Text: John 4:1-54
Title: Connecting our community to Christ
Introduction
A banner – with our church name/ slogan
•Who we are –Calvary A.O.G.
•What we are all about/slogan
“Connecting our community to Christ.”
3 key words
•Connecting
•Community
•Christ
Describes
Our Method – through “connecting”
Our Mission field –our community
Our Mission –…to Christ
How to connect our community to Christ
1. Connecting
“The Pharisee’s heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her,” Will you give me a drink? (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) (v1-8)
1.Many churches do not do well with connecting to their community.
Why? They spend all their time doing other things.
“The Pharisee’s heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.”
…right now we’re really busy baptizing people…
We’d rather spend our time doing something we are good at.
And right now we’re really good at baptizing people.
We’d also rather spend our time connecting with people who believe like us.
What’s so wrong with that?
The danger: You can easily find yourself ending up as a Pharisee.
What is a Pharisee? Some one who is only into themselves.
"When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria.”
Jesus steps in and he intervenes before the Pharisees can cause any trouble in the church.
This is huge: Notice what Jesus does with his disciples…
When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria.”
He takes his disciples out into the community.
He does not take his disciples to another church service
He takes his disciples out into the community.
If we want to be less like Pharisee’s and more like Jesus we have to connect with our community.
•Pharisees neglect their community.
•Disciples of Jesus connect with their community.
“For the son of man came to seek and to save that which is lost.”
Jesus’ idea of what it means to connect with our community verses the church’s idea of what it means to connect with our community.
"So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her,” Will you give me a drink? (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) "(v1-8)
The church’s idea of what it means to connect with our community.
Connecting with our community means we shop local.
Just because I live, shop or work in my community it does not mean I’m connecting with my community.
Jesus ‘idea of what it means to connect with our community
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her,” Will you give me a drink?
Connecting with our community means sitting down and spending quality time (one on one) with people who live in our community.
I’ve no time to do that…
I’m too tired to do that…
2. Our Community
John 4
1.Different time
2.Different country
3.Different circumstances
The woman at the well is a fair representation of those who live in every community.
1.As a rule they do not associate with Christians
“The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans) (v9)
A.Do the math
Statistic (how many people live in our community)
20 minutes (Dudley, Southbridge, Webster, Oxford, Sturbridge, Thompson) 100,000 people
How many bible –believing Christians? 1-2000 thousand!
2.They are looking for divine help today!
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” (v13-15)
A.We interpret the words of Jesus as help for when we get to heaven.
B.If you died today would you go to heaven
C.But people want divine help now!
D.The true interpretation is that Jesus wants to help people now
E. She said to him-Does that mean I don’t have to come back tomorrow?
F.Jesus offers her a better tomorrow
3.They don’t have it all together
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” (4:16-18)
They have issues
Marriage issues, parenting issues, relational issues, work issues, financial issues, health issues…
3. Christ
What people really need is Christ!
“Connecting our community to Christ.”
Everything we do should seek to help connect people to Christ
1.They need to know Who Christ is
The woman at the well had no idea who Jesus was
Jesus had to help her. We have to help. How?
1.Through conversation
2.Through consideration/concern
“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (v10)
Concern –that other person’s relationship with God
3.Through conviction
“the fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” (v18)
4.Through confirmation
“I know that Messiah” (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus declared, I who speak to you am he. “ (vv25-26)
“They said to the woman We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the
Savior of the world.” (v42)
You are a Jew (v9) –discovered thru conversation
You are greater than our father Jacob (v12) discovered thru consideration/concern
You are a prophet (v19) –discovered through conviction
You are the Messiah (v26) You are the savior of the world (v42)- discovered through confirmation
2.They need to know what Christ offers and how to receive it
“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (v11)
A.Jesus offers the gift of God
B.We receive it by asking
Conclusion
1.Recognize the value of One
Lesson : What Jesus will do to go out of his way to connect one person to Christ.
We connect our community to Christ one person at a time
V5 Town verses city
2. Recognize the power of One
“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” (v39)
What is the best way to connect people in our community to Christ?
A. Is it by putting up a banner?
B. Is it by putting on a program?
C. The best way to connect people in our community to Christ is by sharing our testimony.
“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” (v39)
The power of One’s testimony!
What is a testimony?
It’s a brief account of what Christ has done in your life.
Every believer has a testimony.
God wants every believer to share their testimony
The woman’s testimony
He told me everything I ever did.
1. You tell what you did wrong
2. You tell what Jesus did right
How Jesus healed her past.
How many people in our community can connect to Christ through sharing our testimony?
How many people in our community can connect to Christ if we don’t share our testimony?
If you don’t have a testimony?
Altar call
Let God connect you to Christ.
