outreach samaritan style, PART 1

John 4:7 and John 4:42 are the reference bookends for the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Jesus deliberately went through Samaria and found this woman who was drawing water from the well. I notice several things in this story that I wanted to highlight to illustrate the truth concerning Isaiah 12:3. I want to describe here more of what I observe from this great interchange between Jesus and the woman at the well that basically says a lot about outreach, even the process of outreach.
First, Jesus went out of his way to go to Samaria. That is exactly what we should do if we want others to know the Good News. Second, he engaged her in conversation where she was. She was drawing water from a well, so He asked her to get him a drink of water. The resulting conversation led to her new life. For the believer to see genuine results from outreach, having gone out of his way, we must find a way to talk to people about where they are at right now. She was drawing water, so that's what Jesus spoke to her about. She asked him doctrinal questions. She even challenged him concerning His beliefs. We should likewise be prepared for that. The pluralism of this culture is so ingrained in the minds of people that I've even heard church members say they are not sure if truth is relative or absolute. Oh, it is absolute and the truth is found in Jesus. (John 14:6) ….back to the woman and Jesus. Having answered her questions He took it to another level (John 4:13-14) by letting her know that what He has to share was of eternal value, compared to regular water that had temporal value. This is another area where we can take instruction concerning evangelism, outreach, witnessing, or sharing the Gospel (whatever label you prefer). We have the best news in the world (Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1, Romans 10:9-10). When we talk to others about Christ, we have to find ways that help them understand the grand distinction between following what this world has to offer (which is temporal) and what Jesus has to offer (life everlasting, the abundant life today). What follows in this story is the woman who can't believe what Jesus told her (you are right in saying you don't have a husband, in fact you've had five husbands)! This is the crucial piece that I think we ignore…..The power of God. Unfortunately, too many people think that this was special because Jesus was Jesus and He could do miracles but we can't. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was Jesus who said "Greater works than these shall you do because I go to My Father" (John 14:12-14). In fact, Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promise of the Father before going out to the worldwide ministry He called for in Matthew 28:19-20. God can and will use us as we get the Gospel to those who have never heard and believe that He will provide all the equipment that we need.  Praise God!

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