by Patrick Sawyer, Missional Living Pastor
I heard Vance Pittman say one of the best things he did when he moved out to Las Vegas to plant a church was that he spent time in the gospels observing all Jesus did and then asking himself if he saw this in his life and ministry. In Matthew 28, Jesus commands all Christians to fulfill the Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20 states, “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (ESV).
If Christians are to fulfill the Great Commission, we must start living on mission and engaging people with gospel conversations. In Mark 1:17, Jesus called Simon and Andrew to follow Him, and he would make them fishers of men. This was not an option. To follow Jesus is to be a fishers of men. Harvey Turner states, “It’s pretty simple: fishermen fish. Disciples of Jesus evangelize. Disciples make disciples. So whatever your vision of the Christian life is, it must include evangelism as its mission”.[1] Jerram Barrs, in the book Learning Evangelism From Jesus, reminds us that Jesus desires His people to be like Him and to engage the non-believing world and develop intimate relationships with them for the sake of the gospel of Jesus. [2]
But how do we do this? We have the perfect model in Jesus, and as Christians, we need to study how Jesus lived on mission. Jesus is indeed the model evangelist, and I believe we can learn a lot from Him by studying this story and how Jesus engaged this woman with gospel conversations. Barrs states, “It is my deep conviction that our evangelism, both in theory and practice, must be shaped not only by the general teaching of Scripture but also, indeed most of all, by imitating the pattern of Christ.”[3] One of the best stories in the Bible where we see Jesus live on mission is the story of Jesus’ engagement with the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-42. As Jesus engaged this woman, he led her from a general conversation to a spiritual conversation, eventually leading her to believe Jesus was the promised Messiah, and she went into her village and told the people to come and meet this man named Jesus. How did Jesus do this? As we look at this story, we see Jesus engage with this woman in five significant ways, and as we look at these different ways, they can teach us how to live on mission effectively.
Jesus was Intentional
In verse 4, the text states Jesus had to pass through Samaria. The truth is Jesus did not have to pass through Samaria. There were a few different paths Jesus could have taken. He had to pass through Samaria because he had a divine appointment with the Samaritan woman. Jesus was very intentional, and as Christians, we must be intentional. If we are not intentional about having gospel conversations, it will never happen. Matt Queen states again, “Evangelism does not happen incidentally. It occurs intentionally. Intentionality in evangelism is not simply knowing you should evangelize, but constructing a plan to evangelize consistently and executing it. To practice consistent evangelism, it must be planned into daily, weekly, and/or monthly calendar events, or planned obedience in those moments of unscheduled prompting by the Holy Spirit”.[4] Christians must be very intentional as we seek to live on mission and engage with the world with the good news of the gospel. If we want to reach out to communities, our country, and the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ, we must be intentional. How can you be intentional in your everyday lives for the sake of the gospel?
Jesus Listened and Responded
As Jesus engaged with this woman, he actively listened to her, heard what she was saying, and then responded appropriately to her. As Jesus listened to this woman, he was able to steer the gospel from a normal conversation to a gospel conversation. Listening is a discipline, and we must discipline ourselves to be better listeners, especially when living on mission.
In the book Conversational Evangelism, David and Normal Geisler state, “Sometimes we miss opportunities to help nonbelievers take a step closer to Christ because we aren’t listening to them carefully enough and miss key ideas that could springboard to deeper spiritual dialogue. You may even be surprised at how easy it is to turn everyday conversations into opportunities to share the gospel with others”.[5] James 1:19 tells us to be quick to hear and slow to speak. James seems to understand that we are great talkers but not good listeners. As we engage people in gospel conversations, we must actively listen and respond like Jesus, hopefully allowing us to move from a general conversation to a more gospel conversation. In the book Invitation to Evangelism, Timothy Beougher states, “If we really listen to people, we will get to know them better, and usually, they will say something that gives me avenues or an open the door to bring spiritual things into the conversation.” [6] How can you discipline yourself to be a better and more intentional listener?
Jesus Showed Her Love and Compassion
In Verse 9, this woman was startled because a Jewish male would converse with a Samaritan woman. This woman was isolated from her community, and so for Jesus, a male Jew, to engage a Samaritan woman was an act of love and compassion. As we engage the world, we must show them love and compassion. Lesslie Newbigin states, “No one is going to listen to your evangelism unless he sees that it comes out of a fellowship that cares.”[7] As we engage the world, we must love them, care for them, and serve them because Jesus loves them, cares for them, and has sent us to be His representative in this world. So, we must honor him and represent Him well by how we engage the world. Are you loving and compassionate towards others, or are you judgmental and hateful? Jesus was different, so let’s be different. Let’s be a different Christian than the world is looking for. Let’s be truthful, but let’s be loving and compassionate, and if we do this, we will draw them to the real Jesus and gospel they truly need.
