05 November 2023

WORSHIPPING GOD IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

(Growing in Faith, in Truth & in Spirit: GFTS 19)

The Lord Jesus in His discussion with the Samaritan woman about worship, said: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in Truth. For they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is Spirit, and His worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in Truth” (John 4:23-24 -NIV). Notice that Jesus said the Father is seeking “true worshippers who worship Him in the Spirit and in Truth”. God is seeking “true worshippers” – which suggests that He has not found many of that kind. There are many who supposedly “worship God” but may not be true worshippers that God is looking for. Are you a true worshipper in God’s sight?

True worshippers have two qualities that God looks for: they worship God “in the Spirit and in Truth”. The first quality is worshipping God “in the Spirit” because “God is Spirit”. This is not emotional zeal like raising hands, clapping and even dancing, which we see many doing during worship in church. Doing all that may not be worshipping God ‘in the Spirit’.

True worship is to be ‘led’ and prompted by the Spirit when we come into His Presence. The Holy Spirit will direct us and show us how to worship God in a way that is pleasing to Him. The reason given is that “God is Spirit” and it is imperative (‘must’) that we worship Him “in the Spirit”. Spirit ministers to Spirit. God the Holy Spirit through us ministers to Father God. Then true worshippers worship the Father in Truth. The Father is the True and Living God unlike the many “gods” many people worship. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we know” (4:22). The Jews had the revelation from God about Himself through the Prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The Truths about the True God is found only in Scripture. The Samaritans did not have that because their ancestors, being heathens, worshipped false gods and they followed that tradition. So actually, they did not know what they were worshipping.

The lesson we learn from this is that we cannot know the True God and worship Him correctly and acceptably without conforming to the knowledge of Scripture. The Holy Scriptures reveal to us Who God is and instruct us how to worship Him. To worship God in Truth also means to be “truthful” when we come before God. Many do not really mean what they say or sing to God. For example, when we sing “I love You, Lord” and “All to Jesus I surrender; All to Him I freely give” – do we mean it? If not, then we are lying and we are hypocrites. That in a sense is also disobeying the commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness”. Lying to God is a serious sin, and Jesus gave us this warning: “I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken” (Matt.12:36). May God help us to truly worship Him “in the Spirit and in Truth”.

Amen and Amen! 

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