Do not let satan mess with your Mind

When satan invades our mind and thought-life, our perspective of God alters and distorts. Let me prove this to you through some major events recorded in the Bible.

1. In the Garden of Eden both Adam and Eve enjoyed God’s presence immensely. I think it is reasonable to assume that they had a fairly clear picture of God and His immutable characteristics (Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Omniscience). Yet we see that after they sinned (satan messed with their minds) they ran to hide behind a tree! Did they think they could hide themselves from this Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient God? Apparently sin had blinded and distorted their perspective about the very God whom they knew intimately till then.
2. Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ twelve chosen disciples. He spent almost three and a half years nurtured, protected and provided for by Jesus the Rabbi. Yet on that fateful hour while partaking off the last supper with Jesus and His disciples, satan entered Judas (Luke 22.3-4) and he betrayed his master for thirty silver coins. Up to that point, Judas was an accepted religious leader who raised the dead, cast out demons and healed the sick. What changed? Judas lent a receptive ear to satan and his lies which distorted his mind and blinded him to the consequences of his actions.
3. Why point the finger at Judas alone? Following Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, mighty Peter, John the favorite and few others – seven to be precise- decided to return to their former career – fishing (John 21.2). Remember they were already born-again believers! (John 20.22) Yet following this strange teacher from Nazareth (who allows himself to be killed the most humiliating way known, managed to cheat death finally, and yet refuses to take on the Roman empire and relieve the People from their shameful subordination to the pagan Romans!) had not been as profitable as they had hoped and decided to go their old ways.

Listen to what the Spirit of God has to say about those who backslide. “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” - Hebrews 6.4-6 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! - 1 Corinthians 10.12

What made the disciples to backslide? They allowed disillusion, discouragement and disappointment to enter their mind and change their perspective about Jesus. So ‘above all else, guard your heart (Proverbs 4.23) from all deceptions of the evil one and constantly check for any changes in your perspective about your God.

Leave the Water Jar and Hurry

The story of the Samaritan woman (John 4. 1- 42) made a strong statement about the role of woman in the early Christian community which remains relevant even in today’s ultra modern society. Click here to read more

http://travancoreann.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/leave-the-water-jar-and-hurry/

Jews - Not to be reckoned among the nations

The legacy of Jews was a to be a uniquely spiritual one.

In a world of idolatry including human sacrifices, Jews believed in and worshipped one God, and this God was invisible. They subscribed to the idea of circumcision, yet refused to offer human sacrifice.

God said of the Jews, “The people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” Num. 23:9.

The Jew himself has sought to make void this prophecy.

By nature the Jew, was no different than the Gentiles that surrounded him. And, he instinctively wanted to be like them. He did not want to dwell alone, to be a people apart, to not be numbered among the people. So he has rebelled time and time again.

In the days of Samuel, they asked for a king to be over them. This, was not bad in itself, but they showed what was in their heart when they said, “That we also may be like all the nations.” - I Sam. 8:19-20.

In the days of Ezekiel also, they said, “We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries.” - Ezek. 20:32

So, to cure them of this trait and tendency God sent them repeatedly into captivity.

Remember I said earlier on that the Jews have a uniquely spiritual legacy? It was their God-ordained mission to bring the Messiah to the world, and give Him to humanity! In order to accomplish this, centuries before His coming, strict laws of segregation were imposed upon Israel that separated him from his neighbors, and caused him to dwell in isolation. Many times these laws, and the reason for them, were not understood even by the Jews themselves, and this continued to cause friction.

Their laws of marriage were strict. Marriage was permitted only among their closed community. This was necessary to preserve the blood lines of the coming Messiah. The Messiah's earthly parents - Joseph and Mary - were two direct descendants of the house of David. Thus the Messiah wsa born of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham. The lineage could be traced in an unbroken line all the way back to Abraham – Matthew, chapter one and all the way to Seth Son of Adam, Son of Godm - Luke, chapter 3

Touch of the Master's Hand

"Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,

"Who'll start the bidding for me?"

