Monday, September 18, 2006

Mistress to Missionary
(Adapted from an article by Bret Allen, Enrichment Fall 2006)

Take a couple minutes and Read John chapter 4. You know the drill, take our your Bible and find the book of John, chapter 4, or just click on the link. If you click on the link, make sure that you come back to read the rest of the blog.

What an awesome story showing us a flawless example of how to witness. Jesus puts on a witnessing exibition here that we need to follow inorder to see revival in our communities. I preached this message last night in our service, so if you want a copy of the CD just drop me an email and we'll get it sent out to you.

1. Initiate the Contact
- Go where you know people have to go. Jesus didn't sit under a tree to be alone and relax. He stratigically sat at the well because he knew people needed water and would eventually have to come and get water. The “well” for you might be WalMart or the lunch room. Position yourself for a divine appointment.
- Start a conversation. Open your mouth and talk. Talk about the weather, sports, politics, current events, the price of a starbucks carmel machiato...anything.

2. See the Need
- Be observant. Ask God to reveal wisdom and knowledge to you. Hey, they are spiritual gifts that have been given to the church. Let's ask for them and use them.
- Be relevant. Keep the conversation in their language and culture.
- Be simple. Your divine appoint is not an opportunity to solve all of their life's problems. You''re there to share the love of God - a salvation message.

3. Go Against the Norm
- Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate together.
- Reach across social, economical and racial prejudicial barriers.

4. Be Kind, Not Condemning
- Although she was a social outcast to the Jews, Jesus showed her kindness.
- Although she was living in a pattern of sin, Jesus was not condemning.

5. Offer Water, Not a Watered Down Message
- Jesus saw her desire for truth and that opened the door to deal with her real issues.
- Don’t just invite them to church or give them some spiritual cliché. Remember, it's the TRUTH that will set them free.

6. Refuse to Play Religious Games
- Avoid theology and debates. Say something like, "You know, that's a great point and maybe we can talk about that later. I'm simply trying to let you know that God desires a relationship with you. He wants you to spend eternity in heaven..."
- They may say that they go to church, but that doesn’t mean a thing.

- Let them know that God is looking for worshipers, not church goers. It's not about religion. It's about a relationship.

7. Stick Around For the Harvest
- Jesus stayed around for 2 days to “witness” to the ones she brought to him. Don't just drop some scriptures and life principles on them and then walk away. Go the distance and take the opportunity to lead them in a prayer.

- Exchange contact information for follow-up.
- The Mistress became a Missionary. That’s our ultimate goal.

It’s not always going to work out like the woman at the well. Sometimes you’ll get the rich young ruler, who after hearing the message walked away unchanged because he wasn’t willing to let go of his life style.

You don’t quit just because you struck out with the rich young ruler.
- Babe Ruth may have been one of the greatest hitters but he also holds the record for the most stick outs.
- Michael Jordan was cut from his 9th grade basketball squad and he went home and locked himself in his bathroom and cried. The following year he was the teams high scorer.


You keep witnessing because there is a mistress that needs to hear about the love of God that wants to forgive her sins…a God who wants to give her a new life…a God that will cause her to be changed from mistress to missionary and turn her city upside down!

So regardless of whether or not it’s your “ministry job”, we need to keep our eyes and spirits open for those pit stop divine appointments.

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