Spiritual Food for Women

John 5:1-9

 “Do You Want To Be Made Well?”

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

“Do You Want To Be Made Well?”

All the Jews traveled to Jerusalem for the passover feasts. Jesus was a Jew, which is why He would have needed to travel there as well. We are told in verse 2 about a pool called “Bethesda”. It is described in detail for us which is very cool, and here is why. In 1888, Conrad Schick found the remains of the pool of Bethesda beneath the surface of the earth. The details of it are what we read in verse 2. It was “by the sheep gate” and had “five porches”. According to the archeologists’ findings, it was a deep pool of about 13 feet. Prior to 1888, scholars did not think this pool existed. This just gives more proof that the Bible is true. Archeology helps to prove the Bible’s validity. According to verse 3, this was the place where the sickest of the sick and the weakest of the weak were taken. Can you imagine what a sad scene this had to be? Five porches full of people who didn’t have much hope at all. Their only hope was the angel and stirring of the water. It sounds like this stirring of the water didn’t happen often, and when it did happen, only the first person in the water would be healed. How sad! One article that I read said that the angel could have been a myth, and the stirring water could have been air moving through an aqueduct. But…..the Bible doesn’t say it is a myth. It says an angel went down and stirred the water. The pool obviously had a reputation for healing or all these people wouldn’t have been lying all around it. Whether or not healing actually happened periodically or not is not the point of the story. I’m going to take the description of this pool and those around it in a different direction. Here goes! All of these poor, pitiful souls were put around this pool together away from everyone else. They were a group of people that were without much hope for a normal life. No one wanted to see them, because it was not a pretty sight. Most people probably just went about their day not giving these physically sick people a second thought. In much the same way, all the spiritually sick people are gathered together in the world separated from all of us who are in Christ. It is not a nice thought to think about people being lost for eternity. Do I push this out of my mind because it is not pleasant to think about? How often do I go through my day and not give them a second thought? 

What does this account show us about Jesus? Jesus showed up at this pool where not many people would want to hang out. I would venture to say that none of the religious leaders would have set foot in this area. I bet there were a lot of people at this pool who could not care for themselves, and had no one else to care for them either. It probably smelled. There was probably crying, sadness, and pain. I can’t even imagine what it was like. This wasn’t the first time Jesus had shown up in an unpleasant place, according to the Jews anyway. He showed up in Samaria……where the Jews would have never set foot. They considered the Samaritans as filthy and beneath them. Do we see a pattern? Jesus went to what most considered unpleasant places. He went to the most vulnerable and needy people. I feel the closest to Jesus when I am in my most vulnerable or weakest moments. That’s because He wants me to turn to Him at those times. He wants me to cling to Him when I am at my worst, whether it’s physically, mentally, or spiritually. He loves me at my worst, so shouldn’t I love others at their worst? When I look at the lost, I need to be like Jesus, and not be afraid to go in after them. How else are we going to help them unless we go to them? Matthew 28:19 tells us to “go”, not to wait for them to come to us. My toes are definitely stepped on as I write this. 

So…..we are told that there was a “great multitude” of sick people around the pool. We can only imagine the sadness of the scene. Jesus shows up at the pool and chooses one man…..a man who had been sick for 38 years. We know that Jesus never did anything by chance. He didn’t come there just to pick someone at random. There was always a reason for the things Jesus did, the people He attached Himself to, and the places He went. Just like He had a reason to cut through Samaria to meet the woman in chapter 4, He had a reason for going to this pool. But…..why this particular man out of all of the “great multitude”? Well…..maybe it was because the man had been sick longer than anyone else there. We don’t know that, but possibly. Maybe it was because Jesus knew that the man would be noticed immediately by the Jews, causing them to question him. Maybe it was the hopelessness within this man that stirred the compassion within Him. The poor man was so hopeless that when Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed, he didn’t even say, “yes I do!” Most people would say “of course I want to be healed!” Not only was the poor man without hope, but he was alone and without hope! That is even worse! When the man told Jesus that he had no one to help him get to the water, Jesus responded with a command. He didn’t offer to help him get to the water. He didn’t tell him how sorry he was that he had been sick so long. He just commanded that the man get up, pick up his bed, and walk. That’s it! Jesus took action to help this man. He didn’t want this man to be in this hopeless state any longer. But still…..why this man? 

I found an explanation in my research as to possibly why Jesus chose this particular man. Let’s key in on the number 38. First let’s set the stage. This account takes place during the Passover, specifically one of the feasts as we saw at the beginning of chapter 5. The Passover represents the time when God brought the people out of Egypt, and then brought them through the wilderness to the land that he had promised them. Listen to Deuteronomy 2:14-15:  “And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them. For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.” It took 38 years for all the Israelite people that God punished for their sins to die out. This journey to Canaan should have taken two weeks, but it turned into 38 years because of the people’s sin against God. Those people were hopeless spiritually…..just like this man was hopeless physically. 

Now, let’s compare the water in the pool of Bethesda with other water that we have found in the book of John so far. The water in the pool was useless to the man, since he had no way of getting in it. Let’s compare the useless water in the pool to the water that John baptized people in, the ritual cleansing water pots at the wedding in Cana, and  the water that the woman had come to draw out of Jacob’s Well. All of that water was spiritually useless. None of it was the living water that Jesus was going to provide. Jesus’ living water would replace all of this physical water. John’s baptism of repentance was needed at that time to help prepare the way for Jesus, but would later be replaced with the baptism for the remission of sins after the death of Jesus. This made John’s baptism useless at that point. The ritual cleansing water pots would not be needed as Jesus would spiritually cleanse His people for all time. These water pots were rendered useless. The water from Jacob’s Well might quench a person’s physical thirst temporarily, but Jesus, the living water, would quench a person’s spiritual thirst for all time. The water in the well was spiritually useless. I love all the parallels and comparisons within the signs in the book of John. I had no idea the depth of them until I began this study. This is the third of the seven signs recorded in the gospel of John. 

Let’s continue with the comparison. There was no one to advocate for the people who died in the wilderness wanderings. But Jesus came, and is now an advocate for everyone who believes and obeys Him. That is what is significant about the healing of this man. There was no one to advocate for this poor sick man at the pool. He had no one who would stand up for him, help him get to the water, and say to others who tried to push their way ahead of him, “No, he’s been waiting 38 years. He’s got next!” That man who had been sick for 38 years, represents the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for 38 years before dying in a hopeless state. But Jesus came to the pool of Bethesda, and intervened on behalf of this man, and made him physically well. Jesus will intervene for all who belong to Him…..past, present, and future, and make all of us spiritually well. Jesus’ blood flows forward and backward. It flows forward to future generations, and backwards to those people who were not allowed to go into the land of Canaan because of their sin. You know…..Moses wasn’t allowed to go into the land of Canaan, but I fully believe that we will see Moses in heaven someday. Jesus will advocate for him. Moses made a mistake, and was punished for it, but Jesus’ blood flows all the way back to Moses, and has washed him clean. The same thing happens to us when we make mistakes. We repent, and are cleansed. We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus that we came in contact with through the obedient act of baptism. Jesus will not leave us in the wilderness to die. All we have to do is believe and obey His will. He has done His part. We just have to do ours. Now…..as we move into verse nine, we see a very important word……”immediately”. 

