But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23 & 24
As a worship pastor I have spent time over the years reflecting on the above words and wondering what it means to worship “in spirit and truth”. It seems to me this kind of worship can be described as “authentic”. The dictionary defines “authentic” as “real” or “genuine” – that is, sincerely felt or expressed. “Authentic” can also mean accurate, authoritative, certain, convincing, credible, factual, faithful, pure, sure and true. When you apply all those words to worship, it’s a lot to wonder about!
Here are some principles of authentic worship (from the book innovatedchurch) and my reflections on them:
Principle 1: Our success in public worship is a direct reflection of our commitment to worshiping together in unity. We must get along with each other.
I think of this one as the “give a lot, take a little” principle. When we come to worship, we come desiring what is best for the body and not only what is best for ourselves. We come recognizing the diversity of the body and rejoicing in the ways we can together help each other engage with God. Our primary motivation then is not to “get something” out of worship, but to give. This can be difficult because we are accustomed to being asked, “What did you get out of worship this morning?” I think this principle leads us to ask, “What did you put into worship this morning?"
Principle 2: Our success for genuine worship replicates our heart motive for worship. The only one deserving credit for what God has done is God himself.
To me, this means be moved by the message and not the medium. There are so many ways God has blessed us and so many reasons why he is worthy and deserving of our worship. Yes, it’s great to be moved by a gifted singer or speaker or to get carried away in the words of a favorite song, but reminding ourselves of who God is and what he has done is one way to make sure that our heart motive is a desire to give him glory.
Principle 3: Our success for acceptable worship is not dependent upon ability or skill. No one is indispensable. God can do quite well without us.
I call this the “heart vs. skill” principle. Skill is important and in our desire to glorify God and serve him well, we need to continue to develop the skills, talents and gifts he has blessed us with and to use them with excellence. However, we need to remember that skill is only one side of the coin (see principle #2). Heart plus skill is a powerful combination and we need to continue to develop this in our worship leaders and worshipers.
Principle 4: Our success for holy worship displays our own personal desire to see the glory of God revealed. God’s desire for all nations is likewise that His glory is revealed.
This is the “nitty-gritty” of worship. When was the last time you came to worship with a personal desire to see the glory of God revealed as your primary purpose and motivation for being present? For most of us, that’s quite a challenge.
Principle 5: Our success in leading worship (or engaging in worship) is in direct proportion to the presence of God upon our own lives. We cannot expect to lead anyone in worship if we haven’t been in his presence ourselves.
Public worship doesn’t exist in a vacuum. What we put into worship and what we get out of worship and the extent to which God is glorified in our worship will be largely dependent on whether or not we spend any time in his presence during the rest of the week. Try some simple things, like reading the scripture passages prior to attending worship on Sunday (they’re in the previous week’s bulletin). Reflect and pray that God will prepare your heart and use those who will lead in worship to guide you. In other words, let’s keep striving for authentic worship.