According to John 4:23, the Lord is looking for those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We understand that worshipping in Spirit means to worship in and by the power of the Holy Ghost. We also know that to worship according to truth means to worship according to the truth of God's word and in sincerity of heart.
But what is true worship? The word "worship" has the basic meaning of prostrating one's self before God. Since God is looking for truth in our worship, an action of prostration is not enough. God is looking for action motivated by belief and sincerity.
Worship in the Old Testament involved sacrifice. To truly worship in the Old Testament there was a price or cost involved. The cost in the Old Testament usually involved the shedding of blood through the death of an animal. In the New Testament we know that Jesus gave His blood for us, so we don't have to bring an animal in sacrifice. But what is the Lord really after? The Lord really wants us to love Him enough to sacrifice our lives.
The Book of Romans makes this statement: "I beseech you brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom 12:1). We find that true worship actually involves the sacrifice of our own life. When we lay our lives down for Jesus' sake we are truly prostrating ourselves before the Lord. we are saying, "Lord, I bow before you not just in ritual but, in fact, laying my whole life before you." True worship involves more than obeying Acts 2:38, it involves submitting ourselves to the Lord's will for our lives.