“Immediately”…..instantly, without any time passing, without hesitation, a man who had been chronically ill for 38 years, unable to even walk to the pool to be healed…..suddenly gets up, bends over, picks up the mat that he was lying on, and walks. No therapy was needed, no assistance, not gradually…..instantly! Do you wonder how the other invalids and sick people around the pool reacted when they saw this? I wonder…..were they all crying out and begging for Jesus to heal them too? Of course, it doesn’t say how they reacted…..that is just where my mind went. My first thought was, “But what about the other poor souls around the pool? Don’t they need healing also?” I can’t help where my mind goes. However, I also have to remember that Jesus did many other things that are not written down, and if they were all written down one at a time, “the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)  So….who knows? Jesus could have gone back to the pool at another time, and healed all the rest of them. In Matthew 4:23 and Matthew 9:35 it says that Jesus went all around Galilee and Capernaum healing every disease and affliction. Plus there were times when people brought loved ones to Him to be healed. Oh the love, compassion and power of Jesus! 

Jesus asked the man a question. He is asking each of us the same thing. “Do you want to be made well?” Do we want to be made spiritually well? Sometimes, we don’t want to be made well, do we? We like what we are doing and where we are at in life, and because of that, we try to make excuses to justify the sin that is making us spiritually sick. We try to make it ok. We might say things like, “There are a lot of people who do a lot worse things than I do” or “I’m a good person. I just _____every now and then (we can all fill in that blank with something)”. Sometimes, we are so engulfed in sin that we don’t realize how spiritually sick we really are. Sisters and friends, I have been there. Believe me, I have made every excuse. Whether we are a Christian who has fallen back into the world, a Christian who is struggling in some way, or a person who hasn’t become a Christian yet, the first step is admitting that we are spiritually sick and need healing. Jesus is the Great Physician. He is the only one who can make us well in the only way that really truly matters. Are you spiritually well? Is your soul well? We all want to be physically well. We do things all the time to keep our physical bodies well. Let’s personally ask ourselves this question if we are members of the Lord’s church, “Am I doing the things that I need to do to stay spiritually well? Am I spending time in prayer? Am I opening God’s Word daily? Am I attending worship and bible study services faithfully? Am I involved within my congregation?” Maybe you need to ask yourself some different questions like, “Have I allowed Jesus to heal me by saving my soul? Have I  repented of my sins, and been baptized for the forgiveness of those sins?” In our congregation, we sing a song often that really sums it up well. It is one of my favorites, and it is called “It Is Well With My Soul”. Can each one of us honestly say, “It is well with my soul”?  The song is about having assurance in Christ…..assurance that no matter what happens in our lives, we can say, “it is well with my soul”. But, if we are not Christians or if we are wayward Christians who are not right with God, then we don’t have this kind of assurance. I don’t know about you, but I want peace within. Do you have peace within? Are you well?

Click on the link below to read the words of the beautiful hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul”.

https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/341

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

John 4:46-54

46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” 49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” 52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. 54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

“Your Son Lives”

As we follow the footsteps of Jesus through the book of John, we find Him back in Cana where He performed the water to wine sign/miracle. A nobleman approaches Jesus, and wants Him to come and heal his son who is very sick and close to dying. This nobleman was a royal official of King Herod Antipas. He was probably a Gentile. He had traveled from Capernaum to Cana which is around 15 to 20 miles. He had traveled quite a ways to get to Jesus, because he had heard that Jesus was there. This shows the urgency of the situation. Here was a desperate father whose only concern was saving his son. He saw Jesus as the only hope for his son to be healed. Obviously, the man knew that Jesus’ performed miracles. I mean…..if it were my child, I would do the same thing. 

In verse 48, Jesus makes a profound statement…..”if you don’t see me perform signs or miracles, you will not believe”. However…..the “you” here in this verse is plural. Jesus was talking to a group of people, and this nobleman was a part of the group who had this shallow type of belief. It sounded for a moment like he wasn’t going to help the man. Remember….Jesus could see the man’s thoughts and He knew that He wouldn’t be there unless he needed a miracle from Jesus. But I ask you…..wouldn’t we all do the same thing if this was our child? We would go to the ends of the earth to save our babies. Jesus knew the panic this man was feeling. The nobleman ignored Jesus’ statement in verse 48, and in verse 49, said  with respectful pleading, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” He was not giving up. His child’s life hung in the balance. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t give up either. You know…..belief usually does begin shallow. That’s ok. It just can’t remain shallow. We must work and study to deepen our understanding, and progress from milk to meat (1 Cor. 3:2, 1 Peter 2:2, Hebrews 5:13-14). Our belief has to lead to obedience, and a transformation of our hearts.

After the man persisted in verse 49, Jesus told the man to go home. He told the man, “Your son lives.” Now, up until this point, the man expected Jesus to come with him. He probably just assumed that Jesus would need to be present in order to perform a miracle such as this. However, something seemed to switch in the man when Jesus told him to go, and that his son was going to live. Verse 50 says that the man believed Jesus and went home.  No arguments. This man’s belief was beginning to grow. First, he came to Cana because he had heard about Jesus, and needed Jesus to come to his house and heal his son who was about to die. Now, he is taking Jesus at His word. Jesus says the boy is fine. “Ok, Jesus. I believe you. I’ll go home now.” And he was 20ish miles away!! So he wouldn’t see his son for a while! He didn’t continue to beg Jesus to come. He seemed to have complete confidence in the words that Jesus spoke to him at that moment. This was a growing faith similar to the Samaritans’ faith. To begin with, they believed because of the woman’s testimony. Later, that belief turned into a deeper faith because they heard Jesus for themselves. In verse 53, we saw the man’s faith come full circle when he arrived home to find his son alive and well. Not only that, he found out that the boy’s fever had left him at the very hour that Jesus spoke it away! Then, he shared this faith with his family who also believed. This man was leading his family spiritually. Faith can start shallow. I mean…..everyone has to start somewhere in their walk with Jesus. It is what we do with that first glimmer of belief that is vital to our salvation. Like James 2:19 says, “You believe in God; you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble.” Belief is not enough, and will not save us. I am reminded of the parable of the sower. I don’t want to be the “wayside”, where the seed falls, and is snatched up by the birds. I don’t want to be the rocky soil where the seed has no root (Matthew 13). Belief has to lead to obedience, and a life of service to God. 

Another interesting point that I found when studying this account was that Elijah said the same words to the widow whose son he raised from the dead…..”Your son lives” (1 Kings 17:23). It makes me wonder…..could the nobleman’s son have actually died while the man had been traveling that day? Jesus could have said, “Your son has been made well”, but instead specified that the boy was alive. Hmmmm…..it’s possible. Elijah, however, had to be there with the boy to raise him up, and even had to lay on top of the boy three times, and cry out for God to save him. All Jesus had to do was say the words from 20 miles away. He didn’t have to cry out to God, because He WAS God. Like it says in Hebrews 1:1-3, paraphrasing, “God used to speak to us through prophets, but in these last days speaks to us through His son whom God made heir to everything, and who made the universe.” It also says that Jesus is the exact representation of God Himself, and sits at the right of God in heaven. Jesus is superior to everyone before Him. 

