“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23

Dear Faithful Seed Sowers,

We have looked at the place of worship and the place of worship. Jesus surprised the woman at the well, “You will not just worship here or at the temple in Jerusalem. The place of worship is your heart” (My translation).  We have learned the that position of worship is to bow down, to humble ourselves, to fall flat on our faces. “Proskyneo” worshipers are those who are prostrate on their faces. We have learned that the purpose of worship is to ascribe worth to someone or something. Last week we were challenged to think about where we spend our time, our money and what we think about the most. What, or who, do we idolize and worship?

This week we will look at the person of worship.  We need to be careful what our idols are and what we worship because we become like what we worship.  That is a profound thought. The place of worship — is our hearts.  The position of worship — is bowing in surrender and humility. The purpose of worship — is to ascribe worth to someone or something —where do we invest most of our time, talents, and treasures for what we idolize, we become like.

I would like to flip the statement when Jesus speaks to the surprised woman at the well written above.  I would like to talk about worshiping in truth.

When we honestly worship in truth, we worship the person of Jesus.

Stop and think about the Old Testament people who followed God for 40 years in the wilderness.  We have only been in the wilderness of this Covid-19 shutdown over eight months now–for 40 years, we’d need another 400 months of covid.  I do know that if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we are going to make it through this season. 

When I think of worshiping in the truth, I think of the Tent of Meeting that Moses set up. Do you realize that the Tent of meeting was called the tabernacle? The Tent of Meeting was a tent, it was put up and taken down every time the cloud moved. I wonder how many times in 40 years that tent was taken down and put up? (The Seed Christian Fellowship is a portable church.  We rent a city room; we have rented it for almost ten years! 51 Sundays a year, plus Holy Week and Christmas Eve, we bring our trailer and we unload and set up and then tear down and store our portable TENT of a church.  Let me tell you, after ten years, it is a real sacrifice of the heart to oversee this enormous project called CHURCH. 40 years?)  Moses and company set up and tore down their tabernacle tent for not ten, but 40, years.

What was the original tabernacle, what did it look like? Was it a beautiful edifice or a building of great beauty? Were there stained-glass windows, great arches, fancy carpet, or wood flooring complete with paintings, ornate sanctuaries, and beautiful pipe organs? Not at all, not even close—the tabernacle of the Israelites was made of wood and animal skin. Nevertheless, every part of the old tabernacle was significant. Think of it this way, the tabernacle taught the way to God. First, the tabernacle had an altar for sacrifice that contained a laver, or a bronze wash basin, where the priests cleaned their hands. The traveling tabernacle, and even the magnificent tabernacle that Solomon built, had these items in the courtyard and in the Holy Place, and in the Holy of Holies.

I think the tabernacle is a perfect illustration of how a person must approach God.

The altar, which is the first thing we come to, is the cross of Christ. The cross was given to teach us that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (no cancellation of our debt, no penalty) of our sins. First, we need the cross in order to direct our attention to the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

Next, we find the laver — the bronze wash basin which is a picture of cleansing. Christ provides our cleansing when we confess our sins and enter fellowship with him. Next we find the table of shewbread or manna — bread of presence, within the Holy Place. This bread speaks of Christ as the bread of life. Now we come to the altar of incense. The altar is a picture of prayer, we grow by prayer as well as by feeding on Christ, the bread of life. Behind the altar of incense was the great veil, dividing the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This was the veil that was torn in two at the moment of Christ’s death! It demonstrated that Christ’s death was the fulfillment of all these figures and the basis of the fullness of our ability to now approach our Almighty God directly because of what Jesus Christ did for us once and for all.

Finally, within the Holy of Holies was the ark of the covenant with its mercy seat upon which the high priest placed the blood of the lamb once a year on the Day of Atonement. And in the Holy of Holies there was symbolized–by the space above the mercy seat—the magnificent presence of God into whose presence we can now come because of the great mercy of God revealed in the death of Christ for us.

We all come to God through Christ.  The cross is the altar in which Jesus Christ became the sacrifice and it is only through this sacrifice on the cross that we can enter the Holy of Holies.  I can only imagine Christ with the wash basin.  Can you see Christ with the wash basin? Can you enter the story and see Jesus pick up the wash basin and wash the feet of His disciples?  Can you place yourself into the story? Imagine Jesus washing YOUR feet. Remember this amazing fact: Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples, even Judas’ feet–who would quickly betray Him, a pretty humbling act of worship. What a powerful illustration of worship: before Jesus shared the breaking of the bread and remembering the cup of salvation, He washed feet.

Jesus is the bread of presence, Jesus is the incense, Jesus is the prayers of the people.  It was Jesus’ death that tore the veil. The veil was torn in two so that we can come straight to the mercy seat. We can worship in spirit and truth. We can go right to God.

When Jesus stood before Pilate and was questioned, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”   I think that is the question that we are all asking now.  What is truth?

After Jesus picked up the basin and towel, He washed the disciple’s feet. Then He shared the bread of presence and He told them of His soon-coming sacrifice: Jesus must be lifted up so all who believe in Him would have eternal life. Then in John 14 Jesus shared those comforting and challenging words …

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:1-7

So What?
God truly has a sense of humor. With the COVID 19 upon us, some of us cannot even enter our churches! What in the world is God doing?

Could God be teaching us to learn how to worship Him in truth?

Have you ever stopped and pondered the room that Jesus has prepared for you and me? I have.  It’s been a hard year of loss for our family. My dad died two days ago as did my cousin. I’ve also lost my mother-of-love, and my older brother. My wife and I have moved her 88 year-old dad into our home. Life is very different these days.

In our church, I have brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones, too. Many have had no opportunity to grieve with their family over their losses. “God, what are you doing?” I trust that God is sovereign. I must trust that God will be with us. For me, there is no other way.

God is doing something new in our worship.  God wants our true place of worship to be in our hearts.  God wants our position of worship to be on our faces in humility and adoration.  God wants our purpose of worship to be about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is no room for any other idol of our making.  God wants our worship to be about the truth, the way, and the life. No one can come to the Father unless they come through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, His humble servanthood of the wash basin, His cleansing us of our sins, and of our partaking of the bread of life—His body and of the cup of forgiveness, His shed blood.

Listen — Jesus says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.”

Here’s your homework for the week, so what?

What is the most magnificent church building I have ever been to?
What was so magnificent about it?
Describe that church…
Now ask yourself:
Is my heart anywhere near as beautiful a place for me to worship God?

I think of visiting the Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, the Cathedral of St. Peter. I can see the tall, arched ceilings. I can see the statues, the magnificent pipe organ. I can see the candles and the altar. I can smell the incense. I see the Bible sitting on the altar. And I wonder, what does the chapel of my heart look like?

Have you ever seen a picture of the Pieta?  It is the picture in our opening for this SEED OF FAITH for today.  It is found in Old St. Peters Basilica in Rome. Michelangelo sculpted this beautiful work saying it was the most perfect block of marble he ever worked with.  “In her utter sadness and devastation, Mary seems resigned to what has happened, and becomes enveloped in graceful acceptance.” All these years later, I still remember standing there. There was a large crowd with me, I do not recall that at all.  What I recall is being moved by love.

This week I want you to think about the church of your heart and what it looks like.  Maybe it is time to clear out the old and bring in the new. Maybe it is time to worship in truth. Is Jesus Christ your truth? Do you believe his words to the woman at the well?

Take a long drink from the wellspring of our Lord and Savior. I am now imagining my heart’s chapel in a whole new way. Does it matter how many songs I sing? Is there even such a thing as too many times of prayer? Does it matter if I sing hymns or praise songs? Kind of thinking we humans may have this whole thing backwards a bit. Start with your heart. Start there. Worship God in truth.

I think the Old Testament Israelites had a great start: a tabernacle that moved where they moved.

My heart…moves where I move.

May this scripture be true of you and of me: …a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.”

See you Sunday. Stay safe out there. I will be flying alone to my dad’s funeral this week. Please cover me in prayer.  I will be wearing my mask, face guard, gloves and social distancing. I will wash my hands and spray colloidal silver spray everywhere I go. I covet your prayers. Prayers for my wife as she stays behind and does the caregiving for her dad. God is at work in us recreating the PIETA in our hearts. If you’ve stayed with me until now, I’m guessing God is at work in you, too. I’m praying for you.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:21-24

Dear Faithful Seed-Sowers,

It is my prayer that we all come to know the deep, deep love of God and that we grow in the outrageous grace of Jesus Christ as we persevere through the pandemic and the delay of our election results. What a year 2020 has been!

We are still sitting with Jesus and with the woman at the well.  I encourage you to take some time and read the story of the woman at the well found in John 4:1-26.

Last week, I talked about how blessed I’ve been to travel the world and visit many different places of worship. I have seen idols ranging from crudely carved pieces of wood worshiped in the open air to elegant statues housed in beautiful cathedrals. One time on a church mission trip, we were in Peru. We had gone to build a church in a city in the mountains. I noticed a bull and a cross on the top of a farmhouse.  I asked our guide what that meant.  He laughed. “Oh, Pastor Dave, they are covering their bases.  They have the bull which is the pagan God for fertility for their home and crops.  They have the cross for the Christian faith.  They are covering all of their bases.”

I wonder if sometimes we are like the owners of the farmhouse in Peru.  We cover our bases. We hedge our bet.

You may think you have never made an idol other than God, neither have you worshiped one but….

Are you ready for me to step on your toes?

What exactly do you worship?

Who exactly do you worship?

Stop and think about these two questions for a moment. 

Our intelligence and intellect can become an idol as we sit in judgment upon God, His Word, and His purposes in history. We may also look down on others who are not as smart as we are.  Maybe we worship our education. (Ouch.)

Could your body be an idol? Are you are more concerned about physical appearance and health than you are about your inner, spiritual nature? Do you spend way more time working out than opening up your bible?  (Ouch.)

Could your business, or workplace, or your net worth come before God and be an idol of worship? (Ouch.)

Even another person could be your idol. Do you pattern your life after them rather than after God and His will? Do you worry more about pleasing them than pleasing God? (Ouch.)

Achieving your own goals can become your god if those goals are more important than following God’s plan for your life. Maybe popularity is your idol. Are you more interested in being accepted by other people than by God? Do you work hard to achieve the look, have the house, car, kids and family that would make you look successful? (Ouch.)

Could our phones and electronics become our idols and become what we worship?  I am sure that you get those weekly reminders from your phone that tells you your screen time was up or down 3 or 4 hours this week over last week? (Ouch.)

What is that we worship?  Why do we worship?

To worship is to ascribe worth to someone or something.  Today I want us to take an honest look at what is the thing or person that you ascribe worth to? On all of those grace retreats that I’ve served on since 1987, the first talk, no matter what kind of grace retreat it is, is  a talk about your priorities. You are asked to take a look at your life.  Look at your bank accounts—they might be a reflection of what you worship. Think about this question: What do you think about the most? Where do you spend the most time? What do you spend the most of your money on? Look, there’s no judgment here just thought-provoking questions. The answers might actually help you.

So What?
Jeremiah 33.3 says — “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

After my wife and I made our first grace-based weekend in 1987, we stopped and spent time together looking at the answers to these thought-provoking questions. Before this season of grace in our lives, we gave to God what we thought we could afford but first…we paid our mortgage, bought our food, provided for our children, and had our two separate, weekly FUN-money accounts for Jac and me. It was clear to us that God was not truly number one. We had not made God our number one priority. Attending the grace-based weekend didn’t make us better people, it made us think. What or who do we worship? Where do we spend our time? Where do we spend our money? Jac and I flipped our priorities upside down after that weekend in 1987. We decided we loved God and we wanted to worship God alone. We started to pray together every day. We became better givers to our home church, the first fruits of our weekly income went to God—we didn’t make 10% tithing right away but we improved on our giving. You know what? Since we put God first in our lives, God has told us great and unsearchable things!

Jeremiah 3:33! Show us great and mighty things.

I have a friend who was on vacation with his wife. They were at a gas station and Wal Mart when my friend heard, “See that guy over there? Go give him $80.” My friend was like, “Really? $80—not $5 or $10 or hey $20??” My friend went over to share with his wife what he was hearing. She said, “Do what you think you should do.” Hey, we’ve all been on vacation. Vacation is ME TIME—the money we’ve saved we are all too happy to blow on ourselves! YOLO—you only live once! And here was God, whom my friend worships with all of his heart, pulling at my buddy’s heartstrings. My friend walked over, struck up a conversation with the man and found out he was trying to get to a sick family member miles away. My friend blessed this man with….$80! Today when he tells the story, we all laugh! $80? Really? You know what I know? My friend and his wife are blessed knowing they did what was asked of them.

Brilliance at the well this week.  The unnamed woman at the well asks Jesus, “Where should I worship? Should I worship here or there?” Jesus replies, “You should worship everywhere!” I think what Christ is saying to the woman, and to us today, “Get your priorities straight. Put God first. Worship God with a humble, surrendered heart. Love God. Love others as you love yourself.”

What Covid-19/2020 has taught me this pandemic is that worship is not somewhere I go. I don’t go to worship at my home church. I don’t go to worship in a building. The church is not a building, the church is the BODY OF CHRIST…and it’s more important to worship GOD in my heart. Period.

Your SO WHAT? Homework questions this week are not easy but they will prove to be worthwhile. Sit down and take an honest look at yourself. Look at what you worship. Look at who you worship. What would happen if you were to put GOD at the number one position of worship? How would this one decision change your life?

Two closing stories. Our amazing naturopath prints out every SEED OF FAITH and ponders it all week long.  She journals on the ideas and “so what?” questions. When I stop in to pick something up, she loves to say, “So what? Pastor Dave!” The second story just happened to my wife. After teaching preschool, and having a magnificent day with their volcano pumpkins, one of the little boys broke away from his mom and said, “I have to tell my teacher!” He ran back and said, “I have Jesus in my heart!” Can you only imagine the party that happened in heaven when that little child asked Jesus into his heart? He’s only 4. I imagine it’s kind of like when you or I decide to topple our self-made idols and put GOD back on the throne of our heart. Listen, worship God everywhere. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter who you are: WORSHIP GOD.

I’m praying for you this week. November is the month when we give thanks. In all honesty, we have so very much to be thankful for:
pumpkin volcanoes, guys at gas stations, and all who put God on the throne of their heart. Have a great week.

Let’s pray:
“Jesus, you are the wellspring of my life. Only You can satisfy the deepest needs of my life. If I don’t have you as my number one priority, today I place you there and I worship—I bow down, I humble myself and I surrender to You. Give me my daily bread. I call out to You today. Show me great and mighty things. Amen.”

See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” John 4:19-21

Dear Faithful Seed-Sowers,

Here we are at the end of October! Today is the 31st–one of my favorite holidays: REFORMATION DAY! Yes, on this date in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg church doors in Germany! Oh, what a glorious day. God’s church should always be forming and reforming in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yet, here we are in 2020: the pandemic is still with us, it’s election season and things appear to be uncertain but I know One who is not uncertain. Let us learn more about worship in this Seed of Faith.

I love the passage in 2 Corinthians 12 when Paul asks the Lord to remove a thorn from his flesh.  The Lord answered Paul with these words, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Growing in grace during Covid-19 is hard.  I think we all wish to ask to have the Covid thorn removed from our flesh and our lives. Hear what Christ says, “My grace is enough for you! My power is make perfect in weakness.”  I know that during this time of panic and pandemic, anxiety and anger, fear and frustrations, doubt, and despair, worry and wonder, we can rest assured that God’s grace will be sufficient (enough) for us. Growing in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is what we are called to do.

Here are a few acrostics for COVID to ponder:

COVID
Christ
Overcomes
Viruses
In
Due time

COVID
Christ
Overcomes
Viruses 
Including
Diseases

Worship!  When you hear the word worship what comes to your mind?  Where do you worship?  How do you worship? When do you worship? Who do you worship?

These are the questions we wrestle with over the next few weeks.  We will look at the place of worship. The position of worship. The purpose of worship. And the PERSON of worship.

The woman at the well was surprised by Jesus.  She came looking to fill her empty water jars. Jesus came looking for her. Jesus found her hiding in the heat of the day, drawing water from a well that would never satisfy.  Jesus surprised her in her prejudices.  Jesus surprised her in sin.  Jesus surprised her in her evasiveness and avoidance.  Notice after Jesus tells her all about her life and how she has been married five times and the man she is with is not her husband, the unnamed woman changes the subject and asks Jesus about worship.  This is called distracting, avoidance, or redirecting. This woman is avoiding the subject, and changes the subject.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. John 4:19-21

“Where do I worship?” is the question that the Samaritan woman counters to Jesus as He is telling her about her life. I wonder if we are so different from this woman? Jesus tries to enter our lives. He knows everything about us and…we ask a distracting question desiring to get the heat off us and onto something (or someone) else.

I do have to hand it to her, the question of where we worship is truly a hot topic, especially today in 2020. We are meeting outside per state stipulations. It’s almost November. Yes, even today the topic of where to worship is HOT, HOT, HOT.

