The Contagious Faith

How can you tell...?

So, I was born in Australia, more specifically, I was born in Ryde Hospital on the 8 February 1982, so my birthday is easiest to remember 82-82, but looking at me you can see that I am Asian right? But if you were to have a conversation with me on the phone what do I sound like? Like an Australian.

But I’ve noticed now whenever I meet with other Asians, or even Australian born Asians, this topic always pops up whenever Asian people meet, do you know what that is?

Food! The universal language of the taste buds and stomach and we Asians love our foods like Italians love their pasta and we have a variety of foods to talk about and share. We have various cuisines from many places leaving us with many options to satisfy our delights.

And Praise the Lord that here in Sydney those options are easily available for us.

For me, as much as I love my Indonesian food, there is a cuisine that I have always gone back to that leaves me satisfied, I bet you can’t guess what cuisine it is?

The cuisine that I always go back to is Uyghur/Xingjiang cuisine, that’s western Chinese for those that want a specific location. It’s just the tomato and garlic sauces they make just waters your mouth.

You may or may not have noticed this, but when I talk about food, did your taste buds start getting a taste of tomato and garlic mixed together? Are you salivating at the moment?

Your body is triggered when the right food tickles your senses, even though you don’t see it or may not have tasted it, your body reacts.

What you’re reacting to there is what psychology calls unconditioned response, you’re body is reacting to a stimulus which in this case when I described some of the ingredients that is used in Xinjiang cuisine or any other cuisine that has those ingredient.

The beautiful gospel

But what is the response when it comes to the gospel? For Christians, the gospel is beautiful, it’s good news and it is the good news that we are commissioned to share to the world.

So, why isn’t the world not lining up to her and receive the gospel? There are several possibilities that the good news to us is bad news to them. But, let’s get back to basics here, starting with us.

Do you love the gospel? Let me ask that question another way, do you love Jesus?

Now I know what many of you are going to say, yes I love Jesus, but the words of man is frivolous, it’s not that I doubt you and I am not here to judge you, but let me bring it to you this way.

If you truly love the Lord then how have you fulfilled this commission? How have you gone “...therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that He has commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Earlier I was talking about how you can tell if I was Asian, but I would like to ask you how you can tell if you’re Christian.

The way you can tell how someone is a Christian is how passionate they are when it comes to sharing their faith, when it comes to sharing the gospel.

Passionate like an Asian or Italian that is passionate for their food.

Taste and see...

In Psalms 34:8 the Psalmist says:

Psalm 34:8 NLT

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

And Peter also writes:

1 Peter 2:2–3 NLT

2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

How many of you had a chance to taste Jesus’ goodness? How many of you had a chance to experience His kindness?

How passionate are you in your faith and love in Jesus?

Because it all comes down to that very important part of your faith, have you been fed enough of the spiritual milk that we can grow and experience salvation?

Do you want to fulfill the commission that the Lord has given you? Do you want to fulfill His will?

Then love Jesus as He would want to be loved. Love Him with all you heart and your soul and you will truly taste the goodness and kindness of our Saviour, doesn’t Jesus deserve that much from you?

Because what is a Christian, someone who says they love Jesus but does nothing with their faith?

I’ve been reading a book called ‘Designed to Lead: The Church and Leadership Development’, that’s right, I want to be a better leader, but to be a better leader I need to have that personal relationship with Jesus.

I need to have that loving relationship, because as Paul says, without love then I am nothing, all that I do for Jesus if I don’t reciprocate that love to others then I am useless.

But the author of that book I mentioned, quotes Charles Spurgeon, a well known Baptist preacher and highly influential among Protestant Christians.

“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

Pretty harsh words don’t you think? Of course this was a time when people had tougher skin and could take any sort of rebuke from their preachers. But, do you agree with this statement? You’re either one or the other, you’re either a missionary or an imposter (someone that says they’re Christian but doesn’t behave like a Christian should).

Another quote that impressed me was made by an Anglican priest by the name of John Stott, he says “We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather, we should ask, ‘What has happened to salt and light’”

Isn’t that what Jesus asked to be in Matthew 5:13-16? To be the salt of the earth and to be a light to the world?

Friends, if we want to have a contagious faith, if we want to trigger the unconditioned response in someone that they want to have a relationship with Jesus, we need to be flavoursome and desirable.

And you might be asking yourself, I am not a preacher, I am not a teacher, I don’t know what to do, I can’t do the thing you’re asking me to do pastor.

