Thursday 25 Jun 2020

June 25: John 4:1-9

Key Verse: John 4:1
Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John

Devotion:
One of the things I have tried to stay away from is the ‘numbers game’ where church leaders or missionaries try to measure their success by the number of people the reach or gain into their ‘flock.’ I try to fool myself into believing I have never lead anyone to the Lord because I feel better for what I do if I think in that manner! Jesus went about His daily life in teaching mode when with the church leaders, in loving mode when with disciples, in exploring mode when with people asking questions and in merciful mode when meeting with sinners.

He did not treat people all the same. He treated them differently, but loved them all the same. When He heard the Pharisees were trying to take count of how many people were being added to the Christians following, He went off to do something different. It was the disciples who were doing the evangelising even though they did not see it that way. It was the disciples doing the baptising most of the time, but Jesus welcomed every one of them into the church, no matter what circumstance surrounded them.

When they came to the town called Sychar, Jesus sat down at the well and waited, not for the crowds to develop or for the number to increase, but for the lone person who was about to come to the well hoping they would not be noticed! It was not all about gathering as many people together to try and convert them, but reaching out to a single person at the right time with an open heart.

We need to stop our race to make a big church and reach out to the single people who come through our lives, the ones who are slipping through the cracks because they don’t want to be ridiculed by the righteous people. The ones who Jesus loves because they are hurting and missing out on the love He wants them to have just because of their circumstances.

Points to Ponder:
Who do you think your church is aiming to reach?

Will you step off the beaten track today to reach out to a very lost soul?