The True Worshippers of God: Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth

The True Worshippers of God

Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth

John 4:7–24

John chapter 4 — the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well — is one of the most intimate conversations recorded in Scripture. And yet, it is also one of the most misunderstood.

Over the years, I have heard this passage taught in ways that miss its heart. In some cases, well-meaning teachers have placed an emphasis on ideas that simply are not central to the text. One sermon in particular has stayed with me. A well-known corporate Pastor in Fridley, Minnesota suggested that the primary message of this passage was that the woman did not need her husband and that following Jesus required her to leave him. From there, the teaching moved toward a broader implication that God does not place much value on the institution of marriage.

While I believe that interpretation was sincere, it is not faithful to what the passage or Jesus was actually saying.

Scripture itself gives us clarity. Jesus reveals that the Samaritan woman had five previous husbands, and that the man she was currently with was not her husband (John 4:18). Jesus was not instructing her to leave a marriage — there was no marriage to leave. The text does not support using this encounter as a framework for encouraging divorce or dismissing the value of marriage.

When we allow Scripture to interpret Scripture, the picture becomes even clearer.

In Matthew 19:1–12, Jesus speaks directly to the subject of marriage. And I want to emphasize verses 4–6, because they reveal God's heart plainly:

"Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Jesus affirms marriage as a sacred covenant. It matters to God. It reflects His faithfulness and His design. Any interpretation of John 4 that suggests otherwise misses the consistency of Jesus' teaching.

So what is Jesus doing in this conversation with the Samaritan woman?

Here is where the beauty of the passage truly emerges.

Jesus knows the standards He Himself established regarding holiness and marriage. He knows her past completely. And yet, rather than centering the conversation on her failure, He meets her at the point of her deepest need.

This reveals the heart of our King.

He is fully righteous and fully merciful — never compromising truth, yet never withholding love. Through a series of prophetic insights, Jesus gently exposes her life, not to shame her, but to draw her closer. And what He ultimately communicates is this: what you need most is not another relationship, another solution, or another place — you need Me.

Jesus refers to Himself using images every human being understands: bread and water. These are essentials. You cannot survive long without food, and you cannot survive at all without water. In using this language, Jesus is making something unmistakably clear: life — real life — is found in Him.

He is not telling her to abandon a marriage. That is not the message. He is telling her that above all else, her heart must be anchored in God. A relationship with Him is not optional — it is essential.

This truth echoes throughout Scripture:

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

And yet — even here — we have still not reached the deepest point of this passage.

To understand that, we must keep reading.

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On a Personal Note

Not too long ago, I became homeless.

During this time, I was removed from my place of physical worship. No building to go to. No familiar altar to kneel before. No consistent communal praise to lift Him up. And I know there are many who believe that the "church" the Bible speaks of is a physical structure or an organizational entity — a 501(c)(3), a real estate venture with a steeple attached.

But if you believe this, you are missing a key truth.

God never came to establish a real estate venture.
He came to establish a people.
A bride.

Yes, many lost souls take refuge in church buildings. Yes, many find God there. And certainly, God's Spirit can and will meet a person anywhere — just read the New Testament. But John 4:21–24 establishes what this passage was really about.

So while homeless, with no physical church of my own to go to.
No altar to lay before.
No communal praise to offer.
No place to capture my tears or sing my songs.

I found myself hopping from bus to bus, train to train, in the cold Minnesota winter. Begging for food. Asking for money. Humbled through the entire process. Being reminded of that phrase by Jesus in Matthew 8:20, "foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Dragging along everything I owned — a piece of luggage, a backpack, and my Bible.

And in that place, I came to a sobering and beautiful reality.

Even when no physical edifice can have you,
you can worship God in the secret recesses of your heart —
on a city bus,
in a food line,
at a homeless shelter.

While wearing the same clothes for days,
without adequate shelter,
and exposed, I discovered an amazing Truth:

That True worship only requires one thing:
the sanctuary of a heart that knows it needs Him.

There is a line in Tasha Cobbs' song For Your Glory where she repeatedly declares, "I wanna be where You are." That lyric captures the heart of a true worshipper. Not a desire to be in a specific place, not a longing for a particular building or atmosphere — but a truthful and honest spirit that says, wherever You are, that's where I want to be.

And God is everywhere.

Which means He can be found in a shelter, on a bus, on a train, or standing in a food line. This is what it means to worship God in Spirit and in truth.

This is the truth of this passage.

True worship is not bound to a mountain.
It is not confined to Jerusalem.
It is not housed in a building.
It is not limited to an organization.

True worshippers worship in Spirit and in Truth.

May God's Word be true, and every man a liar.

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A Prayer for Men & Women at Wells

Lord,

I come to You just as I am — without excuses, without masks, and without pretending to be stronger than I am. You already know my name, my story, and every place where I have fallen short.

I know my sins are many, and I do not minimize them. But I trust Your mercy more than I fear my failures. So I come boldly to Your throne of grace, not because I am worthy, but because You are faithful.

Here is all of me, Lord.
My body, my mind, my wounds, my questions, my broken places.
I offer myself as a living sacrifice — imperfect, unfinished, and in need of You.
What is unclean in me, cleanse.
What is broken in me, restore.
What is empty in me, fill.

Take the fragments of my life — the pieces that don't seem to fit anymore — and shape them according to Your will. Teach my heart to want You more than comfort, more than approval, more than anything this world can offer.

I want to be where You are, Lord.
Wherever You are — meet me there.
Make me whole again, not by my strength, but by Your grace.

I place my trust in You alone.
In Jesus' mighty and holy name I pray,
Amen.