“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. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit AND truth.” (John 4:23-24)
What does it mean to worship in spirit AND truth? What's the difference between the two? And how do I properly address each?
When Jesus taught the Samaritan woman about the two components of worship, it took place in John 4. If you back up one chapter and go to John 3, you’ll see that Jesus made a similar statement to a man named Nicodemus:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water AND the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)
Again, He emphasized the need for two components to be working together: water AND Spirit.
Why is there always two components? Why spirit AND truth? Why water AND the Spirit? Is there meaning there?
The answer lies at the root of what it means to be a human being.
As human beings, we are made up of two components: a visible component and an invisible component… a part which can be seen and a part which cannot be seen. We are fleshly beings, but at the same time we are also spiritual beings. We are born of an earthly mother, but we are also born of a heavenly Father.
Jesus said it this way – after making the statement about “water and the Spirit” in John 3:5, He gave this explanation in the following verse:
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6)
As children of God, we are both. We are born of the flesh and also born of the Spirit. We are visible and we are invisible. We are always operating in two “realms” – the earthly realm and the heavenly realm as well (see Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 6:12).
So because we operate in two realms, our worship must address these two realms as well.
We need both – an invisible component and a visible component. Something earthly and something heavenly. Something on the outside and something on the inside. We need both.
How does that translate to the way we worship God? While the term “worship” can be used to mean any form of giving glory and honor to God, the truest worship takes place when believers gather around the table of the Lord to partake of His Body and Blood. That is the ultimate form of worship.
So how do we worship in spirit AND in truth when it comes to our Liturgical experience on Sunday mornings?
That's the topic I want to address in my weekly Periscope broadcast today. I’ll be on LIVE at 12:30 pm EST once again and I’ll share some tips I’ve picked up along the way. I’ll talk about how I personally prepare to worship in spirit and truth every Sunday and a few very simple things that you can do to enhance your Sunday morning experience as well.
And feel free to submit any questions or specific points you’d like me to address in the comments below. Comments submitted via my blog always take precedence. See you at 12:30 pm!