This morning Dave spoke from John 4:39-42 about the power of personal testimony. In meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus chose to engage with someone whom Jews traditionally did not regard highly. Samaritans were in some respects at odds with Jews, and women were not highly regarded by men at this period, but Jesus took the time to speak with her, to accept her and to understand her. This led to a change in the woman’s attitudes, for this stranger, whilst not condoning her lifestyle, clearly was not rejecting her or looking down on her.
The woman was so struck by her meeting with Jesus that she went back to all in her town and testified about this man. Her curiosity and passion about this encounter clearly aroused the curiosity in other people, for they too came to see what all the fuss was about. We too are called to be evangelists, but so often feel we cannot do this. All we are asked to do, in reality, is to tell our story to others, to speak about what God has done. ‘Come and see someone who has changed my life’ is at the heart of every Christian testimony.
This is all that evangelism is – simply telling others what God has done for us. Many people came to faith as a result of this woman’s testimony, and the same can be true for us too.