"A dollar, a dollar," then, two!

Only two?"Two dollars, and who'll make it three?"

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three . . ." But no,

From the room, far back, a grey-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said: "What am I bid for the old violin?"

And he held it up with the bow."

A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?"

Two thousand! And who'll make it three?"

Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;

And going and gone."said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

"We do not quite understand

What changed its worth?"

Swift came the reply:"

The touch of a master's hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A 'mess of potage,' a glass of wine;

A game - and he travels on.

He is 'going' once, and 'going' twice,

He's 'going' and almost 'gone'.

But the Master comes and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought

By the touch of the Master's Hand.

By Myra B. Welch

On Guard!

The society as a whole is in the grip of what is popularly known as New Age Mysticism. We as Christian parents need to be aware of this trend and protect ourselves and our God-given children from this renewed fascination with Pantheism, New Age Mysticism etc.

Pantheism is a composite word derived from two Greek words ‘Pan’ (All) and ‘Theos’ (God) which presents the view that ‘all is God and God is in all’. In essence, Pantheism promotes worship, or in the least admiration, of all that life is - inclusive of nature, the universe, the laws that govern the galaxies, etc

This fascination with spiritualizing created things is nothing new (Romans 1:24-25) and is once again brought to the forefront with the latest blockbuster "Avatar". It is of great importance that we appreciate society's captivation with the New Age Mysticism and be on guard.

Romans 1:24-25 -Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonouring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

Humanity can't get Jesus out of their minds!

It is intriguing that humanity cannot get Jesus out of their minds and a testimony to this is the vast array of religions that seem to include Him regardless of the way they taint His true identity.

For example,

• Buddhists view Him as a great teacher/master,
• Hindus view Him as a guru,
• Muslims view Him as the sinless prophet and returning messiah - yet they all denounce His true identity as God incarnate.

In fact all religions & cults seem to do one or more of the following…

1. Strip the deity of Christ
2. Bring God down to our level
3. Lift us up to God’s level
4. Focus on self and not God
5. Negate God’s existence altogether
6. Dismiss our sinful nature

This factual and convenient atrocity that lets people define Jesus as they wish is captured by the wonderful Christian Theologian C.S. Lewis in the folling quote:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” - C.S. Lewis

For me Jesus is "the Son of God". Amen!

Tranquility of soul

The Spirit-filled Christian is peaceful because he or she experiences the perfect love that drives away fear (1 John 4:18).

Ask God to give you His peace in the midst of the storms you are experiencing.

The peace that the Holy Spirit produces within us is the supernatural tranquility of soul. Storms can be raging all about us, but within us is the calm assurance that God is in full control of our situation(s).

When we have this peace despite a personal crisis, the world is stunned and we witness God without effort.

Truth about 'The Emerging Church & Inclusive Gospel’

The Word of God tells us to, “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3: 15

Nevertheless, the trend of the ‘Inclusive Gospel’ of ‘Emerging Church’ is “Christians can not truly evangelize unless they are prepared to be The evangelized in the process. In sharing the good news, people are enriched by the spiritual insights, honest questions and depth of devotion demonstrated by those of other faiths. Including others involves listening to them, learning from them. Much of what exists in other faiths may not necessarily be hostile to the kingdom. Christians can learn a lot from other walks of life.”

My dear brothers and sisters do not fall into the trap of the ‘Inclusive Gospel’. The children of Israel were warned by the Old Testament prophets about joining hands with pagans, however, they ignored God’s warning. As Jeremiah proclaimed:
“And the LORD said unto me, a conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers. Therefore thus saith the LORD, behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.” Jeremiah 11: 9-11

In spite of such clear warnings from Scripture, the very thing that happened to the children of Israel is what is being repeated today, only this time in the name of Christianity.

It is apparent what is happening. Instead of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ that saves sinners from hell, the gospel has been redefined and totally nullified. The narrow pathway that Jesus proclaimed leads to heaven through faith in Him alone now has been broadened to permit open access for the sake of establishing the “kingdom’.

