I’ve entitled our message today: “Promoting What We Have.” And we’re going to take a look at four points to boldly sharing with others what God is doing in our life and in our church. I once heard it said that you should appreciate what you have, before it becomes what you had.(1) This is an important observation that can be applied to retaining God’s favor and blessings on a church.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul addressed the church in Thessalonica, saying, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Paul emphasized how we need to appreciate what we have, and lift up thanksgiving unto God for His numerous blessings; and then in the very next verse, which is verse 19, Paul admonished, “Do not quench the Spirit.” This is what happens if we fail to give thanks for what the Lord has done. If we fail to recognize what God is doing in our midst, and forget to acknowledge and praise Him for it and forget to declare His gracious works unto others, then His blessings might depart from us.
In our message today, we are going to view a small portion of the account of “The Woman at the Well.” I have noticed that we often gravitate toward the first part; where Jesus offered the Samaritan woman “living water.” Now, the first part of the account has tremendous merit in explaining salvation; however, the second half teaches us about appreciating and promoting what God has done in our life. So, let’s go ahead and get started by looking at point number one.
Step One: Realizing What We Have (vv. 25-27)
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” 27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
Point number one is “Realizing What We Have.” Now, I’m not going to be focusing on verse 27, which deals with prejudice towards the Samaritans and women; but instead, I’m going to have us hone in on the spiritual application of verses 25-26. In verses 7-8 of this chapter, we see that Jesus had been speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well while “His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.” And we see here how they were still talking as the disciples returned. In that lengthy amount of time the woman had not yet realized with whom she was speaking.
In verse 26, we see that Jesus finally made the Samaritan woman aware of who was really in her midst. The reason why she had not yet recognized Him as the Messiah is simply because she was not expecting Him. And the lesson here is that Jesus can be right here among us, blessing us with His presence; but if we are not expecting Him, then we won’t recognize Him when He shows up!
We must realize what God has done for us; recognize who is in our midst; and be certain to acknowledge the power and presence of Jesus, the Messiah. We have to be looking for Him, expecting Him, and anticipating Him at all times. In application, if we will look around us and be intentional in pointing out the blessings that we have received, then we will be able to realize that God is truly at work. And being able to recognize His goodness starts with having a grateful heart!
In Philippians 4:6, Paul said to pray with thanksgiving; and in Philippians 4:8, he told us how. He said, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” So let me ask you this morning, “Are we, as a body of believers, meditating on the good things of God, and are we focusing on His numerous blessings on this church?” “Are we thankful for what we do have, or are we down in the dumps about what we don’t have?” Keep this in mind as we move on to point number two.
Step Two: Advertising What We Have (vv. 28-30)
28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
Point number two is “Advertising What We Have.” The Samaritan woman’s priority changed the very moment she realized that she was beholding the Messiah. We read here that she left her waterpot behind, and went her way into the city (v. 28). Now, work is very important in providing for one’s household, but work was not her top priority at that moment. Christ became her main focus; and this woman’s newfound passion led her to tell others about what Jesus had done in her life. The truth we need to grasp is this: If Jesus is not our passion; then we simply won’t talk about Him.
You always know someone’s passion by what they talk about the most or what they use as conversation starters. If you’re into sports, for example, then guess what you’re going to talk about – probably the latest basketball game or baseball statistics. If you like vintage cars or planes, then guess what you’re going to try to work into every conversation. You’ll find a way to segue into that topic even if no one else cares. Well, if God and His Son, Jesus Christ, are our passion, or if the church is our passion, then we should be working just as hard to slip these things into our conversations.
The point is; that if we have good news to share, then we must begin advertising it! We must begin talking to others about who is in our midst; meaning, we must start communicating what God is doing in our own life and in the church. If Jesus has shown up in our church, then we should be broadcasting it far and wide; for Jesus said, “If I am lifted up from the earth, [I] will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). In verse 30, we see how this Samaritan woman talking about Jesus led many people to depart from the city in order to make their way out to meet Him.
Let me share with you something about growing churches. The members of growing churches will “talk up” their church in the community; of course, stating only things that are true. In growing churches, the members are telling others about the wonderful job their pastor is doing. They are also talking about their church programs and activities, and sharing how God is blessing the church with many willing volunteers. The members of growing churches will tell about the amazing love of their church, and talk about the wonderful, caring church members. They will also love their church so much that they’re willing to wear a church t-shirt, or attach a church bumper sticker to their car. Get rid of those university stickers, and root for your church and team Jesus! Now, let’s skip down to verse 39, and look at point number three.
