Today's Passage - John 4:5-7

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 4 : 5-7   So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  When the Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her,  " Will you give me a drink?"   When this Samaritan woman came in mid-day to draw water,  there was no one there as the weather was hot and people would usually fetch water in the mornings or evenings.  But this Samaritan woman knew of her own sins, therefore she came to the well while there was no one   around.   When Jesus saw her by the well, and said to her, "Will you please give me a drink ?"   Although this was a simple request, yet it teaches us an  important principle in sharing the gospel - that is to respect others.   In fact, Jesus knew of the sins with this Samaritan woman.  He knew of her background, but yet He respected her.  When He asked, "Please give me a drink", this woman felt respected because nobody had ever made any request to her.  When Jesus made this request for water,   it helped her to realize that she was also given this ability to help others.  On the other hand, if we are not condescending when preaching to others, and are humble in our requests for help, this will give us  opportunities  to converse with others.    For example, when you preach to the Catholics, criticizing them for worshipping Mary would not be appropriate for this may be a conversation stopper.  For them, Mary is the one to be honored.  In fact according to the Bible, Mary was praised and honored by generations of disciples.  She even proclaimed herself in Luke 1, "From now on all generations will call me blessed." It is obvious that Mary also holds a very important position in our religious belief.  Of course, worshipping Mary inappropriate; but only when you respect other people's religion, would you be able to win souls.   By  the same token,  when  preaching  to  Chinese  if we directly criticize that worshipping ancestors is wrong,  this will give the non-believers  a sense that our gospel does  not condone  honoring our parents.  In reality, honoring our ancestors is also a teaching in the Bible.  For every time when the Jews spoke of their ancestors, they always made reference to , "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" as a way of honoring  them.  Therefore only when we respect others as well as their religion, can we eventually win souls when talking to them.  May the Lord help us understand this principle of sharing of the gospel.       Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, give us wisdom so that we may learn how to share the gospel with others  following  your example.  Help us learn to respect others so that we may bring people to you.   With thanks we pray   in the name of our victorious Jesus, Amen!