A reflection of worship
Jesus said: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn 4:24, ESV).
What then does it really mean to worship God “in spirit and in truth”?
Firstly, we must realise that our spirit is made alive through Christ (1 Pet 3:18). Without Christ’s atoning sacrifice, our spirit remain dead and we would not be able to commune with the living God. In addition, the supernatural ability to commune with God as Father is made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He who dwells within us enables us to call God our “Abba Father” (Rom 8:15).
Secondly, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (Jn 16:13). Specifically, the Spirit points us to Christ's attributes through the remembrance of His word.
Therefore worshipping God in spirit and truth means being enabled by the Spirit to draw near to God as Father and being convicted by the Spirit to celebrate truths about Him, namely His attributes and promises.
Corporate worship gathering therefore is a very sacred event whereby God communes with His people. It is a spiritual act that only born-again believers who has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit may enjoy. Every believer should stand in awe of this wondrous privilege of meeting the King of kings and Lord of lords so intimately during corporate worship.
The sad thing is that familiarity breeds contempt. The ease of going to church to worship Him on a weekly basis can lead us to take this honour for granted.
Below are four telltale signs that we may have lost the wonder of corporate worship:
1. We often miss corporate worship because of life situations common to men. We forget that God is above all these things in life. (eg: study & exam, work & workload, tiredness & mood swings).
2. We are habitually late for corporate worship. We forget that God is the VIP and not us.
3. We are easily distracted during corporate worship. We forget that God is communing with us. (eg. fiddling with our smart phones and tablets).
4. We allow our emotions and feelings to dictate our posture in corporate worship. We forget that God is still real and His promises are still true even when our emotions are empty or found wanting.
Nevertheless worship is not only confined to corporate worship gatherings.
Rom 12:1 says: “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” NLT
May we therefore live a life of daily worship to God. This daily spiritual act of giving ourselves wholly to Him will in turn tune our hearts for corporate worship.