This scripture plainly states that God is Spirit, but the verse does not define what "spirit" is in reference to God. Since God is seeking true worshipers who worship Him in spirit and truth … Truth itself can be a means of worship; we worship God when we declare His truth. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Fifteen). In the several volume series, ?Ancient Christian Commentary on the Scriptures? Do you ever get confused by the Jesus’ words about worshipping in spirit and truth? You are the Beginning and the End, the First & the Last, the Alpha and Omega. In this episode… Worship has to do with the way we work, with the way we drive our cars, with the way we dress, with the way we use our eyes, ears, nose, mouth—everything! Within God's court there are no unsolved crimes, nor does He lack the power to see our inner motives. John 4:24 proclaims that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and truth. In the current war over Christmas and religious symbols, Satan has pitted the secular humanists, who want to blot out Christianity and encourage almost any other form of worship, against mainstream Christians, who are fighting for the right to worship as they see fit by putting evergreen trees in schools per Jeremiah 10:2-5. God is looking for people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and He has empowered us to do that by His Spirit. In the Western world such demonstrations of worship are rare. It seems that these people turned the feast in Bethel into nothing more than a vacation. You’re the God that is seated in the Heaven and the earth is your footstool. He was going to do it anyway because it was his way of praising God. The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Seven). Knowing God's true nature is important because we become what we worship. (h) By the word spirit he means the nature of the Godhead, and not the third person in the Trinity. Jesus is bone-weary from the journey, hot, sweaty, thirsty — and he decides: “Yes, even now, just now I will seek someone to worship God — a harlot, a Samaritan adulteress. Any representation of God changes Him into a different god from what He really is. It is impossible for us to worship God in spirit and in truth and to do so in every time and place without realizing and accepting the great love that He has for us sinners and the power of His grace to move and sustain us in our somewhat pathetic efforts at loving Him back. He has purposefully hidden this knowledge except to tell us that we generally look like Him. So, if you are going to worship God, you are going to have to worship him in spirit and in truth. In the context of this discussion, Jesus reveals that the time has come when true worshippers will no longer worship in Jerusalem. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Heart and Head. It’s opposed to formal, ceremonial, external worship by those whose hearts are not right with God (Matt. The first four commandments directly address worship. We are. We need more power than what we humanly have to keep God's law in the spirit. Basic Doctrines: Faith Toward God. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” He knows from the experiences from the Old Testament that, if we begin to think that Christ is delaying, then we will turn aside to idolatry because we will use it as a justification for adjusting ourselves to the spirit of the times we live in. God is even now measuring His Temple and its altar to see who worships there in truth (Revelation 11:1-2). The second commandment regulates a specific area of idolatry; it deals with God's spirituality. This is why Paul testifies before Felix, the procurator of Palestine, "But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers. His Spirit permeates the entire universe (Psalm 139)! It, the essence of God's mind, was in Him. One of the subtle clues Greek gives to its readers is how it views a series of words. This course "Are You Worshipping God In Spirit And In Truth" is written with the hope of helping us to worship God in the way acceptable to Him. Likewise, in most churches you can find the same. Additionally, the tenth commandment says covetousness is idolatry too (Colossians 3:5), clearly amplifying that we can give our devotion to things other than the true God. He was with them, teaching, leading, guiding them into truth. It is not a mythical interlude in a week of reality. Answer: Jesus made his comment about the need to worship our Father in spirit and truth when he talking to a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. This is what it means to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24). We change the image of God by saying, "He won't mind. Is it any wonder that our Savior says, "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Praise and thank God for all His works and for providing brethren by whom we can be encouraged. WE MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH. Or, as Rev., in margins, God is spirit. Thomas got a thoughtful letter from a listener challenging his remarks on female readers of the Apostolic writings in the Divine Liturgy. We are the temple of God, so we are being measured to see if we are truly worshipping God or not. He has not given us permission to worship Him in just any way that seems right to us. As Christians, we all want to become this kind of person, but how do we determine whether or not we are worshiping God in spirit and in truth? God forbid that we should ever find ourselves individually or as a church failing to worship God in both S/spirit and truth. Polls indicate that a high percentage of Americans consider themselves religious. Jesus says in John 4:24, "God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." Are we going to think that Christ is delaying His coming? In Matthew 26:41, Jesus says, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Most of the time when we speak of such matters, we are referring to the "acts of worship" done in the setting of the assembly. He is a far better man than the first time, but he is not yet complete. Therefore, acceptable worship of God involves consciously choosing to worship and serve only Him even in the face of the temptation to give these things to others. (From Forerunner Commentary). But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. John 4:19-24 . Read Introduction to John . But in either case, the trail of lies indicates who the real "holiday spirit" is. The worship of God involves the totality of our life, and therefore it cannot be confined to a particular location or a mere hour or two on a given day. Why? “In spirit.” It is possible to worship Him in truth, and not in spirit. Do we have God the Son and God the Father running around inside of us? Why did they choose Bethel as a feast site? God looks to those who worship Him in humility and respectful fear and despises those who choose their own ways. Will that be a problem for this generation? With all of these approaches to worship, a common description people use to describe worship is that it should be in Spirit and truth. Such light in turn ignites the fire of passion and affection and the heat of joy, love, gratitude, and deep soul-satisfaction. On this occasion, the patriarch arrives as a homeless wanderer, a man on the run from