From Abraham to Ezra, the people of God built altars as they traveled. For 1500 years, the people of God built altars and offered sacrifices to God.  Moses built a portable sanctuary that traveled with the people for 40 years as they moved with the cloud by day and fire by night.  It was not until the time of Solomon that the first temple in Jerusalem was built. In 586 B.C.E. the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. It was seventy years before Ezra and the people came back and started rebuilding the temple and Jerusalem. Six hundred years later, the second temple was destroyed around 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, just as Jesus had predicted. It appears that the people of God have always struggled with this question: where do we worship?

“Surprised by God” is the series that we are in.  Did Jesus surprise the woman at the well with one of her evasive and elusive questions, “Where do we worship?”

In my career before becoming a pastor, I was blessed to be able to travel with Goodyear.  They sent my wife and I on amazing trips to the Netherlands, Italy, Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, and China. I must be honest with you, I was not always a follower of Christ.  I was like the woman at the well.  I was seeking the things of this world to fill my thirst and satisfy me. For more years than I care to remember, I made the trip every morning to the wells of the world. I was not aware yet that they would never fully satisfy my thirst.  During our trip to Italy, we went to the Vatican, St. Peter’s church and the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I was memorized by the opulence and massive size of what I saw.  Not only did we tour Roma, we also went into churches in Milan, Florence, and Venice.  We toured the places where Michelangelo placed his magnificent sculptures. While in China, we visited Buddhist and Hindu temples. Here in the USA, when Jac and I travel, we always find a church on Sunday to attend. While living in California, we have enjoyed visiting the California missions. God’s people all over the world place a high value on the beauty of their places of worship.

Today, during COVID 19, many of these magnificent edifices are now closed or are only open for a small number of masked people to attend.  Here in California our churches have been closed and opened and closed yet again. As I said before, the SEED Christian Community meets in a city community center in Rancho Cucamonga and the city buildings are closed. We have not worshiped together in our church home in Central Park since March. As we’ve prayed as a leadership board, we have decided do virtual church online together. Thank God for ONLINE CHURCH! It has helped many churches and thousands of people to stay connected and to worship together. Since the beginning of October, a pastor friend of mine has opened his church’s parking lot to us. We currently meet outside AND online!
What a great question asked by the Samaritan woman, “Where should we worship?”

So What?
A 2012 Pew study tracked the rise of a new religious group: the “nones,” or the religiously unaffiliated. One-fifth of Americans—and a full third of adults under 30—say they belong to no religion at all.  Yet, argues Casper ter Kuile, a researcher at Harvard Divinity School, this group is still looking for elements of religious experience. His 2015 study explores ways modern millennials seek out meaning, community, and ritual in the absence of organized religion. The study started by profiling organizations they deemed particularly formative in the lives of their students. One of the most striking spaces? Fitness classes. Institutions like CrossFit and SoulCycle are offering their students more than just a chance to lose weight or tone up. They function like religions.  “People come because they want to lose weight or gain muscle strength, but they stay for the community,” he said. “It’s really the relationships that keeps them coming back.” We heard people say, “CrossFit is my church,” “SoulCycle is like my cult,” in a good way. “Once that religious perspective had been opened in our eyes, so many things came out. Whether it’s the flag [on display] in every CrossFit [gym]; the way that the space is set up; or how you could follow a kind of liturgy in a SoulCycle class, especially through their use of light and sound. So, it’s really an emotional and spiritual experience as well as a physical one.”

The Samaritan woman raises an important question that is still important to this day: where do we worship during this time of Covid-19? I wonder if during this time of panic and pandemic if we as Christians have learned that the place of worship is NOT IN A BUILDING or a parking lot. The real place of worship, the place Jesus is speaking about, is IN OUR HEART.

Maybe this is one lesson we can all learn during this time of lock-down and of being shut-out of our churches. We don’t need a building. Church can be a building without walls. Church can be online. Church can be in a parking lot. Church can be in your car. Church can be on you tube.

Because of covid, my wife is teaching preschool for two little boys. They meet twice a week and she gives them the best experience she can. (She taught preschool, directed preschool from 1979 on. She retired two years ago.) She came home the other day and said that as one of the little boys was leaving preschool, he ran back. “Miss Gee, I have Jesus in my heart.” Miss Gee (aka Jac, my wife) has been teaching them a bible verse and a bible story a month. She was overjoyed to hear the good news her little preschooler shared with her. Here’s the truth, friends, if you have Jesus in your heart, you can worship GOD anywhere, any place, any time. AMEN?

Before Covid 19, if someone asked me, “Where do you worship?” I would have answered, “At Central Park in Rancho Cucamonga.” Not anymore, after months of videotaping my messages and learning a new way to preach, teach and reach, I have a new answer. “Where do you worship, Pastor Dave?” (Point to your heart.) “Right here.” I hope you have learned this wonderful insight, too. This is what the Bible means when it states that God will bring good out of the bad.

Your homework for the week: WORSHIP GOD. Anywhere. Anytime. Focus on creating within your own heart, the most beautiful place of worship you’ve ever been to. Is your heart a wooded forest? A cabin on a lake? The ocean at sunset? Is your heart extravagant like the Vatican? or the Sistine Chapel? Your heart is Christ’s home. It isn’t closed down, locked down, or shut down.

I have a great idea. Put on some Christian tunes and sing praise to God from your heart–where your Savior now lives! And let’s create the most beautiful place for worship ever known to humankind: YOUR HEART. AMEN.

See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,
It is my prayer that we come to know the deep, deep love of God as we endure this pandemic.  I pray we grow in the outrageous grace of Jesus and that God uses you to go out into your world (your family, workplace, schools, neighborhood, community) sowing seeds of faith. If this world ever needed living water, it needs it today.

We are still sitting with Jesus and the woman at the well. Picture the scene. It’s high noon, it’s hot.

There is a gold mine of pearls of wisdom to glean from this story.  Read John 4:1-26 and let’s see what the Holy Spirit is speaking to us.

Last week, we spent our time looking at the woman at the well and her response to the surprise she had that a Jewish man would ask her, a Samaritan woman, for a drink.  We saw how surprised she was that Jesus knew everything about her yet still responded in love to her. Stop for a moment and ponder that probing thought.  Jesus knows everything about you and still responds with love to you! This very thought humbles me, how about you?

Listen again to Jesus’ words, “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”

This reminds of a passage that God gives to the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah. Listen to Jeremiah’s words found in chapter two, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth? Why then has he become plunder? Lions have roared; they have growled at him. They have laid waste his land; his towns are burned and deserted.” Jeremiah 2:13-15 The people have forsaken God, the spring of living water and have dug their own wells instead. Sounds familiar.

Broken Wells
Here we are at an old well, or cistern, where Jesus finds this Samaritan woman. So many of us are like this woman; we have been digging our own cistern for years and we return there daily. We have dug wells of fame and fortune, wealth and health, power and prestige, sexuality and sensuality, alcohol and drugs, sports and academia, politics and popularity. The truth we find here in this story is that the wells of this world will never fully satisfy.  The wells of this world will never be enough.  The wells of this world hold stagnant, sluggish, and muddy water.  We are like the people in Jeremiah’s time.  We have turned away from the one, true spring of living water and we have built our own wells. The world’s wells will never completely satisfy; they will always shout, “More!”

Here’s a crazy idea:  Does Jesus wants to meet you at your well? You know the well, well.  You go there often, if not every day. Take a look around. Is that Jesus sitting there? Waiting for you to offer Him a drink of your polluted spring? I ask you a second time, Does Jesus want to meet you there today? (Stop and ponder that question.)

Jesus says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”   When Jesus says “everyone” the Greek word “pas” means “all, the whole, the total, anyone or anything.”  Jesus includes us all; He is not just speaking to one, outcast, Samaritan woman. Jesus is speaking to everyone, the total of all people who come to drink from the well. This means YOU and it means ME. All of us at some time in our life are drinking from a well that will never parch our thirst.

The Greek verb for “drinks” — “pino” is a present active verb which means that this action of us drinking is ongoing, unending, and continuous.  It makes great sense then that every single one of us has a well that we visit and drink from continuously. Jesus wants to give us a drink HIS well of living water. This water will quench our thirsty hearts, minds and souls. Maybe we should be thinking about it.

Everyone who drinks this water from this broken well will be thirsty — the word for “thirsty” — “depsesei” is a verb and it is in the future tense which means that we will be continually parched, thirsty, having strong desires.

What is that wakes you up with a strong desire?  What do you thirst for each day?

Jesus is telling us that if we will only ask Him for a drink, He will give us a drink of living water that will satisfy our desires. I don’t know about you but I can testify to the truth of this eternal, living water of Jesus Christ.

Bubbling Springs
“How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Psalm 36:7-9

Have you ever seen an artisan well?  The artisan well is a well or a spring that does not require a pump to bring water to the surface. The living water is continuously pumped to the surface because there is enough pressure contained within the aquifer to force the water to the surface without any sort of assistance. The water is alive.  The water is in never-ending supply.

The so what questions of the day are:
What well are you going to drink from? 
Will you drink from the broken wells of this world? 
Will you drink from the spring of living water that bubbles up to eternal life?

So What?
Jesus offers each one of us the same drink that He offered the Samaritan woman.

You know, Jesus could have shown up at the well at 6 a.m. when all the popular kids got their water, but he did not. Jesus went to the well in the heat of the day because Jesus knew there would be an outcast who was too ashamed to be seen at the well at 6 a.m. She was a sinner—she had lived with five different men—and was not married to the one she was living with now. And everyday she made the long trip to the well. Alone. Hot. Tired.

“All you have to do is ask me and I will give you living water, a spring of water welling up, an artisan well of water…and you will never be thirsty again.”  Please notice Jesus didn’t make her state her credentials. He simply said, “All you have to do is ask.” 

The choice is ours to make. Do we want to return to the wells we have dug in the heat of the day? Or are we thirsty enough to ask Jesus for living water?

I understand that we are living in unprecedented times. No one has canvassed this season and written a book about surviving COVID-19, the world-wide pandemic. There’s hundreds of thoughts and ideas out there for us to ponder; from the far right to the far left and all in between.

Here is what I know: (Grab your Bible and hold it up) This is an artisan well. Come here daily and drink your fill. I started reading my bible in October of 1997. I have not stopped. God’s word is new to me every morning. (Lamentations 3:22)  Every day when I open this book up, I am filled with hope, peace, insight and wisdom. During my 66 years on the planet, I have been to countless other wells. They have all left me thirsty.

This week I want you to be honest with yourself. Are you drinking from the well of living water or are you drinking from a polluted well?
John Ortberg has written a most excellent book (and a bible study dvd) entitled, “Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You.” Check it out. He gives a great illustration of how we are to go check out our stream, our wells. Are they clear and free? Or are they stagnant, filled with the trash of our life?

This is exactly what Jesus is saying to the Samaritan woman. “I don’t care who you are.  I don’t care where you’ve been. If you will simply ask Me, I will give you LIVING WATER.”

Her response is more than amazing! I hope ours is, too.

See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’”  John 4:10

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

It is my prayer that as we live and walk through this world-wide pandemic that we do not get lost!  Have you ever felt spiritually lost?  Do you feel a little spiritually lost now? My prayer is that God’s word will be our guide and that we won’t get lost.

We have been taking time to sit at the well in Samaria with Jesus and the woman at the well. I encourage you to read John 4:1-26 this week.  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak life and light to your heart and mind.

Last week we looked at the fact that the woman at the well was spiritually empty  The woman at the well missed the real living water at first. Why?  She was spiritually empty and spiritually lost.

SPIRITUALLY LOST
What I find interesting in this story is that Jesus speaks seven times in the conversation and the woman speaks six.  Jesus begins with a question, “Will you give me a drink?”  Jesus, the living water, asks for a drink of water. The woman replies with a tirade of prejudices.  “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)  Jesus challenges her with the statement, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Don’t you find it interesting that this woman misses Jesus’ invitation completely?

I wonder how many times you and I have missed these encounters with Jesus.  Jesus offers us himself and we question and doubt Him just like the woman at the well. “Hey, Mr. Living Water, where’s your bucket? Where are your containers? You think I’m going to do all the work and give you a drink of my water?  What are you doing here, coming to the well in the middle of the day? There is never anyone here…but me. And you expect me to fetch you a drink? Mighty bold of you, Mr. Living Water.”

Jesus asked a question. That is all. “Will you give me a drink?”

One hundred years ago, The Student Volunteer Movement for Missions met in Des Moines, Iowa, and they voted to drop the traditional aspects of its program which had focused on Bible study, evangelism, and foreign missions. Instead they voted to choose to focus on racial injustice, imperialism, and other social issues. Within fifteen years the movement was dead.[i]

Thirsty people need more than optimism, confidence, self-will, and self-worth.  They need good news and that good news centers in the only one who can say, “The water I give [you] will become in [you] a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”’

The problem is that when a person is spiritually empty and spiritually lost—it is easy for us to miss Jesus at the wells of our lives.

SPIRITUALLY FULL — SATISFIED
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Look for a moment at what Jesus is saying to the woman in verses 13 and 14.  Jesus tells her that nothing will ever satisfy her longing and dissatisfaction…except for a continuous long drink of God’s living water. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”

Don’t miss the word, “Never!”  (Say that verse again.)

Jesus saw the woman for who she was: God’s creation.

Jesus sees us for who we are: God’s creation.

Are you spiritually empty? Are you spiritually lost? This story is put here for us! Can we read and come to know and understand that Jesus offers us this same drink of living Water? This drink will satisfy our thirsty soul forever. Do not miss what Jesus offers the woman and what Jesus offers us: a drink of living water that will completely satisfy and permanently satisfy. Once we have tasted this living water of Jesus Christ, we will never be thirsty again. Once we have tasted the living water of Jesus, the ways of the world lose their hold on us.

SO WHAT?
So what do these ancient words mean to us today as we are shut-in, shut-out, or essential workers? What about our relationships, our families, our church and our friendships?  I am here today to tell you that God wants to speak to you of a living water that will fill you and bring you eternal life.

When we were in Zambia, Africa, with our mission team I was struck by the life-giving wells that have been dug in the compounds.  The people of the area go daily to these wells for water, 365 days a year. Do you know that the human body is made up of 60% water? Do you know you could go without food for about 3 weeks but you could only go without water for 3-4 days? Every cell in our body needs water. Water is a lubricant for our joints, regulates our body temperature, and flushes out waste. Water acts as a shock absorber for your brain and spinal cord. Water is needed by your brain to manufacture hormones and your neurotransmitters. Water helps to deliver oxygen throughout your body.

Now, can you understand why Jesus met this outcast Samaritan woman at the well, in the middle of the day? “Will you give me a drink?”

Why didn’t she just give the guy a drink? Because she was spiritually empty, and spiritually lost. She needed a spiritual refilling and Jesus knew that. I am going to be really bold here: When Jesus meets you at the center of your emptiness and lostness, it’s an invitation for you to never thirst again. It is an invitation for your hot, dry well to become a SPRING of life-giving water. A spring has an underground source. Much of the bottled water that we pay good money for today comes from SPRINGS of underground wells!

Are you hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying? Are your ears open? Are your eyes open? Is your heart open? Jesus wants to trade us: our stagnant, worldly well for His, our shallow, empty well for His, our dried up, lost well for His.

“I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me, makes the lame to walk and the blind to see, opens prison doors, sets the captives free. I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me. SPRING UP, O WELL, and fill my soul! Spring up, O well, and make me whole! Spring up, O well, and give to me: THAT LIFE ABUNDANTLY!”

Here is a link to the song on YouTube … https://youtu.be/ytGCFLK3KtU

Here we are, Jesus is standing at your well and asks you a simple question, “Will you give me a drink?”

Here’s your answer. “Jesus, thanks for meeting me here at my empty well. Why don’t you give me a drink of your living water instead?”  I promise you: HE WILL! And you will never thirst again. Keep drinking from the life-giving well of Jesus Christ and from the words of Scripture; living words for parched souls: acronym for BIBLE–Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!

“Jesus, meet me at the wells I visit that never seem to satisfy my soul. I want the life-giving water that springs up eternal life. Amen.”
See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

First of all, I truly believe that God will make us faithful and fearless seed sowers during this corona-virus epidemic. Life has changed.  Sowing seeds of faith has changed. I pray God is creating you more faith and less fear!

We are still digging deeply into the well at Sychar in Samaria. Maybe during this time of anxiety from the pandemic you might be experiencing a little bit of feeling spiritually empty. If so, come along on our journey and drink from the well that promises to spring up to eternal life. I encourage to take a few minutes this week and read John 4:1-26; as you read, put yourself into the story. Don’t just enter the story once, put yourself into all of the characters.  They all have a viewpoint and a story to tell from the well and Jesus promises us that, if we drink, we will never thirst again!

Let me set the stage.  Around 722-721 B.C. the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian army.  The king of Assyria deported many of the Jewish people and transplanted foreigners to live in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  These foreigners intermarried with the Jewish people and the races became mixed.  This land was called “Samaria”, the people were called “Samaritans.”  When the Southern Kingdom fell to the Babylonians in 586 many of the remining Jewish people remained behind and longed for the return of God’s kingdom.  Finally, after 70 years of captivity, the Jewish people started returning under Ezra, a scribe, and Nehemiah, the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. The people banded together rebuild the walls and they also started to rebuild the temple. The returning Jewish people now viewed the “Samaritans” as political rebels, racial half-breeds and religious people who worshiped the many Gods of the foreigners along with the One True God — Yahweh!  Their prejudices were mighty and many!

