Worship in Spirit and in Truth

We have become so accustomed to "doing something" to appear to be worshiping that many cannot wrap their mind around worshiping in "Spirit and Truh."
Worship, after Christ left this earth, was not about physical acts of worship as it was in the Old Testament days. Worship is now something that happens in the hearts of those who belong to Him.

 
We edify one another to build up the faith of one another. Edification is to speak to one another about Christ and to agree with one another.

 
John 4:24
"24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”"

Hosea 6:6
"6 For I desire loyalty rather than sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."

Psalm 51:16-17
"For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. / The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

These attitudes toward God are not about outward acts of worship but the inner heart of worship that we carry with us everywhere we go, which demonstrates our loyalty to God.

 
Amos 5:21-24
“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard. Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps."
Our mandate from God is to have an attitude of worship in our heart that presents itself in obedience to HIm and edification toward one another.

 
Proverbs 21:3
"To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice."

Romans 12:1
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."

Worship does not involve routine rituals expected every week by others who tell the congregation what to say, what to sing. When we gather to edify one another, each one will ask for a song, prayer and expound on the word as they are led by the Holy Spirit.

 
To edify one another in this way we are worshiping as God commanded.

Psalm 40:3-4 " 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. 4Blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, who has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.…"

To edify one another is to encourage the hearts of those in the gathering to focus on Christ in all they do and say. It is not ritual actions or ritual words that are the worship; it is the heart reaching up to God in love toward Him, agreeing with Him!!!

1 Thessalonians 5:11
"Therefore, encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing."

When we gather together to agree about Christ, we will leave the gathering equipped to go into the world sharing the gospel and encouraging others believers we meet to keep looking to Jesus Christ.

Christ Should be the Focus

When we are more concerned about people liking us than we are about truth, then Christ is not the focus....we are the focus. We are more concerned about people liking us than we are about truth, then Christ is not the focus... we are the focus.

Christ First and Only

No one is greater than Jesus Christ Who lives in the born-again believer. He is called the Counselor, the Teacher, the Savior, the Bread of Life, and many more descriptions of what He does for us!

Christ saves us, leads us, trains us, and is our sustenance; no human being can be any of this for us.

No person can teach us better, help us better, or protect us better than Jesus Christ.
God NEVER said: "Trust in a leader with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

 
God did say, "Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

 
Trusting in Christ always is His mandate to us, each and every born-again believer! We hear teachers, we evaluate them according to the bible but we do not allow them to dictate anything to us, they can never usurp Jesus Christ Who lives in us.

Listening to teachers is associated with the mandate to edify one another in the Word; it is not associated with authority over us any more than we have authority over any other believer.

 
Follow Christ alone!!!!

7 Signs of Low Emotional Intelligence

They Judged What They Did Not See For Themselves

They weren't there to see how you said something, but will assume you must have done it wrong because the person you spoke to became angry. Those who assume wrongdoing merely because of someone else's response are falsely judging where they have no business judging.

 
Notice the strange thing that happened with the accusation that you did something wrong because someone else became angry.

 
Why would anyone assume someone had a good reason to be angry? Why wouldn't they assume the angry person may have been irrational?

 
The reason we see assumptions like this is because the devil wants to silence the one who tells the truth by intimidating them into believing the bad behavior of the hearer was the truth teller's fault.

 
Was it the fault of Jesus Christ that His people became so angry that they killed Him?

 
Was it the fault of the apostles when the people became so angry that they were martyred for telling the truth?

 
It is common now for people to rush to judgment and accusation when someone becomes angry, blaming the innocent party for the response of the one who rages.
In every case where I witnessed someone becoming angry over a disagreement, it was the angry person who refused to allow the other person to express themselves without being punished for it.

 
Anger over a disagreement is the evidence that there is out-of-control exasperation in the one who rages. Their focus is on winning, not resolution.

 
Those who are full of pride and arrogance will rush to judgment and rage easily at the mildest challenge to think differently.

 
Proverbs 29:8-10 "…8 Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger. 9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution. 10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life."

Satan did the same thing in the garden with Eve. He claimed God was doing something wrong in denying the first couple one tree in the garden. Never mind that God gave them every other tree, gave them life, and the paradise they were enjoying.

 
This is how the devil works: he deliberately misinterprets the good that people do, plants the false idea in the minds of unthinking and angry hearts to cause trouble where no trouble was necessary.

 
Ecclesiastes 10:12-14
"The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness. Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him?"

2 Timothy 2:23-24
"But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing."

Those who walk with Christ do not deliberately misinterpret circumstances because they seek to find out the truth through reasonable and rational dialogue. Their heart is one of peace and truth, when these things are present, relationships are built and maintained on the Love of Christ.