I watched a movie last night that was beautiful. It was an Indian movie called Jahooda Akbar and it was about a Muslim emperor of Hindustan in the 1200s. The thing that impressed me were the worship expressions of the Muslim emperor and his Hindu wife. They were both beautiful. They were expressions I could identify with even though the object of our worship expressions is different.
That made me think about the fact that human beings are made to worship God and it is in worship that we find the full expression of what He has made us to be. I don't know how God works out the various expressions of that. I do know that Jesus said the Father is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. I have to think that God lets Himself be found by those who truly seek to worship Him in spirit and in truth even if our conception of Him is distorted by our culture or our individual experience. I think that is the challenge of all human beings, to enter into relationship with God that allows us to see God as He is, not as our preconceptions suggest He is.
I think there are Christians who don't worship God in spirit and truth, in essence, they don't know God. I also think there are people who are not Christians who touch the heart of God because they do worship Him in spirit and truth. I don't think that just because one has said a magic prayer at an evangelistic rally, they walk in the kingdom of God and I don't think that just because someone hasn't spoken those words, they aren't part of the kingdom. I don't know where the line is--only God knows that. I do think walking with God is a daily act of submission. A daily seeking of His face. A daily decision to commit your ways to Him. A daily cultivation of staying in His presence, of cultivating an atmosphere in your heart that makes Him feel at home.
Maybe I'm a heritic in this--I don't know. And if I am, I pray that God shows me how He sees it. I do know that I have come to know God through Jesus--it is through his life, death and resurrection that I am able to have the life of God within me. And yes, I do believe that Jesus is God.
I don't know what others experience, but I don't want to be afraid of or threatened by their genuine expression. I don't think God is afraid or threatened by their expression. I think God loves them. I think Jesus died to reconcile them to Himself, just like He did that for me. I would like to know more about the experience of Muslims and people from other faith traditions who really seek to worship God in spirit and in truth. And more from people from other faith traditions who have come to know Jesus.
However it is that God works it out, I know that I have experienced and continue to experience the costly grace of Jesus Christ that has reconciled me with God--that has connected me to Him, to his tender love for me. I want to worship Him as He is--worship Him in spirit and in truth.
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