HI Gotribe,

I agree that your viewpoint on this. The "error" is not with you. Worship in spirit and truth requires a putting away of the natural man and his actions, and an attitude of humble adoration of the Almighty God, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As created beings, we owe homage and obedience to our creator. Obedience is performing our daily lives and works conforming to His image. That is not worship.

According to Pink,

"To worship God “in spirit and in truth” means in a manner suited to the full and final revelation which God has now made of Himself in Christ It means to worship spiritually and truly. It means giving to Him the homage of an enlightened understanding and the love of a regenerated heart.

True worship is the adoration of a redeemed people, occupied with God.To worship “in spirit and in truth” stands opposed to a carnal worship which is external and spectacular. It bars out all worshiping of God with the senses. We cannot worship Him who is “Spirit” by gazing on ornate architecture and stained glass windows, by listening to the peals of a costly organ, by smelling sweet incense or “telling” of beads. We cannot worship God with our eyes and ears, or nose and hands, for they are “flesh” not “spirit”. “Must worship in spirit and in truth” excludes everything that is of the natural man Himself.

Worship is the new nature in the believer stirred into activity, turning to its Divine and heavenly Source. It is that which is “spirit” (John 3:6) turning to Him who is “Spirit”. It is that which is the “workmanship” of Christ (Eph. 2:10) turning to Him who recreated us. It is the children spontaneously and gratefully turning in love to their Father. It is the new heart crying out, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift” (II Cor. 9:15). It is sinners, cleansed by blood, exclaiming “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). That is worship; assured of our acceptance in the Beloved, adoring God for what He has made Christ to be unto us, and what He has made us to be in Christ.

Now just as the sons of Aaron were required under pain of death (Ex. 30:20) to wash at the layer before they entered the holy place to burn incense, so must the Christian today have the defilements of the way removed before he can suitably approach unto God as a worshipper. Failure at this point brings in death, that is, I remain under the contaminating power of dead things. The defilements of the way are the result of my passing through a world which is “alienated from the life of God” (Eph. 4:18). If these are not removed, then I continue under the power of death in a spiritual way, and worship becomes impossible."

If we accept Pink's thought and conclusions, we cannot "worship" God as we go about our daily secular work.

As Jesus went into the synagogues to read and teach,the Apostles also followed this, and when the Jews were converted, they carried over the practices in the synagogues to the new churches being established. The New Testament churches followed the same practice as meeting places where reading of Scripture, expositions of the Word, singing psalms, and praising God was done. We are following their established practice.

In His Hands,

Ruth

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