INTRODUCTION
A. Woman who felt the tug of God on her heart one night at a church service.
1. Responded and accepted Christ as her Savior.
2. Had a past that involved drugs, alcohol, and prostitution.
3. Became a faithful member of the church.
4. Involved in ministry and taught young children.
5. She and the pastor’s son began dating and soon made plans to marry.
6. Problems arose because about half of the church didn’t think a woman with a past like hers was suitable for the pastor’s son.
7. Church began to argue and fight and decided to call a meeting.
8. As the arguments were made the tension increased.
9. Young woman got very upset as things in her past were brought up.
10. As she began to cry, the pastor’s son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain they were causing his wife to be.
11. Said, “My fiancé’s past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?”
12. The entire church began to weep as they realized they were slandering the blood of Christ.
B. Do we believe Christ is the answer to people’s dilemmas?
1. People have many needs: mental, physical, emotional.
2. The greatest need they have is Jesus.
3. If we believe he is the answer to the deepest need people have, then we must do ministry through outreach.
C. We looked at the story last week.
1. Jesus left Judea to return to the region of Galilee.
2. On the way, he had to go through Samaria and there he met the woman at the well.
3. What does the story teach us about elements that are involved if we are to be successful in our outreach and ministry endeavors?
WE MUST BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE NEED JESUS
A. This woman needed Jesus.
1. She was an immoral woman who had been married several times and was now living with a man who was not her husband.
2. Jesus knew this woman needed him; that is why he went through Samaria.
3. She came to the well for water to drink, but Jesus told her about living water that would quench her thirst forever.
4. The water he spoke of was a relationship with him that would meet her deepest needs.
5. Jesus, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
6. Her lifestyle bore out the fact that she needed him also.
7. Jesus told her to go get her husband, and she acknowledged that she didn’t have one.
8. Jesus, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband-for you have had five husbands and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.”
B. If we are going to help people spiritually, we must first believe they need help.
1. Many people don’t believe this.
2. George Barna does a great deal of research in religious circles.
3. In surveys taken a few years ago (1996 and 1997), he found some amazing facts.
4. Most Americans, including many professing Christians, believe that people are inherently good and that there primary purpose is to enjoy life as much as possible.
5. 38% believed that it doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons.
6. 44% believed that all people will experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their religious beliefs.
7. 55% believed that if a person is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life, that they will earn a place in heaven.
C. A great deal of what people believe about themselves or in general does not square with what the Bible teaches.
1. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.”
2. Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.”
3. John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jesus)
4. Psalm 51:5, “For I was born a sinner-yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.”
5. Romans 5:12, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”
D. The condition of humanity is not pretty.
1. We place too much emphasis on the goodness of humanity.
2. Yes, many people do good things, but in our nature we are sinful and selfish.
3. We are out for number one and rebellious toward God.
4. A child will demonstrate this at a very young age.
5. Accepting what Christ has done for us on Calvary’s cross is the only solution.
6. To see the need to reach out to others, we must first believe they have a spiritual problem.
7. If our philosophy is like that of many people (that everyone is going to make it anyway) we will never reach out.
MUST BELIEVE IT IS OUR REPSONSIBILITY TO TELL
A. Jesus gave us this responsibility.
1. Matthew 28:18-20, “Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been give complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”
2. Acts 1:8, “But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
B. Jesus recognized the need and urgency to tell.
1. John 9:4, “All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned to us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end.”
2. This is evident in our story when John tells us that Jesus had to go through Samaria.
3. There was no geographical reason for him to go that way.
4. Most devout Jews crossed the Jordan and bypassed the region of Samaria as they traveled to Galilee.
5. Jesus was in tune with his heavenly Father.
6. He knew of this woman who needed him, and of the many she would tell as a result of her encounter with him.
C. We are obligated to tell others about the difference Jesus has made in our lives.
1. It is good to know verses that we can show people that tell them of their need.
2. We show others daily what Jesus has done in our life through the way we conduct ourselves in various situations.
3. When things don’t our way, do we fly off the handle and say a few choice words, or do we handle it in a way that Jesus would?
