There is a great blessing when disciples gather and the Holy Spirit unmistakably speaks. Perhaps you have experienced such meetings—when the Spirit provides the very words spoken, confirming prayers you had made in private, even down to the exact phrases. This is God’s living confirmation.
At times, the Spirit blesses through tongues and their interpretation, when more than one person receives the same interpretation independently, all honouring the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a sign that faith in the gathering is being strengthened by God Himself.
But here is a searching question: After experiencing such Spirit-filled fellowship, do you return to the pretences of human traditions? Do you lean on the inherited theology of your denomination, shaped by geography and ancestry rather than by the Spirit and truth of God?
Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4 exposes this very issue. The Samaritans and Jews each claimed their place of worship and their traditions, yet both were bound by location and heritage. Our churches are often the same—Ethiopian theology may look different from Western, Eastern, or other traditions. Leaders may claim their teaching is purely biblical and Spirit-led, but often it is shaped by history, geography, and fear of being branded heretical.
This is not honest. Jesus declares: “True worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23)
- The leading of the Holy Spirit is essential to please God—more vital than any inherited theological stance.
- The truth is essential—no pretence of being biblical while clinging to man-made norms will please God.
We cannot play both sides. Worship that pleases God must be in Spirit and in truth. If we yield to the Spirit’s leading into all truth, we will not only know fellowship with each other, but fellowship with the Father and the Son, in our worship and in our lives.
(Reworded by AI)
