FRANgelism (Part 4 of 5)

This week on Truth for Life. Alistair Begggest teaching from John chapter 4 were looking at a remarkable encounter took place between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. This exchange helps us understand how we can do a better job of engaging with friends and relatives or neighbors, and associates about what it means to follow Jesus in today's message Alister provides seven helpful points of application.

We were looking at the conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well and we spent time in observation on left out precious little time for any kind of application.

As we went through the pattern of Jesus approach.

We noted that he began naturally that he then aroused the ladies curiosity that he spoke to her addressing her need and search for satisfaction and then in turn, that he confronted her with the nature of her sin by addressing the whole area of her conscience. And as we followed that through.

We recognize that while there is a unique element in observing the pattern of Christ's ministry. Nevertheless, there are particular principles of approach that we might observe. We observed then the approach that Jesus had taken with the lady we have said, is there something that we might learn from this approach of the Lord Jesus, and if so what is it, let me give you the seven things with. By way of application.

First of all, if were going to make this kind of impact it is imperative that we learn how to live radically live radically.

There was that about the approach of the Lord Jesus here, which was absolutely radical. As we noted, he crossed the barriers that were prevalent in his day of both gender and race and he did so for the express purpose of reaching into the life of this woman whom he knew to be in such desperate need. It may seem straightforward to many others that this would be the case, and yet I fear not because by and large, it would appear that churches in general, and perhaps we as Christians in particular have tended to believe that those to whom we speak concerning the good news of the Lord Jesus need to be the ones who made all the move and that we must go and invite then to cross various barriers in order to hear what we have to say to them, and while there are opportunities to do that. Nevertheless, we recognize that if we are going to significantly impact people with the good news of Jesus Christ.

We need to move into their territory. We need to cross bridges into their lives and we need to make it far more accessible by means of our willingness to live in a radical way, there have been there in the in his in the history of the church mean people who have been particularly radical in these things and that they stand out to his in the history of Christian biography. Some of us have friends and neighbors who are particularly good at this. Some of us are naturally reticent, but I do believe that we are living in a time indeed. Presumably the church has always lived in a time when if were going to impact the culture with the good news of Jesus Christ. We cannot stay within our own little comfort zones of ever diminishing circles of influence and believe that the world will come knocking at our door to inquire. Just why it is that we believe what we believe Jesus took the initiative he broke down barriers. He lived radically and we need to discover what that means.

Secondly, and following the pattern of Jesus we need in initiating conversations like this to act naturally as did he, my father, who was never a musician produced one son who is not a musician either used to tell me always and I think the best key in which you could ever play is the key of B natural B natural and he gave me that instruction, when I was tempted to mimic others at school and when internists God gave to me the opportunity of ministry. I was tempted to try and be as smart as the man whom I was assistant or as profound as someone else and detecting this in me he would say to me always remember son the best key is B natural and so we might learn I learned from that of nylon from the example of Jesus. Here we made much of it at the time, we won't rehearse it greatly.

Now, but he simply began by asking me I have a dream, may I have a drink or what is strange, the hit is to hear people witnessing if they get a funny tone in their voice of you notice that they can be talking quite naturally about anything out of the football game goal and did you read that in the newspaper and then almost certainly haven't sold strange sort of catharsis looters players available in all speaking log line and people just say you know your your bizarre, why are you talking like that and there's very talking Mark and they don't have a father around to hit them on the back of the head and remind them all you gotta do is act naturally, our friends are not impressed by pious talk by ecclesiastical jargon by deep sounding words which they could never fathom. Even with an excellent dictionary by they may be intrigued by the very natural approach that we take.

So the radical element of our crossing bridges needs then to be allied to a very natural approach and conversation. And thirdly, when we are able to engage with people in conversation we should proceed creatively.

We should proceed in our conversations creatively. This is the pattern of Jesus here in the process of it all, he could've gone very quickly to his concluding point you could have gone directly to the issues of this woman's life and yet we saw how he was very straightforward and yet intriguing in the way that he opened up the subject could I have a drink of water. Why would you asked me for a drink of water. He leaves the question aside and then he sister if you knew the gift of God and who it was who asked you for a drink, you would've asked him and he would've given you living water that is in intrigued about. So when we think in terms of speaking for Christ. Instead of blurting out with some little prepackaged edge organized speech that we've created and somebody says well I am very interested that you would be showing up at my door right here over this cup of coffee this afternoon.

You would be speaking in this way. At that moment. Let the bell wall don't allow yourself to go back into the euros rooms will blow you don't know when you feel like coming on. You gotta resist that and say something like you know what it's it's unbelievable is a personal say what you mean.