The new evangelization formula promoted by the emerging church promises to provide a bridge to unite all religious beliefs in the name of Christ, by circumventing the gospel of Jesus Christ, is anti-Christ.

The early church was called “The Way” because the members of the church were following Jesus, who said He was “The Way.” Jesus also said the “Way” is a “narrow way” and the “only way” to get into heaven. The Emerging Church way or emergent conversation or whatever name is used to describe this so-called New Reformation, is a wide way that many are traveling and heading in the wrong direction.

Beloved children of God, be like the Bereans, and check out what is being proclaimed as ‘Christian’ with reference to the Scriptures for the sake of your immortal soul. Jesus alone is the lover of your soul.

Wonderous Gift

This is Christmas:
not the tinsel,
not the giving and receiving,
not even the carols,
but the humble heart that receives
anew the wondrous gift, the Christ.
- Frank McKibben

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town theology.”

Friends, the following is an excerpt from Dave Burchett's article.

Begin Quote
You better watch outBetter not cryBetter not poutI am telling you whySanta Claus is comin’ to townHe's making a list…checking it twice…three times…every dayGonna find out who's naughty and niceSanta Claus is comin’ to townHe sees you when your sleeping, nows when your awake, he knows when you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.
Oh, he's watching. Waiting for you to screw up so you will get coal instead of a bicycle. You had better please him. And we teach our kids to put on the mask and be something they are not. Because Santa Claus is comin’ to town. This omniscient being who is judging our every deed is coming to town…and we learn to do the dance early. Buck up…be good. Don't cry. Don't pout. Santa Claus is coming to town (© Copyright 2003, William Thrall, Bruce McNicol, John Lynch. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited).

He is exactly right. We learn that we get good things and receive love only when we are good. Santa is pleased (and we later substitute God) when we obey. So we learn early. We had better be good. Or least fool everyone around us to think that we are being good.
Ask any child this Christmas if they are being good and I will wager you will never hear this response. “Well, to be honest, I am really struggling with the whole being nice thing. I have actually been pouty and I cried yesterday. It just isn’t working out this Christmas so I suspect the video game system will have to wait.”
Nope. What you hear is the lie that we learn early and too often keep handy in our arsenal for a lifetime.
“Oh yeah. I am being really good!”
I remember (vaguely) the tension of the Santa Claus years. I knew I hadn’t really changed much. I tried to modify my behavior for a week or two leading up to Christmas but I knew I had failed to really be good. I learned a couple of things early. I learned how hard it is to change behavior by sheer willpower and I learned that I could fool Santa by living a lie. I learned that that he would bring me presents in spite of my failures. I did not learn about grace. That maybe Santa gave me gifts because of who I was and maybe he came to my house because I was lovable instead of rewarding me for what I had done to please him. I figured I had fooled him and to get the good stuff I would have to continue to hide the little boy who broke an ornament and then hid it.
Isn’t that too often how we view God? We had better not cry. Better not sin. I’m telling you why. Jesus is coming to town. He’s making a list and He is checking it not once or twice but every moment of every day. God knows if you’ve been bad or good so if you want to be healed or happy or prosperous you had better be good for goodness sake. If I do mess up I am scared to death that I will get a bad life or miss all that God has for me. So I put on the mask and try to be really good for Jesus. If I can fool those around me maybe, just maybe, I can fool God too.
Satan sells the lie so convincingly. And we buy it for months and years and even decades.
But God and Santa are very different in their approach. God does not keep a list. He is not impressed by our hernia inducing straining to control sin. What God sees is Jesus in Dave Burchett when I sin.
Jesus offers us so many gifts. But the one we seem to have the hardest time unwrapping is the gift of grace. The gift that allows us to become who God desires us to become as we simply trust Him and quit trying to be “good” for goodness sake. We are saved by grace and faith in Christ. We become like Him by the same radical strategy. Faith that He has changed us into a new creation. And understanding the grace that gives us good gifts even when we don’t deserve them.
Don’t let the Santa Claus theology live into the New Year. Go straight to the gift of grace that Jesus left under the Cross. Open it. And clothe yourself in His salvation, acceptance and love. It may be the best gift you have ever given yourself.
Dave Burchett is an Emmy Award winning television sports director, author, and Christian speaker. He is the author of When Bad Christians Happen to Good People and Bring'em Back Alive: A Healing Plan for those Wounded by the Church.

