Telling Others
John 4:3-7 (NLT) So He left Judea and returned to Galilee. 4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually He came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water…
John 4:7-15 (NLT) Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give Me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. 9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are You asking me for a drink?” 10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water.” 11 “But sir, You don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would You get this living water? 12 And besides, do You think You’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can You offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” 13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.” …15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
John 4:16-26 (NLT) “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. 17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” 21 Jesus replied, “Believe Me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. …23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”
John 4:27 (NLT) Just then His disciples came back. They were shocked to find Him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do You want with her?” or “Why are You talking to her?”
John 4:28-36 (NLT) The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could He possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see Him. 31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” 33 “Did someone bring Him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other. 34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent Me… 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life.
John 4:39-42 (NLT) Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” 40 When they came out to see Him, they begged Him to stay in their village. So He stayed for two days, 41 long enough for many more to hear His message and believe. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard Him ourselves. Now we know that He is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Why is it that so many of us—despite the life change, the freedom, and the hope we’ve found in Jesus—stay so quiet about it?
Many are afraid of being…
-misunderstood
-persecuted
-mocked or laughed at
-marginalized or silenced
-seen as offensive
-rejected
-labeled as ignorant, intolerant, judgmental, or pushy
Acts 4:29-31 (NKJV) “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Others see sharing their faith as…
-wrong
-extreme
-optional
-awkward
-the pastor’s job
And for others, they feel…
-too busy/distracted
-indifferent
-guilty about how they’re living
-feel ill-equipped
-lack of relationships with non-believers
Why should we share our story with others?
1. Because we’re capable
We’re called to tell others what we know, what we have seen, and what we have heard.
Mark 5:18-20 (NLT) As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with Him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful He has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
“A man may easily be a Christian and not a theologian, but he cannot be a Christian without being a witness.” —D.L. Moody
2. Because people need to hear it
How did you hear about Jesus?
Romans 10:14-15 (NLT) But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” —Charles Spurgeon
“Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself, be sure of that.” —Charles Spurgeon
2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV) We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
3. Because our story carries power
Psalm 66:16 (NIV) Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me.
Revelation 12:11 (NKJV) and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…
4. Because telling our story strengthens our faith
5. Because Jesus told us to
Psalm 107:2 (NIV) Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those He redeemed from the hand of the foe…