Two things struck me while reading John 4 - which challenge the way I sometimes relate to non-Christians and also the way I approach arming myself with the Gospel.
Firstly, Jesus' preparedness to not only speak to the Samaritan woman while fully knowing her sinful life, but doing so in a way that was not outwardly judgemental about her lifestyle. In contrast he pulls no punches when addressing her faith and that of the Samaritans more broadly. It strikes me that this was a particularly kind way of challenging the woman in a non-threatening way. It seems almost as if he was taking care not to make her feel any more unworthy than she must have already felt, leaving open the opportunity to talk to her about her faith. I found this challenging as it is all too easy to pre-judge people for the life they lead rather than concentrating on building trust and then creating the space to discuss the Gospel. What are your thoughts on this?
The second thing that stood out for me was the urgency Jesus expresses to the disciples to reap the harvest that is ripe. Every day there are opportunities to demonstrate to others how we're different - by our actions and our words - but I know I'm not alone in feeling as though the harvest sometimes isn't ripe! But how much of that feeling is my own doing? So here's my challenge....Am I consistently and conciously immersing myself in the Word, really meditating on it and in total dependence praying for the Holy Spirit to alert me to the opportunities and to provide me with the right words to say? Or am I just reading it and not truly taking responsibility for equipping myself for the harvest?
Feel free to comment!
So how are you finding this whole blog thing? It's all kinda new to me, but I'm personally finding it a useful way of working through the bible and exchanging ideas with others outside of bible study and Sunday mornings.
Happy Thursday!
Phil (9am church @ Engadine)
Tomorrows Readings: John 5, Psalm 119:129-160.
Thanks Phil for those insights! It's interesting that the most significant barrier, at least intially, for Jesus speaking to this woman is race. The challenge to us as Christians is not just to 'not be racist' but to love, to speak with, and to share the gospel with people from other cultures.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Phil with that idea of building up trust and friendship, and making space to talk about the gospel rather than rushing in bull at a gate. I think people just read that as 'you're not really interested in me, I'm just another person you're trying to convert'. The challenge I have personally is spending too much time developing the trust and friendship, and waiting TOO long to move beyond that point..
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love the way Jesus spoke to people, and particularly the way He spoke to women- stepping beyond the cultural boundaries, while remaining completely pure in His interactions.