Personal Evangelism: The Woman at the Well John 4

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Personal EvangelismThe Woman at the WellJohn
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• Forest Hills Bible Chapel
• 6 April 2008

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Statement of Purpose of FHBC

• Forest Hills Bible Chapel exists to glorify God
  through worship, edification, evangelism, and
  social action.
• Our strategy for achieving these objectives is to
  serve one another and reach out to those in our
  communities who have not yet believed in Jesus
  Christ, making disciples of them by

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Statement of Purpose of FHBC

• Building relationships of integrity with them.
• Presenting a clear, verbal witness of the gospel
  to them.
• Exposing them to the love and unity of the body
  of Christ.
• Building them up through the teaching of the
  Bible.
• Involving them in small groups for prayer,
  fellowship and mutual accountability.
• Providing them opportunities for worship, service
  and the exercise of spiritual gifts.
• Encouraging those whom the Lord adds to this
  local church to become involved in this strategy,
  beginning at step 1.

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What Can We Conclude from This?

• The primary place for Worship and Edification is
  when the church is assembled together.
• The primary place for Evangelism and Social
  Action is when the church is scattered, in the
  world, and are part of the communities in which
  they all live.

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Some Biblical Principles

• You dont do witnessing you are witnesses!
• But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
  comes on you and you will be my witnesses in
  Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to
  the ends of the earth. Acts 18

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The Woman at the Well John 44-26

• 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came
  to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot
  of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6
  Jacobs well was there, and Jesus, tired as he
  was from the journey, sat down by the well. It
  was about noon. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to
  draw water, Jesus said to her, Will you give me
  a drink? 8 (His disciples had gone into the
  town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to
  him, You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.
  How can you ask me for a drink? (For Jews do not
  associate with Samaritans.)

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The Woman at the Well John 44-26

• 10 Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of
  God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you
  would have asked him and he would have given you
  living water. 11 Sir, the woman said, you
  have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.
  Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you
  greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the
  well and drank from it himself, as did also his
  sons and his flocks and herds?

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The Woman at the Well John 44-26

• 13 Jesus answered, Everyone who drinks this
  water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who
  drink the water I give them will never thirst.
  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them
  a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
  15 The woman said to him, Sir, give me this
  water so that I wont get thirsty and have to
  keep coming here to draw water. 16 He told her,
  Go, call your husband and come back. 17 I have
  no husband, she replied.
• Jesus said to her, You are right when you say
  you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had
  five husbands, and the man you now have is not
  your husband. What you have just said is quite
  true.

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The Woman at the Well John 44-26

• 19Sir, the woman said, I can see that you are
  a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this
  mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where
  we must worship is in Jerusalem. 21 Woman,
  Jesus replied, believe me, a time is coming when
  you will worship the Father neither on this
  mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans
  worship what you do not know we worship what we
  do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

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The Woman at the Well John 44-26

• 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the
  true worshipers will worship the Father in the
  Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of
  worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit,
  and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and
  in truth. 25 The woman said, I know that
  Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he
  comes, he will explain everything to us. 26 Then
  Jesus declared, I, the one speaking to youI am
  he.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Jesus understood that sharing the gospel
  sometimes takes us to places where we feel
  uncomfortable, and when we might not feel like
  doing so John 44-6.
• Jesus had to go through Samaria well, yes and
  no.
• Geographically no.
• Relationally yes.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Jesus understood that sharing the gospel
  sometimes takes us to places where we feel
  uncomfortable, and when we might not feel like
  doing so John 44-6.
• Jesus had to go through Samaria well, yes and
  no.
• Geographically no.
• Relationally yes.
• Jesus was tired from his journey but not too
  tired to reach out to her needs.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Principle 1 Sometimes, sharing the gospel with
  others involves places, or times, where we might
  not feel comfortable.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Jesus spoke to the woman in a very natural way,
  about very natural things he politely asked her
  for a drink of water John 47-8.
• He did not confront her he befriended her.
• He treated her with respect something which
  evidently no one else did.
• He did not speak to her in the language of
  Christian-eze.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Principle 1 Sometimes, sharing the gospel with
  others takes us to places where we might not feel
  comfortable.
• Principle 2 It is best to speak to an
  unbeliever in an ordinary way, about ordinary
  things.

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Culture and Evangelism
Doing Evangelism in England
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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Jesus did not allow her to get into a religious
  argument with him John 49-10.
• The issue of the day Samaritans and Jews.
• Other potential issues
• Christianity vs. Atheism
• Christianity vs. Islam
• Whose brand of Christianity?
• Postmodernism everyone has their own truth
• Etc.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Principle 1 Sometimes, sharing the gospel with
  others takes us to places where we might not feel
  comfortable.
• Principle 2 It is best to speak to an
  unbeliever in an ordinary way, about ordinary
  things.
• Principle 3 Dont allow a conversation on
  religion (or anything else) to get in the way of
  sharing the good news.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Jesus was sensitive to the womans incomplete,
  and developing (?) understanding of spiritual
  matters John 411-15.
• Jesus said water, but he meant something
  spiritual she thought he meant physical water
  but the conversation continued.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Principle 4 Realize that doing the work of
  evangelism is going to require a continuing,
  ongoing dialog.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Jesus knew everything about this womans life and
  experience, but he did not condemn her John
  416-18.
• We would refer to this lady as an immoral
  woman.
• She obviously had problems keeping a marriage
  together.
• She was currently involved in a live in
  situation.
• None of this affected Jesus love for the woman.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Principle 4 Realize that doing the work of
  evangelism is going to require a continuing,
  ongoing dialog.
• Principle 5 Understand that in doing
  evangelism, we will encounter all kinds of
  situations our role is not to judge it is to
  share the good news.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Ultimately, Jesus turns the conversation to what
  matters most Himself! John 419-26.
• The woman seemingly tired to impress Jesus with
  her basic knowledge of the religious issues of
  the day.
• Jesus cut through that whole discussion to what
  he knew mattered most himself as the Messiah,
  the Savior of all mankind.

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Principles from the Master Evangelist

• Principle 4 Realize that doing the work of
  evangelism is going to require a continuing,
  ongoing dialog.
• Principle 5 Understand that in doing
  evangelism, we will encounter all kinds of
  situations our role is not to judge it is to
  share the good news.
• Principle 6 Remember what matters most
  pointing others to the person of Jesus Christ.