This surprise encounter with Jesus at the well confronted all of the prejudices this woman held.  First, she was a Samaritan. Samaritans and Jewish people had nothing to do with each other. Second, she was a woman.  Men did not talk to women in that culture. Third, she had been with many different “husbands” and she was a sinner. Any righteous, religious person would never have anything to do with a sinner like this woman. Fourth, her place of worship was there at the well of Jacob, the Jewish people worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem. Did you hear the prejudices? Racial prejudices, social prejudices, moral prejudices, and religious prejudices are all confronted in this story found in John 4.

Maybe an early “so what?” question for us today is, “Where does Jesus surprise you with your prejudices?”

“What if Jesus met me at Jacob’s well this Sunday morning?” I’m serious, what if you were dressed just like you are right now, and what if you had gone to the grocery store: Staters, Vons, Ralphs, Sprouts or your own favorite, grocery store? On your shopping list is: WATER! Go to the well to get water and,,, Jesus meets you there? Holy cow! (This is what I call “putting yourself into the story!”)

Am I spiritually empty? Maybe that is a good “so what?” question during this season of our lives. Some of us are totally running on empty while others of us seem to be coasting along okay but we do hit a few bumps here and there. The truth is we are all like this woman at the well.  At one time or another we’ve all become empty. It’s true; we become empty with the things this world has to offer.  We become lost when we follow our own will and go our own way and we don’t leave any room for God to surprise us.

The real truth is, we all long to be spiritually filled.

What I find interesting in this story is that woman at the well had most likely heard of the prophets and their prophecies.

Listen to just four of these prophecies:

“On that day, a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” Zechariah 13:1

“On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.” Zechariah 14:8

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” Isaiah 44:3

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3

I wonder if this unnamed Samaritan woman had grown up reciting, singing, and memorizing the Psalms?

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Psalm 42:1-3

But somewhere along her way, she forgot those words and she began to drink from other wells.

This Samaritan outcast came to the well in the middle of the day in order to be alone. She wanted to be away from the ridicule, scorn, mockery, shame, and guilt she felt from the other women and the rest of the people of Sychar.  She was spiritually empty.  Spiritually bankrupt. Can you go with her to the well? It’s the middle of the day. It is burning hot. And there she is dragging her empty containers with her. The woman was empty. She was not expecting God to meet her at the well.  She was not expecting a surprise from God. She was expecting that she would go, get her water, and go home. Everyone else had already gotten their water. Sneak in, sneak out in the middle of the heat of the day.

Do you ever do anything like this? Do you look in the mirror and say, “Don’t go to the store now, you might run into someone you know. Wait til just before the store closes.” And at 9:50 pm, you put on your hat and sunglasses and pull your jacket up to cover your face, you keep your head down and enter the store. Ever been there?

Okay. Now imagine Jesus meeting you at whatever aisle you are shopping in. Right.  You need tomato sauce? There’s Jesus.  You need milk? There’s Jesus.

Jesus meets this woman right where she is.  Jesus meets her in the middle of her shame, guilt, fear, doubt and even in her hiding.

Are you empty?  Are you worried and troubled by many things?  Maybe you think you cannot go one more day or walk one more mile with the burden you are carrying. The truth is that Jesus will meet you no matter where you are, no matter what you have done.

At first meeting, the woman misses Jesus, she misses the living water. Why?  She was spiritually empty and spiritually lost.

So What?
I am here to tell you today that Jesus wants to meet you right where you are and Jesus has a gift for you: the gift is to come drink from the well that springs up to eternal life.  The choice is simple, take and drink or walk away empty. My prayer is that you will drink deeply like the deer at the stream.

Open your bible. Read the story of the woman at the well.  Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Let God surprise you!

My wife became a Christian 20 months before I did. For 600 days, she watched me go to the world’s wells. For 600 days, she went to the well of living water. I don’t know how many times she mustered up her courage. She walked into the family room where I was putting on my work boots and she handed me her bible. She said the same thing every time: “Here. Would you please read this? I highlighted it.  I don’t want you to read the whole book. I don’t want you to read the whole page.  Just read the sentence or two I’ve highlighted.” Each time she did this, for 600 days, 20 months, I smiled and took the book.  When she left the room, I closed the book and set it under the couch. There were days, I’m embarrassed to tell you, that I slid her bible across the room. What I did notice is that Jac was happy. She was full of joy. And the other thing I noticed, it wasn’t me that was making her so happy. Jac had joined bible studies and had everyone in town praying for me. One day she told me her bible study was hosting a couples bible study. She handed me a piece of paper with the name of the study (Romans) and the name of the teacher. The teacher was one of my former high school teachers and he was one of my favorite teachers. I decided to go and hear what he had to say; he was, after all, a really great teacher!

It took me until chapter 8 of Romans, verses 14 and 15, to understand that the wells of the world were not going to quench my thirst. Jesus met me at the well that night after bible study. It was January in Northern Illinois. It was freezing and the snow was blowing. The bible teacher had talked to our group about how we are children of God, how we can cry, “Abba, Father” to God. I couldn’t wait to get home that night. I got down on my knees and I prayed, “God, if you want to be my father, I’d like to give you a try!”

That well has never run dry. The year was 1981. Jesus met me at the well that cold, snowy night. SURPRISE, Dave!

Come meet the man who knows everything about me and still wants to be my Father. Come to the well that never runs dry.  No matter where you are, no matter what you’ve done–you are forgiven. And THAT is the BEST SURPRISE of all.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is my prayer that during these days of the pandemic that we come to KNOW the LOVE of God, GROW in the GRACE of Jesus Christ, and GO in the POWER of the Holy Spirit. It’s really a perfect time to MAKE TIME to open your LIVING WORD and drink deeply from the WELL OF ETERNAL LIFE.

We are walking slowly through Samaria with Jesus.  We are walking very slowly. I encourage you to take a few moments and read John 4:1-26 again.  Put yourself into this story. Are you the woman at the well? Are you one of the disciples who go into town? Are you a town person? Maybe you’re the clerk selling the disciples food for Jesus. Seriously.  Go look at what Samaria looked like back then. Put yourself INTO the story. And then ask yourself, “What is the Holy Spirit saying to me?” “What is Jesus saying to me?” “What is God, my Father, saying to me?” As the pandemic lingers, maybe now is a good time to put yourself into another story: the story of the unnamed woman at the well.

Last week in The Seed of Faith we looked at the “Gentleness of Jesus.” This week I want like to reflect on “The Patience and Loving Kindness of Jesus.”

Here we go. The unnamed woman comes to draw water from the well in the middle of the day. I don’t know about you, but out here in SOCAL, it’s hot and it’s been hot for around 100 days. If I knew I had to go draw water every day, you can bet I’d get up early and go when it was the coolest. I know I wouldn’t go in the middle of the day when the sun was beating down the hottest.

There she is at the well. Can you see her? It’s hot. It’s the middle of the day and the sun is bright. Jesus asks her for a drink. “Hey, unnamed woman at the well, would you mind giving me, a total stranger, a drink of the water you just worked really hard to retrieve?”

I can picture the scene. I wonder if any words were exchanged. I wonder if she just shot Jesus a look before she replied, “I’m a Samaritan and you’re a Jew.  I’m a woman and you’re a man. We aren’t supposed to talk to each other.” And then Jesus speaks to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

I have been pondering this question: “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks for a drink….”

This unnamed woman comes every day to this well to draw water.  This water never gives her satisfaction. She’s always back the next day, and the day after that and the day after that.  And here is Jesus, opening up a dialogue. Will she respond? Will you?

Maybe a simple so what question for today is: what do you know about being dissatisfied by the world?

The dis-ease this woman has is dissatisfaction.  What is the dis-ease you have?  What are you dissatisfied with? Who are you dissatisfied with?  This woman lacks spiritual satisfaction and has gone to drink water from a well that will never satisfy.

So What?  How many times do you and I go to that well?

There’s plenty of wells that always say, “MORE!” How about the wells of of materialism, money, power, eating, drinking, sex–just to name a few. These are wells that never cry, “Enough. I’m satisfied.”

As many of you know, I love the Psalms.  I love the prayer in Psalm 103. Psalm 103 is only seventeen verses, but it is powerful.  I love verses 8 and 9 — “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever…” Psalm 103:8-9

Do you see it?  Do you hear it? The Lord is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.  That is exactly what Jesus was demonstrating with the woman at the well. On one side of the well we have the unnamed woman doing her job, doing her duty and on the other side of the well is Jesus. 

Look at the patience and loving-kindness of Jesus in this encounter. All throughout the Old Testament we read story after story of the patience, long-suffering, and loving-kindness of God.  In this story of the woman at the well we read about Jesus’ patience, long-suffering, and loving-kindness with this woman. This patience of Jesus is based upon His knowledge and power. Jesus knows the end from the beginning. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  Jesus is the Lord: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love. And the good news for us today is that Jesus is patient with us just as He was with woman at the well. Maybe she is unnamed so that we can easily put ourselves into her place, into her story. Jesus knows our condition, that is why he came into the world. Jesus knows men and women who are trapped in a sinful lifestyle just as this woman at the well was.

So What?
“So what?” do these ancient words mean to us today?

In January of 2003 I went with a group of men to Rockford, Illinois, to help get a Credo Recovery weekend started.  Did you catch that? It was the middle of January in Illinois.  What was wrong with me?  I grew up in Illinois. It is cold, and snowy, and windy, and freezing in Illinois in January.  And, sure enough, the snow was blowing, and temp was below zero. The Credo Recovery weekend was held inside the Salvation Army men’s adult rehabilitation center (ARC). Credo Recovery is a grace-based recovery weekend for those who are struggling with addiction; addictions of all kinds.  These men at this ARC had committed to staying in the Salvation Army Rehab facility for 90 days. Our Credo group went in and led worship and shared talks on God’s grace and forgiveness.  I was one of the spiritual directors. For one of the messages, I used Psalm 103:

Psalm 103
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. ²Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— ³who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, ⁴who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, ⁵who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. ⁶The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. ⁹He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; ¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹²as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. ¹³As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; ¹⁴for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; ¹⁶the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. ¹⁷But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— ¹⁸with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. ¹⁹The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. ²⁰Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. ²¹Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. ²²Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul. (Psalm 103)

As I read my bible, I see my notes. My notes are like footprints of where I’ve been. As I read Psalm 103, I thought of these men and I thought of the woman at the well. Sitting across from the non-satisfying well that you pull up sits Jesus. Jesus told the unnamed woman everything she had ever done. He knew all about her and, yet, he waited for her.  He asked her for a drink.

I do not know what you are struggling with.  Maybe you go to a well every, single day and come back empty, and dissatisfied.  Maybe the fear of failure, the hurts of the past, the anxiety of the times, the physical struggles, or your emotional struggles have left you empty and wanting more.  I want you to know that it the Lord himself who is waiting at your well. It is the Lord of Psalm 103 who is waiting for you.

Jesus knows that we are dust. The Lord’s well was established in heaven and He is a well that never runs dry. Jesus is compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He does not repay us for our sins. He removes our sins from us–as far as the east is from the west.

Do you see it? It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done. The unnamed woman was forgiven. The men and women of Credo have been forgiven. You and me? We are forgiven. Our sins have been removed from us.

And Jesus sits at the well of our life and waits for us.

If only you knew who it is who is asking you for a drink….

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed Sowers,

It is my prayer that as we go through this pandemic of Covid-19 and are shut-down in so many ways, we will stand strong in the grace and mercy of Jesus.

We have been looking at John 4:1-26 for our entire SUMMER SERIES!  I encourage you take a few minutes over the next week and read and re-read this story.  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Try to put yourself into this story. There are many characters in the story, try on several of their sandals and see the story from their side: Jesus, unnamed woman, disciples, town people, ex-husbands, current partner–and YOU.

Have you ever been surprised by God? 

I asked that question this week to several of my friends. Some of them shared how God has surprised them.  One friend who is struggling with emphysema and multiple myeloma cancer wrote to me and said, “Amazingly this humanly incurable cancer I have is sensitizing me to the Presence and Reality in ways not previously expected. Jesus is wonderful.” Another friend said that he moved to California to find love but Jesus showed up and changed his life unexpectedly .A good friend in Illinois texted me after I asked him, “Have you ever been surprised by God?”  He shared how he was lost at 21 and while driving his motorcycle he hit a car head-on.  He was driving without a license plate, insurance, and helmet.  The doctors who did surgery on him after the accident told his parents that it would be a miracle if he gained 100% use of his right hand.  The doctor said he would be hoping for 50% use of his right hand. My friend’s parents were Christian, and they prayed for their son. Today, after battling and overcoming the accident, my friend has 100% use of his right hand and is a strong believer in miracles.

Have you ever been surprised by God?

Let’s focus on Jesus and how He responds to the woman at the well.  Next week we will look at the woman and we will focus on her response to Jesus.

When we read this story, we see that Jesus is always in control. This is a good point for us to ponder.  Each one of us is going through a zillion different situations.  Many are struggling emotionally with the fear of the virus, the panic of the pandemic, and the emotional lockdown  and isolation of this physical epidemic. As we read this story, please notice that Jesus is in control of the situation. Maybe we should apply this to our own situation right now:  “God is in control.”

Another point to ponder is that we are told that Jesus had to go through Samaria.  Why?  Because Jesus had it on his agenda to meet this woman. Jesus was in control of this meeting. As a pastor, I meet hundreds (if not thousands of people) and after a few minutes, I wonder why so many of us try to control so much of our life. Why in the world do we feel that it is our job to control our friends, families, workplaces, schools, neighbors, and even our religion or faith experiences?  Some of us are trying really hard to control the virus, and the germs. I have a great point for us to think on: when Jesus sets his heart and affection upon a person, Jesus always takes charge, and does not let go.

Maybe an early “SO WHAT?” question that we need to ask is “Who is in charge of my life?”  I’m hoping that by reading this story and studying it, we are going to let go of our end of the rope of control. If we know that we are in Jesus’ hands, we can find real comfort for our souls. We can trust that Jesus is in control of our lives. We can trust that God is not surprised by our situation.

What amazes me in this story is the extreme gentleness of Jesus. The gentleness of Jesus is such a beautiful aspect of this story. Do not miss it!

Look how Jesus’ gentleness pours out with this woman.  The woman at the well was living in adultery and had been for some time. Jesus does not scorn her or ridicule her.  Jesus does not force the situation.  Jesus does not shame her or disgrace her. Jesus is full of grace and wants the fullness of grace for her. Oh, how I pray that you will know that Jesus wants the fullness of grace for you, too.

One of my favorite passages from the prophet Isaiah is found in Isaiah 42:3, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice…” (Isaiah 42:3)

To me Jesus handles the bruised reed of this woman so very gently.  Her life is but a smoldering wick. Every day her life is trying to be snuffed out by the world, by the other women of Sychar, by her ex-husbands and even by herself.  This unnamed woman is lives a life of fear, anxiety, doubt, shame, disgrace, guilt, remorse, and forgiveness. She doesn’t want to see anyone, hence, she goes to the well in the middle of day, in the heat because no one else will be there.

Maybe some of us are living in fear, anxiety, doubt, shame, disgrace guilt remorse and unforgiveness.

Do you see the gentleness of Jesus in this story? He heads to Samaria and stops at the well. He is waiting for this unnamed woman.

We are told that Jesus must go to Samaria to meet this woman.  Jesus is concerned about her soul. Pay close attention; Jesus does not grab ahold of her, shame her or condemn her. Jesus gently brings this unnamed woman at the well face-to-face with the honest truth, the truth of her need for grace and love. Wow!  The gentleness of Jesus!

So What?
Why is it important for us to notice the gentleness of Jesus? Because Jesus uses this same method with us. The truth is that many times we miss this gentleness. We’re so in control of everything that we’ve even set up our own idea on how Jesus will meet us. “Jesus, I sleep in until 6 a.m. then I have my coffee.  I need a solid hour of peace and quiet. no talking but anytime between 7-9 a.m. is good.  I’ll leave that time slot open for you.”

I’m going to challenge you today. Your “SO WHAT?” is simply this:

In the middle of my ordinary day, am I open to meeting Jesus at the dry well of my life?

From what I know of Jesus, he rarely surprises us between our allotted time slots that we’ve reserved for Him to surprise us.

You never know where or when you are going to be surprised by Jesus.  You never know what words or questions Jesus is going to ask.

Let’s get one thing straight as we put ourself into this story: Jesus controls the SURPRISE factor, not you.

“If only you knew the GIFT OF GOD…and WHO IT IS THAT IS ASKING YOU FOR A DRINK….you would have asked and He would have given you living water.”

Surprise, that’s our gentle Jesus.

“Lord, do it again. Surprise me. As I study this story, surprise me. Help me to let go of the controls. I want living water. Amen.”
See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

If you would like to join in our online worship on Sunday mornings at 10 A.m., Pacific here is the link

theseedchristianfellowship.online.church

Or you can go to our YouTube channel at The Seed Christian Fellowship and watch our message or our complete worship service.

