For God so Loved Her, Part 4

Adapted from a sermon I preached in Ona a few weeks ago....

There are two words that some people in church don’t want to talk about. One of them is stewardship. I love to talk about stewardship (but that’s a different sermon). The other one is evangelism. Evangelism is simply telling people that God has made a difference in your life and then perhaps convincing them that God can do the same thing in their own lives. It’s framing your story around these three questions – what was your life like before? What happened when you encountered God? What difference has it made in your life? You have a story. Will you tell it?

First, we have to remember what our lives would be like without God. And we have to recognize that God is present in our lives, and that God loves us.

Have you ever been the outsider? Ask yourself, what barriers has God broken down – what rules has God broken – to speak to you?

We sometimes condemn the woman at the well for her “loose morals.” We consider her to be a sinner. Here is the rub – we are all sinners. And here is the good news. Jesus went out of his way – because I don’t think his trip to the well was a coincidence – to speak to her. Not only that – but to reveal himself to her. Barriers are nothing. God has broken through all of them.

For God so loves you…..

God has broken though what separates us from God. Sometimes, though, we fail to recognize that. I mentioned earlier that I went on a Walk to Emmaus. I don’t want to give anything away – although there are no secrets – but there is a point during the walk when you are asked to consider the question of what stands between you and God. And to let it go. Give it up. Turn it over to God. I ask you today to consider that question. What do you think is a barrier between you and God? Turn it over to him. Be grateful that God so loves YOU that he gave his son so that you can have eternal life – living water. Recognize how God has worked in your life.

When you realize that God loves you and has broken down the barriers that stand between you and God, and you see the beginning of your faith story.