As Jesus and His disciples traveled from Judea to Galilee, the Lord stopped at Jacob’s well in Samaria to rest while the disciples continued to the city to purchase food. It is recorded in John 4 that He conversed with the Samaritan woman, explaining to her that God seeks people to worship Him “in spirit and truth,” and revealing to her His Messianic identity. The Lord was so engrossed in this conversation, that He refused the food the disciples brought back to Him. He told them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”
The woman was so excited about Jesus that she left her waterpot behind, going back to the city and declaring, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
Twenty-first century Christians need to be as excited about the words of Jesus as this first century Samaritan woman. We need to be telling of His love and grace and mercy and forgiveness to anyone within earshot.
The Scriptures tell us that “many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman.” She was willing to tell others what she knew, and lead them to the Lord. When the Samaritans came to Him and learned from Him, “many more believed because of His own word.”
What can we learn from this? Start by putting it into your own words. Who is Jesus? What has He done? What can He do? Then, as your friends’ interest is piqued, lead them to learn from “His own word.” Help them learn about the redemption offered by the Father to all through the blood of His Son, using the Scriptures.
Everyone needs the gospel. Everyone needs the blood of Christ. Everyone needs someone to be excited enough and to love them enough to teach them the truth.
Category Archives: Articles
Missed Opportunities
A twenty-first century poet wrote, “Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?”
Regret is not a fun feeling. Many regret past actions, and sinful behaviors should cause a type of regret that leads to repentance and reconciliation with God. With God’s grace and mercy covering our sins, we can move beyond regret to serve Him faithfully, learning from our mistakes and helping others to avoid the same.
There is another type of regret, however, that is more difficult to move beyond: the regret of not doing something. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.” We can allow our missed opportunities to paralyze us, weighing us down with regret, or we can use them as motivation to act the next time God gives us an opportunity.
The greatest thing you can do for anyone is to teach them about Christ and the salvation He offers. Have you ever missed an opportunity to tell someone about the power of His blood? I have, and I regret it. But I cannot allow that regret to prevent me from grabbing the next chance I have to lead someone to the truth.
The apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). The famous Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei advised, “Stop worrying about missed opportunities and start looking for new ones.” Where will you start looking? Who will you share the gospel with this week?
Fairweather Followers
The Oakland A’s were the best team in baseball in 1972, defeating the Reds four games to three in the World Series. Returning to the airport in Oakland after the deciding game in Cincinnati, the team was greeted by a throng of adoring “fans.” The players, however, said it was the first time some of them had seen the team in person. Third baseman Sal Bando said, “It was a madhouse. You couldn’t walk through the place. The fans were hysterical. We wondered where they came from, because they’d never been at the ballpark.”
How will Christ react to His many adoring “followers” when He returns? Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Oakland’s attendance in 1972 was just under one million, 14th among the 24 major league teams. A championship team should not be in the bottom half in attendance, but it seems that the people of Oakland just didn’t expect the A’s to continue winning.
“Fairweather fans” will root with all their might when their team is winning, but switch allegiance as soon as there is trouble on the field. Sadly, the same is true in many congregations. “Fairweather followers” will never miss a worship service while they agree with the elders and preachers, but as soon as they feel someone stepping on their toes, their fidelity falters. Their attendance slips, they miss opportunities for fellowship, and may even start badmouthing the church to their friends.
When things aren’t going well, when temptations hit harder, when we feel all alone—that’s when we need the church the most. Work on developing a faith like those in Hebrews 11; don’t be a “fairweather follower.”
The Joy of Mercy
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus delivered several beatitudes, or “blessed” sayings. The Lord taught His disciples how they could be truly happy by identifying character traits of the joyous. Among those exhortations, Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). The wise man in Proverbs 14:21: “He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy to the poor, happy is he.” Extending mercy to those around us will result in joy.
It has been said that grace is getting what you do not deserve, while mercy is not getting what you do deserve. How many people can say they deserve salvation? The prophet Isaiah said, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). The apostle Paul reminds us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). As one of my Bible teachers often said, “You can’t get ‘all’-er than ‘all.’” In other words, there is no one excluded from the word “all.”
Without God’s mercy, we are without hope. But God provides mercy to those who extend mercy. Conversely, those who are unmerciful toward their brother will face harsher judgment from the Almighty. “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).
When Peter asked how many times he should forgive his brother in Matthew 18, suggesting that seven times should surely be sufficient, Jesus answered, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” He then told a parable about an unmerciful man who, despite the great mercy shown to him, was unforgiving of his brother. His master “delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.” Jesus concluded, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
The bottom line is this: if you crave God’s mercy, be merciful to your fellow man!
Obedience Requires Humility
Paul, Silas, and their fellow workers in the Lord encountered a great number of people on their missionary journey. Some of those people received their teachings, while others rejected the message of God. When they arrived in Philippi, the missionaries went to the riverside where a group of spiritually-minded women were praying on the Sabbath.
One of those women was named Lydia. As Paul taught the truth of Jesus Christ, Lydia’s heart was opened and she heeded his words. “And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ So she persuaded us” (Acts 16:15).
What a precious response to the Word of God. Luke does not record any arguing over the doctrine. Lydia did not make excuses for her shortcomings, nor did she “agree to disagree” with what Paul taught. She heard, she believed, and she was baptized.
How do you feel when you find out you have been wrong about something? Perhaps your boss showed you a more efficient way to do your job. Do you resist the change just because you have been doing it your way for years? Or do you recognize that there is a better way, and adjust accordingly?
