True and Spiritual Worship

by Dr. Comfort ManyameI will share a fundamental scripture that is foundational too. John 4:24 (KJV), “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” This is the scripture in my opinion that should guide how we worship. Worship in this case is not just limited to singing songs but the whole life experience. Often times I think we neglect this foundational principle laid out by Jesus Himself when he was talking about worship. When we have it in our heart and spirit that the God we worship is Spirit and can NEVER be worshiped or satisfied with worship that's not spiritual then our worship will be RIGHT in God's eyes. When we understand that our worship is a spiritual exercise then we can put everything in perspective.

The Bible says, “Deep calls unto deep...” spirit man to Spirit. So the first part is SPIRIT.... we have to be filled with the Spirit of God and He then is the one who teaches us how to worship... and also calls/cries out with GROANS that cannot be uttered..... Worship is a spiritual exercise. The second part is TRUTH. How do we know what is true apart from what the spirit man reveals and also apart from being RICH in God's word? So that’s the other part of the equation. Wholesome worship comes from being filled not just with God's Spirit but with HIS WORD too. I do know that you can truly worship God fully if you do know what He is revealing in His word. So if one was to ask me how they can become an effective worshiper of God, I would gladly refer them to John 4:24. The Spirit, God freely gives. The word, though freely given requires us to WORK (read to understand, search the deep things) so that we can show ourselves approved.... read and study the word of God for your worship to go to a higher level. And remember we said worship is not just singing songs... it's how we live our lives. You cannot separate the two, which is also why in one instance Jesus instructs that if you bring your gift/sacrifice to the altar and there remember you have a forgiveness issue with a brother, leave your offering there and go back and make amends before you can even 'worship'. Our lives/daily living is intricately linked to our 'worship' or what's given on a Sunday or whenever else you 'worship'...

Question 1: You have spoken about being filled by the Spirit of God.. How does one get filled by the Spirit and how can one develop a relationship with Him?
Answer: Matthew 7:11 (KJV), “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Question 2: Indeed you have also pointed out that worship is not limited to singing songs, what role can songs play in worship?
Answer: I believe songs are an EXPRESSION of our worship... we express what we are... inwardly there is a 'well' that's boiling and it comes outwardly as an expression. I think songs can be that. Songs that touch the heart of the Father are not just words (empty words). When I look at songs, there are two types of songs. The rehearsed song and the unrehearsed (spiritual song) song. When the Bible talks in Psalms about our God inhabiting the praise of his people... the actual word used in that verse is Tehillah. which is a hymn of praise BUT more important is also the UNREHEARSED song... a spiritual song... a song in the moment... what the Spirit is saying. That's where you hear people talk about 'spontaneous' or 'prophetic' worship. This is the unrehearsed song... the Tehillah. the praise in which our God has a habitation. So SONGS do play a major part in our worship.

When you have time research the seven Hebrew Words for Praise. I can teach on this if you want but it also does help worshipers understand why we worship the way we do. In a nutshell, what these words are (there are more than 7 actually but the 7 are the most commonly occurring) is when the word PRAISE is used in the Bible. in the original Hebrew it's not the same WORD always.... each of those words describes an aspect of PRAISE (e.g. lifting hands; bowing down; playing an instrument etc.) and it is important to understand this because it enriches our worship EXPERIENCE. I really wish I had 'deep' things to share about worship.... all I know is 'Be filled with God's Holy Spirit; read your word; study and understand God's word; Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor' then your worship will be true. As you cultivate your relationship with Jesus, He will reveal other things very proportional/related to the investment in your relationship with Him. Spend more time with Him in the secret place... your worship will reflect that. NO amount of public worship/expression can make up for times we DON’T spend alone in HIS presence. PRIVATELY!