True Worship Is Complete Candid Disclosure

David W Palmer

(John 5:19–20 NLT) So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. {20} For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.”

In this statement, Jesus describes the intimacy he experienced and enjoyed with his Father God. “God is a spirit” (John 4:24 KJV); so this is talking about spiritual intimacy—true worship in spirit and in truth. God finds this intimacy irresistible; when Jesus drew near relationally with his Father, he said that Abba “shows him everything he is doing”; Jesus simply imitated what he saw his Father doing, like any small child that loves his parent. Similarly, when we draw near our heavenly Father in loving intimacy, he reveals his plans to us:

(Amos 3:7 MKJV) “For the Lord Jehovah will do nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”

(Isaiah 40:31 KJV) “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

The word translated “wait” in this verse implies the closest of intimate interactions. It means:

To bind together by twisting

To wait—expecting to receive something

(John 10:27 CSB) “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.”

Jesus said that we—his true sheep—hear him speaking to us. However, it does not mean that we will receive a verbal legalism—like a written law, only spoken. Laws inform our mind with an instruction, trusting that our will-power will be strong enough to subdue the flesh into obedience. As we know, written law cannot achieve this, and therefore verbal law cannot either. Only by grace, which operates by faith, can we receive the “power” to overcome flesh (See: Rom. 4:16 and 8:13, etc.). The instructions, pictures, words, and actions we receive from God in our spirit are filled with his faith. If we believe what we receive from him, we will also receive the grace to fulfil it.

Note: This is not: “Tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it”—as that depends on self. This is: just love God, and when binding with him, watch and listen. Then his grace will enable you to do what you see and hear:

(Ephesians 5:1 NKJV) “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”

This passage is not only telling us to imitate God like Jesus did, it is also giving us a clear definition of what it is to be God’s children: children imitate parents they love—both consciously and sub-consciously. This is how God wants us to be with him; he wants us to love him, expressed in our worship of him. In the transparent intimacy of true worship, he wants our candid disclosure—the telling him of everything in our hearts—what we love about him, our dreams, our fears, our desires, even our concerns, and the confession of our sins against him. (But remember, we only ever need to confess each sin to him once; after that, he not only forgives it but forgets it completely; and so should we).

In loving humility, our gracious heavenly Father will also open up and tell us what is in his heart. For example, about us he may say: “you are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” Plus, he will disclose to us his dreams, his vision for us, his desires, and what he will do in the future (See: John 16:13).

During these times of intimacy, God reveals to us the “works” he calls us to walk in (Eph. 2:10). Only as we walk in these by faith will we be fully fruitful and fully pleasing to him. This is the key to Christian ministry. We are each responsible to draw near to God in fully surrendered worshipful intimacy. He finds this irresistible; he will reveal to you what is in his heart—including the works you are called to walk in. Simply receive them into your heart; then re-image them repeatedly, re-live them in your imagination—seeing yourself doing them, as them, with them, or receiving them; picture them over and over until you “sweatlessly” walk in them as simply and as easily as a child imitates the parent they love.

To see this again, let’s look at some other translations of John 5:19:

“The Son cannot do anything of his own will, but the thing that he sees The Father is doing; for those things that The Father does, these also The Son does like him.” (Aramaic Bible in Plain English.)

“I can guarantee this truth: The Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing. Indeed, the Son does exactly what the Father does.” (GOD’s WORD? Translation.)

Jesus admitted that he “cannot do anything on his own,” or “of his own will.” I encourage you today, draw close to God in worship intimacy, and admit that you too can do nothing by yourself (of eternal significance). Listen and watch in the spirit for what he shows you and says to you.

Remember, this is an interaction that happens in the spirit: it’s not physical, it’s not emotional, and it’s certainly not intellectual. Primarily, you don’t hear God’s voice with your ears, see him with your eyes, work him out in your brain, or feel him in your emotions. This is a conversation and interaction that takes place in your spirit—in the depths or heart of your being. (That’s why we need the complete honesty and candid disclosure of worship in spirit and truth—no deception, no denial, just humble honesty. This works well when we deal with—or have recently dealt with—our independence and pride in heartfelt repentance and surrender.) Do it now; God’s door is always open to you.

(John 15:4–5 NLT) Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. {5} "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.