Text: Jn.4:1-7
INTRODUCTION
Not all have been called to be Pastors, teacher, prophets. But we all have been given the ministry of reconciliation 1Cor.5:18. To carry out this work effectively we need to arm ourselves with some tools.
(1) Priority –
Some things in life are more important than others. Putting first things first. Jesus’ priorities were in order. He was completely obedient to the will of the father even unto death.
We see that Jesus was with the woman when the disciples went into town for food. But we don’t read of them sharing with anyone while in town.
We see that Jesus was tired and hungry, yet he took time to share what was most important.
Sharing must have been a priority in this woman’s life also. After accepting Jesus she went to town with the good news. –Jn.4: 28-29
Sharing the love of Christ through our words and actions must be our priority as well – when you make it a priority it attracts certain things to you.
Your prayer receive speeding answers
The heavens will back you up because you are concerned about kingdom business.
It will aid your spiritual growth.
Your life will command signs and wonders. Mk.16:17-18.
Apostle Paul had the right priority. He knows that the main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing… As Christians today we should not move out of our primary assignment – Go Ye Matt.28:18-19
Modern day parable
A people that lived along a dangerous sea coast where ship wreck often occurs.
They decided to organize a rescue operation.
They built a small life saving station and with time the town became popular because of the rescue operation.
More and more people now joined the rescue team
So the need for a new building came up and this time it was larger, well furnished and decorated.
As more amenities were added for members pleasure and comfort, the building was transformed into a kind of clubhouse.
Some of the members also began to loose interest in the rescue operation
Then a shipwreck occurred and many survivors were brought for first aid.
During this period, the much activity caused the elegant club house to be marred with blood stain and sea smell.
At the next members meeting, some members felt that the rescue activity was a hindrance to their social life.
Those who disagreed were asked to go to another operation further down the coast and with time history, continued to repeat itself and today the seacoast is lined with a number of exclusive clubhouses – but no one in the area seems too concerned with the rescue operation.
There are churches on every corner of this city but it’s so easy to loose our priorities, and even we are not immune
There is the need to get our priority right – Jesus said “my meat is to do the will of him that has sent me and to finish it” – John 4:34
(2) Passion –
This can also be called drive – people have passion for different things in life i.e, money, fame etc Jesus’ Passion in scripture was to reach the lost
I came to seek and save the lost. Paul also had the same passion 1Cor. 9:16 “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me: yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” – All he is saying is that don’t pat me on the back because I witness and preach and proclaim the gospel. I have to do these things. To him witnessing is not an option – it is not just a suggestion it is a command. He is passionate about it.
Another word that can be used for passion is enthusiasm – this comes from 2 Greek words. ‘en’ and ‘theos’ – in and God. In God! We can’t go wrong with enthusiasm. It helps us do anything and do it better – Col.3:23 – Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord…”If you don’t have passion, you might have the opposite of it which is sleep – you can be spiritually asleep though awake physically that is why Paul wrote in Romans 13:11 “And that knowing the time, that now it is time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”
That’s spiritual sleep he is referring to and he is right the church is sleeping in a noisy room full of lost people. A lot of people around us don’t know Christ and we walk past then in our streets, stores and at work there is the need to wake up Luk.12:47. “And that servant, which knew his Lord’s, will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes.” So Let’s wake up and get passionate for souls. Don’t sleep the sleep of unconcern like Jonah who instead of going to Nineveh, went in the opposite direction. He boarded a ship and went to sleep a sleep of the unconcern. Example of Titanic – they received about five different telegraph warning it of icebergs on the sea but the entire crew never heeded the warning and thirty five minutes after the last telegraph, they hit an iceberg and the ship that they said ‘even God cannot sink’ began to sink. If we believe the bible to be the truth – then let’s tell it to others with more passion. With passion’ stress is removed out of labour.
(3) The Right Message –
This is that salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ alone and nothing added.
When this message is coupled with love, souls will be saved –Ps.126:5-6
“They that sow in tears shall reap in Joy He that goeth and weepeth, bearing precious seeds, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him.”
I read the story on the net of the blind hymn writer Fanny Cosby. Who in her old age visited a rescue mission in New York City. As she stood before the crowd of homeless drug addicts and alcoholic men, she asked “is there anyone here who doesn’t have a mother” one young man timidly raised his hand and explained that she died when he was very young. She asked him to come to the front and she gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. The experience so touched her heart that she went home and that same day she wrote the song ‘Rescue the Perishing’.
Year later Ira Sankey was singing for D.L Moody in St Louis. As he rose to sing that song he told the story and a middle aged man jumped up and said it’s me! I am the man she wrote about. She kissed me and I could never get away from it and he explained how this made him yield his life to the Lord.
When we take the right message and couple it with love people will be saved.
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