End Quote

Is God lying? Did He make a mistake?

As Anointed children of God, there is the oil of anointing upon each one of us. Oil always attracts dust, and dust sticks where ever there is oil. What is this dust?

Jesus gave His disciples authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (Mat 10:1) and sent them to neighbouring cities.

In Mat 10:13-14 He tells them, "If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. ref Matthew 10:13-15

Then the Disciples and now we are bearers of the anointing power of God and as we leave an unwelcome home or town with our message of peace, the dust (depression, rejections, bitterness etc) will attach itself to you. Often we are unaware because the anointing protects us and we move on to other homes etc. However, we soon recognise that our former enthusiam is no longer within us. There is a downward drag! This is why Jesus forewarned us to purposely dust off, shake off, the dust that attaches itself to us then and there. (we can do this either by a prophectic act like dusting our shoes or by speaking the dust to shake off us. Be careful not to wound anyone in your act, and do the same discretely)

Now listen, Genesis 3.14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "..........Cursed are you ..........and you will eat dust all the days of your life. " Let me assure you, scientifically serpents do not eat dust! No, it doesn't! So is God lying? Did God make a mistake?

The evil one is often represented as a serpent in the Bible. After Jesus' vistory on the cross, satan's position has been under the foot of every believer. He is alive and still upto his old tricks but his position is under our feet. Jesus has commanded us to shake off our dust when we come out of an unwelcoming home. This dust of anger, depression, bitterness, shame etc is food for this ancient serpent of Genesis fame.

Importancne of Teaching the Biblical view of origins - High School Students

High School Students' Attitudes toward Creation and Evolution Compared To Their Worldview

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High school students' beliefs regarding origins are very important. Many high school students claim to believe in a supernatural theistic Creator. Many also report a born-again experience and would thus hold to having a personal relationship with the Creator. Such a relationship should impact all aspects of one's personal life and worldview.

The Scriptures reveal (I Corinthians 2:14-16 and Romans 1:20) that there exists a dichotomy between those that believe the Creation account and those who do not. Only the truly born-again believer is able to take every thought and attitude and compare it to the thoughts and attitudes of the Creator Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 10:5 and Colossians 1:16). Accepting this God-ordained worldview is vital to a correct view of the clash between Biblical theism and naturalism—a clash between two all encompassing worldviews, a "Creationist Worldview" and an "Evolutionary Worldview." This dichotomy of world-views was thoroughly investigated by David Ray; his findings are summarized in this article.

Background for the Ray Study
Ray studied four groups of school students from the eastern section of Atlanta, Georgia. The groups consisted of: (1) two Christian school groups— 30 students; (2) two church youth groups—30 students; (3) one public school class—42 students; and (4) one home school group—30 students.
Instrumentation and Methodology
Two survey instruments, the CWT (Creationist Worldview Test, Deckard, 1997) and the PEERS Test (Smithwick, Nehemiah Institute, 1995), were used to gather the data.1 The CWT test is a 51-item instrument constructed for the purpose of measuring views related to the creation/evolution controversy. The PEERS Test is 70 items constructed for the purpose of measuring Christian views in politics, economics, education, religion, and social issues. Students were categorized into two groups: (1) those holding to a creationist view of life, and (2) those holding to an evolutionist view of life. This evaluation process was based on answers to the CWT. The views of these two groups were compared using three PEERS categories, Education, Religion, and Social Issues. The PEERS test has a scale as follows: Biblical Theism (70-100), Moderate Christian (30-69), Secular Humanism (0-29) and Socialism (<0).>

Research Questions
Research questions were formulated to answer the following questions. How do students with creationist or evolutionist attitudes differ on:
1 and 2 issues related to education?
3 and 4 issues related to religion?
5 and 6 social issues?
7 and 8 their views toward God?
9 and 10 their views toward Christianity?
11 What is the frequency and comparative magnitude of public school students with Biblical theists worldviews when contrasted to home schooling and Christian school students?

