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COMMUNITY GROUP STUDY 5: WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
Learning to be the kind of worshippers the Father seeks
In John 4 Jesus seeks to bring truth to a Samaritan woman. Jesus reveals that He is establishing a new era of worship in which destination is not important; an age where one can commune with God, in the Spirit, in any place, with equal potency. Jesus debunks the doggedly persistent view that holy places and religious routine have any value in worship.
WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
Read 4:23-24. Let’s consider what defines true worship and worshippers:
· Worship with Your ‘spirit’ and ‘truthfully’– Authentic worship requires ‘new birth’. It’s helps us understand what ‘Spirit and truth’ worship is by looking at what it’s not - see Matthew 15:7-9.
· Worship based on truth – We cannot worship without knowledge of God derived from scripture and through the truth of the gospel. How do you or could you include scripture/gospel in your devotions?
· Worship requires union with Christ by the Spirit – It is not possible to worship whilst excluded from Him by our sin. What does Ephesians 2:17-18 teach on how we have ‘access’ to worship?
· It is to worship empowered and directed by the Spirit– What does Acts 13:2 and 1 Cor. 14:26 say about worship led by the Spirit and how open are you to contributing or prayerfully considering what is contributed?
HE IS SEEKING YOUR WORSHIP
Jesus challenges the Samaritan woman that “They are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” He seeks them in the sense that:
· This is the type He makes – Jesus goes out of His way to make this woman in true worship. He is working in our lives to save and develop our worship. How do you think God wants you to develop your worship?
· This is the type that He wants – It’s very important that we make personal, family, church worship a priority.
· This is the type that God especially blesses– Much of our dissatisfaction in life comes from missing the joy that is found in true worship and the experience of the Spirit. Let’s pray for one another and the church to grow as worshippers.
DAILY PERSONAL BIBLE DEVOTIONAL WEEK 5 – WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
MONDAY: TO WORSHIP IN THE SPIRIT IS TO WORSHIP EVERYWHERE WE GO
For many, Christianity is bound up with a day, a place and certain routines. In this sense it is more like what we find in the Old Testament than the vision of knowing God that Jesus paints for us.
Adults spend nearly 4 hours a day watching television. But a revolution is happening as mobile devices such as phones mean we can watch things everywhere we go. With the coming of Christ we can meet God everywhere we go and we need to allow this revolution to change our behaviour.
Christians understand that God is with them wherever they go. There are no holy places. God dwells in each Christian, we are His temple. This means that we can worship wherever we are. Sing, think, enjoy, and pray throughout the day. David wrote,
Psalm 139:7-8Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
God is with you by the Spirit. As you go into your day He wants to bless you with a sense of His love, lead you in different ways, use you to show love and share the gospel. Your life will be transformed if you walked in the good of being a living tabernacle of the Spirit.
Paul and Silas, whilst imprisoned for the gospel knew this reality,
Acts 16:25-26About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
How much time do you spend in worship and prayer? If you gave the Spirit free reign, how much would this change? Worship is our highest calling; the Spirit wants to make it your greatest delight.
RESPONSE
Singing is a gift from God. As you go through your day listen to, sing, hum, think existing songs or make them up. This is a great way to be filled with the Spirit.
TUESDAY: TO WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH… REMEMBER THE GOSPEL
I always start my prayer/worship times by remembering the gospel. Remembering that I was a sinner saved by God’s grace through the blood of Jesus. I like to choose a gospel passage and use it as a basis for worship. Fore example, I might choose,
Titus 3:3-6At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour…’
WE ARE ALWAYS IN DANGER OF MISSING THE GOSPEL
Firstly, “I can enter God’s presence because I’ve performed well”. We all need to heed Jesus warning,“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” – in their self-righteousness they missed Christ. Let there beware of the smallest amount of Christ-less salvation.
Secondly, “The Spirit can’t be with me because I’m unworthy in what I’ve done, thought and how I feel”. This is failing to rejoice that we are made righteous by faith alone, His imputed (credited) righteousness gives us freedom to enter the ‘holy place’.
Thirdly, there is the danger of judging God’s presence by how one feels – “The Spirit is with me because I feel so/the Spirit is not with me because I don’t feel that He is…”One thing I can promise you – you will always feel better if you confess the gospel and God’s presence with you than if you don’t! And even if you don’t feel better, it’s true!
RESPONSE
Start you daily devotions by remembering the gospel through scripture or song etc. Honour Christ’s finished work for you. Rejoice in your freedom and status as a child of God through Christ. This is being filled with the Spirit.
WEDNESDAY: TO WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH …WORSHIP USING TRUTH
To worship as Jesus said “in Spirit and truth’ means a focus on truth of the gospel. But the Spirit has given us the whole bible to use in our worship. The scriptures teach us about God and we can respond as the Spirit reveals God to us. Terry Virgo has written of worship in truth,
‘Often people are not praisers because they are actually not very impressed with God. The more we sing songs that tell us who God is and what He has done, the more we will understand and begin to praise…Praise isn’t a matter of bullying people, ‘come on what’s wrong with you this morning?’ It may be that we still haven’t got hold of enough truth or that we are singing songs with no content.
I was absent when Stuart Townend first introduced his song ‘In Christ Alone’ in our church. People were raving about it. When I heard it on tape in my car, I couldn’t hear all the words, so I wondered why everybody was so excited. But the next Sunday I was in the meeting and felt the impact of the truth in it. Don’t keep singing songs that have no content. Sing songs that absorb your mind and expand your understanding of God.’
