敬拜神 Worshipping God John 4:5-24

John 約 4:5-26 1 主知道法利賽人聽見他收門徒，施洗，比約翰還多， 2 （其實不是耶穌親自施洗，乃是他的門徒施洗，） 3 他就離了猶太，又往加利利去。 4 必須經過撒瑪利亞， 5 於是到了撒瑪利亞的一座城，名叫敘 加，靠近雅各給他兒子約瑟的那塊地。 6 在那裡有雅各井；耶穌因走路困乏，就坐在井旁。那時約有午正。 7 有一個撒瑪利亞的婦人來打水。耶穌對他說：「請你給我水喝。」 8 （那時門徒進城買食物去了。） 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

John 約 4:5-26 9  撒瑪利亞的婦人對他說：「你既是猶太人，怎麼向我一個撒瑪利亞婦人要水喝呢？」原來猶太人和撒瑪利亞人沒有來往。 10  耶穌回答說：「你若知道神的恩賜，和對你說『給我水喝』的是誰，你必早求他，他也必早給了你活水。」  9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a]) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

11 婦人說：「先生，沒有打水的器具，井又深，你從那裡得活水呢？ John 約 4:5-26 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 11  婦人說：「先生，沒有打水的器具，井又深，你從那裡得活水呢？  12  我們的祖宗雅各將這井留給我們，他自己和兒子並牲畜也都喝這井裡的水，難道你比他還大嗎？」 13  耶穌回答說：「凡喝這水的還要再渴； 

John 約 4:5-26 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 14  人若喝我所賜的水就永遠不渴。我所賜的水要在他裡頭成為泉源，直湧到永生。」 15  婦人說：「先生，請把這水賜給我，叫我不渴，也不用來這麼遠打水。」 16  耶穌說：「你去叫你丈夫也到這裡來。」

17 婦人說：「我沒有丈夫。」耶穌說：「你說沒有丈夫是不錯的。 John 約 4:5-26 17  婦人說：「我沒有丈夫。」耶穌說：「你說沒有丈夫是不錯的。  18  你已經有五個丈夫，你現在有的並不是你的丈夫。你這話是真的。」  19  婦人說：「先生，我看出你是先知。 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.

22 你們所拜的，你們不知道；我們所拜的，我們知道，因為救恩是從猶太人出來的。 John 約 4:5-26 20  我們的祖宗在這山上禮拜，你們倒說，應當禮拜的地方是在耶路撒冷。」 21  耶穌說：「婦人，你當信我。時候將到，你們拜父，也不在這山上，也不在耶路撒冷。  22  你們所拜的，你們不知道；我們所拜的，我們知道，因為救恩是從猶太人出來的。  20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

23 時候將到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心靈和誠實拜他，因為父要這樣的人拜他。」 John 約 4:5-26 23  時候將到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心靈和誠實拜他，因為父要這樣的人拜他。」  24  神是個靈，所以拜他的必須用心靈和誠實拜他。  23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10166 A few years ago the Chicago Tribune reported the story of a New Mexico woman who was frying tortillas 玉米餅when she noticed that the skillet 煎鍋 burns on one of her tortillas resembled the face of Jesus. Excited, she showed it to her husband and neighbors, and they all agreed that there was a face etched on the tortilla and that it truly bore a resemblance to Jesus. So the woman went to her priest to have the tortilla blessed. She testified that the tortilla had changed her life, and her husband agreed that she had been a more peaceful, happy, submissive wife since the tortilla had arrived. The priest, not accustomed to blessing tortillas, was somewhat reluctant but agreed to do it. The woman took the tortilla home, put it in a glass case with piles of cotton to make it look like it was floating on clouds, built a special altar 壇 for it, and opened the little shrine to visitors. Within a few months, more than eight thousand people came to the shrine of the Jesus of The Tortilla, and all of them agreed that the face in the burn marks on the tortilla was the face of Jesus

