Worship God in Spirit and in Truth

How Should We Worship God?

A great way to answer this is to quote Jesus Himself who says "worship God in spirit and in truth". Lots of information is packed into that short phrase. Let's investigate more closely and see what we find. 

One day Jesus was travelling through a region in Judea known as Samaria. The region of Samaria roughly aligned with the region once occupied by the 10 northern tribes after they split away from the rest of Israel. The people who lived in this region of Samaria had a curious collection of beliefs and practices that were similar to what the Jews practiced but definitely not the same.

While the disciples were off running errands Jesus sat down to rest at a public well and started up a conversation with a Samaritan woman who was there. Their conversation was mostly about the truth of who He was and what He had to offer spiritually. However, their conversation touched briefly on the subject of proper worship.

Read the whole chapter to get the context and then zoom in on these verses John 4:19-24. The woman's statement in verse 19 begs an answer "which way of worship is correct"? The summation of Jesus' response is found in verse 23-24 "the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth".

Worshiping God in Spirit

To properly worship God we need the right mental approach. Respect towards God and submission to His will are a good start. To this let's add the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, kindness etc.

Look around you and you'll see there are many who try to worship God in spirit... but do not do God's will with regard to worship. That could be considered worshiping God in spirit but neglecting to worship Him in truth. God wants worship in both ways... in spirit, and in truth!

Worshiping God in Truth

Truth can be defined as "that which conforms to reality, fact, or actuality". When considering how we interact with God the Creator let's add this quote from Jesus "[God's] word is truth" John 17:17. God's word of truth targets multiple levels of our lives. Such as:

· Truth about our own self... which is transforming!

· Truth about God's plan of salvation and eternal life... which is motivating!

· Truth about God's will for us.... meaning, what He want us to do.

Its is important to remember that when Jesus spoke of scripture as truth from God, He was referring to the writings of the old testament. The gospels and epistles of the new testament were not yet written at that time.

What Does That Word of Truth Tell Us About Worship?

The word of truth tells us to love God every moment of every day, with all our heart, mind, and being Deuteronomy 6:5. That same word of truth tells us God also wants us to express worship toward Him in a few simple concrete ways. Remember, God wants worship in both spirit AND in truth.

An important way to express worship toward God which is grounded in reality, fact, and action, is to obey the 4th commandment Deuteronomy 5:12-15 [see also Exodus 20:8-11].

· Deuteronomy 5:14 tells us God has appointed a time for focused worship. That time is the 7th day of each week.

· In this same verse we are also told to "do no work" on that day and thereby set it apart from the ordinary days of the week.

· The 7th day is also classified as holy, meaning it is time set apart to for a special Godly purpose.

What might that holy purpose be? ... I'm glad you asked!

A Holy Assembly For Instruction

Leviticus 23:3 tells us that the special Godly purpose is to facilitate a sacred [holy] assembly, meaning a gathering together of people for spiritual instruction.

The Godly purpose of the 7th day assembly is not accomplished by merely gathering, drinking coffee, eating cookies, and chatting about the week.

Dig a bit deeper and you'll find the Hebrew word translated into English as meeting, assembly, or convocation is מקרא [ mik-raw Strong's H4744]. The word means both the act of gathering but also of a public reading. In the case of God's sacred assembly on the 7th day that means a public reading of scripture.

An important way God expects us to worship Him is by gathering together on the 7th day of each week to listen to what He has to say. To hear His word of truth read aloud, along with instruction about how it is to be understood and applied. This expectation is carried forward into the new covenant writings as well:

· When Paul gave instruction to Timothy about his job as a pastor he gave instructions to devote himself to the public reading of scripture and the teaching of what it means, see 1 Timothy 4:13.

· Paul referred to the scriptures as a useful tool for instruction, direct from the lips of God, concerning personal conduct,  correcting errors [harmful modes of thought], and training in righteousness, see 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

· To carry on this Godly and holy purpose the Sabbath remains as part of worship for followers of Christ as Hebrews 4:9 says. Note: the KJV and NKJV translations of the bible deceptively leave out the reference to the Sabbath in this verse translating it merely "a rest". So, make sure you read it in some other translations, or if you want to stick the the King James version do a word study using a concordance and bible dictionary.

· Finally, new covenant believers are instructed not to give up assembling together for teaching, encouragement, and instruction in righteousness Hebrews 10:25.

Finding a Group To Gather With

God established a new covenant assembly to continue on with this holy purpose every 7th day of the week and that new covenant assembly is alive and well even in the 21^st century.  Christ has appointed teachers and pastors within the assembly to provide instruction. They get to know the members and provide spiritual instruction geared toward their specific needs and situation Ephesians 4:11-13.

The United Church of God has congregations of people all over the U.S. and in many international areas. Visit our website at ucg.org/congregations to find a congregation near you. Otherwise, you can write, or call, using the contact info found in this publication.

As an organization UCG devotes considerable financial resources and manpower toward providing local assemblies with trained ministers. We want people to hear the word of truth proclaimed each week. Its important to us because its important to God.

Make it important to you as well!