Beforehand: Be sure to check this week’s Missions Message/panel online if you were not able to catch it on Sunday morning.

Below is the outline of this week’s Missions Message/panel.

The Deep Six Study follows.

“Waiting World … Willing Church”

Message Introduction
John 4:7-8, 27, 31-34, 35

Missionary Panel Questions
1 – What is the hardest part of your calling/mission?
2 – How is God overcoming the challenges of your calling?
3 – Talk about the role of grace and mercy in missions?
4 – Talk about the importance of a church?
5 – How can we bring “truth” to “Grace” & Mercy”?
6 – Why? (do you do it?) is it worth it?

Message Conclusion

Deep Six

Introduction
Our two week missions emphasis serves a dual purpose. First, it is designed to help you become more connected with world missions as you hear from missionaries, learn about them and their ministries, and then join them in their work by praying and giving. Second, it is designed to help you in your response to God for how He wants you to use your life in direct ways to reach others for Himself. This week’s Deep Six Study focuses on the second part as it builds on this week’s Missions Message/panel and the John 4 passage that Pastor Ben emphasized. You will notice the Deep Six Study format below is different. Most of the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well is included in the Scripture from John 4 that immediately follows. Then there are 6 questions that parallel the six questions asked of the missionary panel. Each of the questions is preceded by a portion of the John 4 passage that applies and a comment.

John 4:7-8, 13-14, 16-18, 27-42 - “7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food …. 13 Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.’…. 16 ‘Go and get your husband,’ Jesus told her. 17 ‘I don’t have a husband,’ the woman replied. Jesus said, ‘You’re right! You don’t have a husband—18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!’ …. 27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, ’What do you want with her?’ or ‘Why are you talking to her?’ 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?’ 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him. 31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ 32 But Jesus replied, ‘I have a kind of food you know nothing about.’33 ‘Did someone bring him food while we were gone?’ the disciples asked each other.34 Then Jesus explained: ‘My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.’ 39Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!’ 40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, 41 long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. 42 Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.’”

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John 4:27-29 – “27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, ’What do you want with her?’ or ‘Why are you talking to her?’ 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone.”

Comment – This is what Jesus had in mind from the start: reaching someone who in turn He would use to reach others for Himself. It is hard to launch into letting God use our lives to reach others for Himself.

Question # 1 – What is the hardest thing for you about giving yourself fully to be used by God to reach others?

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John 4:34-38 – “34 Then Jesus explained: ‘My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.’”

Comment – What kept Jesus going? It was being engaged in the mission for which He was sent and completing it. Competing it requires that those He has already reached wake up, look around at the ripe harvest, and get in step with the mission for which they have been commissioned. Jesus speaking in such terms suggest that the reached are often not engaged like they should be in the mission of reaching others that God has in mind for them and that there are obstacles that stand in their way.

Question # 2 – How is God at work alleviating the obstacles that interfere with your own personal engagements with the fields ripe for harvest?

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John 4:13-14 – “13 Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.’

Comment – Jesus is the living water who comes to dwell with in us and becomes to us a healing, restoring presence and like a spring bubbles out for the benefit of those around us. This is a wonderful picture of the mercy and grace aspects of eternal life that come to us and we then extend to others.

Question # 3 – In your journey of becoming a good harvester what experiences have you had at becoming more gracious and merciful?

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John 4:40-42 – “40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, 41 long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. 42 Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.’”

Comment – What a special thing it is to have others in our lives that know the Savior of the world. It is even more special if we were instrumental in their coming to know the Savior. What a privilege to share life with other believers and to join together with them in reaching others for Christ.

Question # 4 – What are some ways you share life with others who have been reached and in what ways do you join together to reach additional others?

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John 4:16-18 – “16 ‘Go and get your husband,’ Jesus told her. 17 ‘I don’t have a husband,’ the woman replied. Jesus said, ‘You’re right! You don’t have a husband—18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!’

Comment – Jesus knew that it was necessary for the woman at the well to come to grips with the truth in order for her to see her need for living water. Jesus always blended grace and mercy perfectly with truth and righteousness. There was no malice, self-righteousness, or condemnation. It doesn’t come so easily for us. We tend to get ourselves in the mix and thereby major in one side of things more than the other. Oh how much we need the Lord’s intervening help as we seek to be used properly in reaching others with the Good News.

Question # 5 – What does too much truth and righteousness look like, what does too much grace and mercy look like, and what does a proper blend of both look like?

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John 4:39 - “39Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!’

Comment – We cannot fully understand what it must have been like for the woman at the well to be the key player in her village being reached for Christ. What a turn around in her own life as well as her standing in the village. Talk about rewarding and worthwhile in both temporal and eternal matters. We may not always have positive and fulfilling experiences as we labor in the field of harvest, but if we look closely we will always see God and how He is at work and He will certainly bring to our experience many things that will make it worth it all.

Question # 6 –What rewarding experiences have you had in reaching others for Christ that clearly make your struggles, sufferings, and failures worth it all?

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Conclusion

We cannot escape the reality that the reached are called to reach. We can ignore it or minimize it, but to do so is to be in opposition to God and His purposes. Often for those who struggle at participating, it is because it seems overwhelming to them and the most common reason for this is that they are looking at the challenge merely in terms of there own resources. When we are connected intimately with God, He is fully at our disposal to provide complete and thorough guidance, enabling, and provision. So, let’s trust God for great and mighty things as we go forward individually and collectively in the wonderful adventure of missions in the days ahead.

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.