Did the experience and actions of the woman in New Mexico and her tortilla qualify as worship? What makes for real worship? How do you know when it’s happened? How do you know when it hasn’t? How do you know when God is pleased with our worship? When can we say that God is not pleased with the way someone is worshiping? In the passage that we just read, Jesus says that True worship must be in Spirit and in Truth. Do you know what does that mean? You may say, Hey Dennis, I come to 3CW every Sunday to worship God, doesn’t that count as worship? I think I know what is worship and how to worship God. Well, if you do, I am happy for you, and God bless you. What I want us to think about is maybe we all come with good intention to worship God. When we leave the worship service, do we feel like, wow, this was a good worship, I connected with God, I gave my all to praise Him, my spiritual life is refreshed. I can’t wait until the next time I come back to worship again. Or do we feel like, ok, the service is finally done. I am glad it finished on time. Now I can go back to do my things. Today we will examine the topic of how to worship God, as prescribed by Jesus

9  撒瑪利亞的婦人對他說：「你既是猶太人，怎麼向我一個撒瑪利亞婦人要水喝呢？」原來猶太人和撒瑪利亞人沒有來往。  10  耶穌回答說：「你若知道神的恩賜，和對你說『給我水喝』的是誰，你必早求他，他也必早給了你活水。」  9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Jacob's Well 雅各井 In John, Chapter 4, we read the story of Jesus coming into Samaria. The Jews of the Southern Kingdom of Israel would normally have nothing to do with the Samaritans even though the Samaritans were somewhat related to the Jews. The Samaritans had decided that they would establish their own place of worship. The Jews who only believed in worshipping in the temple at Jerusalem would walk many miles out of the way to keep from even traveling through the lands of the Samaritans. The setting of the story is at Jacob’s well. Jacob’s well was a place where many of the Samaritans would meet because it was the center of focus in life. Everyone would have to come there at some time to draw water every day. Jesus stops to get a drink from a well, He meets a woman there and begins a conversation with her.

John 7:37-39  37 節期的末日，就是最大之日，耶穌站著高聲說：「人若渴了，可以到我這裡來喝。 38  信我的人就如經上所說：『從他腹中要流出活水的江河來。』」 39  耶穌這話是指著信他之人要受聖靈說的。那時還沒有賜下聖靈來，因為耶穌尚未得著榮耀。 37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. In John 7:37-39 Here Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the living water. Jesus was telling this woman that if only she knew, she would have believed in Jesus and He will give her the “living water”, which is the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit who would indwell believers had not yet been received (Acts 10:44–45).

(A) 要敬拜神,首先要相信衪 To worship God we must first believe in Him The Holy Spirit who dwells in believers and seals them for salvation (Ephesians 1:13–14). 1 (A) 要敬拜神,首先要相信衪 To worship God we must first believe in Him Eph 1:13  你們既聽見真理的道，就是那叫你們得救的福音，也信了基督，既然信他，就受了所應許的聖靈為印記。In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 

Eph弗 2:1 你們死在過犯罪惡之中，他叫你們活過來。 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  4  然而，神既有豐富的憐憫，因他愛我們的大愛， 5  當我們死在過犯中的時候，便叫我們與基督一同活過來。（你們得救是本乎恩） 4  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—  Our Spirit was Dead in Sins Eph 2:1  你們死在過犯罪惡之中，他叫你們活過來。 :2  那時，你們在其中行事為人，隨從今世的風俗，順服空中掌權者的首領，就是現今在悖逆之子心中運行的邪靈。 3  我們從前也都在他們中間，放縱肉體的私慾，隨著肉體和心中所喜好的去行，本為可怒之子，和別人一樣。 4  然而，神既有豐富的憐憫，因他愛我們的大愛， 5  當我們死在過犯中的時候，便叫我們與基督一同活過來。（你們得救是本乎恩。） Eph 2:1  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  2  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—  When God created Adam, he breathed into him and gave him a spirit. So we all have a spirit in us. This spirit allows us to communicate with God. It’s like God created Adam with an implanted mobile phone that is already activated to communicate with God. Its our direct line to God Himself. But when Adam sinned, this line was shut off. That’s what Paul said that we are dead in our transgressions and sins. Our spirit is dead. Our line to God has been disconnected. We were cut off from God. When Adam sinned, this line of communication was shut off. That’s what Paul meant when he said we were dead in our transgression. Our spirit is dead. We could not communicate with God. In verse 4, … because of his great love for us, he made us alive with Christ 然而，神既有豐富的憐憫，因他愛我們的大愛. Once we accepted Christ, our spirit become alive again. It got waken up so now we are able to re-establish our communion with God. Through this communion we can truly know him, experience Him, receive his blessings, worship Him. So for true worship to happen, we must first open our heart to Him. So that we are sensitive to God’s calling, to his Love, to his Grace and to his mercy. We know Jesus, who is God in human form, knows already where this conversation is leading to, is preparing this woman for His teaching of how to worship God Jesus has the power to grant this “living water”, and whoever drinks this water will never thirst again! All the woman has to do is ask of it. If you have already heard about Jesus, but you are not yet a believer of Christ, all you have to do is ask Him to be your savior. Believe in Him. This is the first step to truly worship God

