Worship Him in spirit and Truth. How important is it for us to worship God this way?

[GreenNnice]

Scripture says it's eternally important to do this, but what are your thoughts?

What does it mean to worship God in both 'spriit and Truth.'

<< John 4 >>
23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.</SPAN> 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”</SPAN>
25The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am He.”

I went to the free online dictionary for my definition of 'worship,' go where you want:
wor·ship (wûr

sh

p)
n. 1. a. The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.
b. The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.

2. Ardent devotion; adoration.
3. often Worship Chiefly British Used as a form of address for magistrates, mayors, and certain other dignitaries: Your Worship.

v. wor·shiped or wor·shipped, wor·ship·ing or wor·ship·ping, wor·ships
v.tr. 1. To honor and love as a deity.
2. To regard with ardent or adoring esteem or devotion. See Synonyms at revere1.

v.intr. 1. To participate in religious rites of worship.
2. To perform an act of worship.



Does this definition make sense to you?

Why the emphasis of worshiping in spirt and Truth TWICE, back-to-back verses, v. 23-24 ?

Do these verses 23-24 argue the Trinity, for or against?

What word(s) here, in these verses, let us know that this is 'eternally important' ?


What does the word 'his' mean to you in verse 24?

Do we want to be seeked by God after having become His? Anything startling to this statement: God is 'seeking' us?

Can it be called 'worship' if we don't worship in spirit and in Truth?

Do these verses put things in context better:

13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. 19The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

God bless you, Christ peeps. may He lead us all in spirit and Truth

 

[alice4Him]

In spirit and in truth... Always focusing on Christ who is preeminent (sp?). The Holy Spirit should lead all worship helping us to keep our spirit man centered in Christ. There should be, in my opinion, no personal preferences in the music, or songs on timing. We have been crucfied with Christ and we are dead and He is alive in us and our life is in Him now. It is very difficult to come to this perfectly but as we die each day to ourselves, our likes and dislikes, our carnal man, then the new creation that we are in Christ will dominate more and more.

 

[Blain]

Well i do not sing in front of others but when i am not singing by myself my spirit will sing for me if that makes sense. In my mind i sing to but when my heart and soul cry out to him I beleive that is what you are asking about

 

[PatientSpirit]

Who here worships in this way? Will one of you upstanding christian scholars please post how many different denominations are in christianity alone?

And of islam and buddhism and hinduism and any organized religion upon which a man can count. These mountains come from the field. We are told not to gather manna in the field on the sabbath, and that God gave enough bread for us ALL to eat for TWO days.

Every man is to abide in his place.

 

[Jon4TheCross]

Worship is a broad term, and there are many different words which are translated to the word "worship", especially in the new testament. To worship is partly to lay down your life and make the sacrifice in truth, and not just in words. The following verse fulfilled by us is one example of worship.

1Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

We love Him because He first loved us, and that is why we worship and lay down our lives for others (Love is partly what motivates us to worship God). If we love God and do worship in spirit and in truth all the time (I believe many do, but not all the time), then we are equal to the rest of the body of Christ in importance, quality of life, inheritance, and the list goes on. To worship in spirit and in truth all the time looks like Jesus, the acts of the apostles, and all the sacrifices made towards unlimited fruitfulness in the body of Christ. If our goal is not unlimited fruitfulness, we are not worshiping in spirit and in truth all of the time. Of course we're all growing, but if our goal was really unlimited fruitfulness, then we would easily set aside the many things that are not immediately necessary for unlimited fruitfulness, like division.

1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.


If anyone wants to know what it looks like to worship in spirit and in truth perfectly, just look to Jesus, cause He showed us the sacrifices/worship needed, which is dead flesh/holy flesh (dead in it's power to motivate).

Heb_13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
1Pe_2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.


Heb 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
Heb 5:2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
Heb 5:3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
Heb 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
Heb 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Gifts and sacrifices from Heaven is also worship in spirit and in truth, and Jesus was both a gift and a sacrifice for us, and gave us the perfect example.

The point is to focus on gifts and sacrifices, and not just gifts, cause we need more sacrifices in this body.


Php_3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Col_1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
Heb_2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Oh the reward of suffering/sacrifice for the name of our Lord, value it as much as gifts. Some will value gifts more, some will value sacrifice more, but we need more that value sacrifice in our current condition.

 

[Blain]

Worship is a broad term, and there are many different words which are translated to the word "worship", especially in the new testament. To worship is partly to lay down your life and make the sacrifice in truth, and not just in words. The following verse fulfilled by us is one example of worship.

1Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

We love Him because He first loved us, and that is why we worship and lay down our lives for others (Love is partly what motivates us to worship God). If we love God and do worship in spirit and in truth all the time (I believe many do, but not all the time), then we are equal to the rest of the body of Christ in importance, quality of life, inheritance, and the list goes on. To worship in spirit and in truth all the time looks like Jesus, the acts of the apostles, and all the sacrifices made towards unlimited fruitfulness in the body of Christ. If our goal is not unlimited fruitfulness, we are not worshiping in spirit and in truth all of the time. Of course we're all growing, but if our goal was really unlimited fruitfulness, then we would easily set aside the many things that are not immediately necessary for unlimited fruitfulness, like division.

1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Joh 15:12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.


If anyone wants to know what it looks like to worship in spirit and in truth perfectly, just look to Jesus, cause He showed us the sacrifices/worship needed, which is dead flesh/holy flesh (dead in it's power to motivate).

Heb_13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
1Pe_2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.


Heb 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
Heb 5:2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
Heb 5:3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
Heb 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
Heb 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Gifts and sacrifices from Heaven is also worship in spirit and in truth, and Jesus was both a gift and a sacrifice for us, and gave us the perfect example.

The point is to focus on gifts and sacrifices, and not just gifts, cause we need more sacrifices in this body.


Php_3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Col_1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
Heb_2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Oh the reward of suffering/sacrifice for the name of our Lord, value it as much as gifts. Some will value gifts more, some will value sacrifice more, but we need more that value sacrifice in our current condition.

This is just one of the ways to worship in spirirt and truth not the only way

 

[Jon4TheCross]

This is just one of the ways to worship in spirirt and truth not the only way

What worship is there which is not a gift or a sacrifice?

 

[hattiebod]

America...give up your guns.
Look to the investment in your gun 'money'.
Get real.
Why would we as Christians want to have guns in our homes that could mame & kill???????
Pefore you say its not so simple? it really is. The reason the 'gun culture' is so deeply woven is because we a;low it toi be...STOP IT.
There are companies that manufacture & advertise guns...step away.
national rile association is sad about what has happened...again!!
YOU DO NOT NEED AUTOMATIC GUNS.....LET ALONE GUNS!!!!!!!

 

[Blain]

What worship is there which is not a gift or a sacrifice?

I am just saying there is more than one way to worship in spirit and truth, it could be your soul crying out to god for help, it could be you praising god with thanks it could be you being still and knowing god more it could be a simple and honest prayer. like i said many ways

 

[Jon4TheCross]

I am just saying there is more than one way to worship in spirit and truth, it could be your soul crying out to god for help, it could be you praising god with thanks it could be you being still and knowing god more it could be a simple and honest prayer. like i said many ways

Amen, I don't see where we disagree, as everything you mentioned is a gift or sacrifice. We need more sacrifice in this world though, don't you agree?

 

[Blain]

Yes perhaps we do, you see I have always wondered why people don't seem to have the bond the apostles had with jesus. And then it hit me one day, it's because we aren't willing to drop everything and follow him. When jesus said that we need to pick up our cross daily this is what he meant in my opinion, everyday I give up movies and video games and basicly just spend all my time with god and here on cc is where i see god alot. One day he is going to tell me to leave my home, I will probably only be able to take a bible with me. when this happens i will have to give up all the things i have,my family and my friends to follow the lord. But i have been waiting for this for a long time even though I am not ready yet i am sure this will happen, but i am willing to sacrifice everything just to have the honor to be used as a puppet for god.

 

[loveme1]

Yes perhaps we do, you see I have always wondered why people don't seem to have the bond the apostles had with jesus. And then it hit me one day, it's because we aren't willing to drop everything and follow him. When jesus said that we need to pick up our cross daily this is what he meant in my opinion, everyday I give up movies and video games and basicly just spend all my time with god and here on cc is where i see god alot. One day he is going to tell me to leave my home, I will probably only be able to take a bible with me. when this happens i will have to give up all the things i have,my family and my friends to follow the lord. But i have been waiting for this for a long time even though I am not ready yet i am sure this will happen, but i am willing to sacrifice everything just to have the honor to be used as a puppet for god.

That is the Spirit my friend.

 

[Nancyer]

Was very glad to reread this. I've just completed a chapter on this in What Jesus Demands From The World by John Piper. He explained it very well, I thought. A person who has no affections for God awaked by the truth of Jesus is not worshipping in spirit and truth. A person with great affection built on false views of God is also not worshipping in spirit and truth.

The essence of worship lies in our mind's true vision of God and our spirit's authentic affections for God. Whenever we display the worth of God by words or actions that flow from a spirit that treasures Him as He really is, we are worshipping Him in spirit and truth.

 

[endtimes]

My understanding of worshiping in spirit and in truth is this simply knowing who He is that we worship and we must do so with having the Holy Spirit.