“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24
The first time this verse really spoke to me was during my junior year of college, in a book I was reading called “Worship Matters” by Bob Kauflin. The book was given to me by a friend because I had just stepped into being worship team leader for Cru and was incredibly apprehensive.
As it is geared towards worship leaders and teams, the book uses this verse to discuss worship music selection. To sum up the author's point briefly: songs that are musical masterpieces but shallow (or lacking) in theology are nothing more than pleasant melodies. Songs that are theologically rich but musically lacking are, well, tedious, to put it nicely. The sweet spot is the song that is both theologically rich and musically moving. That is worship: Spirit-led, driven by truth. Worship like that has power.
Spirit-led, truth-driven worship doesn't just exist in a church service on Sunday morning. Off the stage and outside of the industrial park where Riverbend resides, our lives are a song of worship—even more so than inside the four walls of a church building. So what does it look like to live a life that worships in Spirit and in truth?
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16-25
The truth is, as we follow Christ, we are called to die to our flesh and its desires. Verse 19 says that the acts of the flesh are obvious; however, based on the amount of hatred, discord, and selfish ambition present in God’s greater Church today, perhaps they are not so obvious. It may, in fact, be that the truth of repentance hasn’t intertwined with the gift of the Spirit in our collective hearts.
If we focus solely on the law, we become ensnared in trying to earn our own righteousness, which we can never obtain. Instead, we are called to walk with the Spirit—taking the fresh fruits that it offers, even when acts of our flesh feel more gratifying. What a beautiful song our lives would be to daily die to our flesh and grasp the fruits of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What freedom is found in the fact that the acts of the flesh can’t exist with the fruit of the Spirit. You cannot have fits of rage when you are gentle; you cannot be drunk when you have self-control; you cannot hate when you love.
Walking with the Spirit, rooted in the truth, draws us to lives of worship and leads us, united as one chorus, to the One.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one
body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6
Will you join the chorus of God’s body in Spirit and truth? Or continue to pursue the solo of the flesh and self-righteousness?
What does your life-song sing?
(Further Reading: Romans 7:6; 14:17; 15:30, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20, Galatians 3:2-6, Ephesians 4:29-5:4; 5:15-21; 6:17-18, Philippians 3:3, 2 Timothy 1:14)
Further worshiping:
“And now my lifesong sings” by Casting Crowns
“Before the Throne of God” by Shane and Shane