In John 4 the Lord Jesus was speaking with the Samaritan woman. He offered her living water, of which, if she drank, she would never thirst again. She was very interested, but then the devil distracted her with one of the political issues of the day. Was it acceptable to worship God without going to Jerusalem? Jesus said,

John 4:23-24
23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (NKJ)

I have heard interpretations of this verse which assert that God wants believers to worship in a spiritual and a physical way. This would equate spiritual with spirit and physical with truth. This is an unfortunate interpretation in that it goes against the context of the passage. The Lord Jesus was emphasizing that it really does not matter to God where a person worships in the physical world. The spiritual reality of the heart is where real truth lies. Therefore, “in truth” simply gives further definition to “in spirit”.

John 4 continues developing the concepts expressed by the Lord Jesus in John 3 where the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to be born again because

John 3:6
6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (NKJ)

The physical world will always have a tendency to draw believers away from the Spirit of God because it appeals to the desires of the natural human body. Paul wrote:

Romans 7:23
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (NKJ)

The Spirit of Christ is the only hope believers have of overcoming the destructive pull of the physical body and the things of the world.

Romans 8:2
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (NKJ)

The Apostle Paul said that believers should set a priority on the things of heaven as opposed to the things of this earth. Therefore, Paul said:

Colossians 3:1-2
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (NKJ)

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Other church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/