The word “spirit” in John 4:24 could refer to the human spirit, the Holy Spirit, or the realm of spirits. In Greek, there is one word for spirit (pneuma), and it can be difficult to determine which meaning of the spirit is conveyed. To determine the meaning of the word spirit, one must always look at the context. The best way to do this is to understand what the word truth means.

The prolific author and teacher Watchman Nee provides the following insights on John 4: What then is spiritual reality? The Lord said:

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” John 4:24. The word truth can be translated as reality. [As mentioned in the previous chapter, Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines truth [Greek: aletheia] as “the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter.”]

The Lord also said: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the reality” (16:13). Firstly, John 5:6 says: “The Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the reality.”

This shows us that God is Spirit and that everything related to God must be in spirit. The Spirit of truth is the Spirit of reality. Therefore, spiritual reality must be in the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual reality is something that transcends people and things. Only what is in the Holy Spirit is spiritual reality. All spiritual things are sustained in the Holy Spirit. Once a spiritual thing moves away from the Holy Spirit, it becomes letter and form, and it is dead. All spiritual things must be in the Holy Spirit before they can be real, living, and organic. The Holy Spirit guides us into all reality.

Therefore, any experience we may acquire without the guidance of the Holy Spirit is certainly not a spiritual reality. Anything we acquire through our ears, our mind, or our emotion alone is not a spiritual reality. Only the things in which the Holy Spirit guides us are spiritual reality.

We do not worship God simply in the physical realm; we must touch and draw from spiritual reality. It is the spiritual reality of Jesus that brings life, not just physical knowledge. Everything in the Kingdom of God involves entering into spiritual reality. It is the Spirit that brings life, and we are ministers of the Spirit.

“…God, who also has made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NKJV).

The Book of Revelation shows us that John practiced this new worship in his personal life: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day…” (Rev. 1:10).

At this point, he was exiled on the island of Patmos without a church or community to support him, but he still entered into the Spirit in worship. We can see from his example that we can enter the realm of spirits and worship at any time and in any place.

THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID

One of the most incredible events of corporate worship in the Old Testament took place under the leadership of three seers—Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. These are the same three seers who led constant worship in the Tabernacle of David for 40 years. They also each wrote psalms, which are contained in our modern Bibles (for more information, see chapter 5, “Prophets and Seers”). During the dedication of Solomon’s temple, as the people praised the Lord in unison, the glory of God descended like a cloud:

“…the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God” 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (NKJV).

Our focus is on the three seers who were leading when this happened. God so appreciated the worship these three men created in the Tabernacle and in the dedication service that He released His manifested presence. The Lord so loved the worship in the Tabernacle of David that it is the only Old Testament worship model carried over into the New Testament.

All the animal sacrifices and altars of the Old Testament are left in the New Testament in favor of what the Book of Hebrews calls a better covenant (see Hebrews 8:6-13). The only exception is an obscure prophecy from Amos that says God will raise up the tabernacle of David:

“On that day I will raise up the fallen tent of David. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as in the days of old” Amos 9:11.

Hundreds of years later, the day finally came when the New Testament declared that God had restored the tabernacle of David. Peter stood before the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius and essentially told them that God had established a place of worship accessible to everyone, at any time. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

“After this, I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things—things known from long ago” Acts 15:15-18.

A part of this restoration, which is often overlooked, is the restoration of the seers in the realm of worship. God desires to restore the constant interactive worship of the tabernacle of David. Seers must be restored in the Body of Christ for Davidic worship to be fully restored. Prepare to learn more about worship leaders writing heavenly songs, seeing angels during worship, and being led by the presence of the Lord. This restoration is underway.

ACTIVATION

Set this book aside and put on your favorite worship music. Close your eyes and worship. While you do so, ask the Lord to show you what is happening in the spirit realm around you. There may be spiritual beings or objects in the room with you. The next step is to ask the Lord if you should do something to engage in the spiritual experience of worship. Perhaps if you see water in the room in the spirit, the Lord might ask you to kneel in the water and refresh yourself. Step out in faith and do as the Lord directs.

You can enter into an interactive experience of worship anytime you wish, by faith…

This text is an extract from the book “THE SCHOOL OF SEER” written by Dr. Jonathan Welton.

We invite you to read the following article “ENTRUSTED IN SECRET.”