To worship God we must first believe in Him (B) 敬拜 不局限於單一的地理位置 (A) 要敬拜神,首先要相信衪 To worship God we must first believe in Him (B) 敬拜 不局限於單一的地理位置 Worshipping God is not confined to a particular place #2 Worshipping God is not confined to a particular place 敬拜 不局限於單一的地理位置

John 4:19-20   婦人說：「先生，我看出你是先知。 20 我們的祖宗在這山上禮拜，你們倒說，應當禮拜的地方是在耶路撒冷。」 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” It becomes apparent to the woman that Jesus is a great prophet. She seizes the moment to answer a question that probably has bugged her for a long time. Samaritans believe that true worship can only happen on Mt. Gerizm. While Jews insist that Mt. Zion is the place of worship In verses 21-22, Jesus says that a time will come when none of these places matter anymore. 時候將到，你們拜父，也不在這山上，也不在耶路撒冷. Worship need not take place in a specified place, or a specified building. But many people do associate going to church as an act of worship. In some cases, the church building itself becomes the reason for worship. They look at the how big the church building is, the facilities, the sound system, the “service”, the preachers, the number of people, etc. etc. All these may facilitate people to worship God, but they are not essential, and they should not become the main focus of a worship service. The Samaritan woman has the notion that she has to worship God in a particular location. You can still worship God without all these materials comfort

4:21-22,   21  耶穌說：「婦人，你當信我。時候將到，你們拜父，也不在這山上，也不在耶路撒冷。 22  你們所拜的，你們不知道；我們所拜的，我們知道，因為救恩是從猶太人出來的。  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. I just want to caution that this does not mean that you can just stay home and say that since I can worship anywhere, I will do my worship at home. That is not the message of this verse. If you are a follower of Christ, you are considered to be a body part of Jesus. The Scriptures define Jesus as the head and the church, the gathering of his followers, as his body. Heb 10:24-25 24  又要彼此相顧，激發愛心，勉勵行善。  25  你們不可停止聚會，好像那些停止慣了的人，倒要彼此勸勉，既知道（原文作看見）那日子臨近，就更當如此。  24  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,  25  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.  We meet together, regularly, to worship God together, to learn from the word of God together, to celebrate communion together, to celebrate baptism together, and to love one another. Its a command, not an option. It is difficult to do the “one another” part if you insist on doing this alone. In obedience, we gather together, and then, in obedience, we scatter to bring the good news of Jesus to a needy world. True worship comes from the heart. In Spirit and in Truth

To worship God we must first believe in Him (B) 敬拜 不局限於單一的地理位置 (A) 要敬拜神,首先要相信衪 To worship God we must first believe in Him (B) 敬拜 不局限於單一的地理位置 Worshipping God is not confined to a particular place (C) Worship God in Spirit 用心靈拜他 #3 Worship God in Spirit 用心靈拜他

John 23 ...時候將到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心靈和誠實拜他，因為父要這樣的人拜他。」 24 神是個靈（或無個字），所以拜他的必須用心靈和誠實拜他。 … Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” So what is worship in Spirit?

(C) Worship God in Spirit 用心靈拜他 i) 跟隨神的引領敬拜衪 Follow His leading in worship a). Follow His leading in worship 跟隨神的引領敬拜衪 The word worship first appeared in Gen 22:1-9 When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Issac, Abraham obeyed. As he approached the mountain to make the sacrifice … The Chinese bible uses the term 拜一拜, which mean worship　5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham considered sacrificing Issac as a Worship moment.

