A.Jesus has given Christians the Great Commission, which is a charge to go and teach the gospel of Christ throughout the world (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16).
1.Originally, the Lord gave this commission to the apostles, but He also told them to pass it on to others (“teaching them to observe all that I commanded you,” Matt. 28:20).
2.That commission is continuously passed from generation to generation of Christians (2Tim. 2:2).
B.However, many Christians struggle with the duty of evangelism.
1.Some of us lack the knowledge we need, and we fear having our ignorance exposed.
2.Some lack the courage required to speak to others, so we make excuses for our silence.
3.Many of us simply do not know what to do.We cannot find the right time or place, we do not know what to say, or it just seems that no one is interested.
C.Thankfully, Jesus not only gave us this commission, but He also left us His example of how we may carry out that commission.
1.Our doubts and questions about teaching other people can be answered by considering the Lord.
2.Let us learn how to teach others by answering a series of questions about the Lord’s personal evangelism exemplified in John 4.
II.THE EXAMPLE OF THE WOMAN AT THE WELL – JOHN 4:3-26
A.Where was the best place for Jesus to teach?
1.We struggle to get others in a good environment in which we may teach them.
a.It is difficult to convince others to come to the worship assemblies of the church.
b.It is also difficult to convince others to have a home Bible study.
2.However, in this example of Jesus, we find that the Lord taught in the place where He was.
a.This was an ordinary situation by Jacob’s well in a strange city (vv. 4-6).
b.Jesus did not ask the woman to meet at a more convenient place.He taught her there where He met her.
3.Therefore, we should also teach people wherever we are.
a.All around us are people who do not know the Lord and need to hear the gospel.
b.Many times convenience is a state of mind.Truly, we can find any place convenient if we are willing.
B.When was the best time for Jesus to teach?
1.Time is another factor that gives us difficulty in the work of evangelism.
a.We often think that the best times for teaching others are at the assembly times of the church.However, the assemblies of the church are designed for the worship of God and the edification of the church, and they do not always provide the best instruction for one who is not a Christian.
b.We sometimes feel that we must set up special times to teach others (home Bible studies, special classes, etc.), but then we are too busy or they are too busy to attend.There never seems to be a convenient time.
2.Again, we need to consider the Lord’s example and His use of the time He had with the woman.
a.When Jesus met the woman at the well, it was an inconvenient time because He was tired, hungry, and thirsty from travelling, and the woman was busy drawing water (vv. 6-8).
b.It was also an unplanned time, for Jesus met the woman by chance, never having met her before.
c.Yet this was the time that Jesus used to teach the woman because it was the time that He had with her.She may never have seen Him again, so this opportunity was precious for her sake.
3.Therefore, we ought to use any time we have with others to teach the gospel.
a.The time for teaching does not have to be convenient, planned, or ideal.
b.If we keep waiting for the perfect time to present itself, we will never teach anybody.
C.Who was the right person for Jesus to teach?
1.Selecting a person to teach is yet another difficult decision for Christians.
a.Our tendency is to look for persons who are similar to ourselves or who we think would respond to the gospel favorably.
b.The result is that we eliminate many people from our consideration who may have taken the opportunity to respond to Christ if we had given it.Remember that the object of the Great Commission was “every creature” (Mark 16:15).
2.Jesus selected the Samaritan woman because He saw a soul in need of a Savior.
a.On the surface, the Samaritan woman would appear to be a very unlikely candidate for the teaching of Jesus, who was a Jew.
i.Notice that the woman was surprised that Jesus even spoke to her (v. 9).This was because the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans.
ii.The Samaritan people descended from a combination of Israelites and foreigners that were imported by the Assyrians in the eighth century B.C.The Jews considered the Samaritans to be unclean and impure because they had a defiled from of religion that included Jehovah along with idols and pagan gods.
b.However, Jesus did not look at this woman as a Samaritan, but as a lost soul who needed Him to tell her the truth.
3.Therefore, in the likeness of Jesus we should sow the word of God indiscriminately, and let those who hear decide for themselves whether they will obey the gospel.
D.What was the best way for Jesus to teach?
1.Even when we find a place, a time, and a person for teaching, it is still difficult to know how to teach the gospel to someone.
a.Although the truth of the gospel is universal and does not change, every person cannot be taught in exactly the same way.
b.Different people are at different levels of understanding and spirituality.We have to recognize people’s needs and approach them on that level.
2.Some of the best methods for teaching were demonstrated by Jesus as He taught the Samaritan woman.
a.Notice verses 10-15.Jesus began with an informal subject (the well) and led into a spiritual application (living water).
i.Likewise, we can begin with an everyday situation and bring about a spiritual discussion.
ii.For example, if someone asks you on a Monday what you did over the weekend, take the opportunity to talk about Sunday’s worship.
b.Jesus also made the woman at the well want what He had to tell her.He piqued her interest in what He was saying.
i.We should be excited about the good news that we have to tell people because it is the word of eternal life that leads to salvation.What could be better than that?
ii.People are much more likely to be interested in what we have to say if we have enthusiasm and joy about the gospel.
c.Jesus did not avoid the sinfulness of the woman’s life, and yet He did not offend her (vv. 16-19).
i.This example is very similar to situations we encounter today with the epidemic of divorces and adulterous relationships in our world.
ii.In any case, we must follow Christ’s example and acknowledge sin with its consequences with gentleness so that we may have further opportunity to teach (2Tim. 2:24-26).
III.CONCLUSION
A.By simply talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus initiated a chain of events that led to many of the Samaritans believing in Him (John 4:28-30, 39-42).
B.We can have similar success in teaching others by following the pattern we see exemplified in Jesus.A simple summary of that pattern is this:
1.Where? – Anywhere!
2.When? – Any time!
3.Who? – Anyone!
4.How? – Not anyhow!Teach others the right way, using the word of God and teaching the truth.
C.Jesus said that the harvest is ready (John 4:35).We are the reapers – let us do our work and accomplish our mission.
