There used to be a time after church service on many occasions I will walk away asking,” what did I get out of that worship experience?” I discovered my worship experience depended too much on others. If the congregational singing, choir or soloist sang well, I may have enjoyed a good worship experience. If the preacher really preached a good message from God's Work I could have a good worship experience. But, the Lord told me my worship should not rise or fall on how well someone else led worship. I began to seek ways I could worship regardless of what others did.

I read John 4:19-29, in there I got my answer.

John 4:19-29
19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.    20 "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain and you {people} say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."    21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father.    22 "You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we  know, for salvation is from the Jews.   23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."    25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us."    26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am {He."}    27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marvelled that He had been speaking with a woman; yet no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why do you speak with her?"    28 So the woman left her water pot, and went into the city, and said to the men,    29 "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I {have} done; this is not the Christ, is it?" (NAS)

The above scripture will be broken down into 3 segments and I hope after reading this thread, our knowledge and understanding about worship will be greatly enhanced.

JESUS TAUGHT CONCERNING THE PLACE OF WORSHIP (John 4: 19-23)

He teaches that worship is not a matter of geographical location. The woman at the well presented the prejudice between the Jews and Samaritans concerning two locations for worship. The Old Testament did indicate the Temple in Jerusalem was the place of worship. However, Jesus told her the hour was coming when the emphasis on place would be secondary.

The Lord taught worship was a matter of the heart. This happens when people who, regardless of place, have their attitude and heart centred on God. True worshipers believe He is worthy of worship. They are going to have times of private worship that flow over into their public worship experience. It will not be a matter of place but a matter of heart.

JESUS TAUGHT CONCERNING THE ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP (John 4: 22-24)   

Here Jesus Christ talks about knowledge, referring to the Samaritans, He said they didn't know what they worshiped. Speaking for Himself and other devout Jews he said, "We know what we worship."

Do you know what you worship? There must be a scriptural knowledge for worship. Is it proper to say one person's worship is better than another's if both are sincere? Jesus did! He told this Samaritan woman. "You worship that which you do not know. Worship with knowledge of the scripture is better. It is useful! But, worship without the word of God and the direction from it is not valuable.

In the great commandment Jesus said, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30). This command speaks to worship with the Spirit. It is expressing ourself in worship in the most magnificent manner a person can express himself. It refers to your attitude and your humble submission to the Lordship of Christ.

Romans 8:16
“For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s Children.”

The above scriptures is talking about 2 kinds of spirits joined together to become one. Our spirit and the Holy Spirit. Note the contrast between Spirit and our spirit. We are to worship with our spirit as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

We are to worship truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth so we are to be led by Him. Meaning merging scripture truth and the truth of our mind. This truth is about being honest and sincere with the Lord we are worshipping. We cannot worship in the lifestyle of lies. We are worshipping a God who knows our inner most motives, so there is no point in falsifying our worship. We are to worship him in spirit and in truth. There is no in between.

Let me give you an example.

You see a Christian brother being persecuted for speaking the truth, what will you do? Hideaway or back him up?
JESUS TAUGHT CONCERNING THE REASONS OF WORSHIP (vs. 22-26)

Worship should have a salvation emphasis. Jesus said, "We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.
Ask yourself, why do you worship God? Is it to become rich? To overcome your enemies? Or salvation of your soul? Take your pick honestly.

CONCLUSION

Verse 28 gives a conclusion to the lesson about worship. The woman left her water pot and went into town. Her reason for being at the well was to get water. But she met the Messiah and forgot all about water. Her agenda was changed. Evidence that a person has worshiped is that they're willing to forget self and focus on Jesus. The time schedule, the use of talent and the focus of financial means all change when a person worships.
Have you ever worshiped the Lord? Do your worship daily and weekly? What is the evidence that you have worshiped? Perhaps you need to leave whatever your water pot is and get on the Messiah's agenda.

God bless