Worshiping in Truth

Before we can worship in truth, we first need to know what the truth is. So, what is the truth?

Are the news-papers the truth? How about TV news? Think on some truths. Now ask yourself, “Is the Bible the truth”? And your answer is, “Oh yes it is.” Here’s the next question;
Who is the truth?

Turn to John 14:6. Jesus says to doubting Thomas, ‘I am the way, the TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’

I want to make it loud and clear before moving on that, “God cannot do everything! There is something that you and I can do that God cannot do. There is one thing impossible for God.”
You don’t believe me? Well read on.

Titus 1:2
In hope of eternal, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Hebrew 6:18
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.
Well then, if Jesus (who cannot lie) says, He is the truth in the Bible (the book of truths) then surely Jesus is the truth.

Now we know what the truth is and who the truth is, but how in the world do we worship in truth?

Here is how to worship in truth; we worship by the word. The written word (Logos) and the spoken word (Rhema) of God which is found in the scriptures, the Bible.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We see here in this scripture that the Word is Jesus and Jesus, who cannot lie says, He is the Truth. Therefore if we confess the word (confession in Greek means saying/repeating the same thing) in our worship we are worshiping in truth. Repeating the Bible verses.

Include Jesus in your worship. Do not keep asking God for blessing upon blessings, instead thank Him and bless His name. Know Him personally, John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." and confess His holiness, His power, goodness, grace, mercy, sufferings, most of all always include His love in your worship. Forget about yourselves and magnify the Lord in praise and worship.

Worship belongs to God alone, therefore we should be God centered. Worship consists of God, the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. That's what John 4:24 is all about.

Worshiping in Spirit

John 4:24
"God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth".
Why we should worship God in Spirit? The first three words says it.
God is a spirit, our body or flesh cannot have direct contact with Him. He speaks to our spirits which then communicates to our soul (mind, emotion and will) and finally made manifest by our body. We are also actually spirits having souls and living in bodies.
1Cor 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

Temples are not alive, they're buildings and people living inside are always God's priority. He wants to fellowship with you, the real you from the inside out. For instance, would you go to your girl-friend's house and be overjoyed even if she isn't there? God is not different in this aspect. He wants to talk to you and not the temple.

Gal 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Gal 5:22-23 Fruit of the Spirit. Gal 5:19-21 works of the flesh. God don't want outward worship, it's not crocodile tear He's looking for.

Paul again explains how the mind of the flesh cannot connect with God in
Rom 8:5, 6
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.

Let’s look at what Paul says about worshiping in spirit.
Rom 2:28-29
No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
He says, (similar to 1Samuela16:7) outward worship is not true worship; however he states that if our worship is from the inside i.e. from the spirit, our worship is not from us but from God. He also talks about the written law (implies to the Ten Commandments.) This means that, worship should not be made because we are commanded to worship by the law or because our friends are doing it.

God don’t want us to worship because the law tells us to. 2Cor 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Rom 7:6
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
So, let’s start worshiping God not because of compulsion from the rules and regulations but because we are compelled by the Holy Spirit. Let me urge you and encourage you never to say I don’t have the Holy Spirit, as much as you are qualified to praise God because you can breathe, you do posses the Holy Spirit. Rom 5:5 says God has given us the Holy Spirit. 1Cor 6:11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

We also know that the curtain separating the Holy of Holies was torn apart as Jesus breathed His last breath. In the Old Testament, The Holy spirit lived in this place only and the high priest had to be very careful to enter the place. If he had one single sin, he would die on the spot. But praise God, because He has given us the Holy Spirit because he sees us as he sees Jesus, the worthy one and the spotless lamb of God.

2Cor 3:17, 18 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Therefore, absence of the Holy Spirit means no freedom. You have the freedom to choose to worship. The worship we offer because of compulsion is not the worship God is looking for.

What I have spoken to you biblically about worshiping God in spirit may sound impossible for to do. It’s true if you were listening from your head and human mind. Please open your heart and let the Spirit take control and you will learn that it is easy to worship God in spirit. It is easier to worship in spirit then to worship in the flesh. It is, let me put it this way, it is the voice of God (The Spirit) telling you in your heart to raise your hands, dance or even jump when you are worshiping Him. Obeying the still small voice is worshiping in spirit. The flesh will be against it. It’s gonna be telling you, ‘You don't have to, aren't you ashamed, you're not even a good singer or dancer, etc.’ The choice is yours to make.

Purpose of being Saved

The purpose of being saved

What is the ultimate goal of the church? “To get to heaven”, is the most common answer I get. Well, it’s true isn’t it? And the only ticket to heaven or to be saved is to believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection and confess He is Lord, – Romans 10:9. No doubt about it, I believe it. We cannot earn our way to heaven, we instead believe our way to heaven. Being saved is not a price or a salary; it is the gift of God – Ephesians 2:8-9.

Reading on, Ephesians 2:10 explains the meaning of being saved, it reads, “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. In other words, being saved means to do what Christ would do and not to do what He wouldn’t do. Accepting Christ also makes us co-heirs with Christ – Romans 8:17. If you’re an heir of anything, the responsibility of taking care of that ‘thing’ is also yours.

The first two paragraphs compel me to say, “Do not try to win salvation, however show that you are saved and of God’s workmanship by doing what God want you to do”. James 2:17 says, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”.

So what’s the action gonna be? W.W.J.D (what would Jesus do?) One thing I’m certain about is that, Jesus would do what God wanted him to do. Jesus died and rose again for us because His Father (God) wanted Him to. Jesus wasn’t very happy about dieing on the cross, but obeyed His Father till the very end. God might want you to do this too, maybe He has other plans. The important thing here is obedience. 1 Samuel 15:22 - To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (You might want to take some quality time with God and ask Him what He wants you to do. Make sure it’s God’s voice you’re listening to.)

The purpose of being saved is to do good works. Jesus told us to do a lot of things, among them is love. Love, not just for ourselves but even our enemies. Jesus knows the burden of having enemies and the joy of having none. He wants us to enjoy life, which is again one of the reasons he wants us to love everyone. (The two letters of John emphasizes love.) If you have love for others, you will be known as a disciple of Christ – John 13:34-35.

Why love? Well without it you will not be able to do what Jesus did. The main purpose of Jesus was to get us saved, all ‘peoples’ must be saved.

Jesus taught us how to pray in Mathew chapter 6. Lets look at verse10 “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This made me wonder, what is that will of God that is in heaven? The answer came from Revelation 7:9-12 - After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"

The will of God in heaven which Jesus wants done on earth is to praise and worship God. Another question, a question anyone can answer; has this happened? Philippians 2:11 reads, ‘every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ Has this prophecy been realized? NO! If all capitals with an exclamatory NO! is the answer, what more can be said other then, The purpose of being saved is to bow down before the glory of God in accepting Christ as Lord and bringing people of other faith to do the same.

In Short, to worship and to make worshippers is the ultimate goal of every Christian.

Psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.