WORSHIP GOD IN THE SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH
When Jesus Christ met a woman at a well outside Jerusalem who acknowledged her sins, he reached out with a message of love and reconciliation, saying, the time had come that God the Father seeks to be “worshipped in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:17-18; 23-24). On another occasion, when Jesus drove religious people out of the Temple, who were making profit for themselves, he said the Temple of God ought be treated as a “house of prayer” for worshipping God (Matthew 21:12-13). Through those who have come to truly worshipping God by believing in and obeying Jesus, God is seeking people outside and inside the walls of churches, to worship him with all their heart in the Spirit and in truth (Jeremiah29:13; Matthew 28:15-16).
God does not want anyone to perish by being eternally separated from him and in anguish for failing to worship him according to the Spirit and the Truth of the biblical Word of God (2 Peter 3:9; John 14:6; John 14:15-17). Some people recognize that all sins separate from God; hence, they have repented of their sins and believed in Jesus Christ and are guided by the Holy Spirit as the Bibles says, that they may be saved from the consequences of theirs sins (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Acts 2:38). Yet, God seeks to save those who are still separated from him on earth Matthews 18:12).
LEARNING ABOUT THE SPIRIT AND THE TRUTH
Knowing that some deny, disregard or minimize many things God sees as sin, He inspired the Apostle Paul to spell out a number of these things to get their attention, and save them and have them worship him in the Spirit and Truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
ROMANS 1:18-32(NIV). 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
GALATIANS 5:19-20 (NKJV). 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5. But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
2 TIMOTHY 4:3. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Paul said some teach being motivated by love and goodwill; but others preach from selfish ambition (Philippian 1:15-17). While we may recognize some who teach according to the Spirit and truth of the Bible; we may observe others who are out of line with the Holy Bible. The latter distort and “water down” what the Word of God says about Jesus Christ and the need to repent of all sin. They preach pseudo gospels and tell clever lies to draw away disciples to themselves and to exploit them of money (Acts 20:30; Titus 1:11; Timothy 6:10). Some even build mega churches and accumulate large wealth which they spend lavishly on themselves. Many with “itching ears” who follow them, view them as successful, and aspire to prosper like their teachers.
JESUS SPEAKS ON WORSHIPPING GOD IN THE SPIRIT AND TRUTH
Jesus said the time has now come that God the Father seeks to be worshipped in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:23; 2 Corinthians 6:2). He questioned some who were not willing to obey him: “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord; but not do what I say?” (Matthew 7:46). However, he gives an answerer to all who do not follow and obey him in saying, the Light of the Spirit and the Truth has come into the world, but many people love the darkness of their sinful lifestyles God (John 3:19; 14:6; 16:8-9). Jesus reminds you in the Bible that he loves you enough to have died for your sins; but unless you repent of your sins you will perish, being eternally separated from God (John 3:16-18; Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38). Yet, Jesus lets you know he knocks at the door of your heart, and if you open it, he and his Father will come in fellowship with you (Revelation 3:20).
Have you chosen or do you choose, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to worship God in the Spirit and in Truth according to the Lord’s Word?
