Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you Living Water."
John 4:10
Tomorrow is Good Friday; it is the day which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth; the Lamb of God dying for the sin of the world.
Due to that one, final act of God Himself in the atonement for sin, Christians often say that God has provided a way, 'to set you free...'
The implication is 'free from sin, free from guilt, free from being enslaved by the pleasures of
And all of this is indeed true.
Yet the problem is that most Christians struggle with living what they believe; therefore, saying 'God can set you free,' often sounds more like an advertising slogan than a theological and spiritual truth.
If Jesus Christ is the most important person who has ever lived, and I would argue that He is because of the follow facts:
- More music has been written of Jesus than of any other subject in the history of the world.
- More literature has been written on the subject of the Christ and Christianity than on any other subject ever known.
- More art has donned the walls and hall of palaces, humble homes and museums concerning the Bible and the Christ than of any other person or thing in the world.
- More students have studied Him and His Work, more followers have pursued Him and more martyrs of willingly died in His name than of any other Work, pursuit or name on planet earth.
- Jesus on Nazareth has influenced more people in politics, education, science and, of course, religion than all other people combined.
- He has contributed, through His teachings and followers, to more of the poverty stricken being fed, clothed and housed; more orphans cared for and adopted; and more recovery centers for drug-addicted, alcoholics and unwed mothers than that of any other person or teaching that has ever existed.
I might also add that there is no more controversial or debated subject in the last two-thousand years than Jesus of Nazareth.
Given these statements, I submit there has never been a more important person who has ever lived in the history of the World.
And this being true, the day of His death should be considered the most important day that has transpired since the Creation of the Universe by the very hands of God Himself.
A day, which, was later validated in its work through Christ's own Resurrection; for without the Christ dying for the sin of mankind, there is no need for a Resurrection to life.
You see, for most people outside the Church, it does not matter what people SAY they believe; it matters what their life demonstrates in their belief.
The non-believing world sees exactly what we can see in society from Christians and non-Christians alike.
Unfortunately, for both, the divorce rates are very similar.
The cases of sexual, physical and mental abuse among those claiming to be Christians and those claiming no faith at all are strikingly close.
As for charitable giving, do Christians even still tithe?
And for the strong pro-life Catholic faith, the rates of abortion for those claiming to be Catholic are higher than any other religious group and higher than the national average.
These are just a handful of facts, but it is evident as to why our modern hypocrisy tends to drive people away even when our faith and theology is correct.
There are no words we can speak if our actions according to our professed faith repel people.
For the Christian, especially at this time of year, it should all be about showing God's love in a practical way.
In other words, demonstrating the 'Living Water' we are supposed to be in the world.
One man rightly said:
"The Church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members."
~ Wm. Temple
Yet, sometimes we forget that we aren't in church for ourselves, but to worship God in His Glory.
We don't give to support a minister or a Church, we tithe to worship God.
We aren't supposed to do anything that reflects upon us but rather shows the reflection of God through us.
We are to give grace as we have been given; to those in need, whether it is a helping hand or a loving heart.
Those outside the Church, if we are blessed enough, may very well at times accept the Christian at face value concerning the 'transformed life' we say we have.
This is especially true if our lives have evolved into that 'Living Water' Jesus spoke of so long ago to the Samaritan Woman.
Some may even admire our 'conversational' prayers with God known among Evangelicals or those with a deep Spiritual life.
The individual Christian's friendliness, optimism, joy...these things often surprise people who have a stereotypical view of what it means to be and act like a Christian.
Many only have what they have heard of Christians to go on; when they finally do meet this animal called an 'Evangelical' or a 'Christian,' our words and actions either validate what they have suspected or it is so different that they thirst for more.
That's what Jesus meant when He spoke of 'Living Water.'
Yet, the one problem we do have as Christians, a problem that we can NEVER shake, nor should we desire to shake, is the fact of our theology.
Christian theology is unlike any theology of any other religious faith; it is now, and will always remain a barrier...and here's why:
- The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity is baffling; to some it is utter nonsense because even a kindergarten-aged child can tell you 1+1+1 does not equal ONE. But in God's economy, it does.
- The Doctrine of the Atonement is confusing.
The Atonement is the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for the sin of mankind so that the wrath of God would be appeased; this reconciled man to God and God to man.