In verse 54, this miracle is called a sign. It is the second sign of the seven signs found in the book of John, the first being the “water to wine” miracle at Cana. This means there is a deeper meaning behind the miracle. Could the deeper meaning be in the words of Jesus? Jesus’ words “your son lives” can be said about us on the day we are baptized into Christ. I was dead spiritually, and when I came up out of that water a new person, Jesus said “Greta Hoover lives”! Put your name in there. He said that about you the day you were born again to a new life in Him! Again, we see another parallel of physical life and spiritual life. Jesus could restore physical life to people when He was on earth. He gives us spiritual life for eternity if we live in obedience to Him. When we become wayward, He will restore our spiritual life if we come back to Him and repent. Let’s look at Ephesians 2:1, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…..” How does He make us alive? He makes us alive when we obey His words in Mark 16:16, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. He that believes not shall be condemned.” It doesn’t get much plainer than that. And when we obey His words, we come into contact with His blood in the waters of baptism. In the waters of baptism is where the trespasses and sins that once caused our spiritual death are washed away. This is how we are brought to life through Jesus. As John says in John 1:4, “Jesus is life”. I give all glory and thanksgiving to God because He loved me so much that even though I was lost and in sin, He allowed His only Son to die for me so that I could be brought to life spiritually (Romans 5:8). He knew me even then. I thank God for His patience with me over the years, and His patience with me now. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Can we even fathom the love that Jesus has for us? Ephesians 3:19 says that His love is so great that it surpasses knowledge. This knowledge of this world cannot understand His love for us. The world cannot comprehend such love. But, because we are in Christ, we can know and experience His love from now throughout eternity, and nothing can separate us from it (Romans 8:38-39). 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

John 4:34-45

“Lift Up Your Eyes…..and See the Harvest”

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” 43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

“Lift Up Your Eyes…..and See the Harvest”

So…..where did Jesus get food? The disciples were so confused! They had just come back from getting food, and Jesus said in John 4:32, that He had food that they didn’t know about. Hmmmm…..

Did Jesus get physically hungry? Yes, He did! Jesus was a human being, and had to have food in order to stay physically healthy to do the will of God. Jesus was talking about spiritual fulfillment or food. This statement in verse 34 is along the same lines as the statement He made to Satan when he tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread to satisfy His physical hunger after He had been fasting for 40 days and nights. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus says, it is God’s Word that sustains me, and gives me life. When the disciples returned from buying food, Jesus had just finished teaching the Samaritan woman about the “living water” that He could provide. That is when He said, “I have food that you don’t know about.” Jesus’ spiritual “food” was teaching the woman, and then having her go and share the good news with others. That type of “food” was far more important to Him than any physical food that could be provided to Him. The lesson for His disciples was transforming as it is for us today! This Samaritan woman’s soul was way more valuable than the food that the disciples had brought back for Him. Jesus was probably really physically hungry, but He took the time to teach the disciples what was truly important before taking a bite of the food that they had brought Him. Jesus teaches all of us a lesson here. Our life is meaningless without God’s higher purpose in it. Serving God and saving souls should be the highest priority in our lives above everything else. What about me? What sustains me? I love my life. I love my family…..my husband, children, and grandsons. I love my parents and my extended family. I love my friends. I love being a teacher. I love my home. I love music, the beach, and sports. I love pasta, Japanese food, Mexican food and good ole country home cooking. But these people, things, places, and foods should not be what truly sustains me. In fact, I can’t be truly sustained by anything except for God. I have all of this in my life because of God. Like Jeremiah says in Lamentations 3:24, “The Lord is my portion….therefore I hope in Him”. None of the things that I listed above can give me eternal life. The hope and promise of eternal life is the “food” that should sustain us. Job lost everything, but he still had sustenance because He kept His faith in God. His life wasn’t void even though He had lost so much. Life is void and empty without Jesus. The richest, most famous person on earth is empty and void without Jesus. According to verse 35, it must have been around four months until the physical harvest, but Jesus told His disciples not to wait four months because the harvest was happening right then and there…..a spiritual harvest of souls who needed a Savior. Jesus says in verses 35 and 36 paraphrasing,” Look up at the people coming to see me. They are ready to hear. This is the harvest. This is the food that comes from sowing and reaping…..saved souls are the food.” The people were coming to see Jesus after the Samaritan woman told them about Him. Jesus and the woman were the sowers. Jesus sowed the seed to the woman, and then the woman sowed the seed to everyone she met in the city. The people who were then coming to see Jesus were the harvest…..the possible fruit that might grow from that sown seed. Now, the disciples would be the reapers and the gatherers of the fruit. They would gather all the people (fruit), and bring them to Jesus so He could continue to teach them more about the kingdom of God. But Jesus says, no worries…..the sowers and the reapers are equal in the kingdom. Both have a job to do and both will rejoice and be rewarded. Ok….time to examine myself! Am I seeing the harvest? Am I sowing the seed? Is it urgent to me? Jesus wanted His disciples to know that saving souls was more urgent than anything else in the world…..even eating. He wants us to know this too.

In verse 38, Jesus tells His disciples that He is ready for them to reap…..to gather the fruit…..to bring the people to whom the woman had told the good news of the Messiah to Jesus so that He can continue to teach them. The disciples did not labor (sow the seed). Jesus and the woman did the laboring (sowing of the seed). But the disciples will now enter into the work of the Lord. This is their time to start their ministry for Jesus. As Jesus said in verses 36 and 37, the workers who sow and the workers who reap are equal. Both bear fruit, and will rejoice because of that fruit. Everyone who plays a part in a person’s salvation is equal and rejoices because of it. But who gets the increase and the glory? God gets the increase and the glory when a person becomes a Christian. God gets a new daughter or son, and we get a new sister or brother. 

Let’s use a hypothetical situation with made-up names. Beverly invites her friend Sally to come to church with her. So Sally comes one Sunday morning. Beverly introduces Sally to Susan. Susan invites Sally and Beverly to lunch after services which leads to a Bible discussion as they are eating. Sally decides to come back the following Sunday, and is introduced to more people, and is taken out to lunch again with a group of ladies. A couple of services and more introductions later, one of the ladies from the “lunch group” invites Sally to have a Bible study with her using “Back to the Bible” materials. She invites Beverly also since Sally had been coming with Beverly, and they are friends. She thought that might make Sally more comfortable. The three get together, have dinner, and study the Bible together using “Back to the Bible”. They study a couple more times after that initial study. All of this leads to Sally’s desire to be baptized into Christ. Brother John, one of the elders, talks to Sally, and then baptizes her into Christ. Who was responsible for her soul being saved? Who sowed? Who reaped? Does it really matter? Jesus says it doesn’t matter who does what in regards to helping a person understand the gospel and be saved. Everyone who welcomed Sally, invited Sally, went to lunch with Sally, spoke to Sally, invited her to keep coming, studied with Sally, or even smiled at Sally had a part in her soul being saved. We all rejoice, and God gets the glory. 

Verse 39 specifically credits the woman’s testimony as the reason a lot of people believed. When I think about that, it makes me examine myself. This Samaritan woman had just learned that she had met the Messiah. She is not one of God’s chosen people. She is not a scholar of the law of Moses. Yet, she brought people to Jesus. All she knew was that Jesus had told her all about her life, and said that He was the Messiah. Her testimony jump-started Jesus’ ministry to the Samaritans. What about us? We can all invite. We all have a conversion story that we can tell to others. What does this tell us about our personal ministry? We should all have our own ministry in some way within our role. We tend to think we don’t know enough to tell others, or we don’t know how to approach others. But yet…..this woman…..who probably was known for her past and present situation, brought the good news of Jesus to people who were hungry for spiritual food. Verse 40 says that the Samaritans begged Jesus to stay with them, and He stayed with them for two days. Jesus, the Savior of the world, was accepted and adored by Samaritans, who were looked down on by His own lineage. Jesus stayed two entire days with people who the Jews saw as unclean. Verse 41 says “many more believed” in those two days……and it all started with one Samaritan woman who believed and then shared her belief. One person can make a difference. Each of us can make a difference. 

