In Spirit and in Truth

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.; (John 4:24)

Many people throughout the world go to church, or call themselves Christians and believe that because of this claim, they are going to heaven. Try and explain the Truth to them and you are mostly wasting your time because they say "you are preaching to the converted" and they close their minds to the glorious gospel of Truth that Jesus brought to us when in the flesh, culminating on the cross of Covenant.

A Christian acquaintance once said "you have the most difficult ministry in the world, trying to show the Truth to those who are lost, but believe that they are saved."

Jesus said:: The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.; (Luke 11:34-36); Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.; (Luke 13:23-27)

Let's see what He meant:: Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.; (John 4:6-15); The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.; (John 4:19-24)
In this last passage we see that when we worship God, we don't need to go to "this mountain" nor yet "at Jerusalem", but that the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

Wherever they are and whenever they can.

There are many other passages of Scripture where Jesus gave worldly examples of spiritual truth, especially in the parables, but those people who were not spiritually inspired, because of lack of righteousness in themselves, failed to understand the spiritual message.

Let's go back just a few pages in the Bible to give an example:: And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. ¶ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.; (John 2:13-25)
Some however believed, among them Samaritans, who were a sort of half-caste people:: And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.; (John 4:39-42)
Here we see that it doesn't matter who you are or what you look like, what country you live in, how rich you are or any other worldly circumstance, What God requires is you; to worship Him according to the rules that He has laid down.

Depart from these rules and He doesn't hear you.

The Bible is full of rules. In the Old Covenant they were called the law. However, the Israelites mostly took the law and followed it literally, when God wanted His people to follow and obey Him because they loved Him and His righteousness.
This idea is more fully explained in other writings in this series; however, Jesus had this to say:: Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.; (Matthew 15:1-14); Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.; (Mark 7:5-13)
Many conservative Jewish people today have different sets of pots and containers for various types of cooking. If the wrong food is cooked in a saucepan meant for something specific, that food is unclean and cannot be eaten.

Here's an example of how difficult it is for some people to find the Truth:: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.; (John 4:24)

Being a newcomer to the group, I asked the Lord for guidance and various verses came to the fore, among them:: Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.; (Luke 13:23-30)

In prayer it was asked of the Lord what this development meant and received His assurance and to be obedient. A multi-page article was therefore typed up with the relevant verses and it seemed that I needed to print fourteen copies.

After this was done, I became doubtful and apprehensive of making a fool of myself; how was I to present this article to these learned men? What would they say and do?

You, dear reader, can imagine something of the feeling in my breast, as rising from the circle of worshippers I placed the pile of papers on the floor in the centre.

The heading on the top of the writing was:

How many people were present at the meeting?

If the members of this circle had never before received a message from God, they realised it this time.

You know, the next meeting was just the same as those preceding, the disobedient ones were still disobedient. It was if the Lord had never spoken!

Please dear reader, if you don't worship God in spirit and truth as is shown in His word, "seek Him out while He is yet to be found", because tomorrow the Holy Spirit may be taken from us and then it's too late.
: 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.; (Hebrews 11:6)