I am going to introduce to you someone where their love for Jesus brought many people to Him, we’re also going to contrast this with a group of people that have been tagging along with Jesus and what they brought to Jesus. It is my hope that as we look two these two that it will help you to have that contagious faith to make a real impact in someone’s life.

The rejected and the cool kids

We’re going to look at the Samaritan woman at the well found in John 4.

The story goes that Jesus is making his way to Galilee from Judea, but He needed to go through Samaria a place where Jews have no desire to go through.

But, Jesus and his disciples made their way to Galilee through Samaria, according to John they arrived in Samaria near Jacob’s well around noon time, and Jesus and maybe even the disciples were exhausted and needed to rest.

Now, Jesus rested near the well, while the disciples made their way into the city to buy food.

Suddenly, a woman from the town came to draw water, now normally, women usually draw water during the early morning hours to avoid the extreme heat at noon time. Many scholars believed that this woman came at this time to avoid people because it would indicate that she was someone that is not well liked among the women of the city.

She had a reputation, and soon enough he secret would revealed by Jesus as He interacts with this scorned woman.

The initial interaction with Jesus is kind of an interesting one, because as she interacts with Him, it’s like a piece of layer is being removed at every conversation until she fully realises who Jesus is.

Here is an example, John 4:9 “...“How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.”

The initial interaction is, you’re a Jew and I am Samaritan, what do you have to do with me?

John 4:12 “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”” — Here it went from you’re you and I am me, to we’re family.

The next part is John 4:19 ““...Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” — So from being enemies, to we’re one family, to now you’re a prophet and teacher.

The last part is the glorifying part, John 4:25 “25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”” — Here she discovers eventually that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one.

Amazing interaction right there, and the framework for friendship evangelism, do you see the steps? Do you see how Jesus engaged with her and lead her to discover the truth.

The story adds that the disciples returned to Jesus and marveled that Jesus spoke with this woman, they came back bearing food and water for Jesus. They hoped to gain His favour by doing Him a favour but what is to happen next is something that we should take note of.

So, the disciples are making their way back to Jesus but the woman left her water pot and went her way into the city to the men and invite them to come see the Messiah.

John 4:39–42 NLT

39 Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” 40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, 41 long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Isn’t that amazing, he faith became contagious and resulted in a towns coming to see the Messiah for two days. This was a woman that was rejected by the women of the city, this was a woman that had a ugly reputation. But her status has now changed, she is now the woman that pointed to Jesus. She is a faithful follower of Jesus.

Amazing story right, but what made her her faith contagious? Because she believed, because she loves and she loved her Messiah and she felt compelled to share this good news to the town. This was her true first love.

Friends, there is a verse to the churches to remind them of their first love. It was to the church in Ephesus that Jesus informs them that they have left their first love and as a result have fallen.

Friends, do you remember that time you fell in love with Jesus? Do you remember your zeal for the Lord?

Because, remember this, the disciples, followers of Jesus, these are the guys that have been with Jesus for some time now, they’ve been by Jesus’ side and heard His sermons on love.

But when they made their way to the city to buy food, they came to the very town that the woman went and shared the gospel. But, these disciples were to preoccupied in gaining favour with their Master rather than doing the Masters work.

These guys spent all their time negotiating and bargaining that the name Jesus may never have left their mouth in the presence of the Samaritans.

They’ve forgotten their first love, they forgotten what it means to be a Christian.

Taste His goodness, see His kindness...

Jesus has asked us to be the salt and the light, how do we continue to be flavoursome and bright for those around us? Taste and see, just as you can taste salt and see light, taste His Words and see His Works.

When make this a habit in life, when you experience that goodness and kindness, you too can be contagious in faith, and you can serve Him because you will have the passion for the gospel and to share it far and wide.

“…Taste and see that the Lord is good;” because “blessed are they who trust in Him”.

I want you to understand that there are people in this world that are starving for the truth, that are looking for hope in their lives.

We have the answers to their questions, and we can lead to the one that can bring them salvation. All we need to do is be that flavour that will trigger their responses to taste more, to show them that there is a end to all there pain and suffering and that can be found only in Jesus.

But we need to commit ourselves first before we can commit to others, we need to go through those layers like the woman at the well to discover how amazing Jesus is. We need to taste and see Jesus on the daily.

Friends, is it your desire to taste and see? Is it your desire to have a contagious faith? Is it your desire to share the gospel?

If this is your desire, I encourage you to raise your hand to Him and say ‘Yes Lord, please help me.”