And then comes something very special! Respect is given to the woman who shared the good news of the Messiah with everyone she met. “Thank you so much for sharing this good news with us, because now we believe not only because you told us, but because we got to hear Him for ourselves!” Verse 42 is a thank you verse from the people of Samaria to the woman. I love it! What do you think this did for this “beaten-down-by-life” woman who was basically an outcast? To have people say thank you to her? Wow, did Jesus ever know exactly who to choose for a task! The woman was the perfect choice, as is every choice that Jesus made. The Samaritans also confessed Christ in this same verse. This is a big moment for these people that is not to be glossed over! They said, “We…..KNOW that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” They had no doubts about who Jesus was or what His purpose was. And Jesus knew their hearts. This is why He chose to stay with them for two days. Remember in John 2:23-25 when Jesus “didn’t entrust Himself “ to those in Jerusalem because He knew their hearts were not right? They were only interested in the miracles that He was performing. It was a shallow belief. What can I get from Jesus? It was not this way with the Samaritans. They acknowledged Jesus’ deity, and they also realized that He was not just the Savior for the Jews, but for them as well. Back in John 4:3, we read that Jesus was leaving Judea and heading to Galilee. But…..He had an important stop to make at Jacob’s well to meet the Samaritan woman, and bring the gospel to the city of Samaria. Now verse 43 tells us that He is continuing on to Galilee. In verse 44, we see a curious statement by Jesus…..a testimony. Jesus, who is the Prophet, will find no honor in His own country among His own people. How sad! John told us in John 1:11 that He was rejected by His own people. But wait….verse 45 says that they received Him, or welcomed Him. So if they welcomed Him, why is He saying He gets no honor there? Well…..it is the same situation as it was in John 2:23-25. What is their reason for welcoming him? Again, it is the miracles and signs that they are interested in. It is the shallow attitude of “wow, cool, did you see what this Jesus guy did? I wonder what He can do for me. What can I get out of this guy?” You see…..the people being spoken of in these verses were at the feast in John 2:23-25, and saw Jesus’ miracles. These were some of the same people that Jesus said he didn’t trust. Why didn’t He trust them? They had the wrong motives for following Him! It was a surface level belief, not a transformative belief. The Samaritans experienced Jesus and He changed their lives! The people in Galilee…..Jesus’ own countryman…..could not get past their own selfish hearts to truly see the Son of God, the Savior of the world. The Samaritans saw Jesus as a treasure. The Galileans only saw treasure that they could possibly get from Jesus. Studying these verses in depth has truly made me examine myself, and my motives. I need a Savior, because I am a sinner. I need mercy and salvation. I didn’t give my life to Jesus for some kind of worldly gain, or to have some kind of status on this earth or in my community. I am eternally lost without Him. He is my Savior, and I owe Him my life. He IS my treasure. I don’t need an overabundance of earthly treasure, because Jesus has already given me everything that I need. Am I giving Him my all? Am I treating Him like the treasure that He is? 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

John 4:22-33

22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” 27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 

“I Who Speak to You AM HE”

Jesus…..to the woman at the well…..in my own words…..

“You don’t really understand what or who you are worshiping.” What did Jesus mean by this? Well…..the Samaritans only acknowledged the first five books of the Bible, and rejected the rest of the Hebrew writings. Their view of God was incomplete. They had designed their own temple on the mountain, and their own way to worship. According to Jesus, “Salvation (the Messiah, the Savior) has come from the lineage of the Jews.” This might not sound like good news for the Samaritans to start with but then Jesus says something amazing! Someday you won’t need a specific place or building. You won’t need a most holy place, a mercy seat, or an ark of the covenant to represent worship to God. You won’t need a mountain where Moses built an altar to worship God. Everything is going to be different. It won’t be about symbolic places or rituals or traditions of men (which it never was about traditions). Neither the mountain nor the temple will be the place of worship any more. It will be about the condition of a person’s heart that will matter to God. God is seeking “true worshipers”, not people who are going through the physical motions of worship. I ask myself, “How is my heart during worship? What is my mind on? Is my mind wandering to worldly things when I should be focused on Christ?” This troubles me. I truly hope that I am not just going through the motions of worship. I hope that I am not just checking the boxes or punching the clock. God is Spirit. Am I worshiping Him in my spirit? Am I giving Him my all? But…..what other way does Jesus say we must worship Him? We must worship Him in truth. What does that mean? Well…..what is truth? Truth is God’s Word. So we have to worship God in spirit and according to God’s Word…..the TRUTH. The Samaritans made up their own rules for worship that were not recognized by God, because they were not God’s chosen people. Today, many people make up their own rules for worship which are not authorized by God. It seems to have become more about entertainment, and less about worship. It has become more about pleasing the audience, than about pleasing God. Can we worship in spirit, but not worship in truth? Yes, people do it all the time. They are so sincere in what they are doing. However, sincerity does not make it right. Can we worship in truth, but not in spirit? Yes, this happens all the time as well. I’ve been guilty. My heart and mind were not right even though I was in the right setting with all worship authorized by God. Both situations are equally wrong. Writing this has really made me examine myself and my worship. I want to be a true worshiper. 

This woman is still not sure about everything Jesus is saying, because she is waiting for the Messiah to come and reveal everything she needs to know. This woman is a believer. She says, “I know the Messiah is coming”. She has faith that He will make everything better for her. Maybe this is why Jesus chose her. He saw her tender heart. And then in verse 26 comes the bombshell moment…..

“I who am speaking to you am He.” Suddenly this woman is no longer spiritually blind anymore. Her eyes are open to the Savior. I picture her stopping in her tracks at the words of Jesus. I imagine her frozen for a few seconds….processing what He had just said to her. Suddenly, the water that she was carrying meant nothing to her anymore. All that mattered was Jesus. All that mattered was telling others about Him. I question myself, “Is this all that matters to me? Am I as excited and overjoyed about Jesus as this Samaritan woman was? Do I drop everything and run to tell others about Jesus?” Wow. This hits me hard, ladies. Verse 29 says that she told the people in the city that a man had told her everything about her life. She invited them to “come” and “see” just like Jesus told the two disciples of John in John 1:39…..”Come and see”. I question myself, “Do I invite people to “come and see”?” She questions the people that she tells, saying, “Can this be the Christ?” But she knew He was. This question was her way of getting their attention and peaking their curiosity. Jesus would often answer a question with a question, wouldn’t He?  Questioning is one of the greatest tools of teaching. 