4. Do we abstain from evil in all its forms and from the appearance of evil?
5. Do we involved ourselves in things secretly that we know are wrong but we think it’s okay since no one sees us?
6. And then God gives us many opportunities to share our faith.
7. You’ve heard the saying, “We may be the only Bible some people ever read.”
AS WE TELL, WE MUST RELY ON GOD’S GUIDANCE
A. Jesus did this with this woman and throughout his ministry.
1. Jesus often encountered resistance from the religious and political leaders.
2. He challenged long held traditions, and this often led to conflict with the religious leaders.
3. Certainly, he relied on his Father’s guidance as he did this.
4. He certainly did this as he went to a region that any devout Jew would avoid.
5. John 15:10, “When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love.”
B. Sharing our faith can be a scary thing.
1. Not many Christians make a habit of doing it.
2. We are afraid of questions we might not know the answer to, or getting into theological discussions we are not prepared for.
3. We are simply out to tell people about the difference Jesus has made in our lives not to give the impression that we have the answers to all of life’s questions and problems.
4. Remember Jesus’ assurance in the Great Commission, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
5. In speaking to his followers about what was ahead for them, Jesus said, “And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about what to say in your defense, for the Holy Spirit will teach you what needs to be said even as you are standing there.”
6. We must believe God’s Spirit goes before us to guide us as we share our faith with others.
WE MUST BE WILLING TO BREAK DOWN MINISTRY BARRIERS
A. Jesus faced barriers in sharing with this woman.
1. Racial. Jews hated Samaritans and the feeling was mutual. “The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, ‘You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?’”
2. Moral. She was an immoral woman who was now living with a man who was not her husband. “You’re right! You don’t have a husband-for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.”
3. Cultural. It was not acceptable for a rabbi or teacher as Jesus was to talk with a woman in public. The disciples were surprised that he was. “The disciples were astonished to find him talking to a woman, but none of them asked him why he was doing it or what they had been discussing.”
B. We must break down traditional barriers so our ministry can be effective.
1. All people need and deserve to hear the good news of the gospel.
2. We are all one in Christ, and Christ died for all people.
3. We have to quit worrying about what people might think if I’m seen with so and so.
4. Racial and cultural barriers are difficult for some people to overcome, and it takes us allowing God to work on these attitudes to do any better.
EXPECT RESULTS
A. I’m sure Jesus was hoping for and expecting results from this encounter.
1. We should not have such an attitude as, “Well, I’m not really going to expect anyone to respond to my witnessing. That way I won’t be disappointed when they don’t.”
2. Jesus got results because the Samaritan woman accepted him and became one of his followers.
3. Not only that, she went into town and told everyone there about him.
4. “Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’”
B. We need to carry out our witnessing and ministry efforts with a positive attitude.
1. We are not the ones who have to persuade people to trust Christ.
2. It’s not up to us to try clever tricks to sell Jesus.
3. Christ is powerful enough to convict people of their sins and enact their salvation.
4. Our responsibility is simply to carry the message and to tell people how important it is.
CONCLUSION
A. We must believe people need the Lord, we must tell, we must rely on God’s guidance, we must break down ministry barriers, and we must expect results.
B. Jenna Day tells of a Christmas 20 years ago that she remembers well.
1. At her small school in central Maine, there were two classes for each grade: the children who got good grades, wore nice clothes and whose parents were in the PTA, and the kids who were in the slow class, and got poor grades.
2. She remembers the day when Marlene Crocker was transferred to the smarter class.
3. As she waited for the teacher to assign her a seat, the whispers began, “She’s not sitting beside me!”
4. One day, Jenna and her Mom were driving along a wooded back road that they seldom took when she saw a tar paper shack back in a big field littered with rusty cars.
5. Then she saw Marlene hanging out clothes.
6. Christmas arrived, and the time came for the class to draw names to exchange presents.
7. Marlene drew Jenna’s name, and Jenna felt cheated.
8. As the day came to open presents, everyone gathered around Jenna to see what pitiful present Marlene had bought her.
9. Marlene gave her a wallet made out of deerskin by her father, and Jenna thanked Marlene.
10. Years went by, and Jenna went to high school and college, losing contact with most of her childhood schoolmates.
11. She heard rumors of Marlene dropping out of school to help her mother, that she had married young and started a family.
12. One day, she came across the white doeskin wallet Marlene had given her.
13. She took it out and studied the intricate craftsmanship, then noticed a small piece of paper she had never seen before.
14. The paper said, “To my best friend.”
15. Every year, Jenna takes this gift out at Christmastime.
16. She told her small son the story of how she got that wallet.
17. He said, “Of all the gifts, that was the goodest gift, wasn’t it?”
18. Christ is the goodest gift, and we need to share him with others.
