FOUNDATIONS OF WORSHIP PART 5

  There is a lot of debate about what it means to worship God in spirit. Understanding it comes with different levels of maturity. Many people turn to what John the Revelator said: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10), and try to unpack what he meant.

Jewish priest washing his face in the Bronze Laver. Image by ChatGPT

Some believe “the Lord’s Day” refers to the Sabbath, which would be Saturday, while others believe it refers to Sunday, since the calendar and practice of worship had changed by that point. This argument, however, can become a distraction because it gets us no closer to understanding what John meant when he said, “I was in the Spirit.”

The bigger issue is really what it means to be in the Spirit. Jesus gives us an important starting point in John 4:23: “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.”

In Part 4, we explored how worshipping in truth involves obedience, faith, repentance and being conformed to the image of Christ. When we praise God and give thanks, we are worshipping Him. But many times, praise and thanksgiving simply open the door to the temple and prepare us to meet with Him. The flesh wars against the spirit, and when a believer begins to experience the presence of God, they can be quick to leave.

Apostle Tobi Arayomi calls it “roll call.” After the first hour, people begin to feel the presence of God—and then they leave. That is, if they can even make it to an hour. It is like dropping by a friend’s house, honking the car horn for them to come outside, and then, as soon as they open the door, simply waving and driving away.

We enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. A lot of times, that is where believers remain. They are unable to enter the inner courts. Worse yet, many believers do not even know that they can go further or deeper.

WORSHIP IN REVELATION

We worship according to the revelation we have of God. God reveals Himself. He is not an abstract or distant God who remains unknown to us. He is known by those who belong to Him. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice (John 10:27). There is a relationship between revelation and knowing God.

We see a similar principle in Jesus’ prayer in John 17:1–5, where He speaks about those whom the Father has given Him: 

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

In Revelation 1:1, Christ is revealed to us through what the Father reveals to Him and what He, in turn, makes known to us. Revelation is not simply about predicting the future, as many people understand prophecy. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ and of what happens with or without Jesus.

Revelation is centred on Jesus. Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy, and He fulfils prophecy. To worship God in spirit, therefore, is to worship Him according to the revelation we have of who He is.

In my early walk with Christ, I gravitated toward the Father. One day, I realised that although I was using the name of Jesus, singing about Jesus and speaking Scripture, I did not have the same relationship with Jesus that I had with God the Father. I also recognised that my relationship with the Holy Spirit was not what it should be. I prayed for a deeper relationship with each Person of the Godhead, and I have been working on that relationship ever since.

Each Person of the Godhead has personality and function. In a very basic way, we can say that the Holy Spirit points us to Jesus, and Jesus points us to the Father.

Worshipping God in spirit, therefore, involves worshipping Him according to the revelation we have received of Him. Why? Two reasons immediately come to mind:

1. We can only worship what we know.
2. The pattern as established in Scripture.

As we read the Bible, we see the ways in which God revealed Himself to the prophets and to His people: as Healer, Banner, Deliverer, Redeemer, Provider and in many other ways.

But worshipping in spirit also means acknowledging that there is a spiritual realm and that we have a spirit.

WORSHIP THROUGH US

When we are in the outer courts, we encounter the laver, a basin used by the priests for ceremonial washing. According to Exodus 38:8, the Bronze Laver was constructed using the bronze mirrors donated by the women who served at the entrance of the Tabernacle. These were not mirrors as we know them today. They were made from highly polished bronze, brass or copper. The metal was melted or hammered into the shape of the basin and its base.

Combined with the still water inside it, the polished bronze would have created a reflective surface. As the priests leaned over the basin to wash their hands and feet, they would have seen their own faces reflected in the water and polished metal.

There is spiritual symbolism in this. Before a priest could look upon the holiness of God, he had to look at himself. The laver served as a reminder for self-examination. The priest had to approach God with purity, honesty and humility.

This concept carries into the New Testament, where James compares the Word of God to a mirror that reveals our true spiritual condition:

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” — James 1:23–24

We must have the image, manifestation or reflection of Christ because Jesus is the way. We reflect Jesus  when we become a doer of the word.

At the time of the Tabernacle and the temple, there was a physical place where people approached God. But the meeting place with God is no longer confined to a tent or a physical temple. Through Jesus, we have become the temple.

To worship God in spirit is, in part, to go inward—to recognise the spirit within us and the spiritual realm in which we encounter God. The New Age followers understand what it means to look inward. Spiritists understand something about the spiritual realm. Yet, sometimes, the children of God shrink back from these concepts because of fear or because they see it as heresy.

But Scripture tells us that it is “deep calling unto deep” (Psalm 42:7). We are spiritual beings. Our spirit responds to God. Spirit to Spirit.