In verse 27, the disciples had just returned from buying food. They are surprised to find Jesus talking to a woman. Why is he talking to this Samaritan woman? They were all probably thinking the same thing…..maybe even mumbling under their breath about it to each other. However, they had way too much respect for Jesus to question Him about it. Not only did Jews not associate with Samaritans, but a woman on top of that? What does this tell us about Jesus’ value of us as women? Jesus could have chosen anyone to reveal Himself to on that day so long ago, but He chose this woman…..a Samaritan, a woman with a sinful past, and a sinful present living situation. Jesus didn’t care about that. Jesus saw her future. It doesn’t say what happens to the woman later, but I picture her getting out of her sinful living situation, and living for Jesus. I picture her possibly becoming a member of the Lord’s church on Pentecost when Peter preached the first gospel sermon. Maybe she was one of the 3000 who were added to God’s church on that day, or maybe later when the church had spread some more. I picture her saved though, because Jesus chose her, and she chose to believe. He chooses all of us. We just have to also choose to believe and obey Him. I bet we will all see the woman at the well in heaven someday! Jesus loves us, values us, and will use us in His kingdom within our role as women no matter what our past is. Maybe, like this woman, our present situation is not right with God in some way, but we can change it through Jesus. This story of the woman at the well has always been one of my favorites. What a blessing it is to have this beautiful account of Jesus and this woman recorded for us. It gives all of us just a glimpse of how Jesus sees each one of us, and how we should see others around us. 

People were coming out of the city to see Jesus. This was all due to the Samaritan woman’s enthusiasm to share the good news that the Messiah had come. Are we still enthusiastic about sharing the good news with others? I think about how the Bible says that the disciples of Christ turned the world upside down with their teachings (Acts 17:6). Could more enthusiasm among members of the Lord’s church cause this to happen again in today’s time? The woman at the well was only the beginning. 

Meanwhile, back to the disciples who had returned from buying food. They knew that Jesus was tired from traveling, and had to be hungry, so they encouraged Him to eat. Then Jesus says something perplexing to the disciples, “I have food that you don’t know about.” The disciples were thinking, “who gave Him food? And if He had food, then why did He send us to go get food?” This was the same type of cryptic language that He had used with the woman at the well by asking her to give Him a drink, but then telling her He had living water. I’m sure she was thinking…..”then why are you asking me for a drink if you have living water?” This tactic gets their attention, peaks their curiosity, and gets them ready to think deeper about the spiritual rather than the physical. Jesus says just enough to get their wheels turning, and keep them wanting to know more. Wasn’t Jesus the greatest teacher of all time? What food is Jesus talking about? We will see what Jesus means by this puzzling statement in the next post! 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

John 4:10-21

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.”

“If You Only Knew…..”

Jesus……”if only you knew who you were actually talking to”. 

If only everyone knew Him…..right? 

And then Jesus hits her with, “I could have given you living water.”

From the woman’s point of view, paraphrasing in my own words…..”Wait a minute. You asked me for a drink, and now you want me to ask you for a drink?? You don’t even have a bucket.” I would be confused too if I were her. And living water? By “living water”, the woman thought He meant flowing water or a river. The woman sharply replies, “Are you greater than Jacob who dug the well?” She is thinking, “Jacob couldn’t find living water (flowing water/a river) in this area when he lived here. That is why he dug this well for his family and animals. Does this man have some inside information on a river in this area that I don’t know about?” A river (living or flowing water) certainly would have made life much easier for this woman. I’m sure pulling a heavy bucket of water up and out of a deep well over and over every single day would have been hard work. Drawing the water out of the well was usually considered the woman’s job, and it was usually done towards the evening of each day when it was cooler. However, this woman had come at the sixth hour of the day to draw water. According to Jewish time-keeping, a day started at 6:00 AM around sunrise. Since the day started at 6:00 AM, instead of midnight like it does for us today, the sixth hour would have been noon…..the hottest part of the day. This woman came to the well in the heat of the day, because she knew no one else would be there at that time. She was shunned by the other women of the  community because of her lifestyle and her past. But Jesus came to that well at noon our time…..in the miserable heat…..to talk to this shunned woman. He could have chosen anyone, but He chose to talk to her. What does this tell us about our past? Does it matter to Jesus? 

And what about this woman’s response to Jesus’ “living water” statement? She was confused, which I can certainly understand. Her confused response to the “living water” reminds me so much of Nicodemus’ confused response to Jesus’ words about being “born again”. Both Nicodemus and this Samaritan woman were focused on physical things, while Jesus was speaking about spiritual things. Their responses were a lot alike even though they were different in many ways. Nicodemis was talking about a physical birth and the woman was talking about physical water, while Jesus was speaking about a spiritual birth and spiritual water. 

The connection between being “born again”  and receiving “living water” is amazing! The “living water” is what brings about our “born again” state of being. Our belief and obedience through baptism brings about that “living water” that Jesus was speaking of. I’m thinking of it this way. Jesus’ blood is what cleanses us spiritually. Water cleanses us physically. Blood within our bodies equals physical life. Around 51% of our blood consists of water. Therefore water also equals life to our physical body. When we are baptized in water, we come in contact with Jesus’ blood. The water that we are baptized in is technically not a “living” thing, but our obedience coupled with Jesus’ blood that He shed for us, causes that water that we are immersed in to “come to life” so to speak, making it “living water”. Without Jesus’ blood we are dead spiritually. Without water baptism, we are also dead spiritually because we cannot access Jesus’ blood any other way. Our blood and water within our bodies are both vital for our physical survival. Jesus’ blood and the water in which we come in contact with it are both vital to our eternal survival. 

Jesus really surprises the woman when He tells her that His water will forever quench her thirst. The woman was spiritually dehydrated just like so many are today. And how do we keep ourselves spiritually hydrated? With Jesus…..He is our living water. John 1:1 says that Jesus is the Word. We access the Words of Jesus through God’s Word. Therefore God’s Word is our living water. We stay hydrated by keeping ourselves in the Word. I can tell when I haven’t spent enough time in God’s Word over the course of a few days. I begin to feel like something is just not right. I get negative, distressed, and stressed out. Then I realize that I’m spiritually dehydrated. I spent many years in a spiritual drought to the point where I didn’t realize what I was missing. I turned to other things to relieve my negative, distressed state of being. Now….I can tell fairly quickly when I’m needing my living water…..Jesus…..God’s Word. 

“Whoever”….. (vs. 14)

This word is powerful. This word shows the impartiality of Jesus. It is a universal call to anyone and everyone. But it’s not universal in the way that much of the world thinks it is. The majority of the world thinks that the living water is just automatically there, and is going to benefit them whether they actually follow Jesus or not. “It’s a gift!” They’ll say. “You can’t earn a gift!” I agree with that. The living water that Christ offers is a gift, and we don’t earn a gift. We don’t earn our birthday gifts. They are given to us because we are special, important, and loved. But what if we don’t accept the gift? What good is an unopened present? I would think we would need to accept it with thanksgiving, and then unwrap it in order to benefit from it. That takes action, right? Remember Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast. Matthew 22:9 says that the king sent his servants to go and invite everyone they met to the wedding feast. Everyone gets an invitation, but you have to accept the invitation, get ready, and travel there to get to attend the wedding feast. It takes effort. Think about physical water. Suppose I am so thirsty that I think that I might die, and someone offers me a glass of water for free. I don’t have to do anything to earn that glass of water. It is sitting right there in front of me. Am I saved from death by dehydration  with the water still sitting there? Don’t I have to put forth the effort to pick up the glass, bring it to my lips, turn the glass up, and then swallow the water? Action, right? Jesus offers living water to every single person who has ever lived or will ever live. The offer is universal. However, we have to accept that living water on Jesus’ terms in order to receive it. Revelation 22:17 says “let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” The action words are “come” and “take”. Jesus also says in verse 14 of our writing today that once we accept that water, not only will we never thirst again, but the water will become more and more abundant and last for eternity. But what if we stop drinking Jesus’ living water after we accepted it in the beginning. Are we still good to go? Well, let’s compare Jesus’ living water to physical water again. Think back to my example above. I am about to die from dehydration. I drink the water, recover, and live. Am I good to go without water forever now since I’ve had that one glass? Of course not! We all know that we have to consistently drink water to survive physically. It’s no different with Jesus’ living water. We have to accept that water on Jesus’ terms since it is His water, and continue to drink it throughout our entire life. We have to accept and obey Jesus by confessing, repenting, and being baptized for the forgiveness of sins, and then remain faithful until physical death here on earth. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Rev. 2:10) Then we get that “well of water springing up to eternal life”. 

