John 4:15-24

John 4:15-24 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

1 Corinthians 6:12-17 Everything is permissible for me” — but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me” — but I will not be mastered by anything. “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food” — but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

The Father seeks people to worship him in spirit and truth. This time of year, many people attend church to celebrate the Lord's birth. For some, attending Christmas Eve or Sunday morning services may be the only times they attend church. Others might add Easter observances. Congregants at these services sing or listen to worshipful songs and carols; they hear inspiring messages of Christ' birth and God's plan. Some attend out of obligation to a relative or friend; others find great satisfaction in the experience, especially seeing a well-prepared service the stirs their emotions. They may laugh or shed a tear when the young ones come on stage all dressed to reflect the nativity as we perceive the events. After a pleasant and uplifting service they leave, happy they visited a special place where the Spirit of God abides.

Jesus clearly said, God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. Yet in a carnal and religious state of mind, we can go anywhere and enjoy what is offered: that is not worship. God cares about our innermost beings and looks for people to worship and adore him in the Holy Spirit. IN CHRIST, we are the temple (the dwelling place) of the Most High. God is with us through the power of the cross and the Spirit within; consequently, we attend church in the spirit and not as a duty or as entertainment. God's Spirit accompanies us all the time, as He leads his dear children along.

We worship God in truth as well. In Hebrews Paul wrote: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (11: 1 KJV) Worshipping God reveals our belief in the truth of his Word and his presence: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus said too escape our human limitation and serve the Lord wholeheartedly, we must become new creatures: That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:6-7) Our redemption at the cross and the gift of the Holy Spirit represents basic New Testament truth. Religious rituals and honored traditions have no innate power for us to receive or to share God's love. The Spirit takes residence in us, speaks to us, and we become more like Jesus. God reaps a harvest of the Spirit as we accept his love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. (Galatians 5:22) This lifestyle and Christ's nature in us reveal the law's inability to direct our paths and to constrain our inclinations to sin. In the church triumphant, righteousness reigns and we seek to do good, feel bad when we fail, yet know we are lavished with grace.

If our lives produce bitter or rotten fruit: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like, we are not worshipping God in spirit or truth. Duplicitousness, angry, and negative choices betray our commitment to Christ. Allowing bitterness and wrath to control our souls, makes us slip back into old habits. We feel ashamed, embarrassed, outside of God's fold. But the cross made new life possible: Christ arose and conquered the world, the flesh, and the devil. Embrace the resurrection power of the Spirit, and your tendency to follow our own way will change. God's forgiveness and restoration are your inheritance. We all need the cross to go deeper into our lives. People will see Christ in us: our hope, our everything. We may fall into old habits and bad behavior; yet in our struggles, we hear the good news. We are created anew in Christ and proclaim his truth. We worship our loving Father and walk in victory through Christ our Lord. Blessed be his holy name!