Scripture
Psalm 100
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Heart and Head | Spirit and Truth
It’s really interesting that the first line of Psalm 100 has the word “Shout” in it. But let’s face it—how many of us are comfortable with shouting in our personal worship or in our corporate gatherings beside fellow worshippers. Our head says “God is worthy of all our praise—it’s good news—we should be able to shout about it” but our heart says “you can just shout from the inside.” It’s funny, but Jesus’ challenge to us involved both knowledge AND expression. It’s really interesting how the journey of following Jesus is about an 18-inch journey. The distance from your head to your heart (about 18 inches) can take a lifetime! True worship, says Jesus, is in spirit and truth. The “truth” part is plain enough — with the coming of Jesus, that truth centers on his person and work, the one who is himself “the Truth” and the message about his saving accomplishments for us, which is “the word of the truth, the gospel”. It is this “word of truth” by which we’re given new birth, this “word of truth that
Christian workers endeavor to handle aright, and this truth that anchors and saturates worship that is truly Christian. “True worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound
doctrine.” But what about “spirit”? Is this our spirit or God’s Spirit? Jesus’s memorable statement in John 3:6 helps: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” It’s not either-or, but both-and. For those who are new creatures in Christ, our spirit owes its existence and enthusiasm to the Spirit of God. Christian worship engages both heart and head. It necessitates true doctrine about the Father and his Son, and their partnership in rescuing sinners, and due emotion about that doctrine. It is both an expression
of the heart and an affections of the mind.
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QUESTIONS
- As it relates to worship, which comes more easily to you? Worshipping in spirit or in truth?
- The Psalms are full of examples of “informed worship”—there are parts that refer to the ageless worship of God and other parts that refer to the artistic acts of worship to God. What are experiences that you have had in your worship of God that you are comfortable with? What are areas that you’d like to see growth in?
- John 4:24-God is seeking for true worshipers, who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Process together the idea of God seeking our worship. Why do you think he seeks worship that engages spirit and truth?
Practice- ABC’s of Spirit and Truth
This week as practice, begin a list of aspects of worship that lend themselves to spirit and truth! In other words, what are aspects of your worship that are more geared toward your head and toward your heart? Psalms 119 is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet; Each of the verses of each stanza begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. One of the exercises that Craig Eakright has suggested to us to do are “ABC’s of worship adjectives.” I encourage you to pray, worship, and journal your own words and references as it relates to the whole topic of worship.
As you continue to walk out this practice alone, check in with your spouse, family, group, or community. What are aspects of worship that they thought through?