the murderous intents of his brother Esau. Martin G. Collins He does understand, but He wants us to trust Him. Worshipping in truth is knowing and following God's way of life. As Isaiah 8:20 says, “To the law and to the testimony! Nevertheless, God reveals Himself to him there, and the transformation of Jacob begins. We seldom see that here. When Abraham's servant sees how well God has blessed his quest to find a wife for Isaac, "he worship[s] the LORD, bowing himself to the earth" (Genesis 24:52). For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. As we bow our hearts and heads to God in worship, crying out for mercy and to be filled with God's attitudes, we are comforted and filled. Alleluia!'" Gerizim or Mt. Acts of worship like this often occur in heaven itself:"And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, 'Amen! Demons trembles at your presence, oh Lord. That is what they were doing in Exodus 32. (Revelation 19:4). Thus, worship must be of a spiritual nature. So, when it says to worship in spirit and in truth, it means worshiping God through your spirit and by the power of the Holy Spirit according to his word. Because Samuel's coming was delayed, Saul presumptuously took it into his own hands to do something he had not been commanded to do—to make the sacrifice. (Acts 24:14). Genesis 28:11-22 records the first occasion Jacob has an encounter with God at Bethel, though it was not called Bethel then. There is one commodity that God longs to receive from His followers. God wants us to concentrate on what He is and not on what He looks like. It thus involves our manner of worship in faith, most obviously in that it prohibits the use of physical "helps" or "aids" in worshipping the invisible, spiritual God. Many call Jesus "Lord, Lord," yet He will claim not to know them, for their actions are not those of one who really knows Him (Matthew 7:21-23) or has totally submitted to God and His way. The worship of God involves the totality of our life, and therefore it cannot be confined to a particular location or a mere … . God despised Israel's sacrifices because the people did not offer them in spirit and truth (John 4:21-24). Bethel played an important role in Israel's history. The phrase “in spirit and truth” describes our approach and service to God as being completely sincere and completely real. He is not saying that these people are insincere, but that they a failing to follow the way of God. No other sin has such a direct and concentrated focus of attention. Here, "spirit" stands contrasted to ritual, rite, or form as represented by His mention of the Temple in Jerusalem (verse 20). Jesus Christ is the image of God, the creator, sustainer, and reconciler of creation, and the head of the church (Colossians 1:15-20). In Spirit and Truth: Worship as God Requires (Understanding and Applying the Regulative Principle of Worship) By James R. Hughes ... Church, worship is subjective rather than objective—it is what I want to do in a God-ward direction, it is whatever I think is right or proper. What is implied in this. God seeks that everybody to worship Him in spirit and truth. We, as Christians, speak often of worship, and constantly turn to John 4:24 to demonstrate the need for us to worship God in spirit and in truth. In John 4 when the Samaritan woman pointed to a mountain and said it is her place of worship, Jesus replied saying a time will come and has already come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, and they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks indeed. He means that God is not confined to any one place, nor is the worship of Him confined to any one place. One of the primary proofs that God is making a difference in a person's life occurs when one who was formerly hostile to God and His law begins to love God and His law. Worship in Spirit and Truth Clergy and Laity - Additional Reflections Episode date: September 22, 2011 Transcript published: January 19, 2018. We have to respond to Him in our home: in the way we speak, act towards one another, rear our children, conduct our homemaking practices. This has alarming ramifications. Would this feel right? God was so concerned that ancient Israel would begin adopting the pagan ways of the Canaanites—even under the auspices of worshipping the true God—that He gave the children of Israel a categorical warning: When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, "How did these nations serve their gods? We are to use no material aids in doing this because no man can capture God in a work of art, a statue, a picture, or a symbol. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two). It is to worship Him (a) Desire. Which was better, Mt. During the conversation, Jesus told the woman that the hour was coming when they no longer would worship in Samaria or in Jerusalem and that they did not know … John 4:24, NASB: "God isspirit, and those who worship Him must worship in … A person's flesh can respond to something inspirational and even say, "Yes, I want to do right." The truth of the matter is that Satan is the real winner regardless of the outcome. 1. John W. Ritenbaugh “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. . He is a man with a past, having just deceived his father and brother out of the blessing. If we do not do so, we are guilty of idolatry. Perhaps this partly explains why worship is not deeply imbedded in our thinking. He is saying, "You indeed go to Bethel for the feast, but no transformation of your conduct and attitude occurs. Other cultures literally bow the head in deference to an older or titled person. The Bereans "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:10-11). The same acts of worship are repeated in King Hezekiah's day, as "all who were present with him bowed and worshiped" (II Chronicles 29:29). Even as verses 1-3 of Amos 5 are a dirge, verses 8-9 are in the form of a hymn praising the true God, the transforming God. But a deeper study of worship shows that it is more a thing of the heart and mind than a physical action or position. Can we honestly say we are worshipping God in spirit and truth when we hate a brother? Cogitations on Christmas. . This is one of the first truths of religion, and one of the sublimest ever presented to the mind of man. Those four commandments plus the tenth directly influence what we are to do or not do to fulfill the minimum requirements of this duty. to worship God in the way that is acceptable to the Lord so we can go to heaven when this life is over. We do this both through our emotional core and in light of reality. This song of the angels, elders, and the four living creatures shows the reverence that all have in God's presence. By developing a thankful attitude now, we prepare ourselves for the soon-coming Kingdom of God. Though worship is about God and not us, true worship will build up believers in both mind and heart “until we all attain the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man” (Ephesians 4:11-13). He is worshipping a god of his own design. John W. Ritenbaugh We need to examine ourselves to see whether we are making adjustments in our way of life to be in harmony with the spirit of the age. If we do, we have adjusted already. a. fternoon. 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