We must understand something important about worship: when it comes to worship, we are the ones who initiate it. James 4:8 says, "draw close to me and I will draw close to you".

Worship in spirit and truth changes our appearance until we begin to look like Jesus. It allows us to move beyond the outer courts and enter the presence of God. We can enter in the Spirit. Worship in spirit is dimensional. We worship God in our spirit, in the spiritual realm and through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides us in worship and leads us deeper into the revelation of God.

FOUNDATIONS OF WORSHIP PART 4

Image by ChatGPT

  We continue on the topic of worship in truth. We have seen that truth is based on God's word and who Jesus is and this is why He is called "faithful and true" (Revelation 19:11). Worship leads to repentance and builds faith when it is based on this truth. But what happens when we allow that truth to take root in us? It produces fruit. In this part, let us delve into how worship produces fruit.

THE WORD PRODUCES FRUIT

Hebrews 4:12 tells us: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” Through His word we have revelation because His Word is living. But revelation is not simply information. It produces a response. Revelation gives us more truth, and ultimately, it is all about Jesus. As a two-edged sword the word in worship cuts through to the truth and enables you to face truth starting with who He is. 

Worship in the word is truth which produces fruit. Revelation becomes fruit. 

Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Notice the connection between the Word and worship. The Word dwells in us and activates in our life. It is not dormant, it affects how we think, what we say, and ultimately how we worship and how we live. 

The Word of God is not meaningless or empty, (Isaiah 55:11).  It accomplishes what He sends it to accomplish. Once God's Word is released, it has an impact. It can produce fruit in conviction and transformation. God's word stands because it's truth.

This is why the Word matters so much in worship. 

TRUTH MUST COME FIRST

But there is something we must understand.You can be spiritually stirred without actually being with God if you are not careful. In the spiritual realm, there is God and there is His enemy, the devil. Scripture therefore tells us to test the spirits (1 John 4:1). This is why truth must come first.

The stepping stones to God is His word that you declare, meditate on, read, study and sing, when we believe in Jesus as the Son of the Living God.

When we sing songs of worship using the Word of God as the foundation, we meet with God according to His truth and we meet Him in spirit.

The Word gives us the foundation. Faith responds to the Word. Worship expresses that response. 

BELIEF IS PART OF WORSHIP

John 6:29 says: “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

If we worship without believing who Jesus is, then our worship is not true worship. If we do not believe in the One we are worshipping, what exactly are we worshipping? Remember based on what we learnt in part 1, worship is work "avodah/abodah". Our first work is to build our faith.

We may sing the songs that make us emotional. We may raise our hands, we may bow our heads but worship must be connected to faith in Jesus, because Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6. 

The purpose is reconciliation - to meet with God and be reconciled to Him through Christ. Daily worship enables us to be daily reconciled to Him.

Therefore, worship in truth is not simply about what happens during a worship service. It is about what happens in us when we encounter the truth of Jesus. And if truth has truly taken root in us, something should happen next. Faith should produce action. 

FAITH MUST PRODUCE ACTION

James 2:26 says: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Real faith is evident and can be seen in our works or actions. Our actions must show our faith in Christ. You can perform an act of kindness without showing faith in Christ. You can make a decision without faith. You can do something good for many different reasons. But action based on faith is worship because it is submitted to Him. Our actions demonstrate what we believe. Our actions prove whether we are allowing His Word to govern our lives, and allowing Him to direct our paths.

This is where worship moves beyond the song. Worship becomes a way of life.

FAITH AND OBEDIENCE

A good example of this is our giving. Suppose the Holy Spirit genuinely convicts you to give something you have, but you respond: “But Lord, how will I get home?” And you hold back because you are afraid that you will not have enough. The issue is no longer simply the money. The issue is trust.

If God has genuinely directed us to do something and we refuse because we do not believe He will provide, then our refusal is revealing unbelief. 

At the same time, Scripture teaches that giving is not to be done reluctantly or under compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7). The principle is therefore not that every believer must give everything they have whenever they feel an impulse. The principle is that when we know God is leading us, our response should be one of faith and obedience. But it should also be immediate. 

Faith is alive. Faith produces life when we trust in Jesus, who is abundant life. In fact, Hebrews 10:38–39 says: “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”

The just shall live by faith. Faith therefore cannot remain merely an idea in our heads. Faith must become visible in how we live. We live in abundance to reflect Christ. This brings us to more evidence of faith: repentace that produces fruit as worship.

REPENTANCE PRODUCES FRUIT

In Part 1 we looked at Luke 3:10–14 when John the Baptist charged the Pharisees to produce fruit. It is part of our faith walk. But let us look at it from the perspective of worship in truth. 

