Jesus tells the woman at the well that “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
To me, one of the most important words in that sentence is the word AND.
There are many that seek the spirit. They want joy, peace, love. They want good feelings. They want euphoria. They don’t care about the truth. Truth, words, study, those all are weights that bring down the spirit they seek, in their eyes. Let’s just all get along. Live and let live. All paths lead to God. Love wins. All are God’s children regardless of what they believe.
There are also many that seek the truth, but they begin that search by rejection of the spirit. They are the scientists and skeptics who seek physical proof alone. They begin their theorem with the rejection of God and the bible because, well, just because. With that possibility rejected outright, they then construct a new tower of theory and “fact”. But all are incomplete and all insufficient. Take evolution. First, there must be a complete rejection of the creation story. Second, it does not withstand the question of “and what was before that?” because it is an incomplete theory.
But these are not the worshipers that God seeks. These are people who follow in the tradition of the Samaritans. They may “worship” God, but it is a God AND worship. God and myself. God and my own logic. God and the almighty dollar. God and science. God and what makes me feel good. God and whatever I want to do. God and how I identify myself in this world. God and my own world view.
But our God is a jealous God. He desires only a personal and complete relationship with you. Exclusively. No other Gods. No God AND, only in the Spirit AND in truth.
My Answers:
8.
There is worship of lies and theorems instead of the truth. Most of the theories can only stand up at all by first absolutely denying the word of God as a possibility
9.
He said “We” of the Jews. Jesus did not separate Himself from the promise God gave to Abraham, He endorsed it and came to fulfill the covenant and return the “children of God” to the state before original sin.
10.
In Spirit and in the Truth. By coming to God first in prayer and repentance, not casually, but with intention and resolve and respect, humility and trust.
The Notes are Good 