Water is the only answer

Articles

by Pastor Tryphena Law

04 July 2024

Introduction

Globally, June is known as the gay pride month. Malaysia is a gay-unfriendly country, and we may even find ourselves as Christians discriminating against those who are different from us. In Singapore, the removal of Section 377A of the Penal Code has led to an active gay movement that tries to redefine marriage. Sadly, it is the young generation that is lobbying for such freedom.

As far as Christians are concerned, there are only two types of gender: male and female. Today, there are many types of gender as defined by the world, and people have their preferred gender pronoun. About 37 nations around the world have endorsed same-sex marriage.

How relevant are we as a church in addressing this issue? It is about connecting and presenting the truth to them in a way that can draw them back to God. We do not compromise, but we can still receive and love them. God’s original design on creation is one man and one woman; one husband and one wife 'till death do us part'.

We cannot stop the spread of secular and humanist ideologies with the strong influence of social media. In fact, social media is an effective tool to propagate and brainwash young people’s minds with ideas on sexual orientation and transgenderism leading to rapid-onset gender dysphoria.

Are they welcome in your church or life group?

John 4:7–10 (NKJV)

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Samaritans were despised by the Jews because of their intermarriage with foreigners and their idolatrous practices. John 4 talks about the encounter of Jesus (a Jew) with the Samaritan woman at the well. Spiritually, the woman was dead.

The conversation between Jesus and the woman led her to the Living Water. Jesus demonstrated how He connected and did life with people who are so different from us. The woman was made alive again because Jesus met her at her darkest moment.

Like the Samaritan woman we read in John 4:1–12, living in spiritual darkness means being alienated from God. People who are in darkness often do not know how far they have drifted away from God. Are they people in your community who are alienated from God?

Jesus is the Living Water. He saw darkness and He carried light into it. That is what the church is called to do.

“God needs our light where the world is the darkest. The blacker the night, the greater the need for a lightbulb. If the bulb does not shine, it is not because of the darkness. Darkness cannot put out a light. If the darkness increases until it is black as a cave, it is still not dark enough to extinguish a light. No one has yet smothered a light by increasing the darkness. Darkness gets darker because the light fails. When we fail to reflect Christ’s light, we let the darkness win.” – Tom Moore

When Jesus confronted the woman at the well, there was a spiritual awakening in her towards God (John 4:13–24). Jesus proclaimed spiritual truth to her and she became a seeker. There was a connection, a conversation, and a conversion.

John 4:13–15 (NKJV)

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

As Christians, do we walk the talk? We need to set our lives in order so that people may see Christ in us.

When Jesus touched the heart of the Samaritan woman, there was a leap of faith to salvation by God. There was a conversion in that she just left her waterpot and immediately told others about this Living Water. She got her priority set in order.

John 4:25–30 (NKJV)

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.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” ... 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

Conclusion

Are we a true believer? If we are, we would never be embarrassed of this Living Water. We would be telling others about this Living Water. Do not be afraid to get involved.