where letting oneself go will ultimately lead.

Not long ago a school of thought became popular which taught that repressions are bad for human nature, that instincts were made to be obeyed. Parents were instructed that curbing their children could be dangerous. If children had an urge to break up the furniture, let them break it up because to stop them would be to frustrate them and thus do irreparable harm to the development of their little characters. All this was given the high-sounding name "the psychology of behaviorism." This particular teaching has been losing ground in popularity recently—perhaps because the price of furni­ture has gone up!

The apostle Paul made clear the results of simply letting one's instincts run riot. He said, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, . . . idolatry, . . . hatred, . . . wrath, strife, . . . envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like" (Gal. 5:19-21). Letting "the flesh" do as it pleases is apparently not produc­tive of much good. And so we reject the first method for handling our impulses.

Let us consider the second suggestion made: "Do away with your instincts completely." Buddhism and Hinduism teach the necessity of eliminating all desire. You must want nothing. Buddha taught that in an utterly passionless existence the individual finds peace of mind and contentment. The monastic life, within the framework of Christianity, is similar. Cru­cifying all desire, wanting nothing, living as monks and religious hermits, going through a ceaseless round of formulas, some feel that they are drawing close to Christ.

However, Jesus never taught that killing all desire was the way to get close to Him. Do you recall what Jesus said when He sat down to celebrate the Passover feast with His dis­ciples: "And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer" (Luke 22:15). Or, as the mar­ginal reference expresses it, "I have heartily desired to eat this passover with you." There is no passivity or indifference expressed here. He had a hearty desire, an earnest longing, to eat this Passover feast with them before He suffered. At another time He wept over Jeru­salem, stating His oft-felt longing to gather the children of this city together and lead them on to better things. At still another time He prayed, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am" (John 17:24). These experiences cannot but convince us that Christ knew the strongest of desires—but they were all unselfish, high de­sires.

Since Christ Himself knew longing, want, de­sire, there surely can be nothing wrong with it. As a matter of fact, instead of desire being dead in Christians, it probably should be stronger than it is in others. But, as were Christ's, our desires should be the high, en­nobling, unselfish type that actually lift us up and make us better men and women. Paul, in -writing to the Corinthian brethren, discussed :their godly sorrow that led them to repent­ance, and referred to the virtues that this ,godly sorrow brought them. Included in the -list was "vehement desire" (2 Cor. 7:11). So ,doing away completely with instincts is not the _;answer.

The Christian Solution

The third counsel that is given to us is, -"Direct your instincts along right lines." Those -who give this counsel say, "Harness your inner impulses and put them to work." To my way ,of thinking, this is the Christian solution to the problem of handling ourselves. As the apostle Paul said, "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:27). This is what God wants to help us do!

To be a true worshiper of the Lord Jesus you cannot just let yourself go. Neither is it desirable for you to rid yourself of all instincts or desires. Rather, conversion is a process which sanctifies and hallows that which we already are. When we step out to serve the Lord, He does not so change us that we all become identical robots. Rather, the great truth which dawns upon every sincere suppliant is that the Lord takes us just as He finds us and then hallows and sanctifies what we are, using us to His honor and glory. The urges are still there, making us all different, but they are controlled by Him and used for good.

Take a look at some of the men whom He called to be true worshipers, and you cannot help but be encouraged. What would your re­action have been to the calling of Matthew if you had been with Christ as He was select­ing His disciples? Had I been there, I would surely have counseled the Master against select­ing a man of this sort. He was a tax collector for Rome, and likely to be a cheat and a gambler. I would have said, "Lord, we cannot stand to have a man of that caliber in our ranks. We would never know when we could trust him. We have enough trouble without bringing into our ranks a man of this nature." But the Lord called him anyway, and I can but admit today how wonderfully His selection worked out. The name of Matthew is known everywhere, for his was the privilege of writ­ing the Gospel which is listed first among all the stories of Christ that are told in the New Testament.

If I had had the opportunity to give the Master some good counsel regarding James and John, I would certainly have done so. "Master," I would have stated, "everyone re­fers to them as sons of thunder. They can't hold their tongues. They have violent tempers. They are men of exceptionally strong feelings. Fur­thermore, they are politically-minded, ambitious men. They are always seeking for the highest place everywhere. What a situation they would introduce into the flock of God! Certainly we have no place for such men." But they too were called, and today I have to admit that great changes took place in their lives. John, the man with strong feelings, now is known as the disciple of love. James's strong character was harnessed for the Lord and he became one of the strongest leaders of the new Christian church.

I wonder if I might have warned the Lord against the fearful mistake that He was about to make, had I been on the road to Damascus when the voice spoke from heaven calling Saul of Tarsus. "Lord," I might have said, "here surely is a man of temper, a born fighter. As a matter of fact, at this very time he is on his way to Damascus with papers giving him the privilege of killing all the Christians that he finds serving You in Damascus. This man will bring dissension into the ranks. Besides, Lord, he is an intellectual who talks over every­one's head. What kind of preacher would he ever make?" But once again I have to admit that the Lord knew better than I would have known, how these men would turn out. Saul of Tarsus was a fighter and at the end of his life he said, "I have fought a good fight." His fighting impulses were enlisted in God's cause for the growth and protection of the church. And he was an intellectual all right. Even Peter found it hard to understand him. But to Paul was given the privilege of writing more of the inspired New Testament canon than any other single individual.

And then, how I would have tried to save the Lord from the mistake of calling Peter. Peter, the man who spoke first and thought afterward—a rough man who associated with unpolished and uncultured fishermen, a swash­bucklering type of individual who always boasted and bragged of his own attainments. But once again I would be forced to recognize how this man, with fearless abandon, used the very same outspoken impulses he had always had to fearlessly preach that which was on his heart. And so it is that when God calls men to serve Him, He does not demand that they all fit into the same groove or that they all be alike. He does not even make them all alike. He takes them just where He finds them, helps them harness their instincts and impulses, and uses them to His glory.

The Lord is seeking you, as one of His true worshipers, and no matter what kind of person you are, God can use you in His work. The church is made up like a human body. Paul uses this symbol, telling us that just as hu­man beings have arms, legs, mouths, etc., just so the church needs some to be its legs, to do its running; some to be its arms, to do its manual work; and some to be its mouthpieces. Difficulty arises when too many of us want to be mouthpieces, and we slow down the work of the Lord! Also, at times, we make it difficult for the Lord to use us. He has plans for us and a place for us in His work, but we fail to understand and fit into His plans. Do you remember the rich young ruler? The record says that as Jesus looked at him and thought of what he could do, He "loved him." The Mas­ter had plans for his life and could see that He could harness the impulses and attitudes of this young man to His glory. But as He gave him some of the preliminary instructions for service, the young man went away sorrowful, for he was not willing to make even these initial sacrifices to serve the Lord.

Today, God is seeking true worshipers. He needs and wants you, just as you are. May we ask Him to harness us and to use us in His work.

"Just as I am, without one plea

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come."