Turning Religious Reluctance-5

TURNING RELIGIOUS RELUCTANCE-V—John 4:1-26

Turning the Religious Lost

Attention:

[Fox News news feed--04/12/2018—“The Associated Press contributed to this report”]

At around 7 p.m. on Sunday April 1st 2018, a newborn baby—with the umbilical cord still attached— was placed in the ‘Safe Haven Baby Box’ at in Coolspring Township(Indiana) Volunteer Fire Department, WSBT reported.

When the box, fitted with a heated mattress, is opened, a silent alarm goes off to alert first responders that a baby has been placed inside.

Lt. Chuck Kohler says he was on scene tending to the baby girl less than a minute after receiving a page Sunday night.

The baby girl was named ‘Grace’ by Lt.Kohler. She appeared to be healthy, & was taken to the hospital for care.

This makes the second time in five months that an infant was abandoned. The climate-controlled box was installed about two years ago to allow mothers to relinquish their newborns anonymously without fear of prosecution.

Safe Haven Laws within the state allow newborns under 30 days to be dropped off to any police department, fire station or hospital, WSBT reported.

Another baby girl was safely rescued after being left in the box on Nov. 7, 2017.

This is one of only two boxes in the entire country.”

We approach & respond to our world in tangible ways. We respond to the real needs of the world with certainty & the hope that something we do in Christ will bring about a lasting, Godward changing effect in the world.

These may be Reluctant to turn, But by the power of God, they are turnable nonetheless!

Jesus divulged/bore witness of/ His Messianic identity to a reluctant/hesitant but religious woman.

God’s people bear witness of Messiah’s/Jesus’ identity to reluctant religious people.

How/When will God’s people turn the reluctancy of the religious?

OR--What will turn that religious reluctancy around?

16 insights toward turning religious reluctance to God.

The last time we looked in these verses we found that,

Turning religious reluctance to God’s way requires...

1. SERVICE Insight(:1-3)

2. CONSEQUENTIAL Insight(:4-6)

3. COMPASSIONED Insight(:7-8)

4. BLIND/UNHINDERED Insight(:9)

5—Turning religious reluctance to God’s way requires...

POSSESSIVE Insight(:10)

Explanation:(:10)What do you have to offer others?

:10—“Jesus answered & said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, & who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, & He would have given you living water.”

Jesus “answered” the woman’s decisive query(:9). He matter-of-factly let her know that He possessed more pressing news/information(?) than her prejudices would disallow, dismiss, or invalidate.

He pointedly makes her aware that she herself is ignorant of something that is pertinent to her currently limiting lifestyle.

*Jesus immediately focuses on spiritual matters that are needful for the woman as well as on how those matters involve His own identity.

Every verbal & physical witness I undertake must point to Jesus.

We must have a concern for the spiritual lostness/neediness of others.

Jesus tests the woman’s pride &/or piques her interest by making sure that she knows that “God”—One in whom she believes—indeed extends/interjects a “gift” from Himself into the woman’s personal world. That “gift of God” is now before her & is none other than her visitor at Jacob’s well!

Jesus’ use of ‘“knew”(‘had known’) in the pluperfect tense ‘suggests’ that He is speaking in terms of that information of which she should have been aware all along, yet was not willing to believe...or was willing to reject.

He tells her this despite her own negative cultural perceptions & prejudices(:9).

He is letting her know that His situation, manner, & command to her should have brought her to rightly consider His station/position[Rabbi/Teacher/Savior/Lord] as well as her own.

Likewise, in America we deal with people who SHOULD know the truth of Christ Jesus, but have become personally disengaged with it because of church conflict & cultural misperceptions.

Had the woman been spiritually sensitive & attentive, then her recognition of Jesus would have compelled her to ask Him for “a drink” of the “living water” which only He could provide(cf.-:14). Jesus would have gladly gifted her with that spiritual “water.”

It is important to note in one’s being a Christian witness, that it is helpful if not very important to tie one’s witness to current situations which are pertinent to the target’s experience.

Such insight minimally requires a ‘relationship’ with the person that will allow you to Share Christ freely & with minimal distractions... But remember that the woman’s ‘relationship’ with Jesus has only the amount of time it has taken Jesus to converse with her & vice-versa.

Jesus’ way also attaches great significance to the use of illustration in painting a picture(‘a picture is worth a thousand words’) in order to enhance a verbal witness. Thus your personal testimony(a changed life) is key to instilling believability to the Good News.