Keep THE SEED in prayer as our leadership team voted to hold outdoor worship beginning this Sunday in the parking lot of the TAIWANESE Church, 9284 Baseline Road, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 91701,,

^{“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.'”John 4:10}

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

During the world-wide pandemic it is my prayer that the Lord would bless you and keep you in His unfailing love.  May Jesus meet you at the well of living water as you work your way through this unprecedented time of covid-19. This week I pray that we learn that God shows up during our ordinary days and when we least expect Him to.

GOD SHOWS UP ON ORDINARY DAYS
As I read the living word of God, I am always amazed at how God shows up on ordinary days. The purpose? To surprise you. Jesus met Peter and Andrew in their fishing boat getting ready to do their job–fish. Matthew (Levi) was at his tax collector’s booth doing his job: collecting taxes. I love this story of the woman at the well; she was not at a big, Jewish festival or at a concert in the local synagogue. She wasn’t away in the mountains on a private retreat.  The woman at the well was going out in the middle of the day in order to draw water from the well so that she could cook, clean, and do her ordinary tasks. She went out to get the water her many jobs at home required. We are not told how many people are in her household. We are not told how far she had to walk but we are told that she went out around the 6^th hour (midday or the hottest part of the day) high noon. From the dialogue with Jesus, we know she had had 5 husbands and was living with a man who was not her husband. What we know about the Jewish culture of that day, if the woman went to well in the early morning, she would have been around all the women of town who were also getting water. The woman waited. She did not want to join the companh of the other women. My guess is she knew that they knew about her. They might look disgustingly at her and whisper about her.  The other women would shame her and ridicule her.

Instead, the unnamed woman comes out at the hottest part of the day, noon, and she is carrying two jars of water on her shoulders. Big, heavy clay jars. Her family and her household needed water. There was bathing to do, washing dishes to do, and cooking to do–just to name a few of her responsibilities. The woman arrived at the well not expecting a thing.

Don’t miss it: Today is just another ordinary day! {I think we call those days, “Monday!”}

Something amazing happens. On this very ordinary day, Jesus is waiting for her at the well of her ordinary life. How I have been hoping and praying for you to be surprised at the well of your ordinary life this series.

SOMETIMES GOD SHOWS UP WHEN WE LEAST EXPECT HIM
Expect the Unexpected is a familiar theme in the scriptures.

-Abram becoming a father at 99 years old.
-Moses coming across a burning bush.
-Joshua called to lead the people after Moses dies.
-Ruth who follows her mother-in-law., Naomi, “Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.”
-Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer, lets Ruth glean his fields.
-How about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trapped in a fiery furnace with a fourth man in the fire?
-Daniel in the lion’s den.
-Jonah swallowed and in the belly of whale for three days.
-David facing a giant of a man over nine feet tall with a slingshot and five smooth stones.

The list is long. I believe with all of my heart that God loves to show up when you least expect it. Ordinary with Jesus is extraordinary.

Can we relate? It’s 2020.

Maybe you are facing a giant today with Covid-19.  Maybe the quarantine has you defeated and depressed. Maybe your finances are being depleted.  Maybe a relationship has fallen apart.

The GOOD NEWS FOR YOU FOR TODAY:
Expect the Unexpected.

I always will ask you to put yourself into the story we study.  Today is no exception. Maybe you are one of the people who is at home. WAITING. “What’s taking her so long? I need to get to my meeting.”  Maybe you’re one of Jesus disciples; waiting for a miracle.

The story of the unnamed woman at the well is your story. It’s my story.

Every beautiful morning, we wake up. What’s your routine? I’ll tell you mine: I check my phone to see if I have any messages from the church. I use the rest room. Brush my teeth. Make coffee. Stand around and try to wake up.

Go ahead. What’s your ordinary morning routine?

Okay. STOP.

Suddenly, in the middle of your ordinary morning, there’s Jesus. What’s He saying?

“Give me a drink.”

Would you? I want you to know that if you will let yourself be interrupted on this very ordinary day, it won’t be just coffee that you share. If you listen closely, you will be sharing LIVING WATER from the wellspring of eternal life. Let me give you a really fun example.

For the past 230 days my wife and I have cared for her Dad.  We’ve been his 24/7 caregivers.  It’s a whole lot of work. Recently, we found a wonderful woman whom we’ve hired for respite care. Twice a month my wife and I are going to go sleep in a hotel and rest.  Those are two things we don’t usually get to do these days of caregiving: SLEEP. REST.

We just got home today from our three days, and two glorious nights away. We sat on the beach all day. Let me clarify. Jac sat on the beach. I threw seaweed back into the ocean. We saw dolphins play in the morning. We enjoyed a two-hour sunset each night. We shared a filet mignon meal each night. Our TV didn’t work. Jac napped. I read. It was 98 degrees back home and smoky. It was 65 degrees on the beach, foggy.

Two weeks prior to making our hotel reservations, two friends called to ask what exact days we were going away.  They had the name of a great hotel they knew about and they wanted to see if it had vacancies.

So What?
I do not know what you are facing in this time of Covid-19.  Maybe you face loneliness, illness, homesickness. Maybe you are missing school, or work.  Maybe you are missing family. Maybe you have a loved one in the hospital or assisted living home. Maybe today you are just going to take your chances; you are going to go late to the well. You have a million things to do. You’re just going to run to the well, get the water and go home. It’s an ordinary day.

You plus your ordinary day equals an ordinary day.

You plus JESUS standing at the well of your ordinary day makes for quite an extraordinary day!

Your homework for this week is to sit with this question:

AM I REALLY WILLING FOR JESUS TO MEET ME AT MY ORDINARY WELL?

On the first day that my wife sat on her towel at the ocean, four sets of dogs came running over to her. Each of the four dog owners were like, “We’re so sorry.  Our dog never does this.  Our dog is shy. I’ve never in my life seen my dog run over to a perfect stranger.” One of the dogs came and sat down right by my wife.  I missed the whole thing.  He licked her face! Sat down. Then laid down. The owner ran over and called the dog, “Chase.  Chase.” The dog didn’t move. The man apologized profusely for barging in on her morning. Jac, as only Jac can say, told the man, “Your dog was sent by God to stand at the dry well of my ordinary day.” After the man left, somewhat perplexed by her comment, Jac told me, “Dave, Jesus chased me down–just like the woman at the well.  He saw her. He waited. He gave her a drink of living water.” I was somewhat perplexed by my wife at the moment.  She turned and yelled over her shoulder, “CHASE. The dog’s name was Chase. I didn’t have to chase God. God chased me.”

Are you ready for God to chase you? Are you ready for Jesus to turn your ordinary day into something more?

Something extraordinary? That’s my prayer for you this week.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Join us on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. for a live online worship service.  You can worship, chat, pray, and connect with others.  The link for Sunday morning is

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if you miss the online service on Sunday you can always go to YouTube and watch our weekly worship or just the Sunday message.  Our YouTube channel is The Seed Christian Fellowship

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed Sowers:

Greetings faithful and fearless ones! I hope and pray that you are well and that the Lord Jesus is shining His light and love into your lives during this time of the pandemic. Today we begin a series on John 4:1-26.  I have titled this series, “Surprised By God.”  It is my prayer that God will surprise you each and every single day with His everlasting love and grace.  I hope you read through John 4:1-26.  Stop, pause and ponder the verses.  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what he wants to tell you. Put yourself into the story!

NOTHING DEPENDS ON US
Have you ever stopped to ponder verse four — ^“Now he had to go through Samaria.” 

Why did Jesus have to go through Samaria? The Samaritans were hated by the Jewish people. Most Jewish people would walk the two extra days around Samaria just to avoid the people there. Why?

What I find so amazing is the stark contrast between two groups of people.  Think of Nicodemus. Go and read his story in chapter three and then read this story again in chapter four.  Can you see it, the difference between the important and sophisticated Nicodemus, this ruler of the Jews, and the simple Samaritan woman? Nicodemus was a Jew, she’s a Samaritan.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, he was high class. She belonged to no religious party, she was low class. Nicodemus was a politician, she had no status whatsoever–unless you call a bad reputation a status. Nicodemus was a scholar, the woman at the well was fairly uneducated.  Nicodemus was highly moral,  the unnamed woman at the well was not all that moral (she had at least five husbands and was not married to the one she was with at the time.) Think of it this way, Nicodemus has a name in the Scriptures. She is nameless. Nicodemus was a man; she was a woman. Nicodemus went in the dark of night to meet with Jesus, to protect his reputation; the unnamed woman had no reputation, she meets with Jesus at high noon at the town well. Nicodemus came seeking something of Jesus; the woman at the well was sought by Jesus.

WOW!  Did you hear that?  The unnamed, immoral, uneducated, fearful, lonely and outcast woman was sought out by Jesus. Listen, I do not know where you are at today.  I do not know if you are lost and lonely, if you are surrounded by wealth and education, or if you sneak out at night so no one sees you. Wherever you are, I want you to know this:  God knows your name and Jesus has come to seek you.

The HOLY Jew and the LOWLY Samaritan: A great contrast, yet the point of the story is that each one of them needed the fullness of grace brought through the Gospel the Good News of Jesus and both were welcome to it.

If Nicodemus is an example of the truth that no one can rise so high as to be above salvation, then the woman is an example of the truth that no one can sink too low to be saved.

It is by no means an accident that the Apostle John has placed these two wonderful stories together at the beginning of his Gospel and that they end in 4:42 with the Samaritan woman saying,  “This man really is the Savior of the world.” (Notice–no class is mentioned here; not the Jews nor the Samaritans–He’s the savior of the WORLD!)

The first point to take home today is this: NOTHING DEPENDS ON ME — NOTHING AT ALL. 

This unnamed woman at the well is absolute proof of this. We must never say, “I am just a nobody from nowhere, I have gone too far to Jesus to find me, I just an ordinary Christian, the fullness of God’s grace is not for me. The fullness of God’s grace is for everybody, high and low, moral and immoral, sick and healthy, educated and uneducated, religious and non-religious or sinner or saint.  The fullness of God’s grace does not depend on ME.  Nothing depends on ME — nothing at all.

SO WHAT?  Jesu
Which one of these two characters do you most identify with: Nicodemus or the unnamed woman at the well?
Why?
Are you a little of each?
How?

Both Nicodemus and the unnamed woman were surprised by Jesus. If you haven’t viewed the series, “THE CHOSEN”, check it out. Both of these characters are in the story line. Maybe you will learn more about yourself as you SEE the story come alive?

I see myself in both of these people. I watch as my intelligence often wants me to think logically and not with my heart. After 22 years in ordained ministry and add 14 years in youth ministry, I’ve learned never to try to out-think God because, when I do, God surprises me. I remember when I took my exegetical exam. I was supposed to write about the still, small voice of God. I didn’t do that. Instead, I tried to spin a tale about the still, small voice of Dave! I had to rewrite that exam. “Stick to the Scriptures, Dave.” God didn’t need my spin on His word. Like Nic at night–Jesus shared His heart. “You must be born again.” Incredibly intelligent Nic asks, “How can that be? Can I reenter my mother’s womb and be born a second time?” Can’t you just see Jesus wince. “Nic, stop thinking. Do you know where the wind comes from or will go next? Let the Holy Spirit of God guide you in this.” Yes.  I can surely see myself in Nicodemus. And there is God–surprising Nic.

And then, I am also like the unnamed woman; ashamed and embarrassed of myself. Before I gave my life to Jesus, I made some poor decisions that hurt others and myself. Jesus simply showed up. “Suprise, nameless woman at the well, I am the living water for whom you thirst.” Have you ever had God read your mail? Have you ever been sitting in a church, listening to a message, and BAM! You swear the pastor somehow got into your journal?

HOLY or LOWLY? It doesn’t matter at all because our God is a God of surprises who will meet you in secret at midnight, alone, or who will meet you at high noon at the public well.

This week, pray with me: “God, surprise me. Amen.”

God loves you and so do I
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23

Dear Faithful Seed Sowers,

We have looked at the place of worship and the place of worship. Jesus surprised the woman at the well, “You will not just worship here or at the temple in Jerusalem. The place of worship is your heart” (My translation).  We have learned the that position of worship is to bow down, to humble ourselves, to fall flat on our faces. “Proskyneo” worshipers are those who are prostrate on their faces. We have learned that the purpose of worship is to ascribe worth to someone or something. Last week we were challenged to think about where we spend our time, our money and what we think about the most. What, or who, do we idolize and worship?

This week we will look at the person of worship.  We need to be careful what our idols are and what we worship because we become like what we worship.  That is a profound thought. The place of worship — is our hearts.  The position of worship — is bowing in surrender and humility. The purpose of worship — is to ascribe worth to someone or something —where do we invest most of our time, talents, and treasures for what we idolize, we become like.

I would like to flip the statement when Jesus speaks to the surprised woman at the well written above.  I would like to talk about worshiping in truth.

When we honestly worship in truth, we worship the person of Jesus.

Stop and think about the Old Testament people who followed God for 40 years in the wilderness.  We have only been in the wilderness of this Covid-19 shutdown over eight months now–for 40 years, we’d need another 400 months of covid.  I do know that if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we are going to make it through this season. 

When I think of worshiping in the truth, I think of the Tent of Meeting that Moses set up. Do you realize that the Tent of meeting was called the tabernacle? The Tent of Meeting was a tent, it was put up and taken down every time the cloud moved. I wonder how many times in 40 years that tent was taken down and put up? (The Seed Christian Fellowship is a portable church.  We rent a city room; we have rented it for almost ten years! 51 Sundays a year, plus Holy Week and Christmas Eve, we bring our trailer and we unload and set up and then tear down and store our portable TENT of a church.  Let me tell you, after ten years, it is a real sacrifice of the heart to oversee this enormous project called CHURCH. 40 years?)  Moses and company set up and tore down their tabernacle tent for not ten, but 40, years.

What was the original tabernacle, what did it look like? Was it a beautiful edifice or a building of great beauty? Were there stained-glass windows, great arches, fancy carpet, or wood flooring complete with paintings, ornate sanctuaries, and beautiful pipe organs? Not at all, not even close—the tabernacle of the Israelites was made of wood and animal skin. Nevertheless, every part of the old tabernacle was significant. Think of it this way, the tabernacle taught the way to God. First, the tabernacle had an altar for sacrifice that contained a laver, or a bronze wash basin, where the priests cleaned their hands. The traveling tabernacle, and even the magnificent tabernacle that Solomon built, had these items in the courtyard and in the Holy Place, and in the Holy of Holies.

I think the tabernacle is a perfect illustration of how a person must approach God.

The altar, which is the first thing we come to, is the cross of Christ. The cross was given to teach us that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (no cancellation of our debt, no penalty) of our sins. First, we need the cross in order to direct our attention to the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

Next, we find the laver — the bronze wash basin which is a picture of cleansing. Christ provides our cleansing when we confess our sins and enter fellowship with him. Next we find the table of shewbread or manna — bread of presence, within the Holy Place. This bread speaks of Christ as the bread of life. Now we come to the altar of incense. The altar is a picture of prayer, we grow by prayer as well as by feeding on Christ, the bread of life. Behind the altar of incense was the great veil, dividing the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This was the veil that was torn in two at the moment of Christ’s death! It demonstrated that Christ’s death was the fulfillment of all these figures and the basis of the fullness of our ability to now approach our Almighty God directly because of what Jesus Christ did for us once and for all.

Finally, within the Holy of Holies was the ark of the covenant with its mercy seat upon which the high priest placed the blood of the lamb once a year on the Day of Atonement. And in the Holy of Holies there was symbolized–by the space above the mercy seat—the magnificent presence of God into whose presence we can now come because of the great mercy of God revealed in the death of Christ for us.

We all come to God through Christ.  The cross is the altar in which Jesus Christ became the sacrifice and it is only through this sacrifice on the cross that we can enter the Holy of Holies.  I can only imagine Christ with the wash basin.  Can you see Christ with the wash basin? Can you enter the story and see Jesus pick up the wash basin and wash the feet of His disciples?  Can you place yourself into the story? Imagine Jesus washing YOUR feet. Remember this amazing fact: Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples, even Judas’ feet–who would quickly betray Him, a pretty humbling act of worship. What a powerful illustration of worship: before Jesus shared the breaking of the bread and remembering the cup of salvation, He washed feet.

Jesus is the bread of presence, Jesus is the incense, Jesus is the prayers of the people.  It was Jesus’ death that tore the veil. The veil was torn in two so that we can come straight to the mercy seat. We can worship in spirit and truth. We can go right to God.

When Jesus stood before Pilate and was questioned, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”   I think that is the question that we are all asking now.  What is truth?

After Jesus picked up the basin and towel, He washed the disciple’s feet. Then He shared the bread of presence and He told them of His soon-coming sacrifice: Jesus must be lifted up so all who believe in Him would have eternal life. Then in John 14 Jesus shared those comforting and challenging words …

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:1-7

So What?
God truly has a sense of humor. With the COVID 19 upon us, some of us cannot even enter our churches! What in the world is God doing?

Could God be teaching us to learn how to worship Him in truth?