Findings and Conclusions
Below are the findings and conclusions based on the above research questions.
To read the findings and conclusions go to the link above. (too long to include here)

The Chi-Square Analysis showed a significant distribution from the home school, Christian school, and public setting. Hence it can be concluded that a positive correlation is present between having a Biblical theist worldview and mode of education.

Conclusions
The Bible commands parents to "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). Ray's dissertation provides the Christian creationist community with strong objective and scientific evidence that teaching a Biblical view of origins is fundamental to worldview adoption and development. Training up a child in an environment of evolutionary thinking or in an environment where creationism is not firmly taught, is a certain formula for causing the child to depart from the Christian faith. Departure from this faith will lead to the acceptance of the only alternative, evolution. Few issues could be of greater importance to the Christian family and the church than to teach youth (at home, school, or Sunday School) the Biblical doctrine of creationism.

Salesmen or Signposts ?

We often get trapped into thinking that we ought to sell Jesus to one and all. Guess what? You don’t have to. Jesus never sold–either himself, the kingdom, or God. Certain Biblical incidents always seemed strange to me. Like for instance, why did Jesus go to the Bethesda pool and heal only one guy? John 5. 1-5 Why did He go thru Samaria and speak to one particular sinful Samaritan woman? John 4. 3-7 Why did he enter a particular house and wait for a certain gentile (Canaanite) woman to come? Matthew 15. 21-29

Well, [Quote] ‘He was locating those who already belonged to him. He was giving substance to the indescribable hunger that true seekers have. He was putting words to their deep thirst. He was explaining why they felt strangely drawn to him.’[Unquote]

Is it not great? It is not our job to create the hunger for God or eternal life. All I have to do is point to Jesus, allow them to [Quote] ‘hear His words of life, see him as he is, and check for signs of spiritual life. The whole endeavor of “converting” someone is a mistake. God converts people.’ Our job is to ‘locate them and help them understand and trust what they are already experiencing. There is much explaining to do, much to clarify, some areas to challenge, and a great deal of listening to do. But there is no burden to create a spiritual interest that isn’t there.’ [Unquote]

So now I can [Quote] ‘stop worrying about how people respond to me. Either they are being drawn to Jesus or they aren’t—and I can’t do anything to change that. I can only help the person determine whether they are spiritually alive or not, and what to do next.

Second, I would focus much less on persuading and more on the signs of spiritual hunger and thirst. I would ask direct and honest questions like, “Do you ever think about God?” “What do you like or not like about God?” “Do you ever wonder what he thinks of you?”
[Unquote]

We belong to God because God drew us to Jesus, and we believed in Him, so we have His life in us. Like wise, when the hungry ones have believed in Him, ‘[Quote] they need to be taught and even challenged to trust, follow, surrender, obey and remain in Jesus.’ [Unquote]

We [Quote] ‘don’t sell admission tickets to heaven; we point to Jesus, the source of immediate, abundant and eternal life.’ [Unquote]

To read the original article click here

Must reads

Guys, the following are some must read links.

Evangelicals and the Crisis of Authority - http://www.crosswalk.com/11616903/
Idolatry: Worshipping Our Own Image of God - http://www.crosswalk.com/11603342/

Samaritan flashback

Though geographically placed in close proximity, the hindrances for any meaningful interaction between a Jew and a Samaritan are numerous. The Bible informs us that, ‘Jews have no dealings with Samaritans’, their hostility primarily based on both race and religion. However, cultural, political, traditional differences, and sinfulness made it further difficult to bridge the chasms between the two.2 Kings 17-18

On the separation of Israel and Judah, the ancient city of Shechem became the religious center of the Northern Kingdom. This Israelite kingdom continued to exist in Samaria until it fell before Assyria.