Gen 創 22:5 亞伯拉罕聽到神的吩咐，將他的兒子以撒獻給神為燔祭。將近到獻祭的地方，亞伯拉罕遠遠看見了，便吩咐僕人：」你們和驢在此等候，我與童子往那裡去拜一拜……」 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” a). Follow His leading in worship 跟隨神的引領敬拜衪 The word worship first appeared in Gen 22:1-9 When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Issac, Abraham obeyed. As he approached the mountain to make the sacrifice … The Chinese bible uses the term 拜一拜, which mean worship　5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham considered sacrificing Issac as a Worship moment.

In English, the word worship has its root in the old English word worthship, meaning it has worth, as in worth the price. So our God is worthy of our praise and worship. He is worthy for us to offer Him our best. Abraham went through a big test, because he was not offering just an animal, like a cow or a lamb, or his wealth. He had all of these. God wants him to offer up his only son, the one he waited a long time for, the son God had blessed him with though his wife Sarah even though she was no longer at a child bearing age. Issac is so precious to Abraham. But Abraham complied with God’s request. Now if it’s a normal person, like me, I would probably hesitate. I would probably go back and asked God to be more clear, give me a sign that I know that’s what He wants me to do. All kind of excuses. The bible says Adam did as he was told. I believe he considered God to be worthy of this sacrifice. Abraham’s worship was an offering driven by Spirit. He was lead by God. Likewise, when we worship, we can ask the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us, so that we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to worship God. Today God may not lead you to worship Him like he asked of Abraham. But there are may ways God is calling us to worship him. Maybe you are worried, he said:

When you are troubled 凡勞苦擔重擔的人可以到我這裡來，我就使你們得安息。  我心裡柔和謙卑，你們當負我的軛，學我的樣式；這樣，你們心裡就必得享安息Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.—Matthew 11:28–29. When you are seeking 看哪，我站在門外叩門，若有聽見我聲音就開門的，我要進到他那裡去，我與他，他與我一同坐席。  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.—Revelation 3:20 This brings us to our next point

(C) Worship God in Spirit 用心靈拜他 i) 跟隨神的引領敬拜衪 Follow His leading in worship ii) 為著蒙神喜悅敬拜衪 Worship to please God 為著蒙神喜悅敬拜衪 Worship to please God Abraham willingness to sacrifice his son was what God wanted. It was what will please God. Our objective is to please God, rather than pleasing ourselves. People often fall into the notion that they must feel good after a worship service. Very often it is a self-centered desire. What did I get out of this service? If I do not benefit from this service, why should I continue to come? People expect to receive. Abraham was willing to offer up Issac because God asked him to, not because he thought this is the best way to please God. So it was from the Spirit in him. If Abraham were to make this sacrifice out of his own reasoning or feeling, no matter how strong his own motivation was to repay God, God will not be pleased in the end.

神不喜悅的敬拜 Worship that displeases God 13  撒母耳對掃羅說：「你做了糊塗事了，沒有遵守耶和華你神所吩咐你的命令。若遵守，耶和華必在以色列中堅立你的王位，直到永遠。 14  現在你的王位必不長久。耶和華已經尋著一個合他心意的人，立他作百姓的君，因為你沒有遵守耶和華所吩咐你的。」 13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”   Just like when Saul who made a sacrifice to God, but was rebuked by God. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul and his army were waiting for Samuel to arrive to offer a sacrifice before going to war. Samuel had not yet come, and the soldiers were preparing to flee rather than fight the Philistines. Growing impatient, Saul chose to offer a sacrifice on his own. 1 Sam 13:8-13 The prophet Samuel had asked Saul to wait for him before he makes the sacrifice, but Saul could not wait and made the sacrifice anyway ahead of Samuel’s arrival. 13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”   13:13  撒母耳對掃羅說：「你做了糊塗事了，沒有遵守耶和華你神所吩咐你的命令。若遵守，耶和華必在以色列中堅立你的王位，直到永遠。 14  現在你的王位必不長久。耶和華已經尋著一個合他心意的人，立他作百姓的君，因為你沒有遵守耶和華所吩咐你的。」  Saul worship did not please God. It was out of his own selfish desire. He did not listen to God In some part of the world even today, people think they must whip themselves with pointed objects, or even crucify themselves as an expression of worship. This makes them feel that they are experiencing the pain that Jesus went through. Perhaps they feel that their sins will be forgiven more if they hurt themselves. Ultimately it must make them feel better about themselves that they paid the price of sins. Perhaps we come to church with hidden agenda. Perhaps you did something wrong, and you are about to face punishment. You come to church, you ask for forgiveness and you ask God to spare you the punishment. If you are sincere in you repentance, God will forgive you, but to spare you of justified punishment, I am not sure that is God is happy about that type of request. Our motive of worship is to please God, not so that we feel good, or to satisfy a hidden agenda.