I also found it so interesting that the woman automatically wanted that water to make her life easier. She was thinking of how much easier her life would be if she didn’t have to worry about drawing water every single day. She pretty much demanded that Jesus give her that water. She did use “sir” to show some respect, but her tone was clear. She meant to get that water! But Jesus didn’t automatically give her the water. He demanded something of her, didn’t He? “You want my water, then go call your husband”. Jesus knew the situation that this woman had gotten herself into. He knew the life she had led. He put her on the spot! Has Jesus ever put you on the spot? I know He has put me on the spot many times. His Word convicts, steps on our toes, and puts us on the spot. And that’s ok with me. I need it! Then, in verse 17, comes the woman’s half-truth…..at least that’s what I call it. She told the truth, but was also trying to hide her past and present shame at the same time. I’ve been guilty of this, but just like the woman at the well, I could never hide from Jesus. Jesus knows everything that I have ever done, every word that I have spoken, and every thought that I have ever had. I’m so glad he will be my mediator…..my defense attorney, on judgment day. 

In verse 18, Jesus exposes her sin just as He exposes each of us when we sin. He exposes us through His Word. Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.” The words of Jesus pierced this woman like a two-edged sword exposing her and convicting her…..all the while loving her beyond measure. Jesus exposed her because He loved her, and wanted her to have a better life. He wanted to free her from the sin that held her in bondage. This is the exact same thing that He wants to do for us. The people in Acts 2:38 were pricked (pierced) in their hearts by the words of Peter, who spoke by the Holy Spirit, on Pentecost exposing the fact that they had crucified God’s Son. It is love that drives Jesus to expose the sin of any one of us. Why else would He do this? Jesus woke this woman up! God’s Word will do the same thing to us if we allow it to penetrate our hearts. It will jolt us awake so that we can realize our pitiful state. When I am confronted with my sin, it causes me to face my eternal destination. That, my friends and sisters, is a wake-up call that I have had more than once, and still need regularly. 

The woman thinks that this man must be a prophet, because how else could He know all about her past and present? Then…..the statement about where to worship. It feels as though she is being a bit defensive in this verse by the phrase “you Jews”. She says, paraphrasing, “We worship on this mountain. You Jews say that worship can only happen in Jerusalem. So…..who is right?” They worshiped in that mountain because that is where Moses commanded that an altar be built in Deut. 27:4. It says Mount Ebal, but in the Samaritan Pentateuch, this same verse reads Gerizim instead of Ebal. (New American Commentary) In Deut. 11:29, it says that Gerizim was the mountain of God’s blessing. They had their own temple on Mt. Gerizim, and had their own rules of worship. The Jews had the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus assures her that a new day is coming! It won’t matter where you worship. You won’t need to be in a physical temple or mountain. You will need to be spiritually in Christ. Christ will be the spiritual temple, referring back to His statement in chapter 2, “Tear down this temple, and I will rebuild it in 3 days.” It is like Jesus is saying, “No worries! Someday, the physical place of worship will not matter! Someday, whether you are a Jew or a Samaritan will not matter! We will all be one in Christ!” I am so thankful for worship that is in Spirit and Truth. I’m so thankful for the unity that we have in our worship within the Lord’s church…..the church of Christ (Romans 16:16).

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

John 4:1-9

1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

You’re Asking Me For a Drink? Really?

Chapter 4 has already started off with a bang with the phrase “making and baptizing more disciples”. We need all the references to baptism we can get! 

Let’s think about verse 2 with common sense for a moment. The statement in parentheses confirms that Jesus did not actually baptize. His disciples did the actual baptizing while Jesus was probably overseeing them. So…..does this diminish the importance of baptism because Jesus didn’t baptize, but allowed His disciples to do the baptizing? This verse……believe or not…..has been used to try and say that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Read the commentary below that I found on another website below:

“The parenthetical note that Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were is impossible to reconcile with the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, the false teaching that baptism is necessary for salvation. Surely the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to ‘seek and to save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10), would Himself have done whatever was necessary to bring sinners to salvation.” (MacArthur New Testament Commentary)

First of all, this commentary literally calls Jesus a false teacher. Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:16. But….according to this commentator, He was lying when He said, “He who repents and is baptized shall be saved.” Wow. Just wow. Second of all, it doesn’t matter who baptizes who. It is not the person who baptizes that matters. It is the reason behind being baptized that matters. Is the person being baptized doing it for the right reason? Do they understand the meaning of what they are doing? I mean…..if Jesus did baptize some of the people…..would the fact that He did it make it better than if Peter did it? Or Thomas? Or Judas? Would those baptized by Jesus be “more saved”? Obviously, we know that this is ridiculous. If Jesus had been baptizing along with His disciples, what might have happened? If you had a choice between being baptized by Thomas or Jesus, whose line would you be in? Everyone would flock to Jesus’ line. People would be bragging about being baptized by Jesus. Can’t you just hear them? “Who baptized you? Peter? Well, Jesus baptized me Himself! I’m so much luckier than you!” It would become more about the baptizer,  rather than the meaning of baptism. This same thing happened at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:14-17 when people were boasting about who taught them or maybe baptized them, and Paul said he was glad he hadn’t baptized any of them because of the way they were acting. He said later in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 that it doesn’t matter who does what (“I planted, Apollos watered”), because it is God that gives the increase and gets the glory. 

Ok…..moving on to verse 3. It says that Jesus left Judea to go to Galilee. Verse 4 says that He needed to go through Samaria. This was no accident. He could have gone a different way to go to Galilee, and didn’t have to go through Samaria to get there. Jesus was supposed to meet a woman at a well, and not just any well…..Jacob’s well. In Genesis 33:19, Jacob bought the land that is spoken of here in verse 5 for 100 pieces of money for an inheritance for Joseph’s children. In Joshua 24:32, we read that Joseph’s bones were brought from Egypt and buried in this plot of land. 