The Spirit wants to use the truth of scripture to inflame your worship. He wants to fill you with His love for Jesus, for the Father, for the church, for the world. Read what Paul says,
Colossians 3:16-17Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
This rich Trinitarian text says too much to cover here but do you notice that the church community is to be rich in the truth of the gospel. The gospel is to inform all of our teaching but, the surprising thing is that we are to teach one another as we sing songs given by the Spirit. Will you aim to be a man or woman of truth? Will you allow the truth to inform your worship? Such a church will be filled with the Spirit.
RESPONSE
How are you doing at reading, studying and singing the truth? When was the last time you made up a song? Ask the Spirit to teach and lead you into using truth devotionally.
THURSDAY: TO WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH…LET THE SPIRIT LEAD US INTO DEVOTION
What is the Spirit’s will in regard to the church? He has a burning desire for Her to be like a pure bride, devoted to her husband – to Christ. The Spirit is willing us to love God will all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. But He is also willing us to love one another as Christ loves us.
THE SPIRIT LEADS US TO DEVOTION TO GOD AND HIS COMMUNITY
The Spirit knows, as I’m sure that we all know really, that if we are to love God we need the help of the community of God.
1 Peter 2:4-5As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual houseto be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Peter says that a healthy relationship with Christ ‘the living stone’ leads to devotion to a community of Christians - ‘living stones…built together’. Such a community is said to be a ‘spiritual house’ – the dwelling place of the Spirit and a people who offer true worship by the Spirit ‘spiritual sacrifices’.
Of course we can worship wherever we go but I don’t want you to miss the community emphasis of the bible. God is with us in a special way as we meet together, and it’s the Spirit’s will that we are devoted to being together. Paul says,
Galatians 5:22-23But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Do you realise that these fruits and whole context is about how we are to behave within the church community? Read this scripture adding, “for my church” after each fruit and you get a sense of what the Spirit wants for us.
To worship in Spirit and truth let the Spirit lead you to loving God and His community.
RESPONSE
Pray through the fruits of the Spirit that you and the church would have such attributes toward one another.
FRIDAY: TO WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH…REMEMBER THAT AS WE WORSHIP THE SPIRIT TRANSFORMS US
Meeting with God transforms us. As our spirit meets the Holy Spirit we become more Christ-like. As Paul says,
2 Corinthians 3:17-18Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
This text speaks of our initial salvation and ongoing transformation (sanctification). Through the gospel (through Christ) we know God, the ‘veil’ between us has been removed. The Spirit of God initiates this work of regeneration and continues the work of transformation within us.
The words of 2 Corinthians 3 are not principally about times of worship, but they should certainly inform our worship:
2 Corinthians is referring to events in Exodus 34 where we read,
Exodus 34:29When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. (See 34:33-35 also)
Moses was temporarily transformed as he went into God’s presence. Paul is making the point that under the Old Covenant (though temporary) Moses was transformed as he met God; how much more should we, in the New Covenant, who have the Spirit working in us, expect to be transformed and grow in ‘glory’! Let’s be full of expectation as we worship:
· Worship in awareness that God is present with us – the ‘veil’ between us and God has been removed – be gospel-centred.
· Worship using our minds to focus on who God is - ‘God’s glory’
o God’s glory as revealed throughout scripture
o God’s glory, particularly as revealed through Jesus and the gospel
· Believe for transformation by the Spirit - It’s as we ‘contemplate’ or ‘behold’ (ESV) the Lord’s glory’ that we are ‘transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory’.
RESPONSE
How expectant are you of meeting God and being transformed when you gather, or personally spend time, in worship? Perhaps we could all do with approaching worship with greater faith of meeting with God.
SATURDAY: TO WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH…EXPECT TO MEET GOD IN THE SPIRIT
It sounds obvious and maybe a little silly to say that we should expect to meet God as we worship but it’s something that we all regularly fail to remember. Our minds can be distracted, we daydream, we go through the motions whilst not engaging with faith and expectation.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT INTENSITIES OF MEETING
Throughout scripture, history and our lives, we know that the Spirit comes in different levels of intensity – but He does always come!
Hebrews 10:19-22Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings…
The author to the Hebrews makes it clear that nothing stops us from entering God holy presence apart from our lack of faith. Too often we go to church, Community Group, or personal prayer without an attitude of ‘drawing near to God’.
It’s those who have such an attitude of faith who are most likely to experience great manifestations of God, this is Paul’s testimony,
2 Corinthians 12:3-4And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows – was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.
Such experiences were, on occasion, a part of Paul’s devotional life; do we thirst for such time? Meeting with God in such tangible and glorious ways are to be a part of our relationship with God. We read of the early Methodist movement – it was meeting with God that empowered the Great Awakening,
‘John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield, with four other of the original Holy Club from their Oxford days, and some sixty others, gathered at Fetter Lane, London, in the evening to sing and pray. Whitefield wrote in his diary, ‘Monday, 1st January, 1739. Had a “Love-Feast” with our brethren and spent the whole night in close prayer, psalms and thanksgivings. God supported me without sleep.’
The hours flew by, until about three in the morning it seemed the day of Pentecost had come again. John Wesley in his journal recalled, ‘The power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many fell to the ground. As soon as we were recovered a little from awe and amazement at the presences of His Majesty, we broke out with one voice, “We praise Thee, O God, we acknowledge Thee to be Lord.”’
James Harvey, the friend of Wesley at Oxford, described the change in Wesley through his anointing of the Spirit. ‘His preaching was once like the firing of an arrow, all the speed and force depending on the strength of his arm in bending the bow. Thereafter it was like the firing of a rifle ball, the whole force depending on the powder and needing only a finger touch t let it off.’
RESPONSE
As we read in Hebrews10:19-22 – Will you make your times of worship a meeting with God by faith?
Will we go to God and cry out for greater manifestations of His glory so that He would be our greatest Joy and His kingdom our greatest ambition?
Make a plan – when are you planning to meet with God and worship in Spirit and truth this week?
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