John is speaking about repentance. He told them: "Produce fruit, then in keeping with repentance" Luke 3:8. Their repentance had to become visible in their behaviour. John's response was practical.

The person with more than enough had to share. The tax collector had to stop exploiting people. The soldier had to stop abusing his authority.

Their actions had to demonstrate the change that had taken place in their hearts. This is worship in truth. 

Truth had produced conviction.

Conviction produced repentance.

Repentance produced changed behaviour.

Changed behaviour produced fruit. 

When we can honestly live for Christ demonstrating His goodness. We are reflecting Christ. We become a true worshipper. A disciple of Christ. 

FOUNDATIONS OF WORSHIP PART 3

  Have you ever noticed that some people regularly come to church for the Word but miss the worship? Worship proves the heart. Worship brings revelation of Jesus and, His Word and gives prophecy to believers. It builds relationship and brings us into His presence.

Image by ChatGPT

When believers constantly miss out on worship, they can reduce their relationship with God to simply knowing about Him through knowing His Word. They may know the Scriptures but fail to acknowledge Him as sovereign God. They may know about Him without truly loving Him. They may know about Jesus without building faith in knowing that Jesus is God. We must know Him deep inside of us.

In previous blogs we found that worship is about service, obedience, reverence and submission. It is the surrendering of our hearts, minds, souls and bodies to Him. Even in serving as a housemaid, you must be subject to an authority. Worship involves submitting ourselves to the authority of God. We must worship Him because of who He is, and not simply when we have a feeling. 

In Foundations of Worship Part 2,  we examined the difference between worship and praise. Today, we will look at what it means to worship in truth. Worship in spirit will be covered in another blog because it requires a little more explanation.

WHAT IS TRUTH?

Truth is factual and proven. It is not simply what we feel, what we prefer, or what we want it to be. 

In John 14:6 Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  Therefore, when we talk about worshipping in truth, we are not merely talking about having correct information. We are talking about worshipping according to the truth of who God is and who Jesus is.

We worship acknowledging this truth that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus's existence is proven from non-Biblical sources and there were eye witness accounts of His life, death, and resurrection. Throughout the New Testament, the Apostles testify of what they saw and experienced as they exercised the power of God and what they witnessed while Jesus ministered, how He died and resurrected. But they also clarified issues concerning the true doctrine of Jesus.

This is important. How can we worship God according to a false teaching about Jesus? If the Jesus we are worshipping is not the Jesus revealed in Scripture, then we may actually  worship a false Jesus.

Paul warned the church about those who preached “another Jesus” and “a different gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4). This shows us that what we believe must be intentional and specific. It must be truthful and honest.

Christians worship with the knowledge that Jesus is the true and living God. Jesus is called “Faithful and True” in Revelation 19:11. When we worship Him, it is to submit ourselves and obey the One we accept as the only true and living God.

Worship is a choice. We have to choose to worship Jesus as our Saviour, our Lord and our Master because all worship belongs to Him.

GOD'S TRUTH OR “MY TRUTH”?

Nowadays, the culture is to personalise truth. We hear people say, “This is my truth.” But there can only be one truth. They are actually basing the statement on experience.

Experience is different from truth. Our experiences can be influenced by ourselves, our emotions, our desires, our circumstances and even by other people. Experience is therefore subjective. It is not absolute. But the Word of God stands the same. God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

God's Word is absolute. This does not mean that our experiences are meaningless. It means that our experiences must be tested against God's truth. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God…” 1 John 4:1

Truth can withstand interrogation. If something is true, it does not have to be protected from examination. God's truth does not become less true because we question it. If the Word of God were to change, then the stars would fall out of the sky. Why? Because it's His word that He spoke that put it there.

And let me give you a little joke: God's Word is like vodka—it is absolute! It cuts through and leaves no residue. 😂

TRUTH BRINGS US INTO ALIGNMENT WITH JESUS

Through worship we build our faith. Our faith walk is designed to pull us into alignment with Him and His purposes. Worship accomplishes this. But we also become repentant.

Our repentance produces fruit. And our lives increasingly come into alignment with His Word and His purposes. This is why worship cannot simply be about singing.

Worship is a response to truth. We worship because He is worthy. We offer true worship in love for a Father who loves His children and sent His only son to die as a sacrifice for us to pay the price of our sin. We worship because He is God and we have the victory over satan and death because of Jesus's perfect work on the cross.

We worship because He is true. We worship in truth because our human minds cannot create a Jesus according to our own feelings, experiences, desires or imagination that can die on a cross for us. We cannot comprehend it fully. So, we worship the Jesus revealed in the Word of God.

In the next part, we will continue to look at worship in truth. But first ask yourself some really deep questions:

Who do I worship?

How do I worship?

Why do I worship?