Sharing the Gospel
On March 28, 2003 Trooper Christopher Finney was driving one of two Scimitar armoured vehicles that were engaged in a probing mission north of Basra in Iraq. Suddenly two American A10 ground attack aircraft mistakenly attacked his troop. Both vehicles caught fire and ammunition began to explode inside the turrets. Trooper Finney managed to escape from his driving position and was heading to safety himself when he noted that his vehicle’s gunner was trapped in the turret. Ignoring the risks, the smoke and the flames he returned to haul out the injured gunner and move him to a safer position. The planes then reattacked and both the men were injured. Trooper Finney then realised that the driver of the second Scimitar was still in the burning vehicle, and he went to rescue him as well. In spite of the risks he climbed onto the vehicle only to be beaten back by the exploding ammunition and the flames. For this bravery, Trooper Finney, then only 18 years old, was awarded the George Cross, the first to be awarded for 14 years.
The rescue mission that we have been commissioned to undertake is also risky and at times difficult. The apostle Jude describes our mission in equally dramatic terms,
“Snatch others from the fire and save them.” Jude 23
In this case the fire is the even more serious fire of hell, that Jesus himself warned us all about.
“It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” Mark 9:47-48
Some of those we long to reach for God may seem out of our reach, yet one of the marks that we have the Spirit of God in us is that we long to rescue those who are perishing. Sometimes it appears that they are perishing because of ignorance. They do not know that there is a rescue package freely available for those who turn back to God. We have been commissioned to explain this to them.
The problem is how are we to rescue them. Jesus himself has given us a great example as to how to go about this. Today many Christians think and pray in terms of mass revival, thousands turning to God. Yet both the Bible and the history of revivals teach that God works with individuals. A revival is largely the effect of individuals passing the message on to their friends and families who themselves pass it on in a cascade effect.
The Bible claims to be God’s eternal word to mankind. It teaches us not only by precept but also by example. In John 4 we are given a remarkable example of how Jesus approached a stranger in order to win them for the Kingdom of God, his kingdom. The ‘Woman of Samaria’ is so different from Jesus in many ways.
Racial Differences. The Samaritans of Jesus’ day were a mixed racial group descended from those Israelites from the Northern Kingdom left behind after the Assyrian exile, and those people with various religions who were settled in that area through the settlement policies of the Assyrian and Babylonian empires.
Religion. When the Jewish kingdom was re-established after their return from the Babylonian exile, the ‘Samaritans’ with their syncristic religion were not acceptable to the Jewish people. They formed their own community with its own identity with its own temple on Mount Gerizim, until Hycanus destroyed this in 128 BC, during the Maccabean revolt. They did accept as authoritative the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, so there was a mixed reception to them by Jewish authorities. The orthodox wholeheartedly despised the Samaritans so intensely that they avoided their territory as much as possible. Most Jews, journeying up to Galilee from Jerusalem and the South would try to avoid going through Samaria, opting instead to go by the longer detour up beside the Jordan river. Only those in a hurry would take the direct route.
Gender. No orthodox Jew would enter a discussion with a woman for fear of being accused of impropriety. One Rabbi wrote,
“A man shall not be alone with a woman in an inn, not even with his sister or his daughter, on account of what men may think. A man shall not talk with a woman in the street, not even with his own wife, and especially not with another woman, on account of what men may say.”
4. Moral. This woman’s sexual ethics left a lot to be desired. Jesus knew that she had had five husbands and that she was not married to her present partner. Yet he, the Holy One of God was willing to get involved with her for her salvation.
The woman herself clearly understood the unusual conversation she was involved in, saying,
“ ‘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.)” John 4:9
This story of the encounter of the Samaritan woman with Jesus contrasts significantly with that in the previous chapter with Nicodemus, the Orthodox Jewish leader, who was a member of the ruling Sanhedrin. John has clearly put these two stories in adjacent positions in order to make it clear that God’s kingdom is open to all people of all religious and ethnic backgrounds and to people of both sexes.
What practical lessons can we learn from this encounter as we follow the example of our Saviour in leading others into the Kingdom of God?
Enter their world.
