and went into the city and said to the men,
‘Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done;
this is not the Christ is it?’
They went out of the city and were coming to Him…
And from that city man of the Samaritans believed in Him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
‘He told me all the things that I have done’.”
(vs 28-30, 39)
While on a mission for tongue quenching water, the Samaritan woman mercifully encountered soul quenching water and once she had drunk of it she had to tell others about it. No sooner does this woman see Christ for who He is than do we find her becoming a missionary to those she cares for most!
She left her water pot by the well and carried not even a drop of it home. Instead, she carried living water into the city and offered it to everyone she saw. Her life had been changed. Her greatest need had been met. Her purpose in life had suddenly been discovered and she couldn’t keep quiet about it!!
Her words echo Philip’s words to Nathanael – “Come, See!” Missionary messages don’t have to be difficult. We don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have to be extremely eloquent. We don’t have to wait to become a professional. We just need to point folks to come to Christ – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
I can relate to the Samaritan woman. Christ changed me – radically and I can vividly remember going and telling others what had happened. Like metal drawn to a magnet I had to tell my friends, my family, even complete strangers what Jesus had just done for me. Do you recall such a time? Has that passion faded? If so, I hope that Mr. Ryle’s words will light a spark in you again as they have in me. He writes:
“That which the Samaritan woman here did, all true Christians ought to do likewise. The church needs it: the state of the world demands it. Common sense points out that it is right. Everyone who has received the grace of God, and tasted that Christ is gracious, ought to find words to testify of Christ to others. Where is our faith, if we believe that souls around us are perishing, and that Christ alone can save them, and yet hold our peace? Where is our charity, if we can see others going down to hell and yet say nothing to them about Christ and salvation? We may well doubt our own love to Christ if our hearts are never moved to speak of Him. We may well doubt the safety of our own souls if we feel no concern for the souls of others.”
She laid down her water pot. She picked up the good news. She carried it with her into the city of her habitation and told its residents of the Christ who knew her fully, loved her nevertheless, and saved her completely. She told them. She called them to come and the text tells us that they came!
The words of this one woman move a city to run after Christ! Does that not excite you? You and I are not too feeble nor too frail to be used by God! Dear sisters in Christ – as women we are not worthless useless doormats in the kingdom of God. Christ went to the woman at the well and her encounter with Him was used by Him to move the heart of an entire city. While we have not been called to preach Him from the pulpit of the church we have been called to proclaim Him from the pulpit of life. Few men, if any, in Scripture had a greater impact on an entire city than did this one newly converted woman. May our Lord be pleased to use us as instruments of seeing our own communities “coming to Him.”
Praying to have the humble boldness of this dear sister,
Lori
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