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WORSHIP
IN
SPIRIT:
HOW
WE
WORSHIP
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True worshipers shall worship the Father
in spirit and truth.
~John 4:23
Personal worship becomes more real in your life now. Your spirit communes with His because He has room to grow in you since your flesh is mortified—deprived of its power over you. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6).
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How you worship personally is not dependent upon worship leaders, liturgical services, or anything external.
Since your spirit now communes with His Spirit, your renewed mind sees Him in everything—the environment around you, the knowledge you gain through study, the circumstances in your life—and what pours from you in response to Who He is truly comes from His Spirit alive in you.
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Those who know themselves
well loved must find expression for their gratitude.Risking Intimacy:
Overcoming Fear, Finding Rest
~Nancy Groom
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He has transformed you, and that transformation manifests in your worship of Him.
As you abide moment by moment,
your spirit will fellowship with the Father
around the Son
through His Spirit.
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WORSHIP
IN
TRUTH:
WHOM
WE
WORSHIP
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As you have abided, God Himself has become more real to you. You no longer have a deficient view of God because not only is He Savior of your life but now He is Lord as well. Your childish views of Him no longer exist. You don’t see Him as
- “the big Man upstairs,”
- “the mind-game player” Who withholds blessing until you can perform to His liking, nor
- the angry Father waiting to punish you when you slip up.
Willingly worshipping
in spirit and in truth
involves both your emotions
and your mind/thoughts.
“Worshipping” emotionally, without thought,
produces cult-like craziness.
“Worshipping” in truth,
without the Spirit,
is dead.
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No!
Your relationship with Him has matured. He is your Lord, the Lover of your soul, the Head of your life, the Healer, the Comforter, and so much more.
He is your All!
As you get to know Him more deeply each day, your worship in the truth of Who He is magnifies Him.
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Deeply spiritual people—
filled with the Life of the Spirit because they abide in Him—
who steep themselves in sound doctrine
become true worshippers
of the living God. The Father seeks such people to be His worshipers.
(John 4:23)
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Worship becomes a way of life—of your obedient life.
When His Spirit wells up in communion with yours, you may
- cry unexpectedly or praise Him,
- confess (agree with Him) or repent,
- lift your hands or prostrate yourself,
- sing exuberantly or meditate quietly.
There is no formula—no time nor place, no schedule nor formality—for expressing the spirit aspect of personal worship as a way of life.
When His Spirit touches your mind and expands the knowledge of the truth of Who He is, your awe of His Person increases.
And you worship Him.
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Example.
In the summer of 2006 my 16-year-old daughter and I were working through a geometry textbook. One problem related to a scientific discovery about the make-up of topaz crystals. Scientists concluded that crystals consist of a stack of small rectangular prisms because the angles of each topaz crystal are consistently 24.5 degrees and 42.3 degrees.
I remarked, “How can scientists study these things and conclude either there is no God or believe in chance evolution?”
And my daughter responded, “Even if they don’t see God, the stones will cry out!”
And Jesus answered and said,
“I tell you, if these become silent,
the stones will cry out!”
~Luke 19:40
My daughter and I stood in silence before each other for a few moments as His Spirit touched ours and we meditated quietly upon this revelation: The Lord speaks to us—to those with ears to hear, ears that He opened because of His love for us—through lifeless stones.
If our God is so involved in the details of stones,
how much more does He care for you and me!
This revelation of God’s Hand in the most minutest detail of stones and His care for us increased our ability to worship Him in truth.
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WORSHIP:
FELLOWSHIP
WITH
OTHERS
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Example In the spring of 2008, my uncle (only four years older than I), who practices his worship of God very differently that I do, shared a touching, tender personal event with me about a moment in his teen years when Father-God spoke to him through his earthly father’s words.
As my cherished uncle shared this life-changing event with me, tears formed in his eyes. His worship of God touched the Spirit in me, and I too fellowshipped with my dear uncle in this precious moment of worship.
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When you meet other true worshipers, you will experience fellowship with them around the Son.
Their “method” of worship will not be of concern to you because the fellowship is not centered on you or your method but on Who He is.
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After His meeting with the Samaritan woman, Jesus spoke to His disciples, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34).
And what is that work?
To seek those who worship in spirit and in truth.
He has been seeking you, my dear sister, through your process of personal spiritual growth.
- When you were lost,
He found you.
- When you were weak,
He strengthened you.
- When you were unloving,
He loved you.
- When you could not hear Him,
He opened your ears.
- When you could not see Him,
He opened your eyes.
- When you abided,
He revealed Himself to you.
- When you worship His Son,
He fellowships with you in the Spirit.
Let your life become prayer without ceasing—
communion, fellowship—
listening to Him,
praising and worshiping Him for Who He is,
communing with Him through the Spirit, and
loving Him because He first loved you.
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Personal Note The following books helped me to learn to pray and worship:
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Worship Him alone
in spirit and in truth moment by moment.
For such people
the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
~John 4:23
Go to Part 7 of this series: Be Content and Hope in Christ.
Other articles in this “Growth of a Christian woman” series:
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