God’s Plan For Sharing Series

GPS – “God’s Plan for Sharing”

John 4:1-42

* GPS! Most of us are familiar with these initials. In our modern day world, many in this room have a GPS in their automobile. I “may” look into one now that it is possible to have a “man’s” voice giving directions. ‘Nuff said!

* Think about the logic of this type of GPS system. From high above the earth, a satellite sees where you are and where you desire to go, then the system uses its knowledge of the roadways to chart your course for a successful trip. A few weeks ago a young lady with whom I was talking asked me for the zip code of our facilities because her GPS required a zip code. The GPS’s task is to show you the way to get to where you desire to go. (NAMB Clip)

* As I understand it, several years ago our SBC President Dr. Frank Paige introduced the concept of GPS – God’s plan for sharing in 2006. GPS is now a Biblically based thrust of NAMB which carries the impetus of everyone in North America hearing the gospel and having an opportunity to receive Jesus by 2020! In this time we will be called to four areas, “Prayer, Engaging, Sowing, and Harvesting.” (Let me add this word: being one of the leaders in the SBC, your Alabama State Board of Missions is once again leading the way with a plan to assist us in this process. The plan for the first two years of this 10 year process is called “Across Alabama.”) In the coming years we will join our hearts and hands together to reach our culture for Christ. And in doing so, we share in the Kingdom work. This is not a small or easy task. It will require us not to simply participate but commit, commit to our Lord Jesus and His Kingdom’s work in ways we may have never done.

* We will be called to prayer. Already we have our 24 hour prayer chain every Thursday. Since we have been praying, we have seen God begin working because when God’s people pray, God responds. Lee Thomas told us that no one gets saved unless someone prays for them.

* We will be called to engage our community. Last Sunday evening was all about discovering ways we can engage our community. In the days ahead we will be called on to become an “External Church” and personally, I will be asking every true believer to be involved at some level.

* We will be called to sow the seeds of the gospel. We will do this in several ways. One way will be with scripture distribution door to door. We will have other missional type of projects which will epitomize Christ to our city.

* Finally, we must be ready to bring in the harvest. Get ready for company! And know that some of the guest will become fellow sojourners in this Christian life. This is God’s plan for sharing and is found demonstrated and repeated all through the New Testament.

* Today we have read the familiar story commonly known as the “Woman at the Well.” Yet, in this narrative we can discover God plan for us.

GPS – “God’s Plan for Sharing” – PG 2

1. God’s Plan Demonstrated – When I lived on the Gulf Coast from time to time I would attend a “show” at the Coast Coliseum.” The vender displays were of great appeal to me. I can still remember seeing the man use the knives (of which I now own 3 sets) to slice everything from lettuce to paper to plastic. It made me want to have the knives. Seeing Jesus’ actions in this story, demonstrates how the plan of God works. Follow along;

a. The first thing we see Jesus doing is to “Embrace the Unwanted”- In verse 3 we read that Jesus left Judea (headed north) to Galilee. Directly between Judea and Galilee is this land called Samaria. As most knows, any self-respecting Jew would take an eastern route, cross over Jordan through the countries of Perea & Decapolis so they would never set foot on Samaria’s soil. This would have been going on the “other side of the tracks.” In Acts 1:8, Samaria is represented by those places we don’t want to go. There, we’ll find people who are different from us and don’t understand the concept of God’s unfailing love. Verse 4 tells us that Jesus “had” to travel through, the KJV reads that He ‘must needs’ to go through, and the NKJV says, “He needed to go through there.” Jesus laid aside the human prejudice & replaced it with God’s priority. It is the “every believer sharing, every person hearing principle.” He embraced the unwanted.