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Jun 18, 2022 08:00am

Come, Drink, and Find Grace

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Evangelist Jay Strack made nine visits to the Holy Land. On each of those visits he asked for, and received, the same Bedouin shepherd tour guide. On each tour he witnessed to the tour guide. The guide wondered why Jay was so persistent in sharing his faith in Christ. Jay explained to him that they were friends and he simply could not fail to share the way of salvation with one about whom he cared so deeply.

The guide looked at him and said, “I understand now. You do not want to commit the sin of the desert.” Jay was not familiar with that phrase, so his friend explained. To Bedouins, the ultimate sin is the sin of the desert . . . knowing where there is water but refusing to tell others.

The sin of the desert may well be the greatest sin of churches today. We live in a wasteland of spiritual dryness and despair, and we know where the water of life can be found. To not tell others about it is the sin of all sins!

But, how do we evangelize effectively? I believe the Scriptures share with us the proper attitudes and methods in sharing our faith.

In his gospel, the Apostle John tells us about one of the great evangelistic harvests in Christ’s ministry. Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Samaria on their way from Jerusalem to Galilee. This was unusual because the Jews of Jesus’ day would never travel through Samaria. They would go westward to the Mediterranean Sea and travel the coastal highway or they would go eastward crossing to the eastern side of the Jordan River. But they would not travel through Samaria. As a matter of fact, they would ceremonially wash their feet when preparing to enter Judea or Galilee so as to not accidentally carry some dirt from Samaria into the holy land (Galilee or Judea).

Because Jesus did not have the prejudices that men have, He did not travel around Samaria but walked straight through the heart of the country. As Jesus and the disciples were passing through Samaria, they stopped at Jacob’s well outside the city of Sychar. Jesus rested by the well while His disciples went into the village to buy food. While the disciples were in the city of Sychar, a lone woman came to draw water from the well to water her flocks.

Two things were unusual about this. First, it was high noon and the women usually waited until the cool of the evening to draw water rather than draw it during the heat of the day. Secondly, this was unusual because she traveled alone. The women of the village usually traveled in groups, chatting about the events of the day, and helping each other draw water from the well to water the livestock.

Jesus, who knows the hearts of all people, immediately recognized that this Samaritan woman not only had an empty water bucket, she also had an empty life. Because Jesus is God, He can look beyond the external appearance and see the heart of the matter. He can look beneath the veneer. He can look into the heart of hearts and see what people really need . . .

And God sees your heart today, the good and bad, the highs and lows, the worst and the best thoughts, the sin and the goodness, all of it. He knows all the horrible details, but He loves you anyway, because he created you and if you search your heart, you will find Him waiting. You’ll find hope and you’ll find the assurance of salvation, no take backs if you mess up.

That’s not how God works. Because of his Son Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross, you can come to him without having to “clean up” first. Just like the Samaritan woman who, in the world’s eyes was an outcast and underserving of redemption. Her eyes were opened and she accepted the gift of life as she recognized Jesus as the Messiah.

The Samaritan woman didn’t stop there: She went running through the village among the same people who condemned her, testifying of her miraculous transformation. The gospel is just that powerful, and you will want to run through the streets and tell everyone!

So what’s the catch about salvation? Absolutely nothing. Just surrender your life – all the parts of it – to Jesus. Stop over-thinking it. It’s just that simple.