It's unbelievable. You say will you know I year ago I year ago. I would never be sitting. I year ago I wouldn't have had this conversation six months ago you want to farming with this literature and my hat is getting intriguing anybody that still thinking at all is forced to say well what happened a year ago using creative create on the encyclopedia salesman create living radically, acting naturally proceeding creatively, forcefully avoiding unnecessary controversy, avoiding unnecessary controversy lady introduce the question of the Jews and the Samaritans people regularly introduce the question of the Muslims to meet or perhaps the Roman Catholics and the Protestants in Northern Ireland very interesting question but I do know what I came to talk about and I'm not planning on talking to somebody about it unless it's clear to me that it is actually a great stumbling block to their understanding of faith in Jesus Christ. Will you say how will you know what you want.

Always know but you get good at wondering as you go along and a measure of discernment as the Lord helps. Well, what about the well of Jacob.

There's this nice well or what you think of this well interesting conversation but not what I came to talk to about I'm going to set it aside what you think the flood covered part of the article. All of their well interesting conversation but let's leave that for a moment.

Well, do you think that there were seven days in creation revealing its periods of time. Interesting thought you were not going to stop there for the moment. Why not because it is not the issue. What I would say to people and I give you this. Just as those who have taught it to me is simply this, that when you engage in conversation and you living in this way, and acting naturally. Cheating creatively and somebody says to you will what about this or what about that say you know what, that's an interesting question let me just leave that here for a moment and proceed with what I like to tell you I will come back to that, and nine times out of 10. If you're able to proceed creatively. You'll never ever come back to because it wasn't something that was germane to the discussion. It was just thrown in along the journey.

But if you go down that road.

There's no saying where you will end up someone started talking about astrophysics unless you are in the 0.2% of the population that could answer the question with any measure of effectiveness. I suggest you don't touch it with a 40 football because they will have you tied up in unbelievable knots within no time at all and the issue is not astrophysics.

In any that doesn't mean it's irrelevant. It doesn't mean you may not have to go and buy a book if is a genuine concern for the person but in the time being. As you go through the process. It is important to avoid unnecessary controversy. While I notice you don't have any symbols in your church or IRAs it a proper church good question will come back to that so fifthly we need to learn also to confront people. Honestly, there comes a time where we have to do is it where allow the Scriptures to speak with forcefulness and this of course came as we said in the pivotal statement in verse 16, where Jesus said to the lady go, call your husband and come back and in that moment he confronted her honestly and it is going to be important within the framework of our speaking about the things of Jesus to reach a point at something. A juncture where were able to confront people honestly with the issues that are before them now. Honestly, does not mean harshly for Jesus did so with sensitivity and so if we are not making notes. We should say there is a point at which we should confront.

Honestly, and then in brackets we should write the word sensitively when Peter writes to those who were his readers of his first letter he says I want you always to be able to give an answer to those who ask a reason for the hope that is within you, and then he immediately says, but do it with gentleness and with respect because the manner in which we speak will often be so overpowering that people want hear the message that we want to bring some of his are more prone to that than others and need the help of others and saying you know I think you could temper your language a little better.

I think that you may be able to speak just as honestly, but a little more sensitively and then sixthly we need to be able to explain clearly to confront honestly and explain clearly, there is no easy way to this. Nobody ever learns how to make presentations for their work without having given themselves to it with diligence. For example, if the you sell some piece of electronic gadgetry which would bamboozle the average individual and they take this out of the box and they are about to use it and they expect to be able to turn around to the salesperson and say how do you do this or why does it work in this way, and with a measure of justification.

If you are unable to answer the most rudimentary questions they're going to assume that you really should never have been the salesperson in the first place, and I recognize that to make this exhortation tonight is to turn everything back on ourselves as a pastoral team in relationship to the way in which we edify and equip you as a congregation and I recognize that in what I'm saying but thinking back on it I never once was in a church in my formative years where the ever taught me how to share my faith. I had to going get myself a couple of books either going get myself a couple of friends and I had to go and stay up at night and learn these things off my so when somebody said you know I think the resurrection is a hoax. I would be able to say now tell me why you think it is a hoax, rather than to say to myself, will goodness me.

I wish they hadn't said that because I don't have a clue what to say in response. Now unless you see you have thought about the issues of the swing theory and the idea that Jesus did not die, but simply swooned in the tomb and that he was never dead, but simply came around in the tomb and went walking in the street first time somebody hit you with that.

You're not going to have a clue what to say to but if you think about it for long enough and you prepare for it properly, you will be able to address them truthfully and you will be able to explain clearly when somebody says you know I think I'm a good person, and indeed, I think I'm good enough to go to heaven you might be prepared to say and how good do you think you have to be to go to heaven and when they say good enough you might be prepared to say and how good enough is good enough and you might ask them how many times they send in a week and they said just once a day. You could tell them, well, that's 365 a year and how old are you well and 10 well, that's 3650.