Step Three: Witnessing What We Have (v. 39)
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”
Point number three is “Witnessing What We Have,” or rather, “becoming a witness to what we have.” We read here that many Samaritans believed in Jesus, because “of the word of the woman who testified.” She “testified,” meaning she gave her testimony. She bore witness to what Jesus had done in her life. One’s testimony is a powerful thing, containing such merit as to overcome tribulation and the flames of hell! For example, in Revelation we read of the Saints of God, “They overcame . . . by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelations 12:11).
As the woman at the well testified about Jesus, she became a “witness.” In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This word of commission holds true even for Jesus’ disciples today – we as believers – and we become a witness for Jesus by sharing the specifics of how He changed our life.
The specifics that we must share are “the Word of God” and “our personal testimony.” It is important to share the Word of God, because Paul stated, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17); and it is important to share our testimony, for Paul asked, “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). Both the “Word” and “witness” are necessary to lead someone to faith in Christ.
I want to take a moment to discuss the power of testimony. Rick Warren says, “Your personal testimony is more effective than a sermon, because unbelievers see pastors as professional salesmen, but see you as a ‘satisfied customer,’ so they give you more credibility.”(2) He also says, “Your testimony . . . bypasses intellectual defenses. Many people who won’t accept the authority of the Bible will listen to a humble, personal story.”(3) Peter said, “If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way” (1 Peter 3:15b-16a, NLT).
Bill Hybels suggests that the best way to give your personal testimony is this: “When you tell your story, the critical contrast to draw for someone is this: What difference has Christ really made in your life? In other words, what were you like ‘before’ Christ, and now what are you like ‘after’ you’ve asked Christ to intervene.”(4) “Your before-and-after does not have to be dramatic. It just has to be brief, focused, coherent – and true.”(5) Hybels also says you should be able to tell your story in one hundred words or less, and it should only take about forty-five seconds.(6) But let me end this point by once again reminding us that we need to bear witness to what Jesus has done in our life. Let’s now look at our final point, which will be point number four.
Step Four: Sharing What We Have (vv. 40-42)
40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Point number four is “Sharing What We Have.” We read that “they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days” (v. 40). It’s one thing to share our story with someone; it’s another thing for an individual to experience Jesus firsthand. The Samaritans were with Jesus for two whole days, face-to-face with Him, hearing Him teach and expound on the Scriptures; and many believed because of what they had seen and heard.
We need to be sure to invite people to church to experience Jesus firsthand. We also need to invite people to see Jesus in our own life, as we make it a point to spend time with them; but most importantly, we need to invite people to enter into a personal relationship with Christ. Jesus once declared, “If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority” (John 7:17). Jesus basically said, “Just spend some time with Me, and then you will see from your own personal experience that what I have told you is true.”
Verse 42 simply amazes me: “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” Back in verse 39, we read that some of the Samaritans believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony; but not everyone. Some of them came to faith in Christ only after seeing, hearing and experiencing Jesus face-to-face. Therefore, be willing to share about His wonders and His love by inviting people to come to church to spend time observing what God is doing in the lives of His people; and once they see for themselves, then many will believe.
So, when we invite people to church, who all should we ask? Well, it begins with those closest to us, such as our family, friends and coworkers. The Southern Baptist Convention has an evangelism strategy called “Who’s Your One,” where you choose just one person to pray for, spend time with, share your faith with, and invite to church. It only has to start with just one person. So, I want to extend a challenge to you this week to find one family member, one friend, or one co-worker, and tell them how God is at work in this church and invite them to come to worship with you. Can you image how many people we will have in church if each of us will invite just one?
Time of Reflection
God has poured out on this church His blessings beyond measure, and if we will just look around we will begin to see them. Holding on to His blessings begins by first “Realizing What We Have,” and lifting up our praises unto God with grateful hearts; and then after realizing what we have, we must begin “Advertising What We Have,” “Witnessing What We Have” to others, and then “Sharing What We Have,” by inviting people to experience the Lord with us in this church. When we begin demonstrating thankfulness and stewardship with God’s many blessings, then He will not only continue to abide with us, but He will remain with us, and continuing to shower us with His blessings.
The greatest blessing that God has bestowed on us, and which we should be seeking to share, is the forgiveness of sin and eternal life. According to the Bible, we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin in death” (Romans 6:23) – or spiritual death – which is eternal separation from God in the flames of hell; but lift up a shout of praise that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We receive His gift by repenting and confessing our sins, and by declaring how we believe that Jesus died for us and rose again from the grave (Romans 19:9-10).
NOTES
(1) Epic Quotes: http://epicquotes.org/view.php?id=83 (Accessed March 28, 2012).
(2) Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), p. 290.
(3) Ibid., p. 291.
(4) Bill Hybels, Just Walk Across the Room (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), p. 122.
(5) Ibid., p. 123.
(6) Ibid., p. 127.
