Where do you worship God? I’m not asking for a geographic location—latitude and longitude.

I’m asking for places in your life where you worship God in the Spirit and in Truth.

For a Samaritan woman, it was when she went to the village well for water—and met Jesus!

Jesus offered her “the gift of God”—Amazing Grace! (John 4:10).

Jesus told her that he would give her “living water”—“a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:10,14).

Rather than accept God’s Amazing Grace, she changed the topic to a familiar dispute between Samaritans and Jews. Where should people worship God?

She said, “Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” (John 4:20).

This dispute had been going on for almost 1,000 years. (1 Kings 12:26-30). I’m sure she could rattle off all kinds of reasons why the Samaritans were right and the Jews were wrong!

We often react the same way when Jesus challenges us to change our beliefs and actions. Instead of facing the key questions about who Jesus is,  whether to follow the Way of Jesus, and how to follow the Way of Jesus, we change the topic.

We rattle off all kinds of reasons why our religious, philosophical and political beliefs are right.

We rattle off all kinds of reasons why the other person’s religious, philosophical and political beliefs are wrong.

We rattle off all kinds of reasons why the other person needs to remove the speck in their eye. We hope Jesus will forget about the plank in our eye.

Nevertheless, Jesus keeps asking us these kinds of key questions about our lives and our civilizations.

Will we accept his gift of living water? Will we accept his gift of a spring of water welling up to eternal life?

As for that 1,000 year old argument between the Samaritans and the Jews about where to worship, Jesus said, “[A] time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” (John 4:21).

Why?

“[S]alvation is from the Jews,” said Jesus. (John 4:22). Nevertheless, “a time . . . has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24).

What does it mean to be at a place in your life where you are worshipping the Father in the Spirit and in Truth? Entire books can be written about what it means to worship in the Spirit and in Truth.

Here are some revelations found in the Gospel of John itself—the same Gospel that tells us the story of the meeting between the Samaritan woman and Jesus.

These revelations arose from a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, called the Sanhedrin.

It’s hard to imagine anyone more different from the Samaritan woman. And yet, Jesus asked him the same kinds of key questions.

Nicodemus came at night to speak privately with Jesus. (John 3:1-2). What followed is one of the most famous conversations in the Bible.

It is the conversation that revealed the Truth: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in [Jesus] shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

During their conversation, Jesus told Nicodemus: “You must be born again” (which can be translated “born from above”). (John 3:3,7).

Jesus told Nicodemus:

“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:6-8).

This idea of being born from above because you are born anew of the Spirit is closely related to worshipping in Truth. Because “whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” (John 3:21).

Subsequently, Jesus elaborated this Truth publicly. He said, “if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32).

When you are in places in your life where you are ready to worship the Father in the Spirit and in Truth, remember what Jesus taught the Samaritan woman and Nicodemus.

Do not change the topic. Do not be distracted by political or religious arguments. Instead, stay focused on worshipping the Father in the Spirit and in Truth.

Do not be surprised that you must be born again—born anew in the Spirit from above! (John 3:3,7).

Do not limit the types of people who will worship the Father in the Spirit and in Truth.

They don’t have to be highly religious, highly educated, powerful men from our own “superior” faith and ancestry—such as Nicodemus.

They can be exploited, abused, uneducated women with mistaken religious beliefs from an “inferior” faith and ancestry that we despise and hate—such as the Samaritan woman.

Remember that the Spirit is like the wind.

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8).

How will it be apparent that you are worshipping in the Spirit of the Father—that you are born anew in the Spirit from above?

Your life will bear the fruit of the Spirit such as love, joy and peace. (Galatians 5:22-23).

How will it be apparent that you are worshipping in Truth?

“[W]hoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” (John 3:21).

“[I]f you hold to [Jesus’] teaching, you are really [his] disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32).

Therefore, whenever you come to places in your life—places of worship—where you need to empower yourself to follow the Way of Jesus, remember to worship the Father in the Spirit and in Truth. (John 4:23).

Then, you will be the kind of worshipper the Father seeks. (John 4:23-24).

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To read about additional places of worship, please read my blogs “Places of Worship—Rainbows”, “Places of Worship—Stone Pillows”, “Places of Worship—Crossing Streams”, “Places of Worship—Burning Bushes”, “Places of Worship—Seeing and Hearing”, and “Places of Worship—Following the Way of Jesus”.

To read more about Nicodemus, please read the chapter “Jesus Tells Nicodemus He Must Be Born Again” in my book Hoping in the LORD, at pages 97-103.

To read more about the Samaritan woman, please read the chapter “Jesus Talks with a Samaritan Woman” in my book Hoping in the LORD, at pages 105-109.