(C) Worship God in Spirit 用心靈拜他 i) 跟隨神的引領敬拜衪 Follow His leading in worship ii) 為著蒙神喜悅敬拜衪 Worship to please God iii) 用心靈敬拜是有行動的 Worship in Spirit is followed with action c). 用心靈敬拜是有行動的Worshiping in Spirit is to follow through with action

身體沒有靈魂是死的，信心沒有行為也是死的。 James 2:26 身體沒有靈魂是死的，信心沒有行為也是死的。 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. 用心靈敬拜是有行動的 Worship in Spirit is followed with action Just like James 2 says, faith without deeds is dead. So... Worship without action is also dead. 用心靈敬拜是有行動的 Worshiping in Spirit is to follow through with action

John 23 ...時候將到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心靈和誠實拜他，因為父要這樣的人拜他。」 24 神是個靈（或無個字），所以拜他的必須用心靈和誠實拜他。 … Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Eph 23 … Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 23 時候將到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心靈和誠實拜他，因為父要這樣的人拜他。」 24 神是個靈（或無個字），所以拜他的必須用心靈和誠實拜他。 The bible described those true worshipper are the ones God seeks out. Worshipper in Spirit and in Truth. Let’s look at how the bible described True worshippers We saw that when Abraham heard God’s calling, asking him to offer his son Issac as sacrifices, he did not stop there, meditating on the deeper meaning of God’s request, if it meant something else. He knows that God is the one who gives, and has the right to take away. Abraham’s spirit was moved by God worship Him with this sacrifice. And He responded with action. God seeks worshippers who worship in Spirit and in Truth. In other words - Worshipper of God. What is a worshipper of God like? Certainly Abraham counted as one. But you may say he is different. He is regarded as the Father of Faith. Of course he can do all these things to follow God. I am just an ordinary person. Its too difficult for me. Well lets look at more example in the bible.

Acts 徒 16 14 有一個賣紫色布疋的婦人，名叫呂底亞，是推雅推喇城的人，素來敬拜神。他聽見了，主就開導他的心，叫他留心聽保羅所講的話。 15 他和他一家既領了洗，便求我們說：「你們若以為我是真信主的（或作：你們若以為我是忠心事主的），請到我家裡來住。於是強留我們。 14  One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.  Act 16:15  And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.  The story of Lydia Lydia in the Bible was originally from Thyatira 推雅推喇 but was living in Philippi when she met Paul on his second missionary journey. She was a seller of purple cloth, which Thyatira 推雅推喇 was famous for, being a center of indigo 靛青 trade. Lydia apparently had moved to Philippi to ply her trade in that city. Lydia was also a worshiper of God (Acts 16:14) describes her as a worshipper of God. When Paul found her, she was honoring the Sabbath, which means she was likely a Jew. The account of Lydia’s conversion says that she was gathered with a group of other women on the Sabbath at a place of prayer near the river outside of Philippi. Lydia heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Bible says that God opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying (Acts 16:14). After she believed, Lydia was baptized, along with the rest of her household.

敬拜不是形式，乃是信仰生活 Worship in Spirit is not a ritual, it is a belief with a lifestyle that reflects the faith . After Lydia’s conversion and baptism, she insisted that Paul and his friends come to stay at her home, if they judged her to “a believer in the Lord” (verse 15). Luke says that “she prevailed upon us,” which indicates the fervency of her desire to be hospitable. Lydia followed through her worship with action. The Holy Spirit moved and opened her heart to receive Christ. Soon after, she responded to act of service by opening her home to God’s missionaries, which allows Paul and Silas a place to stay while they continue to preach the word of God, so that more people can come to know Him. Her worship was followed by action. Worship comes with giving up a part of ourselves to God. We should be thankful that God does not call us to make sacrifice like He asked of Abraham. But today, He calls us, this Church, which is made up of all of us believers, to be the light and salt in our community, to love one another, to serve together as a new body in Christ, to love one another, to magnify the eternal plan of God on this world. Worship in Spirit is not a ritual, it is a belief with a lifestyle that reflects the faith 敬拜不是形式，乃是信仰生活. This is true worship.

To worship God we must first believe in Him (B) 敬拜 不局限於單一的地理位置 (A) 要敬拜神,首先要相信衪 To worship God we must first believe in Him (B) 敬拜 不局限於單一的地理位置 Worshipping God is not confined to a particular place (C) 用心靈拜他 Worship God in Spirit (D) 以誠實(按真理)敬拜神 Worship in Truth   (D) Worship in Truth 以誠實(按真理)敬拜

John 23 ...時候將到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心靈和誠實拜他，因為父要這樣的人拜他。」 24 神是個靈（或無個字），所以拜他的必須用心靈和誠實拜他。 … Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

John 23 ...不過時候將到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用靈和真理拜他，因為父尋找這樣的人拜他。 24  神是靈，所以拜他的必須用靈和真理拜他。」 [中文NET版] … Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The Chinese translation translated Worship in truth as Worship in honesty. But the original meaning of “honesty” is “truth”. So the English translation is more accurate. John 4:23 says “23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” A true worshipper not only worship in spirit, but also worship according to the truth. So what is truth? What is worship according to the truth?.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17, 求你用真理使他們成聖；你的道就是真理 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” In John 17:17, Jesus says “17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth.” 求你用真理使他們成聖；你的道就是真理。  So God’s word is the truth. When we truly understand God’s word, and with that understanding of God in our minds, and in our hearts, we worship God, that is worship in truth. During that time, the Jews, in comparison to the Samaritans, have more knowledge about God’s word, but some of the Jews, especially the leaders, their worship were very superficial, lacking in spirit. On the other hand, Samaritans’ worship was lacking in complete knowledge of God’s word, because they only believe in part of the old testament bible. So they were lacking in knowing the truth about God. Their worship is not complete. The Samaritan woman in our passage is an example. A worship that is in truth must be centered around the truth of God’s word. God’s word must be preached, must be received, must be applied and believer must respond to it. And that is why we must keep learning about God’s word. So that we may know Him more and more. So that when we come to worship, we know who we are worshipping. Many cult believers are very devoted in their belief. Even terrorists who claim to fight in the name of religion are very devoted in their religion, at least outwardly. But they worhip the wrong God. They do not know the truth, they do not know the True God. Worshipping in Spirit toward a false God can be dangerous!

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17, 求你用真理使他們成聖；你的道就是真理 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” You must spend time to know about God. Do it in your own devotion time. Do it with brothers and sisters during fellowship time, Do it by receiving the Lord’s message during corporate worship on Sunday. We also learn about God’s from the praise songs that we sing. 有一位神，有權能創造宇宙萬物，There is a God, He is powerful to create all creatures and the universe. We learn that he is almighty powerful God 也有溫柔雙手安慰受傷靈魂。He is gentle, can comfort those who are in hurt, We learn about His gentle and caring nature 有一位神，有權柄審判一切罪惡， We learn that he has power to judge sins 也有慈悲體貼人的軟弱。 We learn that yet he is merciful and considerate of human weaknesses Praise songs and hymns often describe God’s holy nature, we sing about His love, His grace, His mightiness, His eternal nature, His righteousness, His mercy, and more. So do not skip singing time. They remind us of how great our God is. They remind us why we are here on Sunday morning to worship God. They prepare us to worship God in Truth and in Spirit. Today in John 4, we saw how Jesus instructed us to worship the right way, God’s way. May His word help us to know him better so that we can truly worship from the spirit in us and truly acknowledge that indeed He is our Savior, the one we worship.