Spirit and Truth!

For Saturday, November 18, 2023:

John 4:23 NLT, Jesus speaking: “The time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.”

Mankind tends to repeat things. Ritual and tradition often win out. But ritual and tradition aren’t always right!

Samaritans worshiped on Mt. Gerezim, while Jews worshiped in Jerusalem. The woman at the well asked Jesus which is correct, and he tells her it really doesn’t matter. (Jews would consider that blasphemy since it’s contrary to their tradition.)

Jesus explains, “God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Each of us has a soul, a spirit, an eternal essence made to worship the Lord. It’s our spirit that can communicate worship and devotion directly to God’s Spirit. Our spirit and God’s Spirit reside in the same realm, in the same reality. Our spirit can connect with God’s Spirit instinctively. That’s how we bond with God, in his reality.

For Christians, our goal in this life should be to be on the same page as God. God is truth, and we should always stand up for what is true. We don’t worship idols or imaginary false gods. Our worship should only acknowledge truth, that our God is the creator of everything that exists and that Jesus is his Son. God is only capable of living in the truth. Lies and deceit come from Satan.

So set aside ritual and tradition in favor of spirit and truth! That’s what Jesus said!

More tomorrow! Blessings!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship