For Such the Father Seeketh

By Barry Hall

You could walk into a bookstore, go to the Christian book section, and find several books written about worship—after all, Christianity and worship go together like the church and salvation. You simply can’t have one without the other.

This book is written with the hope of clearing up some confusion and ignorance about how we develop true worship between the saints and the creator of the universe. According to Jesus’s words in John chapter 4 in his dialogue with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus teaches her. God has always sought from the beginning a people he calls the true worshiper to be his family here through the church and one day in heaven through all eternity. One of the difficulties with the church today, as I see it, is its persistence to follow an erroneous tradition known as going to church on Sunday for worship. The reality is nothing further from the truth. Jesus warned about following traditions of men: “In vain, they do worship me” (Matthew 15:9). Jesus spent much of his time in his earthly ministry disputing with the Pharisees over their traditions which they made binding on the people. Traditions are like habits, once you engage in them they are hard to break. We turn the clock ahead in the spring and back in the fall as a matter of tradition, nothing spiritual about it. But when a spiritual activity is based on tradition, it has no scriptural support for its practice and it can be devastating in its effect on those who practice it.

This book deals with the need to slay the sacred cow, known as going to church for worship. There is no evidence in the book of Acts of the church assembling for worship. Acts reveals much activity about the church but worship is not one of them. This book reveals to the reader the many activities designed by God to bring the saints to a meaningful worship experience and one which is approved by God and one he has been seeking since the foundation of the world. The book is controversial to say the least. Only because tradition has such a grip on the church’s lack of understanding of what Jesus meant by true worship, in my opinion. I’m sure your thinking will be challenged and provoked to making some changes in your personal relationship with the one who created you.

Happy reading!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781636304694

Book preview

Chapter 1

Are You Thirsty?

One of the most important words in the Christian’s vocabulary is worship. In my opinion the word is bounced around like a ping-pong ball with many varied descriptions. In John 4, Jesus gave us some direction and understanding about the word. What better teacher than he who is the embodiment and object of our worship. The Jews were astonished at His doctrine. He taught as one with authority (Matthew 7:29). As the voice from heaven said at the transfiguration, Hear him.

In the sermon from the mountaintop, Jesus reveals the formula for developing the deepest relationship the disciple would desire to have is with the heavenly Father. He said blessed is he that hungers and thirsts after righteousness for he shall be filled (Matthew 5:6).

In John 4, Jesus is at Samaria. He encounters a woman who comes to draw water from Jacob’s well. Not only was Jesus a great teacher, but he was a master soul winner! He uses the occasion to teach this woman about worship which is a much misunderstood subject in the church today, in my opinion. My intention is to discuss only what Jesus taught this woman about the true worshiper whom our heavenly Father seeks (John 4:25).

Leaving the woman at the well for a moment, consider the meaning of the word worship as used in the New Testament by its inspired writers. The two primary words in the New Testament translated worship are a.) proskuneo, and b.) latreuo.

Proskuneo means to prostrate one’s self before another. This word is used by Jesus in John 4:20, Matthew 18:26, and Matthew 4:9 by Satan. However, we find no place in the New Testament epistles where a Christian prostrated himself to do homage. Cornelius tried in Acts 10:25 and 26 but Peter rebuked him.

The word latreuo means to serve or minister to which we find in Romans 12:1, 2. As stated earlier one must desire and develop a thirst for a meaningful relationship with his heavenly Father. Jesus thus promised fulfillment.

Back to the woman at the well and Jesus’s discourse on worship. The following questions that many in the church will ask might