Ken Lovelace Ministries

F a i t h M a t t e r s
with Dr. Ken Lovelace
Week of August 30, 2010
Emphasis: Witnessing

"Who, Me, A Witness?
You've Gotta Be Kidding!"
John 4:1-42
Part 2

Statistics reveal that more than 40% of the unchurched say they'd go to church if someone would just invite them. "Would you like to come to church with me?" is a great way to begin a discussion with your family, friends, or neighbors. It's very similar, in fact, to what the woman at the well sought to accomplish when she said, "He told me everything I ever did." It's a way to introduce others to the Savior. The results of her testimony were astounding. Let's continue our study of vs. 39 to understand why (Click here to read Part 1).

II. Why was sharing her testimony with the townspeople so remarkable?

A. Because of her lifestyle - Having had so many men in her life, it's amazing so many people even gave her the time of day.

Perhaps it was because she was an outcast that Jesus chose to speak to her. He's good at rooting for the underdog, befriending the friendless, and seeking out the downtrodden.

B. Because of her gender - women, especially of her social standing, were usually not allowed to speak in a gathering of men, especially on spiritual matters, especially when her lifestyle was contrary to spiritual truth.

C. Because of Jesus' race - He transcends race and yet encompasses all races. Jews hated Samaritans and called them impure. They were Jews who, upon their return from exile in Babylon, mixed their worship of false gods with the worship of Yahweh. For this, and other reasons, the Jews would have nothing to do with the Samaritans (Manners & Customs, 198).

Samaritans, no doubt, knew how the Jews felt about them; but they didn't care when they learned that the Jew named Jesus was really the Messiah. They were open to Him and readily received Him as Savior because of the testimony of one of their own.

D. Because she was not an evangelist, but she was a witness. She shared her testimony and left the results up to God. Did you know that that is all God expects of you? We often feel that since we're not evangelists, since we haven't been through an Evangelism Explosion-type program, that we aren't capable of telling others about Jesus or inviting them to church. But Satan has many other lies, too. Don't fall prey to his tactics, you share as she shared and leave the results to God.

III. What was the result? She was used of God for three reasons

A. She was touched (she loved God)

B. She was willing and available (she loved others)

C. She could not keep to herself a Savior who so radically transformed her life (the Gospel spilled out of the overflow of Jesus in her life).

She encountered the Savior. She responded to His message. She shared her newfound faith through her testimony. Our Father expects nothing less from those of us who've accepted His gift of our salvation.

Conclusion

A Churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" (Contributed by: Bradley Clark).

Do you need to make a commitment to the Lord to share your testimony with those God brings into your life? He's always available if you sense He's leading you to make that commitment today. Why not do it now?

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