Whoever Really Means Whoever

In one paragraph

A planned Gideon Sunday became an ordinary Sunday when the visiting speaker was turned back by a blizzard on the rim, so Pastor Ray preached instead. He wove together a reflection on the Gideon ministry and its confidence in the power of Scripture with a close reading of John 4, the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. The two threads held together naturally, because both come down to the...

Read together

1. Ephesians 6 the word of God called the sword, mentioned by the lay leader before reading 2 Timothy
2. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 read aloud by the lay leader to connect scripture to the Gideons' Bible distribution ministry
3. John 3:34-36 read as the closing verses of chapter three before moving into chapter four
4. John 4:1-54 read in full as the main text, covering the Samaritan woman at the well and the healing of the nobleman's son
5. Numbers 21 referenced as the Old Testament background Pastor Ray had used when preaching on Nicodemus the previous week
6. John 19 cited as evidence that Nicodemus eventually accepted Jesus

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray described the Samaritan woman as someone whose circumstances had beaten her down, and said he was 'reading it with eyes of mercy.' How does approaching someone's sin and brokenness with mercy rather than judgment change the way we engage with them?
2. Jesus met Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, and the nobleman each in a way that connected with where they were. Can you think of a time when someone shared the gospel with you or someone else in a way that met them right where they were? What made it effective?
3. Pastor Ray pointed out that Jesus tapped into what he called the woman's 'latent spiritual desire,' referencing the idea that God has set eternity in our hearts. Where do you see that longing showing up in people around you who would not call themselves believers?
4. The Samaritan woman ran back into town and simply told her broken everyday story, and many believed because of her testimony. What holds people back from sharing their own broken story, and what might it look like to do what she did?
5. Pastor Ray said that we are surrounded by people who have 'a little bit of truth mixed with a whole lot of error,' and that we need to know our Bibles and not give up on scriptural truth while still engaging people where they are. How do you hold those two things together in an actual conversation?