So, I (Dave) don’t know about anyone else, but I feel like any time I read the news, social media, etc. Someone somewhere is being offended by something and we are constantly reminded how we need to be tolerant of everything and appease everyone. The biggest problem with this mentality is that it is spilling into our churches. As Christians, we are called to be set apart. We are called to be different, and many times that includes going directly against social norms and at times even being offensive. We need to dive back into the Bible to find answers about social topics. For example, abortion is not our choice, sex outside of marriage is not ok (EVER), divorce is not ok (except for very few exceptions), goal in life is not to be happy, work shouldn’t be a higher priority than your family, and lastly, and I can’t stress this enough, if your opinion or mode of thinking goes against what the Bible says…YOU ARE WRONG!! Too many times, we don’t want to be labeled as a prude or conservative, but the Bible calls us to be conservative thinkers. We, as Christians, need to step up, especially now more than ever, and be bold about our faith and not worry about what others think or how they will react. Fear is dictating how we share (or don’t share) the gospel in our daily lives. Jesus was not afraid to speak the hard truths and stand up against social norms. He was bold yet always loving. He never held back, but always spoke the truth in love. We need to follow the example that has been laid out for us. One example of where Jesus went against social norms was with the Samaritan woman at the well. We as Christians must take a stand in love and speak truth boldly!
John 4:7-42
7-8 A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)
9 The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”
11-12 The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”
13-14 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”
15 The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!”
16 He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.”
17-18 “I have no husband,” she said.
“That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.”
19-20 “Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?”
21-23 “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
23-24 “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
25 The woman said, “I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.”
26 “I am he,” said Jesus. “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”
27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn’t believe he was talking with that kind of a woman. No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it.
28-30 The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people, “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?” And they went out to see for themselves.
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