It is significant and symbolic that Jesus sat down at Jacob’s well…..the well that Jacob dug to provide water to God’s people while they were living there. Another comparison between the physical and spiritual is coming! In verses 6 and 7, we see that Jesus is tired and thirsty. He sits down to rest, and asks for a drink. We get a glimpse of Jesus’ humanity in these verses. Jesus went through the same physical challenges as a human that we go through…..hunger, thirst, fatigue, etc. Jesus had to sleep. (Matthew 8:24) Jesus had to eat regularly. (Matthew 21:18) Jesus felt stressed and experienced extreme sorrow. (Matthew 26:37) Jesus felt severe pain. (Matthew 27:46) In Matthew 4:2, after Jesus had fasted for 40 days and nights, He was hungry, and probably not just hungry like we get hungry after a few hours of not eating……but completely famished and depleted. I think about how hungry Esau had to be to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup. His brother Jacob tempted him, and he fell to that temptation. I bet he wasn’t as hungry as Jesus was after 40 days with no food. Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread after He had not eaten for 40 days, but Jesus did not fall to that temptation. Jesus was probably hungry on this day that He sat down at the well, since He sent His disciples to go buy food. But I suspect He had another reason for sending them ALL away to buy the food. He needed time to talk with this woman whom He was about to encounter with no distractions. Do you ever wonder why Jesus chose this particular woman? Well…..we can’t know the “why” behind all of Jesus’ choices, but we know that He knows the hearts of all people. And of all the people that came back and forth to that well…..He chose her. For one thing, He knew that this woman would spread His message to the nearby town. Maybe He also knew that she was searching for something……something to fill a void in her life. Why was the woman so shocked that Jesus spoke to her and asked her for a drink? Verse 9 tells us that the Jews would have nothing to do with the Samaritans. The Jews looked down on the Samaritans, because they were a mixed race of people. They were descendants of the Israelites that had intermarried with foreigners after the war between Assyria and the northern kingdom. They only followed the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), not the prophets’ writings. They had their own temple in which they worshiped on Mount Gerizim, instead of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The Jews hated them mainly for their mixed race though. If they had tried to come to the temple to worship, would they have been accepted? No! This is why Jesus later teaches the parable of the good Samaritan…..to show that it is a person’s compassionate heart that truly matters, not their nationality. Again, we see a prejudiced way of thinking here. Jesus makes it plain with His actions in this account with this Samaritan woman that He is against such behavior. A person’s ethnic background is of no importance to Jesus. He sees past all that, and looks at the soul of each of us. And this is how we should look at others as well. We should look at others through the eyes of Jesus, and see a soul in need of a Savior. I also want to bring up the fact that He uses a woman to fulfill His mission in this account. This is a message to all of us, sisters……we are valuable to Jesus and to His kingdom. We are every bit as valuable as men, but in a different way. We are equally important in different roles. We should never let the world convince us that we are being treated unfairly because our role in the church is different from men’s roles. What we do is important and matters to Jesus, just like the woman at the well mattered to Jesus. 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

John 3:26-35

26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!” 27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’  29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

“He Must Increase, I Must Decrease”  HE > ME

“Teacher, you know the man who was with you earlier…..beyond the Jordan River? The man that you testified about? Look! He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him now instead of you!” What a panic they seem to be in! They believe that they are standing by John by letting him know this. They don’t truly understand John’s mission. The humility of John in these next few verses is so inspiring. John’s disciples were very disturbed because more people were going to Jesus’ disciples to be baptized than were going to him. But John was not in competition with Jesus. John was all about glorifying Jesus. His mission was not to try and outdo the Son of God. His statement in verse 27 says everything we need to know about John’s character…..no one receives anything unless it comes from heaven (God). God gave the increase in any success that John had while on earth. John achieved success in his mission when everyone began to leave him and go to Jesus. That was success in John’s eyes, and it came from God. John’s example teaches us a valuable lesson in the church today. We are all working towards the same goal of getting ourselves to heaven, and saving lost souls along the way. We should never be worried about who is doing more than us, or who is not doing as much as us. We should just be doing everything we can do for God’s kingdom. Christianity is not a competition. When one person in the church has success in teaching someone the gospel, then it is success for us all. Most of all, it is success and glory for God. We all have different talents that we can use in the kingdom, and all are equally important. John said to his followers, “You heard me say that I am not the Christ, but I was sent before Him.” John was paving the way for Jesus. Like John illustrates so beautifully in verse 29, he was not the bridegroom. John was more like the best man. The best man does not get the bride. The best man doesn’t compete with the groom for attention from the guests. He stands by the groom, and rejoices with him. And that last statement from John in verse 29 says so much about the kind of person he was, “Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.” Seeing all those people go to Jesus instead of him…..that is what fulfilled John’s joy. 

In verse 30, John makes a seven word statement that should sum up how we view our lives. John says that Jesus must increase and he must decrease. This should be our attitude. Jesus is the mission of our lives. Jesus is the focus. We are bringing other people’s attention to Jesus through how we live, and how we treat them. Then John explains why Jesus has to increase. He says, paraphrasing in my own words, “Jesus is from heaven, and was sent here by God. I am just a man from this earth. Jesus has an eye-witness account of heaven, and can speak about things that we humans here on earth can only wonder about. Jesus speaks the words that come straight from the mouth of God. I can only speak things that God allows me to speak. Jesus is from above, and he has authority over everyone here on earth, whereas I have no authority at all. Jesus is who you need to be listening to. It is my purpose to tell you that you need to listen to Jesus!” What a message from John the baptist! The sad thing in these verses is that John says in verse 32 that the world will not accept what Jesus says or who He is. We see the same thing in the world today. The Bible is so readily available for people to open it, read it, or listen to it in order to get to know Jesus, hear His words, and learn how to be saved, but they won’t. And some think they know Him, but they don’t…..which is equally sad to me. 

In verse 33, we find an amazing truth…..if we receive Jesus’ words as truth, then we have received God’s words as truth. They are one and the same. The words of Jesus are the direct words of God Himself. The word “measure” in the Greek is metron which means “limited portion”. Verse 34 says that God gave Jesus the Spirit “without measure” (metron) or without a “limited portion”. No limitations! God gave Jesus full access to the Spirit of God. Verse 35 says that God loves Jesus, and has given Him all authority over everything. Think about the mission of John the baptist. His mission from God was to prepare people for the coming of Christ. He was put on earth to showcase Jesus so that people would go to Him. John gave Himself fully to that mission until he was martyred for it. John obviously loved God/Jesus very much. It shows in the fulfillment of his purpose. Think of Jesus’ mission. God sent Jesus to earth with a mission to save humankind. (John 3:16) Oh….if only people could have their eyes opened to this gospel. God loved His Son immensely, but….do we realize that the love God had and still has for His Son, Jesus, is the same love that He has for us? The Bible says we will be “joint-heirs” with Jesus someday if we “suffer with Him”. (Romans 8:17)  Someday we will share in the inheritance with Jesus if we stay faithful to Him until death. He sent the Son that He loved, and gave all authority to….to die for us. But the best part comes next…..Jesus conquered death three days later….. so that we can someday also conquer death, be raised up to meet Him in the air, and forever be with God. (1 Thess. 4:17). If that is not love, then I don’t know what love is. Jesus is the manifestation of God’s love in the flesh. When we see Jesus showing love, we are seeing how God shows love as well. When we see Jesus showing compassion, we are seeing how God shows compassion. Jesus has given us a picture of the love of God in human form. Verse 36 is a warning….cause and effect. Belief in Jesus, which we know includes obedience, equals eternal life. What causes us to live forever with God in heaven? Our belief, obedience and lifelong commitment to Christ is the cause. The effect of our efforts is eternal life. Unbelief in Jesus equals condemnation. We cannot escape the wrath of God without Jesus interceding for us. What causes the wrath of God to be upon us? Our unbelief in His Son is the cause. Condemnation is the effect of unbelief. Some people don’t like God’s plan. They don’t see it as love. Why did He let His Son die? It doesn’t make sense to people in darkness. But it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks about His plan. We are created beings in His creation. Who are we to question the Creator’s plan? 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

John 3:22-25

22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. 