Have you ever stopped and pondered the room that Jesus has prepared for you and me? I have.  It’s been a hard year of loss for our family. My dad died two days ago as did my cousin. I’ve also lost my mother-of-love, and my older brother. My wife and I have moved her 88 year-old dad into our home. Life is very different these days.

In our church, I have brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones, too. Many have had no opportunity to grieve with their family over their losses. “God, what are you doing?” I trust that God is sovereign. I must trust that God will be with us. For me, there is no other way.

God is doing something new in our worship.  God wants our true place of worship to be in our hearts.  God wants our position of worship to be on our faces in humility and adoration.  God wants our purpose of worship to be about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is no room for any other idol of our making.  God wants our worship to be about the truth, the way, and the life. No one can come to the Father unless they come through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, His humble servanthood of the wash basin, His cleansing us of our sins, and of our partaking of the bread of life—His body and of the cup of forgiveness, His shed blood.

Listen — Jesus says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.”

Here’s your homework for the week, so what?

What is the most magnificent church building I have ever been to?
What was so magnificent about it?
Describe that church…
Now ask yourself:
Is my heart anywhere near as beautiful a place for me to worship God?

I think of visiting the Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, the Cathedral of St. Peter. I can see the tall, arched ceilings. I can see the statues, the magnificent pipe organ. I can see the candles and the altar. I can smell the incense. I see the Bible sitting on the altar. And I wonder, what does the chapel of my heart look like?

Have you ever seen a picture of the Pieta?  It is the picture in our opening for this SEED OF FAITH for today.  It is found in Old St. Peters Basilica in Rome. Michelangelo sculpted this beautiful work saying it was the most perfect block of marble he ever worked with.  “In her utter sadness and devastation, Mary seems resigned to what has happened, and becomes enveloped in graceful acceptance.” All these years later, I still remember standing there. There was a large crowd with me, I do not recall that at all.  What I recall is being moved by love.

This week I want you to think about the church of your heart and what it looks like.  Maybe it is time to clear out the old and bring in the new. Maybe it is time to worship in truth. Is Jesus Christ your truth? Do you believe his words to the woman at the well?

Take a long drink from the wellspring of our Lord and Savior. I am now imagining my heart’s chapel in a whole new way. Does it matter how many songs I sing? Is there even such a thing as too many times of prayer? Does it matter if I sing hymns or praise songs? Kind of thinking we humans may have this whole thing backwards a bit. Start with your heart. Start there. Worship God in truth.

I think the Old Testament Israelites had a great start: a tabernacle that moved where they moved.

My heart…moves where I move.

May this scripture be true of you and of me: …a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.”

See you Sunday. Stay safe out there. I will be flying alone to my dad’s funeral this week. Please cover me in prayer.  I will be wearing my mask, face guard, gloves and social distancing. I will wash my hands and spray colloidal silver spray everywhere I go. I covet your prayers. Prayers for my wife as she stays behind and does the caregiving for her dad. God is at work in us recreating the PIETA in our hearts. If you’ve stayed with me until now, I’m guessing God is at work in you, too. I’m praying for you.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:21-24

Dear Faithful Seed-Sowers,

It is my prayer that we all come to know the deep, deep love of God and that we grow in the outrageous grace of Jesus Christ as we persevere through the pandemic and the delay of our election results. What a year 2020 has been!

We are still sitting with Jesus and with the woman at the well.  I encourage you to take some time and read the story of the woman at the well found in John 4:1-26.

Last week, I talked about how blessed I’ve been to travel the world and visit many different places of worship. I have seen idols ranging from crudely carved pieces of wood worshiped in the open air to elegant statues housed in beautiful cathedrals. One time on a church mission trip, we were in Peru. We had gone to build a church in a city in the mountains. I noticed a bull and a cross on the top of a farmhouse.  I asked our guide what that meant.  He laughed. “Oh, Pastor Dave, they are covering their bases.  They have the bull which is the pagan God for fertility for their home and crops.  They have the cross for the Christian faith.  They are covering all of their bases.”

I wonder if sometimes we are like the owners of the farmhouse in Peru.  We cover our bases. We hedge our bet.

You may think you have never made an idol other than God, neither have you worshiped one but….

Are you ready for me to step on your toes?

What exactly do you worship?

Who exactly do you worship?

Stop and think about these two questions for a moment. 

Our intelligence and intellect can become an idol as we sit in judgment upon God, His Word, and His purposes in history. We may also look down on others who are not as smart as we are.  Maybe we worship our education. (Ouch.)

Could your body be an idol? Are you are more concerned about physical appearance and health than you are about your inner, spiritual nature? Do you spend way more time working out than opening up your bible?  (Ouch.)

Could your business, or workplace, or your net worth come before God and be an idol of worship? (Ouch.)

Even another person could be your idol. Do you pattern your life after them rather than after God and His will? Do you worry more about pleasing them than pleasing God? (Ouch.)

Achieving your own goals can become your god if those goals are more important than following God’s plan for your life. Maybe popularity is your idol. Are you more interested in being accepted by other people than by God? Do you work hard to achieve the look, have the house, car, kids and family that would make you look successful? (Ouch.)

Could our phones and electronics become our idols and become what we worship?  I am sure that you get those weekly reminders from your phone that tells you your screen time was up or down 3 or 4 hours this week over last week? (Ouch.)

What is that we worship?  Why do we worship?

To worship is to ascribe worth to someone or something.  Today I want us to take an honest look at what is the thing or person that you ascribe worth to? On all of those grace retreats that I’ve served on since 1987, the first talk, no matter what kind of grace retreat it is, is  a talk about your priorities. You are asked to take a look at your life.  Look at your bank accounts—they might be a reflection of what you worship. Think about this question: What do you think about the most? Where do you spend the most time? What do you spend the most of your money on? Look, there’s no judgment here just thought-provoking questions. The answers might actually help you.

So What?
Jeremiah 33.3 says — “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

After my wife and I made our first grace-based weekend in 1987, we stopped and spent time together looking at the answers to these thought-provoking questions. Before this season of grace in our lives, we gave to God what we thought we could afford but first…we paid our mortgage, bought our food, provided for our children, and had our two separate, weekly FUN-money accounts for Jac and me. It was clear to us that God was not truly number one. We had not made God our number one priority. Attending the grace-based weekend didn’t make us better people, it made us think. What or who do we worship? Where do we spend our time? Where do we spend our money? Jac and I flipped our priorities upside down after that weekend in 1987. We decided we loved God and we wanted to worship God alone. We started to pray together every day. We became better givers to our home church, the first fruits of our weekly income went to God—we didn’t make 10% tithing right away but we improved on our giving. You know what? Since we put God first in our lives, God has told us great and unsearchable things!

Jeremiah 3:33! Show us great and mighty things.

I have a friend who was on vacation with his wife. They were at a gas station and Wal Mart when my friend heard, “See that guy over there? Go give him $80.” My friend was like, “Really? $80—not $5 or $10 or hey $20??” My friend went over to share with his wife what he was hearing. She said, “Do what you think you should do.” Hey, we’ve all been on vacation. Vacation is ME TIME—the money we’ve saved we are all too happy to blow on ourselves! YOLO—you only live once! And here was God, whom my friend worships with all of his heart, pulling at my buddy’s heartstrings. My friend walked over, struck up a conversation with the man and found out he was trying to get to a sick family member miles away. My friend blessed this man with….$80! Today when he tells the story, we all laugh! $80? Really? You know what I know? My friend and his wife are blessed knowing they did what was asked of them.

Brilliance at the well this week.  The unnamed woman at the well asks Jesus, “Where should I worship? Should I worship here or there?” Jesus replies, “You should worship everywhere!” I think what Christ is saying to the woman, and to us today, “Get your priorities straight. Put God first. Worship God with a humble, surrendered heart. Love God. Love others as you love yourself.”

What Covid-19/2020 has taught me this pandemic is that worship is not somewhere I go. I don’t go to worship at my home church. I don’t go to worship in a building. The church is not a building, the church is the BODY OF CHRIST…and it’s more important to worship GOD in my heart. Period.

Your SO WHAT? Homework questions this week are not easy but they will prove to be worthwhile. Sit down and take an honest look at yourself. Look at what you worship. Look at who you worship. What would happen if you were to put GOD at the number one position of worship? How would this one decision change your life?

Two closing stories. Our amazing naturopath prints out every SEED OF FAITH and ponders it all week long.  She journals on the ideas and “so what?” questions. When I stop in to pick something up, she loves to say, “So what? Pastor Dave!” The second story just happened to my wife. After teaching preschool, and having a magnificent day with their volcano pumpkins, one of the little boys broke away from his mom and said, “I have to tell my teacher!” He ran back and said, “I have Jesus in my heart!” Can you only imagine the party that happened in heaven when that little child asked Jesus into his heart? He’s only 4. I imagine it’s kind of like when you or I decide to topple our self-made idols and put GOD back on the throne of our heart. Listen, worship God everywhere. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter who you are: WORSHIP GOD.

I’m praying for you this week. November is the month when we give thanks. In all honesty, we have so very much to be thankful for:
pumpkin volcanoes, guys at gas stations, and all who put God on the throne of their heart. Have a great week.

Let’s pray:
“Jesus, you are the wellspring of my life. Only You can satisfy the deepest needs of my life. If I don’t have you as my number one priority, today I place you there and I worship—I bow down, I humble myself and I surrender to You. Give me my daily bread. I call out to You today. Show me great and mighty things. Amen.”

See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” John 4:19-21

Dear Faithful Seed-Sowers,

Here we are at the end of October! Today is the 31st–one of my favorite holidays: REFORMATION DAY! Yes, on this date in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg church doors in Germany! Oh, what a glorious day. God’s church should always be forming and reforming in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yet, here we are in 2020: the pandemic is still with us, it’s election season and things appear to be uncertain but I know One who is not uncertain. Let us learn more about worship in this Seed of Faith.

I love the passage in 2 Corinthians 12 when Paul asks the Lord to remove a thorn from his flesh.  The Lord answered Paul with these words, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Growing in grace during Covid-19 is hard.  I think we all wish to ask to have the Covid thorn removed from our flesh and our lives. Hear what Christ says, “My grace is enough for you! My power is make perfect in weakness.”  I know that during this time of panic and pandemic, anxiety and anger, fear and frustrations, doubt, and despair, worry and wonder, we can rest assured that God’s grace will be sufficient (enough) for us. Growing in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is what we are called to do.

Here are a few acrostics for COVID to ponder:

COVID
Christ
Overcomes
Viruses
In
Due time

COVID
Christ
Overcomes
Viruses 
Including
Diseases

Worship!  When you hear the word worship what comes to your mind?  Where do you worship?  How do you worship? When do you worship? Who do you worship?

These are the questions we wrestle with over the next few weeks.  We will look at the place of worship. The position of worship. The purpose of worship. And the PERSON of worship.

The woman at the well was surprised by Jesus.  She came looking to fill her empty water jars. Jesus came looking for her. Jesus found her hiding in the heat of the day, drawing water from a well that would never satisfy.  Jesus surprised her in her prejudices.  Jesus surprised her in sin.  Jesus surprised her in her evasiveness and avoidance.  Notice after Jesus tells her all about her life and how she has been married five times and the man she is with is not her husband, the unnamed woman changes the subject and asks Jesus about worship.  This is called distracting, avoidance, or redirecting. This woman is avoiding the subject, and changes the subject.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. John 4:19-21

“Where do I worship?” is the question that the Samaritan woman counters to Jesus as He is telling her about her life. I wonder if we are so different from this woman? Jesus tries to enter our lives. He knows everything about us and…we ask a distracting question desiring to get the heat off us and onto something (or someone) else.

I do have to hand it to her, the question of where we worship is truly a hot topic, especially today in 2020. We are meeting outside per state stipulations. It’s almost November. Yes, even today the topic of where to worship is HOT, HOT, HOT.

From Abraham to Ezra, the people of God built altars as they traveled. For 1500 years, the people of God built altars and offered sacrifices to God.  Moses built a portable sanctuary that traveled with the people for 40 years as they moved with the cloud by day and fire by night.  It was not until the time of Solomon that the first temple in Jerusalem was built. In 586 B.C.E. the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. It was seventy years before Ezra and the people came back and started rebuilding the temple and Jerusalem. Six hundred years later, the second temple was destroyed around 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, just as Jesus had predicted. It appears that the people of God have always struggled with this question: where do we worship?

“Surprised by God” is the series that we are in.  Did Jesus surprise the woman at the well with one of her evasive and elusive questions, “Where do we worship?”

In my career before becoming a pastor, I was blessed to be able to travel with Goodyear.  They sent my wife and I on amazing trips to the Netherlands, Italy, Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, and China. I must be honest with you, I was not always a follower of Christ.  I was like the woman at the well.  I was seeking the things of this world to fill my thirst and satisfy me. For more years than I care to remember, I made the trip every morning to the wells of the world. I was not aware yet that they would never fully satisfy my thirst.  During our trip to Italy, we went to the Vatican, St. Peter’s church and the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I was memorized by the opulence and massive size of what I saw.  Not only did we tour Roma, we also went into churches in Milan, Florence, and Venice.  We toured the places where Michelangelo placed his magnificent sculptures. While in China, we visited Buddhist and Hindu temples. Here in the USA, when Jac and I travel, we always find a church on Sunday to attend. While living in California, we have enjoyed visiting the California missions. God’s people all over the world place a high value on the beauty of their places of worship.

Today, during COVID 19, many of these magnificent edifices are now closed or are only open for a small number of masked people to attend.  Here in California our churches have been closed and opened and closed yet again. As I said before, the SEED Christian Community meets in a city community center in Rancho Cucamonga and the city buildings are closed. We have not worshiped together in our church home in Central Park since March. As we’ve prayed as a leadership board, we have decided do virtual church online together. Thank God for ONLINE CHURCH! It has helped many churches and thousands of people to stay connected and to worship together. Since the beginning of October, a pastor friend of mine has opened his church’s parking lot to us. We currently meet outside AND online!
What a great question asked by the Samaritan woman, “Where should we worship?”

So What?
A 2012 Pew study tracked the rise of a new religious group: the “nones,” or the religiously unaffiliated. One-fifth of Americans—and a full third of adults under 30—say they belong to no religion at all.  Yet, argues Casper ter Kuile, a researcher at Harvard Divinity School, this group is still looking for elements of religious experience. His 2015 study explores ways modern millennials seek out meaning, community, and ritual in the absence of organized religion. The study started by profiling organizations they deemed particularly formative in the lives of their students. One of the most striking spaces? Fitness classes. Institutions like CrossFit and SoulCycle are offering their students more than just a chance to lose weight or tone up. They function like religions.  “People come because they want to lose weight or gain muscle strength, but they stay for the community,” he said. “It’s really the relationships that keeps them coming back.” We heard people say, “CrossFit is my church,” “SoulCycle is like my cult,” in a good way. “Once that religious perspective had been opened in our eyes, so many things came out. Whether it’s the flag [on display] in every CrossFit [gym]; the way that the space is set up; or how you could follow a kind of liturgy in a SoulCycle class, especially through their use of light and sound. So, it’s really an emotional and spiritual experience as well as a physical one.”

The Samaritan woman raises an important question that is still important to this day: where do we worship during this time of Covid-19? I wonder if during this time of panic and pandemic if we as Christians have learned that the place of worship is NOT IN A BUILDING or a parking lot. The real place of worship, the place Jesus is speaking about, is IN OUR HEART.

Maybe this is one lesson we can all learn during this time of lock-down and of being shut-out of our churches. We don’t need a building. Church can be a building without walls. Church can be online. Church can be in a parking lot. Church can be in your car. Church can be on you tube.

Because of covid, my wife is teaching preschool for two little boys. They meet twice a week and she gives them the best experience she can. (She taught preschool, directed preschool from 1979 on. She retired two years ago.) She came home the other day and said that as one of the little boys was leaving preschool, he ran back. “Miss Gee, I have Jesus in my heart.” Miss Gee (aka Jac, my wife) has been teaching them a bible verse and a bible story a month. She was overjoyed to hear the good news her little preschooler shared with her. Here’s the truth, friends, if you have Jesus in your heart, you can worship GOD anywhere, any place, any time. AMEN?

Before Covid 19, if someone asked me, “Where do you worship?” I would have answered, “At Central Park in Rancho Cucamonga.” Not anymore, after months of videotaping my messages and learning a new way to preach, teach and reach, I have a new answer. “Where do you worship, Pastor Dave?” (Point to your heart.) “Right here.” I hope you have learned this wonderful insight, too. This is what the Bible means when it states that God will bring good out of the bad.

Your homework for the week: WORSHIP GOD. Anywhere. Anytime. Focus on creating within your own heart, the most beautiful place of worship you’ve ever been to. Is your heart a wooded forest? A cabin on a lake? The ocean at sunset? Is your heart extravagant like the Vatican? or the Sistine Chapel? Your heart is Christ’s home. It isn’t closed down, locked down, or shut down.

I have a great idea. Put on some Christian tunes and sing praise to God from your heart–where your Savior now lives! And let’s create the most beautiful place for worship ever known to humankind: YOUR HEART. AMEN.