That means that the Christian MUST believe that Jesus of Nazareth died for every sin that has ever been committed by every person who has ever lived or will ever live.
To some, this is not only confusing, but also down right insanity.
And, by the way, most Christians cannot articulate clearly for themselves or anyone else how one man so long ago can satisfy God's Wrath during a six-hour period in Jerusalem during the first century.
This too, adds to our difficulty.
- The Doctrine of the Virgin Birth, again, another cornerstone teaching of the faith.
Yet, this teaching is so controversial and so unscientific that many Christians have abandoned belief in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
Believe it or not, statistically, there are more followers of Islam who believe in the Virgin Birth than Christians.
- The Doctrine of Grace and Forgiveness; this teaching is the one most people cannot accept.
While the others have their difficulties, if a person is seeking and inclined to believe in 'a' god, usually they will come to these and be open to acceptance.
Yet, when it comes to grace and forgiveness, this becomes a road block because nobody gets something for nothing in our world.
The teaching is that mankind could not save himself, so God did it for us and extends to us grace and forgiveness if we believe on Him and the work of Jesus Christ.
It's that simple; there's no reward-based good work program to get into Heaven.
There is nothing we can do to earn heaven or forgiveness.
Grace is by faith, which is the only way to please God in the first place.
You see, if we could earn forgiveness or if we deserved forgiveness, then it wouldn't be grace.
Grace is something that you need but don't deserve; this is what makes Christianity different than any other religious faith on earth.
These things I have mentioned, while seemingly simple to a Christian, are very difficult for a non-believer to overcome.
These will remain a barrier because, Biblically speaking, they cannot yet see.
The non-believer does not have spiritual eyes of faith or an unlocked heart by love.
Due to our belief and our theology, Christians are, by the very definition of our name, a subculture within any society where we are found.
Now, there are some who will make sweeping promises to non-believers, teaching that everything is going to be better and even make you wealthy if you believe.
Somehow, in their minds, greater faith is to propel people into a privileged class.
But honestly, this only works for a little while; eventually, the show leaves town and the people who were hurting before they arrived hurt long after they are gone.
The truth is that the Christian faces the same struggles as everybody else.
Jesus isn't a pill that remedies all our ills; the faith should not be treated as such.
As Christians, we aren't guides; only God can guide us to Himself, but He does use His people to reflect His nature in the world.
A person once told me, concerning people coming to the Lord, 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink...'
They were right, but my job isn't to force Living Water down any person's throat; my job is to help make them thirsty.
You see, true followers of God have no claim on any type of moral superiority; any person that truly comes to God comes to Him out of need, nothing else.
The Christian moves forward and grows in God's Truth, not by making all the right decisions; instead, it is more about responding appropriately to all the wrong choices we and others have made.
Above all else, the individual Christian and our churches, should be known as people and the places through whom God dispenses His grace.
The truth is that most people draw conclusions about God and His Church and His Faith by observing other Christians.
You see, the vast majority of people will never read Christian Theology; yet, they will know true belief of a Christian by watching them.
All the more reason to seek to become Living Water.
Sometimes Christians get in a rut and we whine about the help we need to God; yet, we must never forget that we are the ones that God uses to help others.
Again, Living Water.
Those who remain skeptical through the magic of Christmas and the wonder of Easter are such because they cannot see beyond our human fallibility.
In short, they have seen Christians like Jacob, men who live in a ethical netherworld; or like David, who was a moral failure; or like Peter, someone who denies even the Lord.
In other words, they have seen churches speak of missions but know that the particular church cannot think beyond its own parking lot.
Living Water must flow beyond the borders of our normal thinking.
Often, Christians are accused of being judgmental.
Well, when I'm tempted to judge another, even after all I have been through in my life with cancer and with churches, I remember that I, the individual Christian, I am the one who embodies God's presence on the Earth today.
And the same is true for you.
You and me, with our failures, our sins, our shortcomings.
Each person is different in how we have fallen short of the glory of God; yet, we've all fallen short for we falter in various ways.
Although this is true, I'll give you another truth: God chose us to embody His presence on earth because we are now, what people need to become - recipients of grace.
And while we may have failed at the faith in the past, those failures are never final because God redeems all things unto Himself and restores them.
As He does with our life, so He can do with the lives of others; our destiny, regardless of what has happened, is eternity with Him...in His perfection, forever.
Until next time, win one for the good guys as Living Water.
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