Spiritually speaking, the new covenant of Jesus is “a better covenant” than the old Law of Moses, offering “a better hope” (Hebrews 7:19,22; 8:6). Christianity is better than any other religion, because it is the only path to salvation. Jesus Christ, and only Jesus Christ, is “the way, the truth, and the life.” He said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
The church must follow the Word of God, and only the Word of God. No denominational creeds, no catechisms, nothing more and nothing less than the inspired Word. It is not arrogance, but rather humility, to recognize that we cannot improve upon His revelation. The Father said of Jesus, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Luke 9:35).
Useful
When Barnabas and Saul embarked on their first missionary journey, John Mark traveled with them as their assistant (Acts 13:5), but he did not stay with the mission long (Acts 13:13). We are not told the precise reason for Mark’s departure, but he violated Paul’s trust when he left.
In fact, Paul’s distrust was so great that he refused to give Mark another chance on his second missionary trip, despite Barnabas’ suggestion. “Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another” (Acts 15:39).
Paul was focused on the work and strengthening the churches that were established during the first trip, and did not want to be distracted by Mark’s shortcomings; Paul did not want to risk a second abandonment. Barnabas, on the other hand, wanted to encourage Mark in his labors for the Lord and provide him the emotional support he needed in his service.
How many people disappear from the Lord’s service today? What should we do when we see someone drifting away from the faith? Paul himself wrote that we should “restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
When we mess up, we may disappoint family and friends, but that does not mean we are forever useless. It may take time to rebuild trust, but if we are diligent and faithful, it can be accomplished, just as Mark eventually won back Paul’s trust (2 Timothy 4:11).
It starts small. We should not expect someone to entrust us with a major task if we have not proved ourselves with simpler things. Read Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. What does Jesus say to those who were faithful and fruitful? What does He say to the man who did nothing with that which was entrusted to him?
It is very important that we serve the Lord to the best of our ability and not give up. But if we do stumble, know that we can turn ourselves around and become useful to Him again.
Our Relationship to the World
Paul wrote that Christians were “not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10). He reminded the Ephesians that before their conversion, “you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:12-13).
How did those Christians become Christians? “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?…So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:14,17). It has been said that every Christian is a walking sermon, so we should carefully consider our conduct when we are in the company of those who are outside the church. Our example and influence could be what leads them to Christ, but it could also be what drives them away.
With these things in mind, let us consider the Lord’s teaching as it refers to His disciples’ relationship to the world: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
How have you let your light shine so far in 2017?
Be better, live better, serve better
A new year is upon us; many people make resolutions to better themselves. Eat healthier, exercise more, read more, write more, learn a new instrument…the potential positive resolutions are numerous. There are, of course, more important resolutions than these. Children of God should be continually examining themselves spiritually and resolving to be better, not just at the beginning of the calendar year.
The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Paul recognized that he still had work to do. He knew he could be better, live better, serve better. Christians today should realize that we, too, must continue to “press toward the goal” as long as we have breath in us. We cannot allow our past mistakes and forgiven sins to hold us back, rather “forgetting those things that are behind” (the failures of 2016) “and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (the opportunities that await us in 2017 and beyond).
Can you resolve each morning that you wake up to be better than you were yesterday? Live better than you did yesterday? Serve better than you did yesterday?
Alive in Christ
I answer some interesting phone calls at the 911 center. Just a few days ago, I spoke to a confused individual who was trying to figure out whether he was alive or dead. After determining his location, my co-workers sent police and an ambulance to help him. The officers wanted him to come downstairs to his front door to meet them, to which he said, “Well, if I’m a ghost, I can just float down there!” I agreed with his logic, and suggested that he try walking through the door without opening it. “If you can’t float through the door, you’re not a ghost,” I advised.
While the incident was amusing and sad at the same time, many Christians live in the same state of doubt, unsure whether they are alive or dead spiritually. When a person obeys the gospel, God moves him from a state of spiritual death to life.
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together in Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:1-7).
Don’t be confused anymore. If you have obeyed from the heart the gospel and are striving to live faithfully for the Lord, you are alive in Him!
Jesus Heals a Paralytic Man
Have you ever wanted to meet someone so badly that you were willing to do just about anything to meet them? When Jesus walked the earth, people traveled from great distances and fought enormous crowds to get close to the Savior. Some—such as the paralytic man in Mark 2—put even more effort into it.
There are several things that we can learn from this incident. First, we learn that Christ “preached the word to them” (Mark 2:2). Jesus was compassionate and healed many people, but that was not His main purpose here. His primary goal was to teach truth. Likewise, we can do all the good deeds in the world, but if we’re not teaching people about God’s love and His grace and our response to that, and trying to lead others to Him, we’re not doing enough.
Another valuable lesson here is the importance of friendship. Friends help each other achieve their goals, no matter what obstacles are placed before them. They came to this house and there was a tremendous crowd, but they were determined to get the paralytic man before the Lord. They uncovered a portion of the roof and lowered their friend down to be near the Lord.
A third important lesson is the power and authority of the Son of God. Jesus upset the scribes when He told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” The reasoned, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
James Burton Coffman writes, “The declaration of Jesus had profound implications: (1) it was an assertion of his deity…(2) It was an indication that he had read the hearts…and that he had determined the spiritual attitude of the man to have been fully consistent with the reward bestowed. (3) It proved that Jesus understood the man’s greater need as forgiveness, and so that was given first.”
The people who witnessed this miracle glorified God. Likewise, we should recognize the good things that happen today and give praise to God.
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