I was looking at these verses John 4:23-24. "True worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth."
Keeping in mind that Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman, the woman starts an old argument with Jesus. Or at least she tries to. Where is the best place to worship? On this mountain or in Jerusalem? Jesus however doesn't fall for her trap, but rather lifts the discussion to a higher place, namely, what is worship really in the first place? What worship is acceptable in God's sight. So, first he defines who God is by saying that God is Spirit. Meaning, that God is not limited to this mountain or to Jersualem. It reminds me of what Solomon said in 2 Chronicles 6:18 "But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built." Solomon, at that moment, had it right. He understood that God is everywhere and isn't limited. That is part of what Jesus meant here.
Then, he says the Father seeks worshipers who worship in Spirit and in truth. This isn't to knock public worship or the worship service, but rather to look at what worship really is and is not. It is possible to go to "worship" for years and never truly worship. It is possible to bow and look religious and not truly worship. For Jesus, worship was a matter of the heart.
Adam Clarke makes this comment about worship from this passage, "a man worships in spirit, when, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, he brings all his affections, appetites, and desires to the throne of God; and he worships in truth, when every purpose and passion of his heart, and when every act of his religious worship, is guided and regulated by the Word of God."
So, the question should be asked of the believer, "Am I truly bringing under the influence of the Holy Spirit my affections, appetites, and desires?" "Are these things brought under the Lordship of Christ?" "Or is there an elephant in the room that hasn't been spoken about?" "Is this surrender that I confess complete?"
So, true worship then is a great internal work. It is a work of the Spirit. It is a matter of the heart. It would appear to me that it is possible then to go through the motions of church and religion and love the religion rather than God. Or love the piety rather than God. Or even to love the Bible rather than God. Or to love the commands, and structure and power or anything else that the church or religion has to offer and not truly love God and not truly worship Him at all. Seem to me that this calls upon us to look into our hearts and ask ourselves what we truly worship.
"Do not love the world, nor the tings in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever."
1 John 2:15-17
