10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water." ESV
This week Rick Phillips has some challenging thoughts for us as men about why our witness is often ineffective. Chapter 10 of Jesus the Evangelist pivots on Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. The Samaritan woman was captivated by the idea of living water that would forever quench her thirst. Jesus was offering something that commanded her attention. Here are excerpts from the chapter.
"The souls of men and women are thirsty for God, whether they know it or not. Nothing except God can satisfy the soul made by God for Himself. St. Augustine wrote at the beginning of his Confessions: “You have made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Psalm 42:1 speaks for us all: “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.”
This was true for the Samaritan woman and it is true for you. You may have all this world can offer—riches, rank, place, and power—yet be utterly unfulfilled. Isn’t this the story of our time? Amidst gaudy affluence and every-ready entertainment, ours is a generation aching with thirst …
This was Jesus’ message to the woman at the well. He told her that as long as she continued drinking from worldly troughs, she would always thirst again. But, He added, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him well become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14) …
…Jesus spoke of a change that would result … new life from the Holy Spirit. To be born again is to have a spiritual fountain welling up within you, as God Himself lives and moves in your heart.
The results of this change … are faith, godliness, and unfailing spiritual joy … If you are a Christian, are you experiencing this?… Tragically, far too many Christians have found the true fountain of eternal, spiritual life but know little of its blessings of righteousness, peace, and joy. This is one reason our witness is often ineffective.
There are a number of explanations for this. Some Christians live close to the world and fill their hearts with worldly things. Are you like that? … If so, wean your heart from earthly pleasures and start serving Jesus at home, in your work, and in your play. Stop craving for worldly success, stop drinking from worldly troughs, and renew your commitment to Christ, and you will find refreshing waters flowing freely once again. Other Christians have stopped up the spring of the Holy Spirit with sinful habits or attitudes. If you are truly a Christian, you can never ultimately block God’s Spirit, but how much better for you to repent or forgive as needed and to walk in the light, cleansed by Christ’s blood and refreshed by His fellowship." (Phillips, 125-129)
Perhaps the reason that your witness for Christ is not compelling to others is that it is not compelling to you. Do you stand out in relief from the world around you? What is it that makes you different from those with whom you hang out? Jesus offered something more than just a list of “don'ts.” Jesus offered this woman what she didn't have– something that would forever quench the thirst for satisfaction. You can share common interests with others, but do you represent something beyond that commonality? For example, you can share being a fan of a particular team with friends, but is your mood dominated by that team’s performance? If your common bond with these fans is “wait till next year,” you offer nothing more than what they already have. You offer water that will soon leave them thirsty again. Perhaps you share a love of the outdoors and hunting with others. If your common interests focus on the beauty of the woods and the stillness of the early morning as you wait for a buck, you offer only water that satisfies for the moment, but lacks true satisfaction. Or perhaps your area of commonality with others centers on financial stability. But do those others see you as someone whose true stability has nothing to do with the ups and downs of the economy?
As men we are called to be leaders. Where are we leading our families and friends? To be men who have something truly valuable to offer, we must be finding our own satisfaction in the living water. When we are, we will want to offer it to others.
Take some time to consider why your witness for Christ is not as effective as it should be. Do you live so close to the world that your friends think you drink from the same water that they do? Think carefully about how you can offer living water to those around you. Make this a matter of prayer. Talk about this in your ministry group.
Dr. Gore’s Notes
Here is the link to R.J. Gore’s notes from our retreat. Why not take a moment and drop Dr. Gore an email of appreciation for his time with us.
rgore@erskine.edu
No comments:
Post a Comment