Worship in Spirit and in Truth
By John Lee
Worship has lost its relevance and reality in the Church today. Worship is no longer the priority of the Church rather it’s relegated to just preparation music or a performance that we watch rather than whole hearted participation. Worship is not designed to cater to our senses but to accomplish one thing, to give glory to God. Frankly we do not know how to worship or should I dare say we do not know who we worship.
First let me address who we worship. We worship the only and true living God who is holy, set apart, all powerful, all knowing, present in all places, who created and maintains the whole universe by the power of His word. He is wise, eternal, infinite, and everlasting. He is just, righteous, faithful, truth, and He is also gracious, merciful, kind, patient and loving.
He communicates His love throughout the history of mankind, especially at the event of crucifixion. He demonstrated His love through first becoming a man; which meant He was stripped of his glory, majesty, and power. Then He lived a perfect, sinless life, was crucified and died for our sin, then resurrected from the dead destroying the power of sin and death. Then He offered to us freely the benefit of His labor. Sin forgiven. He became OUR Savior. God who was impersonal became personal. We violate the laws of God for we are sinful. The penalty for lawbreakers (sinners) was death. He paid that price in full. Jesus became for us the substitute for our sin. We were ransomed....
Now let me address how we worship. Rather then speculating on current style of so-called “worship” in the church today, let’s look at the source; the word of God. The Bible specifically addresses this issue in John 4:24. It says, “God is Spirit and all those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.” What does worship in spirit and in truth mean?
Worship in spirit means that we have a heart-to-heart connection to God. Not a performance of ritualistic function but genuine connection, like that which takes place in a close relationship. It is an expression of genuine affection, devotion, and adoration.
Worship in truth means that we simply worship God for who He is. We do not only worship the parts that we like, i.e. His goodness, His kindness, His provision, His forgiveness. But we worship the totality of who He is.
It also means that we worship God in the way that was prescribed in the bible. The Bible describes many ways that we can worship God, i.e. clap your hands all you peoples, shout to God with a voice of victory, sing, make music with tambourine and so forth. Unfortunately, though the bible speaks clearly to the issue of worship, much of these things get ignored.
We must worship God correctly. He is looking for those who would worship in spirit and truth. Let us strive to give Him what He is after. He paid a hefty price for such undeserving ones as us. He is worthy of worship.
Worship has lost its relevance and reality in the Church today. Worship is no longer the priority of the Church rather it’s relegated to just preparation music or a performance that we watch rather than whole hearted participation. Worship is not designed to cater to our senses but to accomplish one thing, to give glory to God. Frankly we do not know how to worship or should I dare say we do not know who we worship.
First let me address who we worship. We worship the only and true living God who is holy, set apart, all powerful, all knowing, present in all places, who created and maintains the whole universe by the power of His word. He is wise, eternal, infinite, and everlasting. He is just, righteous, faithful, truth, and He is also gracious, merciful, kind, patient and loving.
He communicates His love throughout the history of mankind, especially at the event of crucifixion. He demonstrated His love through first becoming a man; which meant He was stripped of his glory, majesty, and power. Then He lived a perfect, sinless life, was crucified and died for our sin, then resurrected from the dead destroying the power of sin and death. Then He offered to us freely the benefit of His labor. Sin forgiven. He became OUR Savior. God who was impersonal became personal. We violate the laws of God for we are sinful. The penalty for lawbreakers (sinners) was death. He paid that price in full. Jesus became for us the substitute for our sin. We were ransomed....
Now let me address how we worship. Rather then speculating on current style of so-called “worship” in the church today, let’s look at the source; the word of God. The Bible specifically addresses this issue in John 4:24. It says, “God is Spirit and all those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.” What does worship in spirit and in truth mean?
Worship in spirit means that we have a heart-to-heart connection to God. Not a performance of ritualistic function but genuine connection, like that which takes place in a close relationship. It is an expression of genuine affection, devotion, and adoration.
Worship in truth means that we simply worship God for who He is. We do not only worship the parts that we like, i.e. His goodness, His kindness, His provision, His forgiveness. But we worship the totality of who He is.
It also means that we worship God in the way that was prescribed in the bible. The Bible describes many ways that we can worship God, i.e. clap your hands all you peoples, shout to God with a voice of victory, sing, make music with tambourine and so forth. Unfortunately, though the bible speaks clearly to the issue of worship, much of these things get ignored.
We must worship God correctly. He is looking for those who would worship in spirit and truth. Let us strive to give Him what He is after. He paid a hefty price for such undeserving ones as us. He is worthy of worship.
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