The story begins with the statement,
“Now he had to go through Samaria.” John 4:4
As we have already seen, this is not geographically correct so there must have been another reason why he ‘had to go through Samaria’. The only indication for this in the story is the subsequent conversation with this Samaritan woman. If Jesus was willing to break social customs to go to where this woman was, should today’s churches and Christians not do the same? The strategy of putting on a weekly gospel service in our churches needs to be rethought if very few outsiders come. We need to take real risks to go into their world so that we may have the opportunity to share the gospel message. It hardly needs to be said that just being in their world and not saying anything about the gospel achieves little more than Christians remaining in their church ghettos. We may feel more comfortable if we spend much of our time with friends who think just like us and who enjoy the same things as we do, but we would not be following the example of our Lord. Could this be why many churches in the West are getting older and smaller?
Just as Jesus was sent into the world in order to save the world (John 3:16-17), so we have been commissioned to continue his work, acting as his body. Certainly the activities of ordinary Christians are the key to evangelism, we have much greater opportunities for meeting the lost than professional clergymen. It is feared that the terrorist movement, Al Queda, has many ‘sleepers’ waiting to be activated. They have a message of destruction. The church also has many ‘sleepers’ who unfortunately are not waiting to be activated even though their message is one of life and hope. God has put us where we are so that we can pass on the message about how they can get right with God.
It is a great improvement if this gospel work is done in all Christians’ homes and not just in churches, but it is even better if Christians can get to know people in their own environment and pass on the message there.
Individuals matter
Modern advertising technique is all about mass appeal. Jesus was primarily interested in individuals. Certainly he taught large crowds but again it was to invite a personal response to himself. If he had stood on a busy street corner in Sychar wearing a sandwich board telling of future destruction, it is very doubtful whether Jesus would have had the effect he achieved using a more personal approach. Indeed this passage stresses this fact,
“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” John 4:39
The whole Bible is full of stories of individuals who were followers of the Lord. However they were introduced to the gospel message, they all had to make a personal response to the Lord and decide whether they were going to trust him for the future and live in obedience to him. This responsibility to bring our family and friends to Christ is highlighted at the beginning of John’s gospel. John the Baptist indicated to two of his followers that Jesus was ‘the Lamb of God’ and these two transferred their allegiance to Jesus. After they had spent a day with Jesus they were convinced that he was indeed the Messiah. One of these two was called Andrew.
“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.” John 1:40-42
It was this Peter who later persuaded 3,000 men in Jerusalem to put their trust in Jesus at his first sermon, given after the Pentecostal experience.
So we must pray and live so as to win individuals for Christ. Will you commit yourself every day to pray that God will give you opportunities and that he will work in other ways to confront our friends and colleagues with Jesus, their Lord and Saviour?
Encourage a spiritual interest
A few people try the ‘in your face’, head on approach to evangelism but all too often this results in confrontation and an animosity to the gospel. Jesus’ approach here is much more subtle. He gets alongside the woman and finds a common interest. It is from this base that he explains the gospel. They were both thirsty, as it was midday and the sun was at its height. It was more usual for the women to be drawing water in the cool of the evening. What is interesting is why she had come to this well at all. Could it be because of her bad reputation that she tried to avoid others in the town? There was probably other water in Sychar. One scholar reckons that there are as many as eighty springs in that area. When they appeared however is not known, and it is unlikely that Jacob would have bothered to dig a deep well if other water was readily available. This well was over 100 feet deep and would require a special leather bucket attached to a long rope to draw water. Jesus and his disciples would not have one of these.
Jesus had sent his disciples into the town to obtain some food whilst he sat down ‘by the well’. It was as if he was waiting for someone and to this end was ready to inconvenience himself in the heat of the day. Otherwise he would surely have joined his disciples in the shade of the town streets.
When the woman approached, Jesus so wisely asked her for help. A very good way to enter people’s confidence is to ask for their assistance.
Another way is to be kind and generous to those we want to befriend. There is a powerful link between random acts of kindness by Christians and others coming to praise God for themselves. Jesus mentioned this in the Sermon on the Mount.
