"But coming is the hour, and now is, when the true worshippers will be worshipping the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is also seeking such to be worshipping Him. God is spirit, and those who are worshipping Him must be worshipping Him in spirit and truth"
Johns Account 4: 23-24, Concordant New Testament
One of my favorite scenes from the Chosen series takes place when Jesus ventures to visit a Samaritan woman drawing water at a well. Now, to know the importance of this meeting one must understand the religious dynamics of the day. For this Samaritan woman was considered to be ritually unclean by the Jewish worshippers of Jesus' day. The Samaritans chose to worship at their own separate location, forsaking the traditional Jewish worship center of Jerusalem. It is against this backdrop of Jewish traditions that Jesus found Himself that day. But Jesus had not come to condemn this Samaritan woman over her practices of worship, nor for her numerous husbands which we see revealed in this passage. No, what Jesus ventured into this land to do was not only to reveal Himself to her, but also to speak to her that worshipping God is not based upon Jewish traditions. True worship, as Jesus proclaims, is not about tradition, but about the heart of the worshipper. One of the reasons that I liked this particular scene is that I have been among those who have been told that we must be in "God's house" on Sunday. Growing up, I was all too often dragged into church by my mother who wanted her children to know God as she had. Of course, her own parents had raised her in the same way. Never once did it occur to us that we did not need to be in church in order to know the presence of the Lord. That we didn't need the praise music and the often boring sermons. Even today, I'm often approached by friends who wonder which church I am attending for my worship. When I remind them that I live in the presence of God I often get a blank stare. They don't get it. Like the woman at the well, they hold to the traditional notion of worship that worship must take place in within the church. What Jesus traveled to Samaria to do that day was to lay to rest the notion that God is only accessible in mans approved temples. Nothing could be further from the truth. For it is Jesus Who has spoken to the truth of a life lived in He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}. How is it that this truth fits into the narrative that our worship is to be done in a church setting? The truth is that true worship from the heart can be accomplished anywhere.
To put off from you, as regards your former behavior, the old humanity which is corrupted in accord with its seductive desires, yet be rejuvenated in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new humanity which, in accord with God, is being created in righteousness and benignity of the truth
Pual to the Ephesians 4: 22-24, Concordant New Testament
To be clear, I am not against those who attend church simply for the aspect of fellowship with fellow believers. What I will never be on board with is the notion that God is only worshipped in the confines of the church. It is this tradition which Jesus sought to dismantle. I believe that to understand the truth of worshipping the Father wherever we might find ourselves in life we must first come to know Him for Who He truly is. God has never been simply that overseer in heaven looking down upon us, judging our every move. This is what religion will often speak to us. No, the truth of the Father is that He has always been an intimate part of who we are. He is in our DNA if you will. We can proclaim this because we have been created in the spirit likeness of God {Genesis 1:27}. It has never been possible for that which has been created to not have the fingerprints of its creator. That is the truth we find in the Father. Knowing this, we can readily assume that God is with us no matter where we find ourselves. At work, at the gym or on a long road trip. We always live our life within Him. So it is that our spirit likeness of God is always able to worship Him no matter where we are. There is no church or praise band required for "Propper" worship of God. I have often found myself in a quiet moment where I found myself praising the Father for His presence in my life. This is the type of worship Jesus was speaking to. For God is spirit, and we are His spirit image.
~Scott~
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