The only reason I said 10 was because I couldn't be sure of multiplying by any higher number but I could double it now, but wonder impression. I'm not sure I could double it right now then you going to say that the person well I suppose you are managed to keep it down just a one cent a day for all of your life to this point how good do you think you have to be to eradicate that volume of sin, then when you have the person at that point you can say wouldn't be a wonderful thing if somebody died in your place so that the goodness that you could not bring. They brought so that they might die in your place very your punishment and enable your life well so the person is an intriguing idea, but I don't know where you get that from, and then you sicko somewhere in the Bible where they're not going to appreciate that they expect you to know your Bible how you know your Bible and read your Bible, your Bible every day made little notes in the margin. People teaching you have a little loose leaf book that you write in little gems and nuggets that you understood before you know it you're putting together the ability to explain clearly the things of the Lord Jesus and seven thing and finally were going to seize these opportunities.

We need to be prepared to speak boldly eventually Jesus looks the lady in the eye, she reached the point where she says I know that when the Messiah called Christ comes. He will explain everything to us. And Jesus said guess what I speak to you and me. This is a time for sensitive boldness love once this is a time of a great interest in spiritual things in our country. An interesting combination of an interest in spirituality with the demise of the the mindset and worldview that is scientific rationalism and into that vacuum of the thinking of men and women has come this unbelievable confusion and I think we tend to believe that if ever we lay it straight out boldly the words of Jesus.

I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the father but through me. That somehow or another are very boldness and clarity. At that point will be the thing that turns everything in the wrong direction. But the fact is we don't have any option but to proceed along the lines of Jesus himself.

You are writing a gospel. I chapter each day by the deeds that you do and the words that you say man read what you write distorted or true. So what is the gospel according to you the danger is the idea that somehow or another. If we can only be effective without tongue. We will be inevitably effective in our witness and it isn't always so not that there is no place for what we've just outlined.

That is of vital place water than a necessary place but I was struck this week to read again the encounter of Dr. Stanley when he tracked down Dr. Livingston in his missionary journeys.

Stanley met Livingston recognizing something of what Livingston was doing, but in the time that Stanley met him he Stanley himself had no knowledge of Christ and no awareness of what Livingston was really about and reflecting upon those early days. Dr. Stanley wrote as follows. Livingston never spoke a word to me about being a Christian. It was not his words are his preaching that one me for Christ. I was not a Christian when I find but I had not been with him very long before I was worshiping Livingston's God, trusting Livingston Savior and reading Livingston's Bible and its related response to the children song God made my life a shining light within this world to glow a little flame that burn bright wherever I may go for the issue you see is not that they are impressed without ability to speak of, but it is that they are introduced to police the Lamb of Calvary, who takes away the sin of the world. Seven clear and practical points that emerge from this beautiful encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 your listing to Truth for Life with Alistair Begg.

Welp, the global pandemic.

We are living in this season of intensified civil unrest has opened a lot of doors in some unusual ways for us to be able to talk about Jesus with friends or relatives with business associates or neighbors. It's also a time when we need to remain especially sensitive to volatile issues that can easily sidetrack a gospel conversation today we want to recommend two books that we've packaged together to help you speak more clearly and more boldly and to stay on message.

When you're talking to others about Jesus. The first is a book that addresses the insecurity used. We can sometimes feel when were sharing the gospel. The book is called, have no fear. And if you sometimes feel reluctant or ill-equipped to speak about Jesus.

This book will explain how you can overcome those barriers and also gives easy to follow framework for using Scripture. Specifically, John chapter 1 as a way to tell the gospel story and then there is a uniquely designed book called the word one to one. In this case were to send you two copies, one for you and one to share with a friend. This book is published in large print, so it's easy to read and it guides you and your reading partner through the first chapter of the Gospel of John.

It offers interactive questions along with answers to help move the conversation we really like the format of this book we posted a page of samples for you to be able to view it on our website. Just go to Truth for Life.org so when you give a donation to support the ministry of Truth for Life will say thank you by sending you this three book bundle these books are perfectly aligned with our mission of Truth for Life, which is to teach the Bible with clarity and relevance so that unbelievers will be converted when you give your contributing to this important biblical mission to give a donation and request your packet of three books right now. Go to Truth for Life.org/donate or you're welcome to give us a call our number is 88858878841 more time. The number is 888-588-7884 and if you would prefer to mail your donation you can write to Truth for Life at PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139 Bob Lapine tomorrow will hear the final message in the five-day friend dualism series, so be sure to join us again Friday. This daily program features the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg and it's furnished by Truth for Life or the Learning is for Living