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Paul alludes to this connection in one of his famous passages discussing evangelism,
“Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” Col 4:5
On the day we first moved to Letchworth two Christian ladies we did not know brought round meals to our new home. That was over twenty years ago. Both ladies and their families are now close friends. In the same way we need to think of ways to help others to feel loved. Help others with their problems. Watch rugby matches on the television together. Invite them to the cinema with you. Have meals together. Care for them because Jesus cares for us. There is no end to what we can do to help introduce others to Jesus. Do you remember the initiative the four friends had to introduce their paralysed friend to Jesus? The crowd prevented a direct approach so they hoisted the paralysed man up onto the flat roof, lifted up the matted roofing and lowered him through the hole, as a sort of breach delivery in front of Jesus. That man was both forgiven his sins and was healed of his paralysis – and all through the determination of the four friends.
Start the conversation on a common subject
When we learn an outline of the gospel it is usual to begin with sin, and how this separates us from God who loves us, then to explain how Jesus died on the cross as my substitute, bearing my sin, and finishing with what it means to repent and to put our trust in the Lord Jesus so that the offer of forgiveness should become a promise to me.
Although this is indeed the kernel of the gospel it is usually not the best starting point in a conversation. The subject of sin can cause offence and result in the conversation becoming heated which is clearly counter-productive. Jesus begins with a common problem, the need for a drink, and goes on from there to the bigger problems. Water from Jacob’s well would only temporarily quench a physical thirst whereas the spiritual water would satisfy permanently. He explains that this is available as gift from himself.
“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.” John 4:10
The Greek word for ‘gift’ used here is unique in the four records of the gospel and stresses the freeness of the gift. The word ‘you’ is also emphatic, this message is highly personal and demands a response. ‘Living water’ is also interesting as it usually meant fresh water that flowed, as from a spring, in contrast to water obtained from a well.
Although Rabbi’s did use the term ‘water’ as a spiritual symbol, they did not use the phrase ‘living water’ in this sense. Flowing or living water was preferred by the Rabbis for ritual purification and it could be that Jesus is referring to this idea. It is, after all, a permanent purification from sin that Jesus came to bring, so that we could be acceptable to God. Some Samaritan writers however did use the term ‘living water’ in the same sense as John.
In the Old Testament Jehovah is named as the source of ‘living water’.
“They (Israel) have forsaken me, the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jer 2:13
Isaiah also uses the same idea for this satisfaction God wants to give,
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.” Isa 55:1
David also taught this concept,
“For with you is the fountain of life.” Psalm 37:7
Jesus however frequently used the term ‘living water’ and always referred to himself as the source, inferring that he was the Lord God.
“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
Soon after this Jesus refers to ‘living water’ as something that satisfies and that will flow out from his followers to satisfy others. Here he is talking about the Holy Spirit.
“ ‘If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive.” John 7:37-39
Similarly when we are talking with people about spiritual matters it is also important that we start with a common subject but then move onto the subject of Jesus as naturally as possible. This is what Jesus did with the woman at Samaria and she quickly recognised this shift of emphasis.
“Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself.” John 4:11-12
It is so easy to get into religious discussions, but that is not evangelism unless we get onto the subject of who Jesus is and what he came to do.
This ability to direct conversations does take some practice but it is an important art. Billy Graham was once having dinner with a group of people. The lady opposite asked him,
“Mr Graham, have you always been religious.”
He could have gone straight into a sermon and not given the lady a chance to be involved any further in the conversation. Instead he wisely replied,
“Not at all. I had no interest until I was 18 when something happened to me.”
A brilliant reply as it leaves the door wide open for the inevitable next question.
“What did happen?”
Then he was able to give his testimony without reservation because that was what she had asked. Furthermore he was able to shift the conversation away from himself onto the topic of Jesus, who he is and the eternal life he offers.
The Problem of Sin
The Samaritan lady is interested in the concept of living water but from her reply it is clear that she has not understood what Jesus was getting at.
“Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
There are so many subjects that can link us with the individual we are talking to. Since the gospel is ultimately to do with the consequences of sin, Jesus now and only now, switches to this subject. He brings up her unsettled lifestyle and the fact that she has had five husbands and that she is not married to her present partner. Yet note there is no sense of criticism in his comment, just an exposure of what was going on in her life. He clearly recognised the distinction between the consequences of sin and sin itself. The Bible clearly teaches that sin separates us from God and that we all suffer from this consequence.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear.” Isa 59:2
“There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God.” Rom 3:10-11
“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom 3:22-23
The consequences of this separation from God are vast and include such symptoms as the following.
Inability to control ourselves
Many people admit that there are areas of their lives that they are not in control of. Addictions are so common. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs and food addiction are widespread. We find it difficult to control our tongues, we gossip, we swear and talk maliciously about others. Insatiable sexual appetites, which pornography only feeds, are destructive yet we crave for more. Pornography has aptly been described as addictive prostitution of the mind. All these habits isolate us from others and cause inner distress to ourselves. Yet we feel powerless to change.
Lack of Purpose
A survey for ‘USA Today’ asked the question “If you could ask a supreme being any question, what would it be? The responses were as follows,
34% “What is the purpose of my life?”
19% “What about life after death?”
16% “Why do bad things happen?”
A lack of purpose is a major symptom of a self-centred life. The influential newspaper columnist, Bernard Levin, summarised this when he wrote,
“Have I time to discover why I was born before I die? . . . . (Because) I am unable to believe it was an accident and if it wasn’t one, it must have a meaning.”
Loneliness
There is an epidemic of loneliness in western societies, particularly, but not only amongst the elderly. The existentialist writer, Jean-Paul Sartre was obsessed with the meaninglessness and loneliness of life. He wrote a book called, “No Exit” and he told us that there is no exit from the human dilemma of hopelessness. No way out! Gratefully, because of the Lord Jesus, his analysis need not be true.
Dissatisfaction
When we were younger there was a tendency to think that all will be well when we are ‘grown up’, not realising that we will then face bigger demands. A little boy was telling his parents how much he was looking forward to being older but expressed it unfortunately,
“I’m really looking forwards to adultery.”
It is important when we are talking to people to stress that two things happen when we truly turn to Christ. The first is immediate. It is called ‘justification’. We are forgiven and given a new status as ‘Children of God’. Our adoption has been confirmed. Our names have been written in the ‘Book of Life’. The second is a slower process; it is the gradual change of our characters to become more like Jesus. This involves commitment from us and is a tough, disciplined process. It is called ‘sanctification’, the business of becoming more like our Lord and Saviour. There will still be scars from the old life. The alcoholic will still have to battle against drink, though he now has a power to back him in this, the power of the Holy Spirit. The single mother with an illegitimate child will still have the child to care for. Certain things do continue, but there is now God’s help at hand.
Avoid Religious Debates
How common it is, when talking about spiritual matters for the subject to shift back to religion and different religious practices. The Samaritan woman attempted to do just this.
“Sir,” the woman said,” I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” John 4:19-20
Note how Jesus refused to become entangled in a religious debate; he wanted to remind her of the type of worship God wants. God can only be properly worshipped when this is in accord with his wishes. There is no point in bowing down to a wooden statue, hoping that this will somehow please God, if he has clearly stated that it will not.
Emphasise Jesus
The whole Bible is clear on this. Our worship is not acceptable to God unless it is through his son, Jesus Christ. In our discussions we must keep to the question of who Jesus is and how he wants us to live. Even the Samaritan woman recognised that the Messiah would have the ultimate authority on these things. Note the clear reply of Jesus.
“The woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” John 4:25-26
Jesus is not ashamed of who he is and neither should his followers be. So often you hear Christians saying to their friends, “I believe . . . .” or “We believe . . .”. We must try to avoid such phrases since the obvious response is, “Well, I believe differently . . .”. So a religious debate begins, which seldom gets anywhere. It is much better to pass the buck back to Jesus. If instead we say, “But Jesus said . . . .” we are back on the subject of the authority of Jesus and whether we need to take what he said seriously.