23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 

24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification.

So…..Who is Actually Right Anyway?

The discussion with Nicodemus is finished, and now Jesus and His disciples are baptizing people in Judea. John is also baptizing in Aenon which I’m assuming is not far from where Jesus and His disciples are baptizing. So, why are these verses significant? Well, there are debates all the time over whether baptism is essential for salvation or not. And let’s face it, someone has to be right. Let’s look at the essentiality of baptism based on these verses alone for just a moment. First of all, if baptism isn’t essential then why is it such the focus of both of these groups of people…..both John and his followers and Jesus and His disciples? Why are any of them baptizing people if it is not essential? Why was Jesus Himself baptized even though He had no sin? Also, I think the statement in verse 23 about there being much water at Aenon, and that being the reason that John was there baptizing, is significant. It shows that a significant amount of water is needed to immerse/baptize someone. This cancels out the pouring and sprinkling doctrines. If we could pour a handful of water on someone’s head, we would only need a shallow stream or even just a puddle of water. Then comes the dispute between John’s followers and the Jews. This dispute is significant because it is over which baptism purifies a person. Does John’s baptism purify? Or does Jesus and His disciples’ baptism purify? If baptism is nothing more than getting wet, then why would they be disputing over which baptism provides purification? Of course, it is John’s followers who are confused. And I can certainly see why they are confused. They have been following John as he baptized people, and now here are Jesus and His people baptizing. I’m sure they are thinking, “Wait a minute….look guys….they are baptizing! But John is the baptizer! Why are they baptizing?” I can just see the confusion. So…..who do we follow? Which one do we go to for purification? For true baptism? Well….no worries, because John is going to take care of the confusion very soon in the next few verses.

What spoke to me in these verses? The confusion…..can we see why so many are so confused today? With so many types of churches all preaching different doctrines, how can people help but be confused? I did a little research and found that there are at least 33,000 different denominations in the United States alone. First of all, the word denomination is not in the New Testament. Can you imagine going back in time, and asking Peter or one of the other apostles this question, “What denomination are you?”? They wouldn’t have any idea what you were talking about. Here is a definition of denomination: Denominations are different branches of the Christian church, born from historic schisms. What is a schism? A schism is a division or disunity within the Christian community, often stemming from disputes over doctrine, practices, or leadership. A denomination stems from a schism. Denominations formed when people were not happy with the original and broke away from the original so that they could do things their own way. This is why the church of Christ is not a denomination. It was formed in 33 AD on the day of Pentecost. It is the original New Testament church. 

What does Jesus say about denominations/schisms? Jesus built/established only one church, and He did not want it to be divided into many different kinds of churches built by men. Here are some verses that back this statement up. 

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:16-18). Key phrase…..”My church”. It shows that ownership belongs to Jesus, and that there is only one church…..singular. 

 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20-23). Key phrase…..”that all of them may be one”. Key idea…..”complete unity”. Jesus prayed to His Father for ALL of us to have unity. How can we have unity if we are teaching different doctrines as truth? 

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:22-23). Key phrase…..”head over everything for the church”. God made Jesus the head of the church…..not man, and again church is singular.

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4). Key word…..”one”…..body = church. The word ONE ties together body (church), Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God and Father. If this isn’t calling for unity, then I don’t know what is. 

How do I know that body = church? “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (Ephesians 5:23). The church is the body of Christ. 

…..”that there should be no schism (division) in the body…..”(1 Corinthians 12:25) 

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). When groups of people broke away from the original New Testament church to form denominations, were they following this verse? Were they all speaking the same thing? Were they perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment? 

It is so very hard to discern the truth these days. But isn’t that exactly how Satan wants it though? He wants finding the original  church that belongs to Christ to be like finding a needle in a haystack …..because he wants everyone to remain in confusion. It is the Lord’s church’s mission to be a big shiny visible needle amongst that haystack of confusion….a light in a dark and confused world…..a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). Are we being that big, shiny needle? Am I letting my light shine for the world to see? Am I doing my part to help the Lord’s church be seen?

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)

John 3:18-21

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 

21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Are You Walking in the Light or Hiding in the Darkness?

What does the word “believe” actually mean? Let’s do a quick word study on the word “believe” to lead into our study. I know that we have seen the word “believe” several times so far in John, but I would like to take a minute to expound on that word. I found something really interesting. In verse 18, the word “believes” in the Greek is pisteuo according to Strong’s concordance. It means “to have faith (in, upon or with respect to a person or thing) that is credit”. What does that mean, “faith that is credit”? Here goes….we believe, aka have faith in, Jesus. Our belief/faith leads us to obey His will by confessing, repenting, being baptized and then living faithful throughout all of our days. But…..we can never be truly righteous, can we? No….not on our own….not without Jesus anyway! So Jesus credits us with righteousness so that we can stand justified before God. We only get that “credit” if we hold up our end of the bargain and remain faithful until death (Revelation 2:10). So….if we believe and receive this “credit” from Jesus, which is His cleansing blood, we will not be condemned/judged. It all ties back to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus…..to believe means to be born again spiritually, and lead a new life. Without “credit” (Jesus’ blood), we are lost.

Verse 19 sheds light on the condition of the world at that time, and today. The condition of the world will never change. We just have to try to help as many people as possible to come out of the world, while keeping ourselves out of the world. We are in the world, but we can’t be of the world. In this verse, it says that Jesus, the light, came down from heaven into our world, but we (humankind) chose darkness, because we loved it so much more than light. The people in Jesus’ day didn’t want to change their lifestyles or their way of thinking. It is no different today. We don’t want to change either. Change is difficult, and as humans, we want the easy road. Light cuts through darkness and exposes sin. As humans, we don’t want our sin exposed by the light. So we often close our eyes to the light. We might even pretend that we are in the light, when we actually aren’t in the light at all. What would have happened to the Israelites if they had closed their eyes, and refused to look at the bronze serpent? They would have died physically of course. What happens if we refuse to look to the light of Jesus today? What happens if we pretend we are ok when we are not? We stay in darkness. We stay in our sin, and we die spiritually. 

I can never hide my sin from Jesus, because He is the light that exposes it all. I could live my entire life pretending to follow Jesus, and I could have everyone fooled, but I can never fool God. It might not be exposed here on earth, but it will be exposed eventually, and it will be too late to change at that point. We all sin. That is inevitable. We make mistakes. Just because we sin doesn’t mean we are in darkness. It just means we are human, and need our Savior. It is the willful sin that we continue in and even try to hide, that causes us to remain in darkness. I remember being in darkness. Looking back on that time….I can honestly say that it was a terrible feeling. I had so many friends, but felt completely alone. It seemed fun at the time, but in reality it was miserable. It is not worth it. Confess whatever it is, and get rid of it. Take it from me, it will be like a boulder being lifted off of your shoulders! Confessing the truth about our sins/problems brings us into the light where Jesus is. We may have a problem that we need help dealing with, but how can we get help if we are hiding it? We need to step into the light….and then through Him….we can begin to heal. 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)