The woman at the well

^“ The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone,
“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”

So the people came streaming from the village to see him.” John 4:28-30 (NLT)

This comes from the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John and we know it as Jesus encounter with the woman at the well. In the previous chapter Jesus had an encounter with a religious leader, Nicodemus and now with a nameless woman. Her encounter changed her life. How do we know? She immediately went into her village, where she obvious had a reputation, and began to tell them all about Jesus. When a person has a real encounter , a real experience with Jesus, they have to tell someone. That new life cannot contain itself and they must spread the Good News.

The village came out and Jesus shared with them and it goes on to say this,

^“ Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe.” John 4:39-41 (NLT)

We can imagine that she went back into the village, excited and enthused because she had met the Messiah. Her changed life impacted them and ran out to see for themselves. Many people questioned the validity of the Gospel but a changed, transformed life is “proof positive that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and when we place our faith and trust in him he makes us into new creation.

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Thoughts about John

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. “ John 3:16 (ESV)

We have now arrived at the great metropolis of gospel truth. No other single statement in the Bible so aptly sums up God's redemptive purpose in Christ for the human race. Volumes have been written on it. Max Lucado has a wonderful book entitled, ”3:16” which breaks down this marvelous verse. Each and every word has been weighed and examined and marveled at and preached on. Who will ever know until the judgment seat of Christ how many millions of Adam's ruined race have found their way to heaven by the discovery of John 3:16?

The text itself revolves around ten words: God, loved, world, gave, Son, whoever, believes, perish, have, life. Those ten words make up the "constellation of the redeemer" in the firmament of divine revelation.

The creative work of God is summed up in ten commandments in Genesis 1 ("And God said").

The legislative work of God is summed up in ten commandments in Exodus 20.

The redemptive work of God is summed up in ten words here in John 3:16.

Of course, birth involves life; and spiritual birth from above involves God's life. John uses the word life thirty-six times in his Gospel. The opposite of life is death, and the person who has not believed on Jesus Christ does not have God's life, eternal life, abundant life. You do not manufacture Christians any more than you manufacture babies! The only way to enter God's family is through the new birth (John 1:11-13).

Birth involves a future, and we are "born again to a living hope" (1 Peter 1:3, nasb). A newborn baby cannot be arrested because he or she has no past! When you are born again into God's family, your sins are forgiven and forgotten, and your future is bright with a living hope.

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All the world came to Michael Jackson's memorial

This is the headline that was stated on CNN on line. A pathetic one to say the least. Then on BET they had a tribute which said,”The King Forever”. Michael Jackson was a talented person as all the world knows. I even enjoyed a few of his snappy songs. I think the one I liked the best was “Billie Jean”. He had an amazing following but his life is a testimony of futility and frustration. Controversy followed him all his adult life. His most successful album that vaulted him into superstardom was ”Thriller.” And even though he made millions upon millions of dollars following that his musical career waned over the years. So with his millions he developed Neverland , a place he sought to recapture a childhood that was lost. He tried to deny his own race through his many reconstructive surgeries and his turning white, which he tried to defend saying it was a skin disorder. Maybe it was, we may never know that.

However, what was sickening and disturbing was the adulation that people gave this man after he died. Even some of his closest friends (which he had few) became disturb over the media attention that this was stirring up. While our brave soldiers died on the battlefields in foreign countries, policemen and firemen perished doing their jobs,the people’s attention were given to a fallen pop star. 

I remember the hullabaloo that was over Elvis Pressley’s death. You know what I remember about that? A young lady from Monroe,LA went to view “Graceland” and in her haste to cross the street she was struck and killed by a car.

Then in 1963 when President Kennedy was tragically killed in Dallas, something even more traumatic occurred that same day, C.S. Lewis died. However, very few in the world noticed the death of a great Christian man who has and continues to impact many.

I guess that we will continue to give our full attention to those who entertain and give us moments of pleasure but one day the King of kings will return and all this foolishness will stop. I do believe the Rapture is close at hand. Maranatha!

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Jesus speaks about Wisdom

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

The difference between the wise man and the foolish man was not in the men themselves or in their materials. The difference was in their foundations. The story applies to those who are building character. The wise take the sayings of the sermon on the mount at face value and build on them. The foolish are familiar with the sayings, but discount them.

In fact, to look at both of these men, they may look similar in many ways. The main difference is what their lives are built on. Jesus says the wise man will hear and do what he says. If he does so, he will have a rock bed foundation and when life’s challenges come, he will remain strong. Our foundation is to be the Word of God. It is Him speaking to us and we are to obey.

The other man, may know about these foundational truths of life but he ignores them and when the storms of life hit, he falls apart. He has neglected or even rejected the foundational truths of the Bible. He calls this person foolish. He had his chance but he failed to adhere to the truths taught.

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