Becoming all things to all people and engaging with the Gospel.

Get acclimated to the field.

Embarrassment should be short lived. Being a learner first.

Paul 1 Cor 9:28. All means I may save some. Its not a great license and liberty to do whatever you want to do. E.g: Can we hold church in a Bar?

E.g: Timothy is being circumcised for the greater hearing of the gospel.

Jesus gives us in John 4.

vs.39-45.

Exploring Jesus’ work here will help us.

Knowing the Context.

As we cross the barriers, culture, smell, weather. Punctuality: Time is not pressing and so important. For xt it was difficult to enter in to that culture.

It was a customary route to go around Samaria.

4:4. He had to travel through Samaria. He is not taking that customary Route which was unique.

He was a jew passing through the Samaritan town.

Jews and samaritans don’t get along. After samaritans captured … Syncretism : Religious blending and cultural blending.

Jews bleded with syrians. They were considered the half-breed.

Jesus being a Jewish Rabbi traveling through Samaria.

Knowing your context partly has to do with your audience.

Chapter 3. Nicodemus. A man, A jEW, A RULER.

Chapter 4. Woman. Unschooled, probably. prostitute.

Both need Jesus.

She was at the well at noon. She came alone. Woman came in group.

Nicodemus went at night.

I Cor.9:23. Jesus is gonna exempify that.

Jesus knows his audience.

He understands the culture.

“Culture is the learned and shared design or pattern of living for a group of people.” It gives them the basis for thinking and proper behavior, and interaction.

When we get to a culture the end goal is not to change their culture but to change their heart.

People can be saved simply by grace.

KNOWING HOW TO CROSS THE CULTURAL BOUNDARIES.

Inter-cultural communication. Contextualization. I have to contextualize to adequately communicate the gospel in Afghanistan.

How does Jesus contextualize the gospel?

He uses water to break down barriers. Where to insert gospel to our audience.

Look for open door. Finding persons of peace. Doors have two purposes: To enter, to beckon the christian out to open our mouth as we should.

JESUS TOOK THE INITIATIVE. Some times we are going to be rejected. The door is going to be slammed against us. Jesus took the initiative to come to you. Giving thanks to God for those who took the initiative to come to you. Paul Eph 6:19. Jesus saw an opportunity, paul saw an opportunity.

Samaritan woman was taken back. He didn’t realize who Jesus was. If you knew who is asking you water you would have answered differently.

Jeremiah 2:13. They have rejected the living water. Ezekiel 47:9. Jesus was not seeking to be argumentative. He was really testing her heart as to how much of the oT she knows.

Look for the Open door.

Look at the receptivity of other.

We don’t have the open door all the time.

Know how to cross cultural boundaries.

Implications:

1.We must know our Scriptures.

2.What method or means of communication are we using? Personal communication. sitting across a table with someone ad sharing. face to face communication is the key.

3.Know the gospel and apply it to their lives. Again it is contextualization. Knowing the target culture. Know our own culture. Know the biblical text. knowing how to apply that biblical text in to the culture that we are stepping in to.

4.We must know the importance of contextualization.

5. Communicating the biblical truth in an appropriate way.

WE MUST SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD.

Don’t get caught up…keep the main thing the main thing.

After this woman heard the gospel and changed still she was a samaritan woman. When Jesus spoke the gospel he asks for a response.

Turning point: He is revealing who He is. He is getting to her heart now. Prompting her to repent. Where you worship doesn’t matter but what matters is who you worship.

How do we rightly apply the gospel? She said go call your husband.

Even the Samaritans were expecting a Messiah. Jesus is giving the 8th I am statement. Vs.26: I AM HE.

Gospel not only gives us new identity but also new occupation/assignment.

COME AND SEE THE MAN WHO HAS TOLD ME EVERYTHING I DID. (29)

These are terrifying words. We have to speak boldly. We have to show people what they need.

THE DISCIPLES WERE STUNNED. (Like what in the world are you doing? )

He instructed the woman exactly what he told the disciples to do.

She was changed and marked no longer as the shame one but as the send one. Now she is commissioned to go and tell Jesus.

Jesus said to the discipes, as the father has send me so I send you.

How do we apply this text.

Pray for opportunities, seek out those opportunities, go and proclaim.

Dont go around the opportunities, but go right in to the opportunity.

Go acorss the strret, go across the restricted contries.

Jesus did not call you to safety, comfort or convenience (IMB LEADER)

You might wonder the church planted in the town of sychar becuase of teh faithful witness of this woman.