Everyone Needs Jesus

Christian values are quickly being replaced by immoral values in our society. More than ever before the western society and culture is turning it's back on Jesus and choosing man's wisdom. The lost are not more lost as a result, it's just now the pretending is over and the great divide is more evident. The real danger is what this wide spread acceptance of immorality is doing to our children. It almost seems like an entire generation has been lost to Jesus. I said seems.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the heart of mankind has not changed all that much. Many sins that were hidden are being brought out into the light. What was done in secret is now done on the street corner. Now it is easier to address and should stop Christians from thinking that there isn't much work to do. Instead of feeling despair we should be rolling up our sleeves and getting to work. There is a world going to hell and we know someone wanting to save them.

Do you re-call Jesus with the woman at the well? She was a person completely lost in sin, who was pleased with herself and saw no need to change. Different from many people, she did not go looking for Jesus; he went looking for her. I think there is no story more fitting for us with our society than this encounter.

Jesus was faced with many barriers in dealing with this woman, yet he overcame all of them. He was there to convey the good news to this woman as we are here to convey it to our society and we too have barriers to overcome, according to God's grace and power. Over the next few days I will be looking at the 4 barriers Jesus overcame.

First, there was the social barrier:

"You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (John 4:9)

Jesus had the barrier of acceptable social practices at that time. First, he was a Jew and Jews did not speak to Samaritans, because of tradition. Also he was a man alone and she was a woman alone. They should not be speaking to each other. Jesus made it clear that a relationship with God transcends all social barriers:

"If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (John 4:10)

I think sometimes we forget that the good news we have to share is far greater than anything else on this planet. Everyone needs to hear it. We can't allow a thing like social barriers to block us. Often these barriers are in our own thinking and attitude. We have to lose that with the reality of a Kingdom perspective.

For us, the sin of a person does not matter, the culture does not matter, either do language or skin colour; the fact that sin separates them from God is all that matters. We can not be frightened by someone's culture, language or traditions. We don't stand on ceremony or traditions. We have one simple task to do and that is share the good news. 

Jesus does not care what our culture is, our skin colour, language, position in life. He doesn't care if we are a stay at home mom or a big business tycoon. All he cares is that we are enslaved to our sin and he wants us to be rescued. He came so that we could be freed from sin so how can we allow social barriers to keep us from those whom he loves. Nothing stopped Jesus from reaching out as there should be nothing stopping us. With the boldness of his love we must push through into their world so we can tell them about Jesus. Rich, poor, male, female, adult, child, whatever sin, language, culture, everyone needs Jesus.