We end the year by taking a great little lesson in personal evangelism by the Lord Jesus, in his conversation with a Samaritan woman. It is a well-known episode and I will not dwell on all the details. There is much to write about.
Jesus is tired and stops near a well, while his disciples to go into a village to buy food. I am in Samaria, an area where the Jews were not appreciated.
A woman comes hot. Bring a pitcher to draw water. She's a little BenVista in his village because he has an immoral life. She had five husbands and now lives. If he lived today, would probably find a prominent place in a gossip magazine and would be absolutely à la page. So the views were different, even if the gossip is probably not lacking in his favor.
The Lord Jesus begins a conversation by asking and talking about drinking water would take away all the wonderful spiritual thirst. She is surprised and asks him. Jesus said
point-blank: "Go call your husband."
She confesses her state, and when he realizes that the speech goes on and gets deeply religious and serious, tries to divert the conversation.
In this, things have not changed. Today when we witness to our faith in the Word of God and in Jesus as the only Saviour, the classic question that comes to us is: "What are the differences between you and us?". If you throw in religion, you go on a neutral ground. Your ideas as my digging!
Accurate: the Samaritan woman asks: "But you have to worship in Jerusalem or here on our mountain?". What are the differences?
Jesus explains a lot gently that things were changing: there would no longer be a need to worship in the temple in masonry, but the true worshipers would worship in Spirit (that is, by the power of the Holy Spirit) and the truth of the Word of God and the new fact that the Messiah would be established. Then he said very clearly that the Messiah had him
The Samaritan woman, at that point, all spring, Secchia, well, conversation and runs to the village to tell who had met the Messiah. She was transformed!
So: where is the lesson of Jesus' personal evangelism?
in two main points. Jesus spoke clearly to the woman, though very gently, of his sin. If you do not have the courage to tell people who are hopeless sinners, not worth speaking to them of salvation. If you do not realize they are lost and on the road to hell, from what you would wish to be saved?
Then, the second point, Jesus is not bogged down in discussions on the various temples, sacrifices, the Jewish traditions and the Samaritans (now is not that much to talk about the Pope, saints and Madonnas, which give very little importance), but presented himself as the Messiah, the liberator and savior.
about him and we highlight what he said and did. Let's say that was and is God who became incarnate, was born in Bethlehem, he did not commit Sin, who died for our sins and rose again. If we do it with love and compassion, the Lord will use for the benefit of relatives and friends.
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