WORSHIP INSTRUCTIONS

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24 NKJV).

In context, the Lord Jesus is speaking with the woman at the well in Samaria, and their conversation is focused on the matter of worship. Our verse is part of the instructions on proper worship that the Lord Jesus gave this woman, and it speaks of the nature of the God to worship, and the necessities for the worship of God.

Nature of the God to worship – “God is Spirit.” In the original language of this text, there is no article before the word “Spirit.” It simply says that God is Spirit. He is not “a spirit,” but His nature is spiritual. This means that God is not limited to time and space. It also means that He is not a God made of stone or wood, or the sun god. God’s nature is spiritual not material, not corporal. This rules out all the gods of paganism.

Necessities for the worship of God – “Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” First, we were first told Whom to worship and now we are told how worship. If we get the Whom right, then we will get the how right. The how involves spirit and truth. First, worship in spirit: True worship does not consist of mere outward conformity to religious standards and duties but comes from the inner spirit. Worshiping in “spirit” eliminates hypocrisy in worship. The Lord Jesus condemned folks for their vain worship: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:8-9). Second, worship in truth: This means worship according to the Word of God which is truth (John 17:17); and worship must involve the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is “truth” (John 14:6). Leave out the Scriptures and the Savior and our worship will be in “vain.”

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Worship is our innermost being responding with praise for all that God is, through our attitudes, actions, thoughts, and words, based on the truth of God as He has revealed Himself!”

John Fullerton MacArthur Jr.  (1939 - )

American Pastor, Theologian and Author

Word Study

Fallen asleep

In 1 Cor. 15:6 we read, “After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep” (NKJV).

“Fallen asleep” is the Greek word koimáō (κοιμάω = koy-mah'-o). It comes from a root word meaning to lie down. Thus, the word means to cause to sleep. We get our English word cemetery or “the sleeping place” from this word. In classical Greek, the word conveyed a literal meaning (sleep) as well as a figurative meaning (sleep of death). In the Septuagint, koimáō conveying the sense of physical sleep. In the New Testament, koimáō also conveyed a literal meaning (sleep) as well as a figurative meaning (sleep of death). The significance here is that the sleeper does not cease to exist while his body sleeps, so the dead person continues to exist despite his absence from among the living. And just as sleep has its waking, death will have its resurrection. In short, death to the believer is asleep for his body, a period of rest to be followed by a glorious day.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6 KJV).

Did You Know…

According to Prov. 25:28, if you don’t learn to control yourself you will end up like a city whose walls have been broken down.

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Proverbs, what does God do: “When a man’s ways please the LORD?”

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: Why does Solomon caution: “Do not boast about tomorrow?” “For you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Prov. 27:1).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“VINE”

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NJKV).

Meaning – VINE refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as the original source of life.

Insights – Here the vitality of the vine, the Lord Jesus, is being stressed. God can do without man, but man cannot do without God. To be separated from the Lord Jesus means we can do nothing. For a branch to live, thrive, and bring forth fruit, it must be connected to the vine. Without this connection, the branch does not produce fruit, it also will not survive. And while not every branch will bear a bumper crop, a branch that is united with the vine, will always bear fruit. There will always be fruit where there is life.

Did You Know – Christian History

Johann Arndt was born December 27, 1555, at Ballenstedt, in Anhalt, Germany. He was a German Lutheran theologian, and author.

When Arndt was born, the Reformation was in full swing. His parents, not satisfied with the training he would get in church schools, taught him themselves, especially emphasizing the life of Christ in the believer. When he was older, they deprived themselves even of basic necessities to put him through school.

Arndt studied at Helmstadt, Wittenberg, Strasbourg, and Basel. He pursued a wide-ranging education, studying medicine, theology, the humanities, and natural sciences. He immersed himself in the writings of medieval mystics, such as Bernard of Clairvaux, Johann Tauler, Thomas à Kempis, and the anonymous Theologia Teutsch. In 1583 he became a pastor at Badeborn, but in 1590 he was deposed for refusing to remove pictures from his church and to discontinue the use of exorcism in Baptism. Both were considered offenses against the Calvinist concept of strict purity and simplicity. Arndt found asylum in Quedlinburg, and in 1599 was transferred to St. Martin’s Church at Brunswick.

Arndt was concerned that theologians taught Christians to put too much emphasis on the legal achievement of Christ on the cross while neglecting the necessary heart change which alone could make a true Christian. Consequently, he encouraged his contemporaries to worship from the heart. They must have a “practical Christianity.” There would be an inward emotional component to true Christianity. He preached much about sin so as to awaken men to their need for a savior. But he was also a dedicated pastor, resolving enmities, visiting the sick, and doing good wherever he could.

The principal work among his many writings, which were inspired by the mystics is “Four Books on True Christianity.” Translated into most European languages and widely distributed in Arndt’s time, it served as the foundation of many devotional books for both Roman Catholic and Protestant. His writings influenced John Wesley. It was also a chief influence in the life of Philipp Jakob Spener, who was a founder of Pietism, a movement that stressed simple Christian living. Arndt held that to follow orthodox doctrine was not enough and that the Christian must undergo a moral purification through righteous living and communion with God. The publication of Arndt’s book aroused strong controversy among Lutherans and caused difficulty for Arndt in Brunswick. In 1609 he moved to Eiseleben and in 1611 to Celle, where he remained until his death.

A Little Humor

Sunday after church, a mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about. The daughter answered, “Don’t be scared, you’ll get your quilt.” Needless to say, the mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the mom asked him what that morning’s Sunday school lesson was about. He said, “Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Faith in Christ is not a leap into the dark; it’s a step into the Light!”