After the Assyrian Exile in 722 BC, (2 Kings 17. 6, 24-41) the remaining Jews intermarried with Gentile colonists and formed a hybrid worship of Jehovah God (2 Kings 17. 33,41), complete with a different temple and an edited Old Testament. They adhered rigidly to the Torah, never admitted any of the prophetical teachings. The Jews thus viewed them as Half-Breed Heretics, and the Samaritans returned their hatred.

Religious differences between Jews and Samaritans
1. Worship only at Jerusalem Temple - Worship in Mt. Gerizim
2. Holy Book - Torah - Pentateuch
3. Abraham honored as Father - Jacob honored as Father
4. Believe heaven is exclusively for them - More liberal

The Samaritans had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim to rival the Temple in Jerusalem and offered sacrifices according to the Mosaic code. This Samaritan Temple was destroyed by the Jews under the rule of John Hyrcanus (a king of non-Davidic lineage) in about 128 BCE. The Samaritans returned the favor by defiling the Jewish Temple. The rabbis taught it was ritually defiling to touch any utensil handled by a Samaritan. Since Samaria lay between Galilee and Judea, pious Jews normally walked the 20+ extra miles around Samaria rather than go through it.

A Jewish prayer goes like this: "I thank you that I was not born a Gentile, a slave or woman." Rabbis (Jesus was one) were forbidden to speak to any woman in public, even their own mothers or sisters (Jesus came to break off all shackles that bound people and he was often found in mixed company).

Samaritan women were regarded as ritually unclean from birth. To top it all, the Samaritan woman in question was immoral - she had been through five husbands, and currently had a live-in boyfriend!

She was an outcast. In a small town like Sychar, she would be viewed as a threat to the other married women, so she was probably ostracized by them. For one thing, there was a well in Sychar, but she was coming almost a mile to this well. Furthermore, most women drew water in the evening or morning when it was cool, and made it a social occasion. But John 4 vs 6 says she came to the well at noon, in the heat of the day--probably because she was ostracized by the other women of the community.

She was indifferent to spiritual issues, at least initially. To this woman, the lowest of the low, Jesus' brought the message - "It does not matter to me how much of a failure you are in people's eyes, you can still have the living water." Thus begins the talk between Jesus and a Samaritan woman.

Jesus offers her living water as a gift - a spiritual gift. The original word for "living" can also mean "running," so it's easy to see why she easily misunderstands his offer and becomes flippant and even cynical in her response and mocks him about both of his claims. "How are you going to get this water? You don't even have a bucket!" and "Who do think you are--better than Jacob –our Father?"

Jesus offers her living water which refers to the gift of a personal relationship with God through the indwelling of his Holy Spirit--the gift that Jesus has come to make available to us. However the woman thinks, “if it'll save me a trip out here daily, I'll take it."

Having positioned her thus, Jesus suddenly shifts gears and exposes her need. "OK, go get your husband and we'll get down to business." Her answer in verse 17 paves the way for what He really wanted to talk to her all the while.

Before she could be interested in the spiritual gift that Jesus had to offer, she had to first become aware of her need for it. Jesus did not speak of her current situation to shame her, but to cut through her "tough guy" facade and force her take a good look at herself. Apparently her spiritual need for a savior kept popping out with the same symptom repeatedly - her failure to achieve lasting, satisfying romantic relationships and her deep-seated loneliness. Whatever the reason, after five failed marriages, she has given up the formality of marriage and was shacking up with some guy just to survive. This is a woman who has deep inner pain, a deep thirst for love and companionship.

Jesus takes a look into her heart and tells her she's got a hole in her heart that men can't fill. He assures her that there is no need to keep drinking from this old well (of failed relationships). It’s time to admit the need for a different kind of water – the kind provided by Him personally.