Jesus Fellowshipped With The Woman
As Jesus engaged with this woman, he asked her for a drink of water. A Jew would never ask a Samaritan for a drink of water and would especially never ask to share the same cup as a Samaritan. This would have never happened, but Jesus showed us a very intimate act of fellowship. Tony Evans states, “Jewish lips on her Samaritan cup was an intimate act of fellowship and warm acceptance. It was something that wasn’t done in this woman’s neighborhood. Not only was this an action that signified a willingness for fellowship, but it was also an action that gave the woman value.”[8] Because Jesus spent time with her, he was able to speak truth to her. He was able to move into a deeper conversation with her through his fellowship with her. Tony Evans states, “Jesus was able to turn a general conversation into an evangelistic opportunity because he was willing to spend time with her. He was willing to drink from her cup. Because of this, he was able to witness to her soul. If he had not been willing to do these things, he would not have had the ability to talk to her spiritually.”[9] As Christians seek to live on mission, we must be willing to fellowship with those we are trying to reach with the gospel. What are some ways you can fellowship with others for the sake of the gospel?
Jesus Revealed the Truth
Even though Jesus was loving and compassionate to the woman, he was truthful. Jesus revealed the truth about her sin and the good news of the gospel, that Jesus is the only one who can truly satisfy her. As Christians engage the world, we must be very truthful. We must reveal the truth about sin and the truth of the gospel, how the gospel saves us from our sins, and how the gospel is the only true answer to all the problems in the world.
In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr states, “There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed society small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be intimidated. By their efforts and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and the gladiator games. Things are different now. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of missions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day, I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust”.[10]
As we engage the world, we need to show the world how the gospel is the answer to a lost and dying world. The world is broken, and people long for hope, peace, happiness, and satisfaction but look for it in the wrong place. The world seeks these things through alcohol, drugs, sex, money, and power, and like Jesus said, the world can continue to seek these things through these means, and it will never find what it is looking for. It will continue to drink these waters, and their thirst will never be quenched. Only Jesus can quench our thirst and bring us true hope, peace, happiness, and satisfaction. Blaise Pascal stated, “This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”[11] With whom are you sharing the truth of God’s Word? When did you last share your testimony or the gospel with someone?
Conclusion
In Romans 10, Paul tells us that the world will believe only if someone goes to them and preaches the truth, so they will hear and come to believe. For Christians to live on mission and fulfill the Great Commission, we must engage the world with gospel conversations. As Christians engage the world with gospel conversations, we must engage the world the way Jesus did. Jesus is our perfect model, and we must follow the example He set for us.
My challenge is that you would take some time, sit down, and write down everyone in your life who you feel needs to know the truth of the gospel. Once you write down these people, begin to pray for them. Pray that God will allow you to get to know them, build a relationship with them, and allow you to share the gospel with them and disciple them. After you have prayed for these opportunities, think and write out a plan to begin to get to know them and build a relationship with them that prayerfully leads to the opportunity to share the gospel with them and disciple them.
[1] Harvey Turner, Friends of Sinners: An Approach to Evangelism, (Houston, TX: Lucid Books, 2016), 12.
[2] Jerram Barrs, Learning Evangelism From Jesus, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2009), 14.
[3] Jerram Barrs, Learning Evangelism From Jesus, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2009), 15.
[4] Matt Queen, Recapturing Evangelism (Brentwood, TN: B&H Publishing, 2023), 17.
[5] David Geisler and Normal Geisler, Conversational Evangelism: Connecting with People to Share Jesus (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishing, 2014), 36.
[6] Timothy Beougher, Invitation to Evangelism: Sharing The Gospel with Compassion and Conviction (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2021), 184.
[7] Lesslie Newbigin, A Word in Season (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1994.
[8] Tony Evans, Oneness Embraced: Reconciliation, The Kingdom, and we are Stronger Together ( Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2011), 61.
[9] Tony Evans, Oneness Embraced: Reconciliation, The Kingdom, and we are Stronger Together ( Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2011), 64.
[10] Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”, in Milestone Documents in African American History by Paul Murray (Armenia, NY: Salem Press, 2017).
[11] Pascal Blaise, Penses (Penquin Classics; Reissue Ed, 1995).