Sometime in a certain province, there was a field cultivated by a farmer with known good seeds. The seeds germinated and grew up into productive crops yielding an obvious joy to the owner. Suddenly, weeds from nowhere sprang up and began to compete with the crops. Being a patient and experienced farmer, the owner waited for the harvest season to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. During the harvest, he wisely instructed and carefully guided his workers to gather the good seeds and keep them in the store while the chaff should be uprooted, gathered and burnt into ashes. The workers did as instructed and after they had burnt the chaff, a certain wind came from nowhere and blew the ashes to an unknown vicinity. Let’s open this parable and discover the truth in it. Here, both the wheat and the chaff represents worshipers in the world.

However, to the discerning, this parable illustrates that there are worshipers and there is a worshiper – God is in all ages gathering into Himself a generation of spiritual worshipers. When God the Almighty comes to enquire about true worshippers, the question will not be, “Who is a Bishop?”, “Who is a Prophet?”, “Who is a Pastor?”, “Who is a general overseer?”, “Who has the largest or biggest church?”, “Who worshiped in Jerusalem?”, “Who worshiped in the synagogue?”, “Who worshiped as a couple?” or “Who worshiped as a single person?”. The question will be, who worshiped in the spirit?” This will bring me to my message titled: “WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH”

Proof text: John 4:1 – end.

When I say worship God in spirit and in truth, I mean, worship God in truth and in faith. A man worships God in spirit when under the influence of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, the Holy Spirit is the best influence. A Christian is commanded to walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is a way of life to a child of God. The instruction for such a work must be entirely given by the Holy Spirit. People of God, walking in the spirit is so exciting – there you can hear God most clearly.

Do what God is telling you to do in your heart now. I mean, listen to the testimony of your conscience because the Bible says that anything that does not come from faith is sin. Sin in the soul is the cause of that sickness, poverty and disappointment. However, the best antidote to the poison of sin is to walk in the Spirit. The key is not to suppress the flesh but to surrender to the Spirit. To be much in conversing with Spiritual things, to mind the things of the soul, which is the spiritual part of a man, every purpose and passion of your heart is needed and every part of your worship must be guided and regulated by the word of God. The word of God says that God is Spirit and those who worship Him must do so in Spirit and truth. Today, many choose to worship God carnally like the Samaritans and the Jews in the book of John 4:1 – end. Few others worship God in Spirit and in truth like the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans 9:1. How do you worship your God? Remember, the worship of the Samaritan was a carnal worship, a defective worship because they did not receive the prophetical writings. That of the Jews was a carnal worship because, dealing only with the letters and referring to the Spirit and the signs, which were at a distance by type and ceremony.

People of God, there are many forms, conventions and doctrines in the world today which have become treacherous mountains in the path of Christendom. That is why you often hear people saying, “That is my church; that is not my church”. This is the time, day, week, month or year we pray and fast in my church”. My spiritual uncle said I should not go to Pastor K because of what is written about him on the pages of newspapers, on the internet’s many websites”. “I will not believe in what God is doing through him because of what is said about him on the radio and Television stations”.

These forms, convention and doctrines have not only constituted an atmosphere of unbelief which makes it difficult to receive but also have brought about the Spirit of tradition which is not the essence of a true church. What is the essence of a true church? True essence of a true church is Christ in you the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).  In other words, membership of your local church is merely symbolic; what counts is Christ in you, the hope of Glory. If Christ the hope of Glory is in you, the Holy Spirit will be your guide, Teacher, counsellor and comforter. He will tell you His opinion about yourself, about a place and about someone somewhere through His word, by His Spirit. Then, you will no longer rely on the powers on the outside (What is seen, heard, what others tell you and what your circumstances look like).

Packaging is deceptive. Everyone lies to his neighbor, but as a Christian, you cannot be deceived because you worship God in Spirit and in truth.

Acts 16:16 – 18. Apostle Paul was under the influence of the Holy Spirit and that was why he was not deceived by the testimony of the slave girl which came from an idolatrous mouth, while the slave girl was possessed by the spirit of deception. She had something she exalted in her heart above God. An idol is anything you exalt in your heart above God. A true worshiper is anyone who worships God in Spirit and in truth; they are inwardly pure. On the Contrary, an idol worshiper is anyone who exalts anything in his or her heart above God.

Today, wicked people wave their hands in worship without a thorough reformation of heart and life. Wicked people may teach, preach powerful sermons, quote the Bible from Genesis to Revelation; they are versed in the scriptures but lack the character of God in their resolutions. The Bible says you may read, think and pray all day but unless you live in the word as well, you miss the point. If you do not worship God who is a Spirit in the Spirit, you miss the end of worship. The end of worship is salvation , eternal life, peace of conscience, ease of heart, security of God’s presence, power and the glory of God (Matthew 25:31-46).

We worship our God in Spirit and in truth when every purpose and passion of our heart and every act of our worship – our singing, dancing, fasting and waving of hands are guided and regulated by the word of God. This is the true meaning of “Worship God in Spirit and in truth”. TBJ…SCOAN

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK.

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