Worshipping In Spirit and Truth

“God is spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”—John 4:24

Our day is the day of “worship wars” when churches are fighting over whether worship should be “contemporary,” “traditional,” or a blend of both. I think both sides are wrong! We’ve totally missed the point of what worship is all about. The woman at the well wished to argue with the Master about the location of real worship. Our arguments are almost as shallow. Jesus points not to the where of worship, but to the who and to the how of worship. John Piper explains Jesus’ balanced teaching on worship quite well…

“Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full (or half-full) of artificial admirers (like people who write generic anniversary cards for a living). On the other hand, emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of rigorous thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship.”

Worship happens as God becomes our all-consuming passion in life. When we desire Him above all else, and express that desire in praise, adoration, allegiance, and obedience, He gets the glory!