See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,
It is my prayer that we come to know the deep, deep love of God as we endure this pandemic.  I pray we grow in the outrageous grace of Jesus and that God uses you to go out into your world (your family, workplace, schools, neighborhood, community) sowing seeds of faith. If this world ever needed living water, it needs it today.

We are still sitting with Jesus and the woman at the well. Picture the scene. It’s high noon, it’s hot.

There is a gold mine of pearls of wisdom to glean from this story.  Read John 4:1-26 and let’s see what the Holy Spirit is speaking to us.

Last week, we spent our time looking at the woman at the well and her response to the surprise she had that a Jewish man would ask her, a Samaritan woman, for a drink.  We saw how surprised she was that Jesus knew everything about her yet still responded in love to her. Stop for a moment and ponder that probing thought.  Jesus knows everything about you and still responds with love to you! This very thought humbles me, how about you?

Listen again to Jesus’ words, “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”

This reminds of a passage that God gives to the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah. Listen to Jeremiah’s words found in chapter two, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth? Why then has he become plunder? Lions have roared; they have growled at him. They have laid waste his land; his towns are burned and deserted.” Jeremiah 2:13-15 The people have forsaken God, the spring of living water and have dug their own wells instead. Sounds familiar.

Broken Wells
Here we are at an old well, or cistern, where Jesus finds this Samaritan woman. So many of us are like this woman; we have been digging our own cistern for years and we return there daily. We have dug wells of fame and fortune, wealth and health, power and prestige, sexuality and sensuality, alcohol and drugs, sports and academia, politics and popularity. The truth we find here in this story is that the wells of this world will never fully satisfy.  The wells of this world will never be enough.  The wells of this world hold stagnant, sluggish, and muddy water.  We are like the people in Jeremiah’s time.  We have turned away from the one, true spring of living water and we have built our own wells. The world’s wells will never completely satisfy; they will always shout, “More!”

Here’s a crazy idea:  Does Jesus wants to meet you at your well? You know the well, well.  You go there often, if not every day. Take a look around. Is that Jesus sitting there? Waiting for you to offer Him a drink of your polluted spring? I ask you a second time, Does Jesus want to meet you there today? (Stop and ponder that question.)

Jesus says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”   When Jesus says “everyone” the Greek word “pas” means “all, the whole, the total, anyone or anything.”  Jesus includes us all; He is not just speaking to one, outcast, Samaritan woman. Jesus is speaking to everyone, the total of all people who come to drink from the well. This means YOU and it means ME. All of us at some time in our life are drinking from a well that will never parch our thirst.

The Greek verb for “drinks” — “pino” is a present active verb which means that this action of us drinking is ongoing, unending, and continuous.  It makes great sense then that every single one of us has a well that we visit and drink from continuously. Jesus wants to give us a drink HIS well of living water. This water will quench our thirsty hearts, minds and souls. Maybe we should be thinking about it.

Everyone who drinks this water from this broken well will be thirsty — the word for “thirsty” — “depsesei” is a verb and it is in the future tense which means that we will be continually parched, thirsty, having strong desires.

What is that wakes you up with a strong desire?  What do you thirst for each day?

Jesus is telling us that if we will only ask Him for a drink, He will give us a drink of living water that will satisfy our desires. I don’t know about you but I can testify to the truth of this eternal, living water of Jesus Christ.

Bubbling Springs
“How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Psalm 36:7-9

Have you ever seen an artisan well?  The artisan well is a well or a spring that does not require a pump to bring water to the surface. The living water is continuously pumped to the surface because there is enough pressure contained within the aquifer to force the water to the surface without any sort of assistance. The water is alive.  The water is in never-ending supply.

The so what questions of the day are:
What well are you going to drink from? 
Will you drink from the broken wells of this world? 
Will you drink from the spring of living water that bubbles up to eternal life?

So What?
Jesus offers each one of us the same drink that He offered the Samaritan woman.

You know, Jesus could have shown up at the well at 6 a.m. when all the popular kids got their water, but he did not. Jesus went to the well in the heat of the day because Jesus knew there would be an outcast who was too ashamed to be seen at the well at 6 a.m. She was a sinner—she had lived with five different men—and was not married to the one she was living with now. And everyday she made the long trip to the well. Alone. Hot. Tired.

“All you have to do is ask me and I will give you living water, a spring of water welling up, an artisan well of water…and you will never be thirsty again.”  Please notice Jesus didn’t make her state her credentials. He simply said, “All you have to do is ask.” 

The choice is ours to make. Do we want to return to the wells we have dug in the heat of the day? Or are we thirsty enough to ask Jesus for living water?

I understand that we are living in unprecedented times. No one has canvassed this season and written a book about surviving COVID-19, the world-wide pandemic. There’s hundreds of thoughts and ideas out there for us to ponder; from the far right to the far left and all in between.

Here is what I know: (Grab your Bible and hold it up) This is an artisan well. Come here daily and drink your fill. I started reading my bible in October of 1997. I have not stopped. God’s word is new to me every morning. (Lamentations 3:22)  Every day when I open this book up, I am filled with hope, peace, insight and wisdom. During my 66 years on the planet, I have been to countless other wells. They have all left me thirsty.

This week I want you to be honest with yourself. Are you drinking from the well of living water or are you drinking from a polluted well?
John Ortberg has written a most excellent book (and a bible study dvd) entitled, “Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You.” Check it out. He gives a great illustration of how we are to go check out our stream, our wells. Are they clear and free? Or are they stagnant, filled with the trash of our life?

This is exactly what Jesus is saying to the Samaritan woman. “I don’t care who you are.  I don’t care where you’ve been. If you will simply ask Me, I will give you LIVING WATER.”

Her response is more than amazing! I hope ours is, too.

See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’”  John 4:10

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

It is my prayer that as we live and walk through this world-wide pandemic that we do not get lost!  Have you ever felt spiritually lost?  Do you feel a little spiritually lost now? My prayer is that God’s word will be our guide and that we won’t get lost.

We have been taking time to sit at the well in Samaria with Jesus and the woman at the well. I encourage you to read John 4:1-26 this week.  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak life and light to your heart and mind.

Last week we looked at the fact that the woman at the well was spiritually empty  The woman at the well missed the real living water at first. Why?  She was spiritually empty and spiritually lost.

SPIRITUALLY LOST
What I find interesting in this story is that Jesus speaks seven times in the conversation and the woman speaks six.  Jesus begins with a question, “Will you give me a drink?”  Jesus, the living water, asks for a drink of water. The woman replies with a tirade of prejudices.  “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)  Jesus challenges her with the statement, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Don’t you find it interesting that this woman misses Jesus’ invitation completely?

I wonder how many times you and I have missed these encounters with Jesus.  Jesus offers us himself and we question and doubt Him just like the woman at the well. “Hey, Mr. Living Water, where’s your bucket? Where are your containers? You think I’m going to do all the work and give you a drink of my water?  What are you doing here, coming to the well in the middle of the day? There is never anyone here…but me. And you expect me to fetch you a drink? Mighty bold of you, Mr. Living Water.”

Jesus asked a question. That is all. “Will you give me a drink?”

One hundred years ago, The Student Volunteer Movement for Missions met in Des Moines, Iowa, and they voted to drop the traditional aspects of its program which had focused on Bible study, evangelism, and foreign missions. Instead they voted to choose to focus on racial injustice, imperialism, and other social issues. Within fifteen years the movement was dead.[i]

Thirsty people need more than optimism, confidence, self-will, and self-worth.  They need good news and that good news centers in the only one who can say, “The water I give [you] will become in [you] a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”’

The problem is that when a person is spiritually empty and spiritually lost—it is easy for us to miss Jesus at the wells of our lives.

SPIRITUALLY FULL — SATISFIED
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Look for a moment at what Jesus is saying to the woman in verses 13 and 14.  Jesus tells her that nothing will ever satisfy her longing and dissatisfaction…except for a continuous long drink of God’s living water. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”

Don’t miss the word, “Never!”  (Say that verse again.)

Jesus saw the woman for who she was: God’s creation.

Jesus sees us for who we are: God’s creation.

Are you spiritually empty? Are you spiritually lost? This story is put here for us! Can we read and come to know and understand that Jesus offers us this same drink of living Water? This drink will satisfy our thirsty soul forever. Do not miss what Jesus offers the woman and what Jesus offers us: a drink of living water that will completely satisfy and permanently satisfy. Once we have tasted this living water of Jesus Christ, we will never be thirsty again. Once we have tasted the living water of Jesus, the ways of the world lose their hold on us.

SO WHAT?
So what do these ancient words mean to us today as we are shut-in, shut-out, or essential workers? What about our relationships, our families, our church and our friendships?  I am here today to tell you that God wants to speak to you of a living water that will fill you and bring you eternal life.

When we were in Zambia, Africa, with our mission team I was struck by the life-giving wells that have been dug in the compounds.  The people of the area go daily to these wells for water, 365 days a year. Do you know that the human body is made up of 60% water? Do you know you could go without food for about 3 weeks but you could only go without water for 3-4 days? Every cell in our body needs water. Water is a lubricant for our joints, regulates our body temperature, and flushes out waste. Water acts as a shock absorber for your brain and spinal cord. Water is needed by your brain to manufacture hormones and your neurotransmitters. Water helps to deliver oxygen throughout your body.

Now, can you understand why Jesus met this outcast Samaritan woman at the well, in the middle of the day? “Will you give me a drink?”

Why didn’t she just give the guy a drink? Because she was spiritually empty, and spiritually lost. She needed a spiritual refilling and Jesus knew that. I am going to be really bold here: When Jesus meets you at the center of your emptiness and lostness, it’s an invitation for you to never thirst again. It is an invitation for your hot, dry well to become a SPRING of life-giving water. A spring has an underground source. Much of the bottled water that we pay good money for today comes from SPRINGS of underground wells!

Are you hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying? Are your ears open? Are your eyes open? Is your heart open? Jesus wants to trade us: our stagnant, worldly well for His, our shallow, empty well for His, our dried up, lost well for His.

“I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me, makes the lame to walk and the blind to see, opens prison doors, sets the captives free. I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me. SPRING UP, O WELL, and fill my soul! Spring up, O well, and make me whole! Spring up, O well, and give to me: THAT LIFE ABUNDANTLY!”

Here is a link to the song on YouTube … https://youtu.be/ytGCFLK3KtU

Here we are, Jesus is standing at your well and asks you a simple question, “Will you give me a drink?”

Here’s your answer. “Jesus, thanks for meeting me here at my empty well. Why don’t you give me a drink of your living water instead?”  I promise you: HE WILL! And you will never thirst again. Keep drinking from the life-giving well of Jesus Christ and from the words of Scripture; living words for parched souls: acronym for BIBLE–Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!

“Jesus, meet me at the wells I visit that never seem to satisfy my soul. I want the life-giving water that springs up eternal life. Amen.”
See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

First of all, I truly believe that God will make us faithful and fearless seed sowers during this corona-virus epidemic. Life has changed.  Sowing seeds of faith has changed. I pray God is creating you more faith and less fear!

We are still digging deeply into the well at Sychar in Samaria. Maybe during this time of anxiety from the pandemic you might be experiencing a little bit of feeling spiritually empty. If so, come along on our journey and drink from the well that promises to spring up to eternal life. I encourage to take a few minutes this week and read John 4:1-26; as you read, put yourself into the story. Don’t just enter the story once, put yourself into all of the characters.  They all have a viewpoint and a story to tell from the well and Jesus promises us that, if we drink, we will never thirst again!

Let me set the stage.  Around 722-721 B.C. the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian army.  The king of Assyria deported many of the Jewish people and transplanted foreigners to live in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  These foreigners intermarried with the Jewish people and the races became mixed.  This land was called “Samaria”, the people were called “Samaritans.”  When the Southern Kingdom fell to the Babylonians in 586 many of the remining Jewish people remained behind and longed for the return of God’s kingdom.  Finally, after 70 years of captivity, the Jewish people started returning under Ezra, a scribe, and Nehemiah, the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. The people banded together rebuild the walls and they also started to rebuild the temple. The returning Jewish people now viewed the “Samaritans” as political rebels, racial half-breeds and religious people who worshiped the many Gods of the foreigners along with the One True God — Yahweh!  Their prejudices were mighty and many!

This surprise encounter with Jesus at the well confronted all of the prejudices this woman held.  First, she was a Samaritan. Samaritans and Jewish people had nothing to do with each other. Second, she was a woman.  Men did not talk to women in that culture. Third, she had been with many different “husbands” and she was a sinner. Any righteous, religious person would never have anything to do with a sinner like this woman. Fourth, her place of worship was there at the well of Jacob, the Jewish people worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem. Did you hear the prejudices? Racial prejudices, social prejudices, moral prejudices, and religious prejudices are all confronted in this story found in John 4.

Maybe an early “so what?” question for us today is, “Where does Jesus surprise you with your prejudices?”

“What if Jesus met me at Jacob’s well this Sunday morning?” I’m serious, what if you were dressed just like you are right now, and what if you had gone to the grocery store: Staters, Vons, Ralphs, Sprouts or your own favorite, grocery store? On your shopping list is: WATER! Go to the well to get water and,,, Jesus meets you there? Holy cow! (This is what I call “putting yourself into the story!”)

Am I spiritually empty? Maybe that is a good “so what?” question during this season of our lives. Some of us are totally running on empty while others of us seem to be coasting along okay but we do hit a few bumps here and there. The truth is we are all like this woman at the well.  At one time or another we’ve all become empty. It’s true; we become empty with the things this world has to offer.  We become lost when we follow our own will and go our own way and we don’t leave any room for God to surprise us.

The real truth is, we all long to be spiritually filled.

What I find interesting in this story is that woman at the well had most likely heard of the prophets and their prophecies.

Listen to just four of these prophecies:

“On that day, a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” Zechariah 13:1

“On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.” Zechariah 14:8

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” Isaiah 44:3

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3

I wonder if this unnamed Samaritan woman had grown up reciting, singing, and memorizing the Psalms?

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Psalm 42:1-3

But somewhere along her way, she forgot those words and she began to drink from other wells.

This Samaritan outcast came to the well in the middle of the day in order to be alone. She wanted to be away from the ridicule, scorn, mockery, shame, and guilt she felt from the other women and the rest of the people of Sychar.  She was spiritually empty.  Spiritually bankrupt. Can you go with her to the well? It’s the middle of the day. It is burning hot. And there she is dragging her empty containers with her. The woman was empty. She was not expecting God to meet her at the well.  She was not expecting a surprise from God. She was expecting that she would go, get her water, and go home. Everyone else had already gotten their water. Sneak in, sneak out in the middle of the heat of the day.

Do you ever do anything like this? Do you look in the mirror and say, “Don’t go to the store now, you might run into someone you know. Wait til just before the store closes.” And at 9:50 pm, you put on your hat and sunglasses and pull your jacket up to cover your face, you keep your head down and enter the store. Ever been there?

Okay. Now imagine Jesus meeting you at whatever aisle you are shopping in. Right.  You need tomato sauce? There’s Jesus.  You need milk? There’s Jesus.

Jesus meets this woman right where she is.  Jesus meets her in the middle of her shame, guilt, fear, doubt and even in her hiding.

Are you empty?  Are you worried and troubled by many things?  Maybe you think you cannot go one more day or walk one more mile with the burden you are carrying. The truth is that Jesus will meet you no matter where you are, no matter what you have done.

At first meeting, the woman misses Jesus, she misses the living water. Why?  She was spiritually empty and spiritually lost.

So What?
I am here to tell you today that Jesus wants to meet you right where you are and Jesus has a gift for you: the gift is to come drink from the well that springs up to eternal life.  The choice is simple, take and drink or walk away empty. My prayer is that you will drink deeply like the deer at the stream.

Open your bible. Read the story of the woman at the well.  Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Let God surprise you!

My wife became a Christian 20 months before I did. For 600 days, she watched me go to the world’s wells. For 600 days, she went to the well of living water. I don’t know how many times she mustered up her courage. She walked into the family room where I was putting on my work boots and she handed me her bible. She said the same thing every time: “Here. Would you please read this? I highlighted it.  I don’t want you to read the whole book. I don’t want you to read the whole page.  Just read the sentence or two I’ve highlighted.” Each time she did this, for 600 days, 20 months, I smiled and took the book.  When she left the room, I closed the book and set it under the couch. There were days, I’m embarrassed to tell you, that I slid her bible across the room. What I did notice is that Jac was happy. She was full of joy. And the other thing I noticed, it wasn’t me that was making her so happy. Jac had joined bible studies and had everyone in town praying for me. One day she told me her bible study was hosting a couples bible study. She handed me a piece of paper with the name of the study (Romans) and the name of the teacher. The teacher was one of my former high school teachers and he was one of my favorite teachers. I decided to go and hear what he had to say; he was, after all, a really great teacher!

It took me until chapter 8 of Romans, verses 14 and 15, to understand that the wells of the world were not going to quench my thirst. Jesus met me at the well that night after bible study. It was January in Northern Illinois. It was freezing and the snow was blowing. The bible teacher had talked to our group about how we are children of God, how we can cry, “Abba, Father” to God. I couldn’t wait to get home that night. I got down on my knees and I prayed, “God, if you want to be my father, I’d like to give you a try!”

