Article 3

Parasol of True Worship: Your Divine Covering

We’ve discussed how the truth of the divine Word of God represents the tube, or shaft, of our “parasol of true worship,” as this is the main spine of our worship’s support system. We also talked about how we must take hold of Christ (the handle) to gain access to the Father, and we examined how our attitude of worship, or spirit of worship (the ribbing), is a necessary extension of this godly device’s support system. Now we will look at the importance of this tool’s stretchers and runner.

The purpose of the stretchers and runner, on a parasol or umbrella, is to allow the user to extend the gadget’s ribs and expand its canopy to full capacity. Once the runner is locked into place, the stretchers also provide the final element of support needed for this tool to be used comfortably and correctly. These two pieces, from this device, are able to do this because they are two of the three elements which connect the ribs to the tube, or shaft. In similar fashion, it is the Holy Spirit Who is the divine implement that connects our attitude, or spirit, of worship to the truth of God’s incarnate Word — Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit keeps the believer’s worship centered on the truth of God’s holy Word (the runner). He also provides the godly worshiper with the necessary flexibility and strength (the stretchers) that they need to expand their acts of worship to full capacity and experience real, godly worship as a natural and normal part of their daily lives. We cannot worship God in “spirit and truth” unless the Holy Spirit calls us to know the truth and grows in us a godly attitude of worship (Isaiah 11:2; John 3:6-8, 14:26, 16:12-15; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:13).

Besides providing a way for us to know the truth of God, and to have an attitude of worship, the Holy Spirit provides the believer with other means of support. Join me as we read through a few of these divine provisions and their related Scriptures.

The Holy Spirit is our divine Counselor and Helper:

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16-17a)

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” (Romans 8:26)

The Holy Spirit is our source of power:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My [God’s] witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (Acts 4:31)

The Holy Spirit is a conduit of God’s spiritual fruit:

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” (Romans 5:5)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23a)

The Holy Spirit is part of our redemption and a guarantee of eternal life:

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11b)

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands . . . Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 5:1 & 5)

The Holy Spirit, Himself, is a divine gift from the Father:

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13)

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38)

Again, these are just a few of the provisions that the Holy Spirit brings into the lives of believers. But what every believer must realize is this: our worship of God must be supported by the Holy Spirit in order for us to be continually centered on the truth that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And our worship must be stabilized by the Holy Spirit, in order for us to experience a godly attitude of worship.

So as we close out this article, commit yourself to getting to know the Holy Spirit. Allow Him more control of your life. Act less on what your mind or emotions tell you to do, and do more from the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Once you begin this discipline you will be able to experience just how sweet it is to be in the presence of the Father. You will also encounter just how peaceful it is to be able to rest in the truth of Jesus Christ, and you will most certainly find yourself face-to-face with the most mysterious person of the trinity — our marvelous means of divine support — the Holy Spirit of God.

Parasol of True Worship: Your Divine Covering by J.Scott Harden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at jasonmin.wordpress.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.jsnmin.org/.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

If your church or organization would like to talk with J. Scott Harden about a speaking engagement, or a writing project, please get in touch with Mr. Harden through Jason Ministries‘ Twitter account or Facebook page.