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Thursday: The Testimony of the Samaritans — 2 Comments

  1. In recent times we have seen the development of megachurches, typically focused on the preaching of one person. Or, you have friends who will invite you to watch so-and-so on YouTube because they preach the Gospel with great power. One of the issues I have with this notion of the Gospel is that it is often focused on the person presenting the message rather than the message itself. And, I have lived long enough to have seen some of these preachers come unstuck. When that happens the followers often lose faith.

    I am not denying the effectiveness of a good preacher, but we should be careful that our preaching of the Gospel is Christ-focused. The comment that John makes regarding the witness of the Samaritan woman is very important:

    Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness: “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!” They asked him to stay on, so Jesus stayed two days. A lot more people entrusted their lives to him when they heard what he had to say. They said to the woman, “We’re no longer taking this on your say-so. We’ve heard it for ourselves and know it for sure. He’s the Savior of the world!” John 4:39-42 MSG

    This was not a denial of the Samaritan Woman's work, but rather an affirmation that Jesus was the focus.

    And that raises the question about our witness today: Do we point to Christ, or are we doing a little empire-building of our own?

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  2. Man works on the basis of addition. God works on the basis of multiplication. Never underestimate the power of one. It was one boy's lunch that Jesus used to provide a "happy meal" for over 5,000 people. It was the testimony of one formerly demon possessed man that caused nearly a whole village to come out to see and hear Jesus. It was the testimony of one partly pagan woman, who wasn't living right, that lead many in her village to "come and see" and believe in Jesus. These individuals weren't in any way qualified to do "evangelism" yet they did it quite successfully. The saying is as true today as ever that "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called". What could He do with you? Probably more than you will ever believe. Never underestimate the power of one in the Hands of the One True God. Little in the hands of God, is much.

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