That well has never run dry. The year was 1981. Jesus met me at the well that cold, snowy night. SURPRISE, Dave!

Come meet the man who knows everything about me and still wants to be my Father. Come to the well that never runs dry.  No matter where you are, no matter what you’ve done–you are forgiven. And THAT is the BEST SURPRISE of all.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is my prayer that during these days of the pandemic that we come to KNOW the LOVE of God, GROW in the GRACE of Jesus Christ, and GO in the POWER of the Holy Spirit. It’s really a perfect time to MAKE TIME to open your LIVING WORD and drink deeply from the WELL OF ETERNAL LIFE.

We are walking slowly through Samaria with Jesus.  We are walking very slowly. I encourage you to take a few moments and read John 4:1-26 again.  Put yourself into this story. Are you the woman at the well? Are you one of the disciples who go into town? Are you a town person? Maybe you’re the clerk selling the disciples food for Jesus. Seriously.  Go look at what Samaria looked like back then. Put yourself INTO the story. And then ask yourself, “What is the Holy Spirit saying to me?” “What is Jesus saying to me?” “What is God, my Father, saying to me?” As the pandemic lingers, maybe now is a good time to put yourself into another story: the story of the unnamed woman at the well.

Last week in The Seed of Faith we looked at the “Gentleness of Jesus.” This week I want like to reflect on “The Patience and Loving Kindness of Jesus.”

Here we go. The unnamed woman comes to draw water from the well in the middle of the day. I don’t know about you, but out here in SOCAL, it’s hot and it’s been hot for around 100 days. If I knew I had to go draw water every day, you can bet I’d get up early and go when it was the coolest. I know I wouldn’t go in the middle of the day when the sun was beating down the hottest.

There she is at the well. Can you see her? It’s hot. It’s the middle of the day and the sun is bright. Jesus asks her for a drink. “Hey, unnamed woman at the well, would you mind giving me, a total stranger, a drink of the water you just worked really hard to retrieve?”

I can picture the scene. I wonder if any words were exchanged. I wonder if she just shot Jesus a look before she replied, “I’m a Samaritan and you’re a Jew.  I’m a woman and you’re a man. We aren’t supposed to talk to each other.” And then Jesus speaks to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

I have been pondering this question: “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks for a drink….”

This unnamed woman comes every day to this well to draw water.  This water never gives her satisfaction. She’s always back the next day, and the day after that and the day after that.  And here is Jesus, opening up a dialogue. Will she respond? Will you?

Maybe a simple so what question for today is: what do you know about being dissatisfied by the world?

The dis-ease this woman has is dissatisfaction.  What is the dis-ease you have?  What are you dissatisfied with? Who are you dissatisfied with?  This woman lacks spiritual satisfaction and has gone to drink water from a well that will never satisfy.

So What?  How many times do you and I go to that well?

There’s plenty of wells that always say, “MORE!” How about the wells of of materialism, money, power, eating, drinking, sex–just to name a few. These are wells that never cry, “Enough. I’m satisfied.”

As many of you know, I love the Psalms.  I love the prayer in Psalm 103. Psalm 103 is only seventeen verses, but it is powerful.  I love verses 8 and 9 — “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever…” Psalm 103:8-9

Do you see it?  Do you hear it? The Lord is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.  That is exactly what Jesus was demonstrating with the woman at the well. On one side of the well we have the unnamed woman doing her job, doing her duty and on the other side of the well is Jesus. 

Look at the patience and loving-kindness of Jesus in this encounter. All throughout the Old Testament we read story after story of the patience, long-suffering, and loving-kindness of God.  In this story of the woman at the well we read about Jesus’ patience, long-suffering, and loving-kindness with this woman. This patience of Jesus is based upon His knowledge and power. Jesus knows the end from the beginning. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  Jesus is the Lord: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love. And the good news for us today is that Jesus is patient with us just as He was with woman at the well. Maybe she is unnamed so that we can easily put ourselves into her place, into her story. Jesus knows our condition, that is why he came into the world. Jesus knows men and women who are trapped in a sinful lifestyle just as this woman at the well was.

So What?
“So what?” do these ancient words mean to us today?

In January of 2003 I went with a group of men to Rockford, Illinois, to help get a Credo Recovery weekend started.  Did you catch that? It was the middle of January in Illinois.  What was wrong with me?  I grew up in Illinois. It is cold, and snowy, and windy, and freezing in Illinois in January.  And, sure enough, the snow was blowing, and temp was below zero. The Credo Recovery weekend was held inside the Salvation Army men’s adult rehabilitation center (ARC). Credo Recovery is a grace-based recovery weekend for those who are struggling with addiction; addictions of all kinds.  These men at this ARC had committed to staying in the Salvation Army Rehab facility for 90 days. Our Credo group went in and led worship and shared talks on God’s grace and forgiveness.  I was one of the spiritual directors. For one of the messages, I used Psalm 103:

Psalm 103
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. ²Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— ³who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, ⁴who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, ⁵who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. ⁶The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. ⁹He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; ¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹²as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. ¹³As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; ¹⁴for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; ¹⁶the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. ¹⁷But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— ¹⁸with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. ¹⁹The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. ²⁰Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. ²¹Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. ²²Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul. (Psalm 103)

As I read my bible, I see my notes. My notes are like footprints of where I’ve been. As I read Psalm 103, I thought of these men and I thought of the woman at the well. Sitting across from the non-satisfying well that you pull up sits Jesus. Jesus told the unnamed woman everything she had ever done. He knew all about her and, yet, he waited for her.  He asked her for a drink.

I do not know what you are struggling with.  Maybe you go to a well every, single day and come back empty, and dissatisfied.  Maybe the fear of failure, the hurts of the past, the anxiety of the times, the physical struggles, or your emotional struggles have left you empty and wanting more.  I want you to know that it the Lord himself who is waiting at your well. It is the Lord of Psalm 103 who is waiting for you.

Jesus knows that we are dust. The Lord’s well was established in heaven and He is a well that never runs dry. Jesus is compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He does not repay us for our sins. He removes our sins from us–as far as the east is from the west.

Do you see it? It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done. The unnamed woman was forgiven. The men and women of Credo have been forgiven. You and me? We are forgiven. Our sins have been removed from us.

And Jesus sits at the well of our life and waits for us.

If only you knew who it is who is asking you for a drink….

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed Sowers,

It is my prayer that as we go through this pandemic of Covid-19 and are shut-down in so many ways, we will stand strong in the grace and mercy of Jesus.

We have been looking at John 4:1-26 for our entire SUMMER SERIES!  I encourage you take a few minutes over the next week and read and re-read this story.  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Try to put yourself into this story. There are many characters in the story, try on several of their sandals and see the story from their side: Jesus, unnamed woman, disciples, town people, ex-husbands, current partner–and YOU.

Have you ever been surprised by God? 

I asked that question this week to several of my friends. Some of them shared how God has surprised them.  One friend who is struggling with emphysema and multiple myeloma cancer wrote to me and said, “Amazingly this humanly incurable cancer I have is sensitizing me to the Presence and Reality in ways not previously expected. Jesus is wonderful.” Another friend said that he moved to California to find love but Jesus showed up and changed his life unexpectedly .A good friend in Illinois texted me after I asked him, “Have you ever been surprised by God?”  He shared how he was lost at 21 and while driving his motorcycle he hit a car head-on.  He was driving without a license plate, insurance, and helmet.  The doctors who did surgery on him after the accident told his parents that it would be a miracle if he gained 100% use of his right hand.  The doctor said he would be hoping for 50% use of his right hand. My friend’s parents were Christian, and they prayed for their son. Today, after battling and overcoming the accident, my friend has 100% use of his right hand and is a strong believer in miracles.

Have you ever been surprised by God?

Let’s focus on Jesus and how He responds to the woman at the well.  Next week we will look at the woman and we will focus on her response to Jesus.

When we read this story, we see that Jesus is always in control. This is a good point for us to ponder.  Each one of us is going through a zillion different situations.  Many are struggling emotionally with the fear of the virus, the panic of the pandemic, and the emotional lockdown  and isolation of this physical epidemic. As we read this story, please notice that Jesus is in control of the situation. Maybe we should apply this to our own situation right now:  “God is in control.”

Another point to ponder is that we are told that Jesus had to go through Samaria.  Why?  Because Jesus had it on his agenda to meet this woman. Jesus was in control of this meeting. As a pastor, I meet hundreds (if not thousands of people) and after a few minutes, I wonder why so many of us try to control so much of our life. Why in the world do we feel that it is our job to control our friends, families, workplaces, schools, neighbors, and even our religion or faith experiences?  Some of us are trying really hard to control the virus, and the germs. I have a great point for us to think on: when Jesus sets his heart and affection upon a person, Jesus always takes charge, and does not let go.

Maybe an early “SO WHAT?” question that we need to ask is “Who is in charge of my life?”  I’m hoping that by reading this story and studying it, we are going to let go of our end of the rope of control. If we know that we are in Jesus’ hands, we can find real comfort for our souls. We can trust that Jesus is in control of our lives. We can trust that God is not surprised by our situation.

What amazes me in this story is the extreme gentleness of Jesus. The gentleness of Jesus is such a beautiful aspect of this story. Do not miss it!

Look how Jesus’ gentleness pours out with this woman.  The woman at the well was living in adultery and had been for some time. Jesus does not scorn her or ridicule her.  Jesus does not force the situation.  Jesus does not shame her or disgrace her. Jesus is full of grace and wants the fullness of grace for her. Oh, how I pray that you will know that Jesus wants the fullness of grace for you, too.

One of my favorite passages from the prophet Isaiah is found in Isaiah 42:3, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice…” (Isaiah 42:3)

To me Jesus handles the bruised reed of this woman so very gently.  Her life is but a smoldering wick. Every day her life is trying to be snuffed out by the world, by the other women of Sychar, by her ex-husbands and even by herself.  This unnamed woman is lives a life of fear, anxiety, doubt, shame, disgrace, guilt, remorse, and forgiveness. She doesn’t want to see anyone, hence, she goes to the well in the middle of day, in the heat because no one else will be there.

Maybe some of us are living in fear, anxiety, doubt, shame, disgrace guilt remorse and unforgiveness.

Do you see the gentleness of Jesus in this story? He heads to Samaria and stops at the well. He is waiting for this unnamed woman.

We are told that Jesus must go to Samaria to meet this woman.  Jesus is concerned about her soul. Pay close attention; Jesus does not grab ahold of her, shame her or condemn her. Jesus gently brings this unnamed woman at the well face-to-face with the honest truth, the truth of her need for grace and love. Wow!  The gentleness of Jesus!

So What?
Why is it important for us to notice the gentleness of Jesus? Because Jesus uses this same method with us. The truth is that many times we miss this gentleness. We’re so in control of everything that we’ve even set up our own idea on how Jesus will meet us. “Jesus, I sleep in until 6 a.m. then I have my coffee.  I need a solid hour of peace and quiet. no talking but anytime between 7-9 a.m. is good.  I’ll leave that time slot open for you.”

I’m going to challenge you today. Your “SO WHAT?” is simply this:

In the middle of my ordinary day, am I open to meeting Jesus at the dry well of my life?

From what I know of Jesus, he rarely surprises us between our allotted time slots that we’ve reserved for Him to surprise us.

You never know where or when you are going to be surprised by Jesus.  You never know what words or questions Jesus is going to ask.

Let’s get one thing straight as we put ourself into this story: Jesus controls the SURPRISE factor, not you.

“If only you knew the GIFT OF GOD…and WHO IT IS THAT IS ASKING YOU FOR A DRINK….you would have asked and He would have given you living water.”

Surprise, that’s our gentle Jesus.

“Lord, do it again. Surprise me. As I study this story, surprise me. Help me to let go of the controls. I want living water. Amen.”
See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

If you would like to join in our online worship on Sunday mornings at 10 A.m., Pacific here is the link

theseedchristianfellowship.online.church

Or you can go to our YouTube channel at The Seed Christian Fellowship and watch our message or our complete worship service.

Keep THE SEED in prayer as our leadership team voted to hold outdoor worship beginning this Sunday in the parking lot of the TAIWANESE Church, 9284 Baseline Road, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 91701,,

^{“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.'”John 4:10}

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

During the world-wide pandemic it is my prayer that the Lord would bless you and keep you in His unfailing love.  May Jesus meet you at the well of living water as you work your way through this unprecedented time of covid-19. This week I pray that we learn that God shows up during our ordinary days and when we least expect Him to.

GOD SHOWS UP ON ORDINARY DAYS
As I read the living word of God, I am always amazed at how God shows up on ordinary days. The purpose? To surprise you. Jesus met Peter and Andrew in their fishing boat getting ready to do their job–fish. Matthew (Levi) was at his tax collector’s booth doing his job: collecting taxes. I love this story of the woman at the well; she was not at a big, Jewish festival or at a concert in the local synagogue. She wasn’t away in the mountains on a private retreat.  The woman at the well was going out in the middle of the day in order to draw water from the well so that she could cook, clean, and do her ordinary tasks. She went out to get the water her many jobs at home required. We are not told how many people are in her household. We are not told how far she had to walk but we are told that she went out around the 6^th hour (midday or the hottest part of the day) high noon. From the dialogue with Jesus, we know she had had 5 husbands and was living with a man who was not her husband. What we know about the Jewish culture of that day, if the woman went to well in the early morning, she would have been around all the women of town who were also getting water. The woman waited. She did not want to join the companh of the other women. My guess is she knew that they knew about her. They might look disgustingly at her and whisper about her.  The other women would shame her and ridicule her.

Instead, the unnamed woman comes out at the hottest part of the day, noon, and she is carrying two jars of water on her shoulders. Big, heavy clay jars. Her family and her household needed water. There was bathing to do, washing dishes to do, and cooking to do–just to name a few of her responsibilities. The woman arrived at the well not expecting a thing.

Don’t miss it: Today is just another ordinary day! {I think we call those days, “Monday!”}

Something amazing happens. On this very ordinary day, Jesus is waiting for her at the well of her ordinary life. How I have been hoping and praying for you to be surprised at the well of your ordinary life this series.

SOMETIMES GOD SHOWS UP WHEN WE LEAST EXPECT HIM
Expect the Unexpected is a familiar theme in the scriptures.

-Abram becoming a father at 99 years old.
-Moses coming across a burning bush.
-Joshua called to lead the people after Moses dies.
-Ruth who follows her mother-in-law., Naomi, “Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.”
-Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer, lets Ruth glean his fields.
-How about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trapped in a fiery furnace with a fourth man in the fire?
-Daniel in the lion’s den.
-Jonah swallowed and in the belly of whale for three days.
-David facing a giant of a man over nine feet tall with a slingshot and five smooth stones.

The list is long. I believe with all of my heart that God loves to show up when you least expect it. Ordinary with Jesus is extraordinary.

Can we relate? It’s 2020.

Maybe you are facing a giant today with Covid-19.  Maybe the quarantine has you defeated and depressed. Maybe your finances are being depleted.  Maybe a relationship has fallen apart.

The GOOD NEWS FOR YOU FOR TODAY:
Expect the Unexpected.

I always will ask you to put yourself into the story we study.  Today is no exception. Maybe you are one of the people who is at home. WAITING. “What’s taking her so long? I need to get to my meeting.”  Maybe you’re one of Jesus disciples; waiting for a miracle.

The story of the unnamed woman at the well is your story. It’s my story.

Every beautiful morning, we wake up. What’s your routine? I’ll tell you mine: I check my phone to see if I have any messages from the church. I use the rest room. Brush my teeth. Make coffee. Stand around and try to wake up.

Go ahead. What’s your ordinary morning routine?

Okay. STOP.

Suddenly, in the middle of your ordinary morning, there’s Jesus. What’s He saying?

“Give me a drink.”

Would you? I want you to know that if you will let yourself be interrupted on this very ordinary day, it won’t be just coffee that you share. If you listen closely, you will be sharing LIVING WATER from the wellspring of eternal life. Let me give you a really fun example.

For the past 230 days my wife and I have cared for her Dad.  We’ve been his 24/7 caregivers.  It’s a whole lot of work. Recently, we found a wonderful woman whom we’ve hired for respite care. Twice a month my wife and I are going to go sleep in a hotel and rest.  Those are two things we don’t usually get to do these days of caregiving: SLEEP. REST.

We just got home today from our three days, and two glorious nights away. We sat on the beach all day. Let me clarify. Jac sat on the beach. I threw seaweed back into the ocean. We saw dolphins play in the morning. We enjoyed a two-hour sunset each night. We shared a filet mignon meal each night. Our TV didn’t work. Jac napped. I read. It was 98 degrees back home and smoky. It was 65 degrees on the beach, foggy.

Two weeks prior to making our hotel reservations, two friends called to ask what exact days we were going away.  They had the name of a great hotel they knew about and they wanted to see if it had vacancies.

So What?
I do not know what you are facing in this time of Covid-19.  Maybe you face loneliness, illness, homesickness. Maybe you are missing school, or work.  Maybe you are missing family. Maybe you have a loved one in the hospital or assisted living home. Maybe today you are just going to take your chances; you are going to go late to the well. You have a million things to do. You’re just going to run to the well, get the water and go home. It’s an ordinary day.

