True Worship: The Act Of Worshipping In Spirit And In Truth.

Worship God In spirit and in truth

John 4:23-24

23. “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him”

24. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

• All passages are from the Revised Standard Version.

According to Wikipedia, worship is a religious devotion usually directed to a deity.

The purpose for which we are called is to worship God, as 1 Peter 2:9 says “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.”

WHAT IS WORSHIP?

When we say worship, what comes to mind most times is being in church, with your hands lifted up while the choir or someone sings a heart wrenching song which makes you connect with God and you probably cry or speak in tongues. Well that is also part of it, as an expression of worship. Worshiping God; being a true worshiper goes a lot deeper than that. Worshiping God is not limited to a place, a location, a group or decorum. It is an attitude, a way of life.

The word worship comes from two words ‘weorth’ which means ‘worth’ and ‘scripe’ or ‘ship’ which means ‘quality’. So worshiping is quality of having worth or being worthy. When we worship God, we say he has worth and is worthy. We love him and would do anything for him. We also reverence God when we worship him. Our worship is directed by the love we have for him (Deut 6:9) and anyone who loves God has placed a priority that God is supreme and comes first.

WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP?

Moses claim in Deut 6:4 is further strengthen by Jesus in John 4:24 when he says we must worship in spirit and truth. Worship is like a devotion, and as Christians, true worship starts from the heart where we present ourselves as living sacrifice to God, wholly and acceptable Rom. 12:1-2. Worshiping in truth and in spirit means worshiping rightly and in totality, with everything you’ve got. Mark 12:30. It is now part of you, your way of life.

Psa 5:7; 96:9; 99:5 One of such worshipers was David. David knew how to worship and that was why he was termed a man after God’s heart. He loved God totally; as a teenager in the fields, a refugee in the caves, even as a king in Jerusalem. He worshiped God with all his heart, so much that when he danced in abandon and his wife despised him in her heart she was cursed on his behalf. Also the fact that he wouldn’t kill Saul when he got the chance to- twice (because Saul was God’s anointed) or when he worshiped God after his son (the one gotten from the illicit affair between him and Bathsheba) died and even his servants marveled.

The void created in man following the departure of God from him as a result of the great fall in the Garden of Eden gets to be filled up when we worship God. So if we worship only when we are in church or doing religious activities, we are going to empty most part of the day or days. And what happens when we are empty……. the devil strikes!

Some people appear religious, full of activities in the house of God without really worshiping God. These people know God but not who they serve. They are still groping in the dark.

Pastor E.A Adeboye in the devotional (Open Heavens) of Nov. 5 2014 stated that they worship like Aaron who knew there was a God, was second in command to Moses but knew not whom he served. Because if he did, when the people clamored for a god due to the long absence of Moses, he wouldn’t have made them a golden calf.

FORMS OF WORSHIPS

These are forms of worship

• Praising God
• Fellowship with God
• Bible Study
• Obedience to God’s command
• Prayer etc

WHO IS A TRUE WORSHIPER?

Rom 12:1-2

A true worshiper is one whose lifestyle is that of holiness. A true worshiper acknowledges the presence of God in everything and everywhere. His speech is seasoned, his outward disposition joyful. He is humble and his actions Christ-like. He is conscious of where he enters, what he sees and hears. He guards jealously his relationship with God.

I hear Christians who say they are born again and spirit-filled, yet the things they do, and the words that come out of their mouths makes one imagine. Some Christians dresses/acts recklessly and tell you God sees the heart forgetting that their body is the temple of God and that the inner man manifests in the outside. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

A true worshiper knows his body is the temple of God and as such he takes particularly care of it, both inward and outward. If your lifestyle is not in total submission and in awe of God, you are groping.

True worshipers also worship every time. Whether in the good, the bad, or the ugly times, their hearts are always in tune with God. That’s why they hear easily from him, be it in the toilet or in church. He inspires, motivates, directs, comforts, instructs and coaches them.

WHY WE SHOULD WORSHIP GOD TOTALLY

First, like the church in Laodicea who were lukewarm (Rev. 3:15-16) God would spit you out. He demands the totality of your service which comes with innumerable benefits and blessings. You cannot serve God and mammon. If you have to serve God, serve him with all your heart and be fruitful.