John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Many people claim to worship God according to what they feel is right, but a relationship with The Lord is not based on feelings or emotions, but rather on love which is manifested in obeying all of God's commands. As it pertains to the definition of a true worshiper, Christ states that truth and sincerity are the two main and indispensable ingredients necessary for any form of worship to be acceptable in God's sight. In days of old, and even in our day, many people believed, and still do, that sincerity is a genuine substitute for truth, and because of this some of us as Christians focus our attention on what we are convinced of in our hearts, without taking the time and effort to see if our convictions are based on scripture or not.
A person can be sincerely right as well as being sincerely wrong, and that's the reason why our sincerity must be able to bear the scrutiny of the truths written in God's word. As far as the truth aspect of genuine worship is concerned, the Bible leaves no room for doubt as to what the "Truth" is, for it is to be found both in the written word, and also in the Living word, which is Christ Himself. Let's read:
John 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Psalms 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
God has sincere followers in all denominations, and there are millions of Christians who have ignorantly come up short on the "truth" aspect of worship. But God who is faithful and understands the gravitational pull of tradition and custom, has promised that with the second advent of Christ looming on the horizon, that He will cause a flood of light and truth to be shed on our pathway, bringing us back into a clear knowledge and understanding of His revealed will, and thus all those who now sit in darkness as to what the truth really is, will have ample opportunity to worship God in spirit and in truth.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that should encourage us to investigate and apply the truths pertaining to the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, for God has promised to greatly bless those who comply with its obligatory claims, when its observance is entered into with an understanding heart and teachable spirit. Let's read:
Isaiah 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!