NECESSARY INGREDIENTS IN A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE
There were two groups of people in John 4. First, there were the lost in the city—not just the woman, but the entire city. Second, there were the disciples of Christ, who had left Christ at the well to go into the city to buy food.
Jesus stayed at the well to feast on the spiritual meat of sharing the Gospel of Christ with this woman. Jesus valued spiritual meat more than physical meat. We will not accomplish much for Christ if we are more concerned about physical needs than spiritual ones.
We will not be fully satisfied in life unless we are fully engaged in our part of fulfilling God’s greatest mission, the Great Commission.
“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” – John 4:34
There are three ingredients from this passage we see if Christians are going to be spiritually satisfied:
1. THE WILL OF GOD
It’s not about your will, and it’s not about my will. Jesus even prayed, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Today, we have many Christians who are praying, “Lord, not Thy will, but mine be done!” There needs to be some who will say, “Lord, I’m willing to set my will aside to fulfill Your will for my life.” Satisfaction in life is not found in seeking our own desires. Curtis Hutson said, “God never burglarizes the human will.” Therefore, we need to be willing and yielded to do whatever God wants us to do with our lives.
It is God’s will for us to reach people! Can you imagine Jesus coming to the well and not sharing the Gospel message? God often directs our lives with some “detours” that are in His will, and if we are not careful, we will miss circumstances or appointments that God places in our lives for us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. THE WORK OF GOD
Theodore Roosevelt said, “There has never been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering.” When you find the work of God, there is a lot of work to do. This was certainly true in the life of our Lord; He not only had much work to do, but He also faced many obstacles.
The Pharisees compared the ministries of John the Baptist to Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 10:12b says, “But they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” Hebrews 12:1b states, “And let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” God has a race for each of us individually, and comparing our race to that of another is an obstacle to the work of God.
If Jesus got weary in His journey, be sure that we will get weary as well. A preacher once said, “It’s okay if we get weary in the journey, but let’s not get weary of the journey.” Weariness is an obstacle in the work of God.
Jesus was misunderstood over and over again. When you make a decision to follow the will of God, you will be misunderstood. Your motives will be misunderstood; your message will be twisted. Misunderstanding is often an obstacle to the work of God.
3. THE WITNESS OF GOD
In John 4:35b, Jesus said, “I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” Satisfaction is the child of obedience to the Great Commission. You cannot be fully satisfied unless you are obedient to and fulfilling the will of God for your life. We have been given a mandate from God. Obedience or disobedience to the Great Commission is contagious, and we determine the kind of epidemic we start.
Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Acts 20:28 says that He purchased the church with His blood. In light of the great price that Christ paid for the church, we should take His command to spread the Gospel seriously.
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John Evertson, GSBC Campus Pastor
In June 2000, after graduating from Golden State Baptist College, John Evertson answered the call to pastor West Valley Baptist Church in Woodland, California. After 19 years, God moved Pastor and Mrs. Evertson to Santa Clara. Pastor Evertson is instrumental in the church and serves as the Campus Pastor for Golden State Baptist College to help guide the future servants of God. Pastor & Mrs. Evertson have four children — Josiah, Jeremiah, Joy, and Joshua.
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