Ultimately it is not Jesus who will be in the dock - it is us. In ‘God in the Dock’ C.S.Lewis wrote,
“The ancient man approached God (or even the gods) as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man the roles are reversed. He is the judge. God is in the dock. He is quite a kindly judge:- if God should have a reasonable defence for being the God who permits war, poverty and disease, he is ready to listen to it. The trial may even end in God’s acquittal. But the important thing is that man is on the bench and God is in the dock.”
The apostle Paul recognised the importance of this but went even further. He knew the subject must be Jesus and in particular he wanted everyone to know the significance of his cross. What mattered most was that people should know about the message of the gospel and that they should know that this was his great concern. His demeanour was only a bridge to this end. Their eternal salvation depended on their response to Jesus.
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Cor 2:2
Many years ago in London, there was a meeting of many notable people. Among the guests was a famous preacher, Caesar Milan. A young lady who both played the piano and sang entertained the group. Everyone was thrilled by the performance. As they were having refreshments, Caesar Milan started talking with the young pianist. He started by congratulating her on her performance but then added,
“I thought, as I listened to you tonight how tremendously the cause of Christ would be benefited if your talents were dedicated to his cause. You know young lady that you are as much a sinner in the sight of God as a drunkard in the ditch or a harlot on scarlet street. But I am glad to tell you that the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, can cleanse from all sin.”
The young woman was taken aback by this talk of sin and said the same to the preacher. To this Caesar Milan graciously replied,
“Lady, I mean no offence. I pray God’s Spirit will convict you.”
They all returned to their homes, but the young lady could not sleep. Those words rang through her mind and that night she committed herself to live for the Lord Jesus. Some years later, that young lady who was to suffer from chronic ill health wrote a poem about that experience. Her name was Charlotte Elliott and the poem became a famous and very helpful hymn.
“Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and wanting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”
The Desire to pass the Message on
This woman was obviously convinced about Jesus. She left the water jar she had brought with her and returned to the town to start others thinking about Jesus. She said to the people,
“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” John 4:29
She was clearly convincing because the people came out of the town to meet Jesus and many of them believed in him ‘because of the woman’s testimony’.
What a wonderful thing it is to see new Christians so enthused about their new Lord that they want others to know him too. They pass on what they are clear about. Today there is a fashion that gives priority to doubt over faith. People will talk of ‘blind faith’ and ‘honest doubt’ but you never hear of ’blind doubt’ or ‘honest faith’. In every walk of life you have to start with something positive and then balance this with some doubt. If we doubt everything we will know nothing whereas if we believe everything uncritically that leads makes us gullible. Knowledge rests on honest faith trimmed with honest doubts. There was a Cambridge student who had a poster in his room.
“Descartes said that the only thing he was certain about was his doubts . . . but how could he be so sure?”
This longing to talk about our Lord and Saviour is one of the marks of His Spirit being present. The Psalms are full of this.
“Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.” Psalm 66:16-17
All of us have questions to which we are unsure of the answers. If we concentrate on the person of Jesus and the importance of a relationship with him, we will be much more benefit to those we talk to than speculating about these other matters.
In his excellent book, ‘Called to Greatness’, from which I have gleaned some of the ideas for this article, Ron Hutchcraft tells the story of his daughter, Lisa, who was in an English lesson at school when the discussion turned to religion. The teacher asked,
“How many of you believe in something so strongly that you are willing to die for it?”
One hand went up, it was Lisa’s. The teacher then asked,
“Lisa, what would you be willing to die for?”
“For my relationship with Jesus Christ,” she answered bravely.
The teacher then said,
“Class, how many of you would be willing to die for your religion?”
Lisa raised her hand again and asked to speak.
“Actually, I wouldn’t die for my religion. I said I would die for my relationship with Jesus Christ.
A young man, brought up in a Christian family went away to university. He returned home and proudly said to his father,
“Dad, now I’ve been to university, I’m no longer sure I can go along with your `simple, childlike faith in the Bible’s message about Jesus.”
His father sat there studying his son with unblinking eyes. Finally he said,
“Son, that is your freedom – your terrible freedom.”
We all have the freedom to turn our backs on the truth, to go our own way and reject the man who entered this world as the Son of God. If we reject him we are also turning our backs on all the evidence that he is indeed ‘the way, the truth and the life’ (John 14:6).
BVP
April 2004
