Worship God, led by the Holy Spirit, and live holy according to His Word, the truth. He likes worship like that! Thus, we truly worship when we obey the Spirit of God! Bonus: there is no reference to praise dancing or shouting in the New Testament, why not elevate your worship? Live holy like Jesus rather than dance like David!

Worship God In Spirit And Truth; That Pleases Him

STM Bible Lesson

John 4:24 [read John 4:1-26 (24)]

God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth. (CEV)

KJV: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Your body is a tool for good works

Romans 6:13 [read Romans 6:1-14 (13)]

Never offer any part of your body to sin’s power. No part of your body should ever be used to do any ungodly thing. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have come back from death and are now alive. BOffer all the parts of your body to God. Use them to do everything that God approves of. (GW)

KJV: Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

You have an intimate relationship with Christ

Note: Just as the person who has sex with someone enters a close physical union with that person, so the person who becomes a Christian enters a close spiritual union with Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:17 [read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (17); compare Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30]

But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit [with Him]. (AUV)

KJV: But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

Key points about worship

God is Spirit, and we must have the Spirit’s help to worship Him so that our worship pleases Him. That help comes from the Holy Spirit [2 Timothy 1:14].
Three key points to consider:

1. We needed help

a. The Comforter teaches

“Teach you all things,” i.e., the Spirit teaches us everything we need to know about spiritual truth.

John 14:26 [read John 14:25-31 (26); see Ephesians 1:15-23 (17)]

But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name. (ERV)

KJV: But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

b. Spiritual wisdom

We must have the Holy Spirit to understand spiritual things, including how to worship and serve God.

1 Corinthians 2:13-14 [read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (13-14)]

When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. (NLT)

KJV: Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

c. The Spirit of truth

As the Helper, the Holy Spirit, leads us into all the truth, which is the gospel or which the gospel presents.

John 16:13 [read John 16:5-15 (13)]

When the Holy Spirit, who is truth, comes, he shall guide you into all truth, for he will not be presenting his own ideas, but will be passing on to you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. (TLB)

KJV: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

1 John 2:27 [read 1 John 2:24-27 (27)]

And this is important to you: The “special gift,” which you received from God [See verse 20], continues to live in your hearts, [so that] you do not need anyone to teach you [anything different]. But, since this same “special gift” teaches you concerning everything that is true, and [what it teaches] is not false, you should continue to live in [fellowship with] Christ. (AUV)

KJV: But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

d. Pray with the help of the Holy Spirit

Let the Holy Spirit guide and help you when you pray.

Jude 1:20 [read Jude 1:20-25 (20)]

Dear friends, use your most holy faith to grow. Pray with the Holy Spirit’s help. (GW)

KJV: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

2. Worship at any time or place

It is not about when (which day or what time) or where we worship [John 4:20-21 and 23-24]. In fact, it is more than using our words of praise and giving thanks. So, it is about the way we live, we must be and live holy.

1 Peter 1:15 [read 1 Peter 1:13-21 (15)]

But be holy in all that you do, just as God is holy. God is the One who called you. (ICB)

KJV: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

a. The LORD’s chosen place for worship

The Children of Israel were given detailed instructions on where, when, and how to worship [Leviticus 1:1-7]. For example, Solomon (and no one else) was chosen by God to build the temple in Jerusalem [1 Chronicles 28:6].

Deuteronomy 12:5-6 [read Deuteronomy 12:1-28 (5-6)]

Out of the territory of all your tribes the Lord will choose the one place where the people are to come into his presence and worship him. 6 There you are to offer your sacrifices that are to be burned and your other sacrifices, your tithes and your offerings, the gifts that you promise to the Lord, your freewill offerings, and the first-born of your cattle and sheep. (GNT)

KJV: But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: 6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

b. We are now the temple of God

We are God’s temple. He is ALWAYS with us. That means we do not have to go to a building or place to meet Him. So, we can worship Him anywhere.

1 Corinthians 3:16 [read 1 Corinthians 3:5-17 (16)]

Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you? (CEB)

KJV: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

c. Not legalism but Christ

He does not require that we [born-again believers] observe Jewish holy days, including the Sabbath [Colossians 2:16]. Paul was concerned that saints in Galatia were still observing Jewish laws and traditions [Galatians 4:8-20] and not accepting their freedom in Christ.

Colossians 2:16 [read Colossians 2:11-23 (16)]

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink [Romans 14:1-4; 1 Timothy 4:3] or for not celebrating certain [Jewish] holy days [festivals] or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. (NLT)

KJV: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

3. Help the Needy

Important: Failure to help people in need was one of the reasons God destroyed Sodom.

Ezekiel 16:48-50 [read Ezekiel 16:44-59 (48-50)]

As surely as I live, says the Lord God, this is true. Your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done. 49 “This was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were proud. They had plenty of food. They lived in great comfort. But she did not help the poor and needy. 50 So Sodom and her daughters were proud. And they did things I hate in front of me. So I got rid of them when I saw what they did. (ICB)

KJV: As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

a. Give to anyone who asks

Luke 6:30 [read Luke 6:27-36 (30)]

When anyone asks you for something, give it to him. Someone may take something that belongs to you. If he does, let him keep it. Do not ask to have it back again. (EASY)

KJV: Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

b. Helping needy believers is one way to show the love of God

1 John 3:17 [read 1 John 3:13-18 (17)]

If a person owns the kinds of things we need to make it in the world but refuses to share with those in need, is it even possible that God’s love lives in him? (VOICE)

KJV: But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Hebrews 13:16 [read Hebrews 13:1-17 (16)]

But don’t forget to help others and to share your possessions with them. This too is like offering a sacrifice (in worship) that pleases God. (CEV)

But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Worship That Pleases Him

Praise dancing or shouting

FYI, shouting (praise dance) or dancing is not in the NT as a form of worship or praise. So, it is not a New Testament form of praise or worship! Remember, as followers of Christ, we should do as He did. We should always check the scriptures to see if what we do was done by Jesus or someone in the body of Christ.

Lessons from Israel’s Idolatry, the only reference to dancing (“play” KJV; “they indulged in pagan revelry” NLT) in the New Testament

Guzik comentary: Only two men from the adult generation which left Egypt came into the Promised Land (Joshua and Caleb). The displeasure of God with the Israelites was evident because they never entered into the Promised Land, but died in the wilderness instead. For all their blessings and spiritual experiences, they never entered into what God really had for them.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (6-7) TLB

From this lesson we are warned that we must not desire evil things as they did, 7 nor worship idols as they did. (The Scriptures tell us, “The people sat down to eat and drink and then got up to dance” in worship of the golden calf.)

KJV: Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play (Exodus 32:6).

Remember to Worship God in Spirit and truth, that pleases Him! Thank you for taking the time to read this Bible lesson. I urge you to make full use of it. Blessings to you and your loved ones—♥ Tim. ☺

Related studies, lessons, and snacks for further spiritual growth:

True Worship Is Not Tradition, But What Pleases God! – an estimated 25-minute read.

Respect God; It is Absolutely Good Advice For Life – an estimated 13-minute read.

Truth, True Knowledge About Salvation Will Make You Free! – an estimated 7-minute read.

Fear God; Know What Happens If God’s Not Pleased? – an estimated 5-minute read.

One With God; The Bliss of Harmony In Spirit – an estimated 8-minute read.

See what is the latest on the Sound Truth Ministry website.

I look forward to your feedback via comment at the bottom of the page or by emailing [email protected]. Have a wonderful day!