Jesus had touched a raw nerve, so she side-steps and begins to talk religion. (a very common ruse.) Jesus was honing in on her personal spiritual needs, but she was not ready for it. She was determined to dodge the issue. So she started a theological argument - a smoke-screen.

Even here we see that Jesus handles her well. First, he answers her question regarding worship. Jews worship God in the place and way that God had prescribed in the Old Testament. However, Jesus her that what matters now is that we relate to God in spirit and in truth.

Jesus expects us to relate to him personally and not through ritual observance. We must also relate to him as he really is ("in truth") as he is revealed to us through scripture. People often object to the idea of a God who is holy, who judges sin, who insists that we come to him for forgiveness through Christ and be willing to submit to his leadership. This is unacceptable to God.

Jesus continues to repeat his offer and she says,"Well, I don't know what to think--let's leave this to the Messiah . . . " at this point Jesus reveals Himself to her and hearing Him (hearing the Word of God Himself speak) she evidently came to faith in him as her Messiah. And she began a relationship with God that changed her life and that of many others.

Having received the "living water," she dropped her old water pot. She returned to town and started telling everyone she knew to come out and meet the man who knew everything about her and still loved her enough to give her a gift. No matter why --they responded and went out to see Him. Many believed through her testimony yet many others believed after listening to Him.

editor's note:
This post is background info for the previous original post - "Reaching Out to Christians" click here to go

Reaching out to Christians

The Word of God teaches us that we are to fashion our thought, words and actions according to our lord and master, Jesus. In Jesus’ approach to the Samaritan woman we catch a clear glimpse of how to deal with nominal/traditional/denominational Christians.

There are a number of road blocks to overcome before a believer can reach out to a nominal Christian. They may be racial, cultural, religious, political, and traditional. Sin and satan can also keep the two from ever meeting. Jesus faced all of these hindrances in His encounter with the Samaritan woman and yet He did not allow them to keep Him away from reaching out to her and thru her the entire Samaritan village!

• Jesus took the unpopular route to Samaria, timed his arrival there to meet a certain Samaritan woman of ill-repute. (we too must be willing to walk paths that are not often trod to reach out)
• He made sure that they would not be interrupted by His well-intentioned disciples, or by the self-righteous villagers. (be sensible, as well as sensitive to the Holy Spirit)
• He took the first step to breach the gap between them. (overcome your inhibitions for God’s Kingdom sake)
• He offered her something that mattered to her. (water that would quench her thirst forever, thereby enabling her to put a stop to her unpleasant trips to the common village well) (identify and trust God for their individual needs, miracles will confirm your work)
• Jesus offered her better-quality water. [The Samaritans considered the water from the Jacob’s well superior to any other well. Hence the offer of water (living water) that is far superior to water from Jacob’s well was not to be spurned lightly.] (Jesus has the best offer, none can top it, offer it)
• Through His gentle and non-accusing attitude, He convicted this woman of her sins. (She could have said anything and hidden the truth. Instead she confesses that she has no husband. The manner in which she says it makes it evident that she was convicted of her sinful state.) (let your gentleness and love be plain to all)
• Jesus calmly acknowledges her statement and gently pushes further by revealing to her His knowledge of her previous relationships. This helps her recognise His prophetical and messianic status. (operating in the gifts of word of knowledge and wisdom will help you reach your goal faster. fan to full flame/put to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit within you to do your work well)
• The woman’s revelation of Jesus led to the evangelization of the entire Samaritan village. (a fully convinced disciple is unstoppable)

In these end times, our evangelizations should be fashioned in like manner. We must through prayer and the use of the spiritual gifts discern key person’s to target people groups (people groups may also be a big extended family, a community, a city, an office etc.). Target and mentor such individuals to influence a wide audience for the glory of God.


Click here to read John 4.1-42 - Jesus talks to a Samaritan Woman

related posts "Samaritan Flashback" click here to go