DEVOTION – DAY 329

John 4:23-24 “Worshipping In Truth And In Spirit”

John 4:23-24 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is Spirit, and His worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

These verses are often quoted when Christians gather to worship the Lord. However, it is sometimes misunderstood. John 4 recorded Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman by a well in Samaria. Jesus chose to wait by the well where He met this outcast woman. The Samaritans believed that the nearby Mt Gerizim was sacred and that they had been blessed from this place so they went there to worship. But Jesus in these verses told this woman that the time has come where the place of worship was irrelevant. This was because true worship must be in keeping with God’s nature. God is Spirit. Thus, true worshippers must worship God by the enablement and power of the Holy Spirit. True worship also involves worshipping God in truth – this means that when they worship God, they focus on God’s attributes as revealed through the Bible, and they worship the Lord Jesus for who He is, for all that He has done, is doing and will do for humanity. Worship will no longer be about observing a set of rituals or repeating or chanting phrases. It is worshipping God in Spirit and in truth.

On 8 Feb 2023, some students attended chapel service at the Asbury University, in Wilmore, Kentucky. Following the service, a small group of students stayed back and one student chose to make a public confession of his sins. This sparked those present to respond by singing praise songs to worship the Lord. This went on for some time. Someone sent out an email to invite other students to join them in this impromptu worship. People came and not just from the rest of the campus, but from nearby towns to be part of this special time of prayer and praise to God. Some people also confessed their sins. Some were converted to Christianity. The gathering attracted many young people from the Millennial generation and by 24th Feb 2023, it was estimated that 50,000-70,000 people had attended this revival service. It led to a few other university campuses having similar revivals. It would seem that the Lord was drawing a new generation of Millennial believers to Himself – a generation that follows TikTok that records this revival and that had been seen by millions – the sight of people worshipping the Lord in truth and in spirit.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you for you are Holy, righteous, living God. Thank you for loving us and sending your Son, the Lord Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Thank you for making it possible for us to worship you in truth and in spirit. We pray this by the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. How does this devotion help you to understand what it means to worship the Lord in truth and in spirit? Share.
  2. What are some of the Lord’s attributes that you can worship Him for? Share.
  3. What are some things that the Lord has done that you can worship Him for?
  4. Will you set aside some time each day to worship Him in truth and in spirit?