SECOND HAND RELIGION? OR FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE OF GOD HIMSELF?

“Now we have heard for ourselves and we know that this man is the saviour of the world” Jn 4:42Many claims have been made for this man and about this man. We have heard volumes about him:on the TVon Films such as “The Passion of the Christ”Church and Sunday SchoolBooks from the De Vinci Code to the Bible itselfFrom parents and family and friendsStreet preachingDoor to door visitation etcIncreasingly the gospel message is filtered and processed through the radio talk shows in bits and pieces and the real and complete gospel message is hidden and we know that half the truth is much more dangerous than none of the truth.Too often the gospel has become politicised by the political machine.Thankfully there have been campaigns like t “MakePovertyHistory” which have given the opportunity to the believers to give another aspect, all to often forgotten or neglected- Christian lifestyle and social justice.Where do we find Christ today? The primary way we see him is through the people of God in the church of Jesus Christ. This “chance meeting” with Jesus begins the fist phase in the developing relationship between the woman and Jesus and so it is with us- we need to be:INTRODUCED TO CHRIST PERSONALLYShe had the benefit of being with the living Christ but the bible tells us that where two or three are gathered together in His name, he is with them and there you have the church- so we are responsible for introducing people to Christ. We need to speak with the prophetic voice and that means there are times when we will challenge our society and culture and it also means that we will need to provide opportunities for people to see Christ for themselves. All too often all that people get is A SECOND HAND RELIGION when what they need is a FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE. We have never had a new car, not brand new- one of the reasons for that is that we have never been able to afford one but we have also said that it would be difficult for us to justify all that money when a fairly new second hand one would do just as well. Driving a new car is a great experience and there is quite a difference. Hat God offers us and here this woman was offered a first hand experience of the living God- Jesus describes it as the living water- drink this and you will never be thirsty again,.This woman came to know God for herself and all the friends she brought with her.Every Christian parent has a responsibility to bring Jesus Christ to their children [Presbyterians believe that this is the particular challenge to parents] but also to those people they rub shoulders with. This calls for a lifestyle and not JUST words. This is what we mean by covenant theology- there is no cast-iron guarantee that because you believe so will your children because God allows people the freedom to make up their own minds and has no desire to pre-programm people and his timescale is not the same as ours but it does mean that what should be guaranteed is that every child of a Christian home will be given every change and every example which will equip them to make up their minds with all the facts. This woman made up her mind and discovered that being a believer was more than a name. Then she brought her friends to meet him.Merely following the crowd was not for her- she was doing the leading because she had done the thinking and had met the man who changed her life. There is a struggle going on in the world- a struggle for our minds and our attentionThe media has its point of viewOur friends have their viewsOur society is more concerned with political correctness than with truth and has become the religion of our daye.g The Student’s Union of Stirling University has decided to give permission to the students to remove the Gideon Bibles from their rooms because they might offend some people!!!The second phase in this developing relationship is that they WANTED TO SPEND TIME WITH JESUSAs Jesus looked over the land he saw the crowds coming towards him- this is when he said- “The fields are white and ready for harvest”They were all dressed in white and it looked like the fields were literally white- here we had something of an awakening- something akin to the prophecy he would make later as he told the believers to go into the neighbourhood including the rebel land of Samaria to preach the gospel.Every now and again we hear of politicians or talk show hosts who rise to the challenge of living with some marginal people- could be like the travellers as was the case with Kilroy Silk or with a poor family or single- parent family and the result is that it changes their views and sometimes their life attitudes- this woman and these people were radically changed by being with Jesus.It is the responsibility of the church to make to proclaim the word of God but also to live the life of Christ- this is no inner clique or closed shop- rather we are to be an inclusive community- that does not mean that we loose our principles or we allow the world to mould us but that we reach out and make the necessary changes so that people who come into our fellowship feel welcome and comfortable. In a recent survey it became clear that the majority of people in the 21st century are looking for intimate relationships and not just entertainment. Entertainment id necessary and people do flock to the places where they will enjoy themselves but at the very heart they want acceptance and support and true friendship.Sometimes the church has felt the need to entertain people and often people will flock to the mega churches but what they really lack is accountability and individual care.The third phase in this relationship is when they MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO JESUSNow we know for ourselves and KNOW that this man is the saviour of the worldIf they KNOW- not think or hope or guessIf they know for themselves then the next step is easy and straightforward.- If this man really is the saviour- the one who has brought shalom or complete peace then they need to commit themselves to him. In making this decision and commitment they become part of the solution to the world’s problems and they become the people of God They listened to Him and they watched him and concluded that he was the real thing- now they could see that he was the Messiah.Let me ask you- have you discovered Christ for yourself?Our hope today for Christian is that he would decide for himself one day – that he would be Christian in more than name- too many of us are Christians by name but not in fact- too many of us have only had a second-hand religion when we could have a firsthand experience of Knowing Jesus Christ personally.This man was more than a prophetMore than a teacherMore than a controversial characterMore than a holy manHe was and his and always will be the Son of god who offers us life in all its fullnessDo you want to be more than a Christian by name?If you do then you need to commit yourself to him personally