We are continuing to discuss questions people have concerning the New Testament church. In the upcoming weeks, we will discuss the question—what function do individual church members serve in the church and the community? Today, we will ponder the individual Christian’s function in the church. People often wonder, “What is my purpose in life?” This question can be answered in fulfilment of the question under consideration today. If we will look for God’s answer, then we will understand our purpose in life.

The individual Christian’s function in the church is to facilitate worship to God, because He desires and deserves to be worshiped. “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” (John 4:23). The Christian’s fi rst responsibility is to know how to properly worship God. “God is Spirit, and those that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). When one prioritizes worship properly, he becomes a true worshiper, and this is whom God is seeking to worship Him.

The Samaritan woman, who was talking with Jesus in John chapter four, was prioritizing the place of worship over the how. She told Jesus, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship” (John 4:20). In His response, Jesus pointed out that the place is not as important as the how. “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father” (John 4:21). Then, He explained to her that worship must take place properly in order to save. “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). If one is going to be saved, it must be done God’s way, because you cannot be saved by what you do not know.

Worshiping falsely in ignorance according to man’s law is not acceptable to God (Matt. 15:9) and one must repent to be saved. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). The Samaritans were worshiping ignorantly and in the wrong place, even under the Old Law. In essence, Jesus was telling the Samaritan woman that she was not a true worshiper, because her method of worshiping was not in spirit and truth, as the Samaritans were not following God’s preordained method.

God must be worshiped the way that He desires; this is something that everyone needs to learn. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him MUST (emphasis mine) worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Since He is spirit, He is not bound by a physical place; therefore, He does not dwell in a temple made with hands but in the church (Acts 7:48-50; 17:24-25; 1 Tim. 3:15). Thus, we must worship Him in spirit, which is to have the right attitude toward Him, that “we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28b).

Not only must we worship in spirit, but it is also our function as individual members to worship in truth, which is to worship according to God’s Word, because it is truth. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Jesus stressed truth to the Samaritan woman, because the Samaritans were not worshiping in truth. Nowhere in God’s revealed message had anyone been instructed to worship the Father on Mt. Gerizim in a temple constructed by Sanballat. The place God had instructed for worship was the city of Jerusalem in the temple first built by Solomon; therefore, it was the responsibility of God’s people to worship Him properly, as He instructed (Deut. 12:5-11). Today, it is still the responsibility of individual Christians to worship God in spirit and truth, and this should be our purpose in life (Rom. 12:1-2). If this does not give you purpose, then you need to reevaluate your life, just as the Samaritan woman also needed to reevaluate her life.

Just something to consider.