You plus your ordinary day equals an ordinary day.

You plus JESUS standing at the well of your ordinary day makes for quite an extraordinary day!

Your homework for this week is to sit with this question:

AM I REALLY WILLING FOR JESUS TO MEET ME AT MY ORDINARY WELL?

On the first day that my wife sat on her towel at the ocean, four sets of dogs came running over to her. Each of the four dog owners were like, “We’re so sorry.  Our dog never does this.  Our dog is shy. I’ve never in my life seen my dog run over to a perfect stranger.” One of the dogs came and sat down right by my wife.  I missed the whole thing.  He licked her face! Sat down. Then laid down. The owner ran over and called the dog, “Chase.  Chase.” The dog didn’t move. The man apologized profusely for barging in on her morning. Jac, as only Jac can say, told the man, “Your dog was sent by God to stand at the dry well of my ordinary day.” After the man left, somewhat perplexed by her comment, Jac told me, “Dave, Jesus chased me down–just like the woman at the well.  He saw her. He waited. He gave her a drink of living water.” I was somewhat perplexed by my wife at the moment.  She turned and yelled over her shoulder, “CHASE. The dog’s name was Chase. I didn’t have to chase God. God chased me.”

Are you ready for God to chase you? Are you ready for Jesus to turn your ordinary day into something more?

Something extraordinary? That’s my prayer for you this week.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Join us on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. for a live online worship service.  You can worship, chat, pray, and connect with others.  The link for Sunday morning is

theseedchristianfellowship.online.church

if you miss the online service on Sunday you can always go to YouTube and watch our weekly worship or just the Sunday message.  Our YouTube channel is The Seed Christian Fellowship

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed Sowers:

Greetings faithful and fearless ones! I hope and pray that you are well and that the Lord Jesus is shining His light and love into your lives during this time of the pandemic. Today we begin a series on John 4:1-26.  I have titled this series, “Surprised By God.”  It is my prayer that God will surprise you each and every single day with His everlasting love and grace.  I hope you read through John 4:1-26.  Stop, pause and ponder the verses.  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what he wants to tell you. Put yourself into the story!

NOTHING DEPENDS ON US
Have you ever stopped to ponder verse four — ^“Now he had to go through Samaria.” 

Why did Jesus have to go through Samaria? The Samaritans were hated by the Jewish people. Most Jewish people would walk the two extra days around Samaria just to avoid the people there. Why?

What I find so amazing is the stark contrast between two groups of people.  Think of Nicodemus. Go and read his story in chapter three and then read this story again in chapter four.  Can you see it, the difference between the important and sophisticated Nicodemus, this ruler of the Jews, and the simple Samaritan woman? Nicodemus was a Jew, she’s a Samaritan.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, he was high class. She belonged to no religious party, she was low class. Nicodemus was a politician, she had no status whatsoever–unless you call a bad reputation a status. Nicodemus was a scholar, the woman at the well was fairly uneducated.  Nicodemus was highly moral,  the unnamed woman at the well was not all that moral (she had at least five husbands and was not married to the one she was with at the time.) Think of it this way, Nicodemus has a name in the Scriptures. She is nameless. Nicodemus was a man; she was a woman. Nicodemus went in the dark of night to meet with Jesus, to protect his reputation; the unnamed woman had no reputation, she meets with Jesus at high noon at the town well. Nicodemus came seeking something of Jesus; the woman at the well was sought by Jesus.

WOW!  Did you hear that?  The unnamed, immoral, uneducated, fearful, lonely and outcast woman was sought out by Jesus. Listen, I do not know where you are at today.  I do not know if you are lost and lonely, if you are surrounded by wealth and education, or if you sneak out at night so no one sees you. Wherever you are, I want you to know this:  God knows your name and Jesus has come to seek you.

The HOLY Jew and the LOWLY Samaritan: A great contrast, yet the point of the story is that each one of them needed the fullness of grace brought through the Gospel the Good News of Jesus and both were welcome to it.

If Nicodemus is an example of the truth that no one can rise so high as to be above salvation, then the woman is an example of the truth that no one can sink too low to be saved.

It is by no means an accident that the Apostle John has placed these two wonderful stories together at the beginning of his Gospel and that they end in 4:42 with the Samaritan woman saying,  “This man really is the Savior of the world.” (Notice–no class is mentioned here; not the Jews nor the Samaritans–He’s the savior of the WORLD!)

The first point to take home today is this: NOTHING DEPENDS ON ME — NOTHING AT ALL. 

This unnamed woman at the well is absolute proof of this. We must never say, “I am just a nobody from nowhere, I have gone too far to Jesus to find me, I just an ordinary Christian, the fullness of God’s grace is not for me. The fullness of God’s grace is for everybody, high and low, moral and immoral, sick and healthy, educated and uneducated, religious and non-religious or sinner or saint.  The fullness of God’s grace does not depend on ME.  Nothing depends on ME — nothing at all.

SO WHAT?  Jesu
Which one of these two characters do you most identify with: Nicodemus or the unnamed woman at the well?
Why?
Are you a little of each?
How?

Both Nicodemus and the unnamed woman were surprised by Jesus. If you haven’t viewed the series, “THE CHOSEN”, check it out. Both of these characters are in the story line. Maybe you will learn more about yourself as you SEE the story come alive?

I see myself in both of these people. I watch as my intelligence often wants me to think logically and not with my heart. After 22 years in ordained ministry and add 14 years in youth ministry, I’ve learned never to try to out-think God because, when I do, God surprises me. I remember when I took my exegetical exam. I was supposed to write about the still, small voice of God. I didn’t do that. Instead, I tried to spin a tale about the still, small voice of Dave! I had to rewrite that exam. “Stick to the Scriptures, Dave.” God didn’t need my spin on His word. Like Nic at night–Jesus shared His heart. “You must be born again.” Incredibly intelligent Nic asks, “How can that be? Can I reenter my mother’s womb and be born a second time?” Can’t you just see Jesus wince. “Nic, stop thinking. Do you know where the wind comes from or will go next? Let the Holy Spirit of God guide you in this.” Yes.  I can surely see myself in Nicodemus. And there is God–surprising Nic.

And then, I am also like the unnamed woman; ashamed and embarrassed of myself. Before I gave my life to Jesus, I made some poor decisions that hurt others and myself. Jesus simply showed up. “Suprise, nameless woman at the well, I am the living water for whom you thirst.” Have you ever had God read your mail? Have you ever been sitting in a church, listening to a message, and BAM! You swear the pastor somehow got into your journal?

HOLY or LOWLY? It doesn’t matter at all because our God is a God of surprises who will meet you in secret at midnight, alone, or who will meet you at high noon at the public well.

This week, pray with me: “God, surprise me. Amen.”

God loves you and so do I
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23

Dear Faithful Seed Sowers,

We have looked at the place of worship and the place of worship. Jesus surprised the woman at the well, “You will not just worship here or at the temple in Jerusalem. The place of worship is your heart” (My translation).  We have learned the that position of worship is to bow down, to humble ourselves, to fall flat on our faces. “Proskyneo” worshipers are those who are prostrate on their faces. We have learned that the purpose of worship is to ascribe worth to someone or something. Last week we were challenged to think about where we spend our time, our money and what we think about the most. What, or who, do we idolize and worship?

This week we will look at the person of worship.  We need to be careful what our idols are and what we worship because we become like what we worship.  That is a profound thought. The place of worship — is our hearts.  The position of worship — is bowing in surrender and humility. The purpose of worship — is to ascribe worth to someone or something —where do we invest most of our time, talents, and treasures for what we idolize, we become like.

I would like to flip the statement when Jesus speaks to the surprised woman at the well written above.  I would like to talk about worshiping in truth.

When we honestly worship in truth, we worship the person of Jesus.

Stop and think about the Old Testament people who followed God for 40 years in the wilderness.  We have only been in the wilderness of this Covid-19 shutdown over eight months now–for 40 years, we’d need another 400 months of covid.  I do know that if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we are going to make it through this season. 

When I think of worshiping in the truth, I think of the Tent of Meeting that Moses set up. Do you realize that the Tent of meeting was called the tabernacle? The Tent of Meeting was a tent, it was put up and taken down every time the cloud moved. I wonder how many times in 40 years that tent was taken down and put up? (The Seed Christian Fellowship is a portable church.  We rent a city room; we have rented it for almost ten years! 51 Sundays a year, plus Holy Week and Christmas Eve, we bring our trailer and we unload and set up and then tear down and store our portable TENT of a church.  Let me tell you, after ten years, it is a real sacrifice of the heart to oversee this enormous project called CHURCH. 40 years?)  Moses and company set up and tore down their tabernacle tent for not ten, but 40, years.

What was the original tabernacle, what did it look like? Was it a beautiful edifice or a building of great beauty? Were there stained-glass windows, great arches, fancy carpet, or wood flooring complete with paintings, ornate sanctuaries, and beautiful pipe organs? Not at all, not even close—the tabernacle of the Israelites was made of wood and animal skin. Nevertheless, every part of the old tabernacle was significant. Think of it this way, the tabernacle taught the way to God. First, the tabernacle had an altar for sacrifice that contained a laver, or a bronze wash basin, where the priests cleaned their hands. The traveling tabernacle, and even the magnificent tabernacle that Solomon built, had these items in the courtyard and in the Holy Place, and in the Holy of Holies.

I think the tabernacle is a perfect illustration of how a person must approach God.

The altar, which is the first thing we come to, is the cross of Christ. The cross was given to teach us that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (no cancellation of our debt, no penalty) of our sins. First, we need the cross in order to direct our attention to the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

Next, we find the laver — the bronze wash basin which is a picture of cleansing. Christ provides our cleansing when we confess our sins and enter fellowship with him. Next we find the table of shewbread or manna — bread of presence, within the Holy Place. This bread speaks of Christ as the bread of life. Now we come to the altar of incense. The altar is a picture of prayer, we grow by prayer as well as by feeding on Christ, the bread of life. Behind the altar of incense was the great veil, dividing the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This was the veil that was torn in two at the moment of Christ’s death! It demonstrated that Christ’s death was the fulfillment of all these figures and the basis of the fullness of our ability to now approach our Almighty God directly because of what Jesus Christ did for us once and for all.

Finally, within the Holy of Holies was the ark of the covenant with its mercy seat upon which the high priest placed the blood of the lamb once a year on the Day of Atonement. And in the Holy of Holies there was symbolized–by the space above the mercy seat—the magnificent presence of God into whose presence we can now come because of the great mercy of God revealed in the death of Christ for us.

We all come to God through Christ.  The cross is the altar in which Jesus Christ became the sacrifice and it is only through this sacrifice on the cross that we can enter the Holy of Holies.  I can only imagine Christ with the wash basin.  Can you see Christ with the wash basin? Can you enter the story and see Jesus pick up the wash basin and wash the feet of His disciples?  Can you place yourself into the story? Imagine Jesus washing YOUR feet. Remember this amazing fact: Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples, even Judas’ feet–who would quickly betray Him, a pretty humbling act of worship. What a powerful illustration of worship: before Jesus shared the breaking of the bread and remembering the cup of salvation, He washed feet.

Jesus is the bread of presence, Jesus is the incense, Jesus is the prayers of the people.  It was Jesus’ death that tore the veil. The veil was torn in two so that we can come straight to the mercy seat. We can worship in spirit and truth. We can go right to God.

When Jesus stood before Pilate and was questioned, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”   I think that is the question that we are all asking now.  What is truth?

After Jesus picked up the basin and towel, He washed the disciple’s feet. Then He shared the bread of presence and He told them of His soon-coming sacrifice: Jesus must be lifted up so all who believe in Him would have eternal life. Then in John 14 Jesus shared those comforting and challenging words …

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:1-7

So What?
God truly has a sense of humor. With the COVID 19 upon us, some of us cannot even enter our churches! What in the world is God doing?

Could God be teaching us to learn how to worship Him in truth?

Have you ever stopped and pondered the room that Jesus has prepared for you and me? I have.  It’s been a hard year of loss for our family. My dad died two days ago as did my cousin. I’ve also lost my mother-of-love, and my older brother. My wife and I have moved her 88 year-old dad into our home. Life is very different these days.

In our church, I have brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones, too. Many have had no opportunity to grieve with their family over their losses. “God, what are you doing?” I trust that God is sovereign. I must trust that God will be with us. For me, there is no other way.

God is doing something new in our worship.  God wants our true place of worship to be in our hearts.  God wants our position of worship to be on our faces in humility and adoration.  God wants our purpose of worship to be about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is no room for any other idol of our making.  God wants our worship to be about the truth, the way, and the life. No one can come to the Father unless they come through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, His humble servanthood of the wash basin, His cleansing us of our sins, and of our partaking of the bread of life—His body and of the cup of forgiveness, His shed blood.

Listen — Jesus says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.”

Here’s your homework for the week, so what?

What is the most magnificent church building I have ever been to?
What was so magnificent about it?
Describe that church…
Now ask yourself:
Is my heart anywhere near as beautiful a place for me to worship God?

I think of visiting the Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, the Cathedral of St. Peter. I can see the tall, arched ceilings. I can see the statues, the magnificent pipe organ. I can see the candles and the altar. I can smell the incense. I see the Bible sitting on the altar. And I wonder, what does the chapel of my heart look like?

Have you ever seen a picture of the Pieta?  It is the picture in our opening for this SEED OF FAITH for today.  It is found in Old St. Peters Basilica in Rome. Michelangelo sculpted this beautiful work saying it was the most perfect block of marble he ever worked with.  “In her utter sadness and devastation, Mary seems resigned to what has happened, and becomes enveloped in graceful acceptance.” All these years later, I still remember standing there. There was a large crowd with me, I do not recall that at all.  What I recall is being moved by love.

This week I want you to think about the church of your heart and what it looks like.  Maybe it is time to clear out the old and bring in the new. Maybe it is time to worship in truth. Is Jesus Christ your truth? Do you believe his words to the woman at the well?

Take a long drink from the wellspring of our Lord and Savior. I am now imagining my heart’s chapel in a whole new way. Does it matter how many songs I sing? Is there even such a thing as too many times of prayer? Does it matter if I sing hymns or praise songs? Kind of thinking we humans may have this whole thing backwards a bit. Start with your heart. Start there. Worship God in truth.

I think the Old Testament Israelites had a great start: a tabernacle that moved where they moved.

My heart…moves where I move.

May this scripture be true of you and of me: …a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.”

See you Sunday. Stay safe out there. I will be flying alone to my dad’s funeral this week. Please cover me in prayer.  I will be wearing my mask, face guard, gloves and social distancing. I will wash my hands and spray colloidal silver spray everywhere I go. I covet your prayers. Prayers for my wife as she stays behind and does the caregiving for her dad. God is at work in us recreating the PIETA in our hearts. If you’ve stayed with me until now, I’m guessing God is at work in you, too. I’m praying for you.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:21-24

Dear Faithful Seed-Sowers,

It is my prayer that we all come to know the deep, deep love of God and that we grow in the outrageous grace of Jesus Christ as we persevere through the pandemic and the delay of our election results. What a year 2020 has been!

We are still sitting with Jesus and with the woman at the well.  I encourage you to take some time and read the story of the woman at the well found in John 4:1-26.

Last week, I talked about how blessed I’ve been to travel the world and visit many different places of worship. I have seen idols ranging from crudely carved pieces of wood worshiped in the open air to elegant statues housed in beautiful cathedrals. One time on a church mission trip, we were in Peru. We had gone to build a church in a city in the mountains. I noticed a bull and a cross on the top of a farmhouse.  I asked our guide what that meant.  He laughed. “Oh, Pastor Dave, they are covering their bases.  They have the bull which is the pagan God for fertility for their home and crops.  They have the cross for the Christian faith.  They are covering all of their bases.”

I wonder if sometimes we are like the owners of the farmhouse in Peru.  We cover our bases. We hedge our bet.

You may think you have never made an idol other than God, neither have you worshiped one but….

Are you ready for me to step on your toes?

What exactly do you worship?

Who exactly do you worship?

Stop and think about these two questions for a moment. 

Our intelligence and intellect can become an idol as we sit in judgment upon God, His Word, and His purposes in history. We may also look down on others who are not as smart as we are.  Maybe we worship our education. (Ouch.)

Could your body be an idol? Are you are more concerned about physical appearance and health than you are about your inner, spiritual nature? Do you spend way more time working out than opening up your bible?  (Ouch.)

Could your business, or workplace, or your net worth come before God and be an idol of worship? (Ouch.)

Even another person could be your idol. Do you pattern your life after them rather than after God and His will? Do you worry more about pleasing them than pleasing God? (Ouch.)

Achieving your own goals can become your god if those goals are more important than following God’s plan for your life. Maybe popularity is your idol. Are you more interested in being accepted by other people than by God? Do you work hard to achieve the look, have the house, car, kids and family that would make you look successful? (Ouch.)

Could our phones and electronics become our idols and become what we worship?  I am sure that you get those weekly reminders from your phone that tells you your screen time was up or down 3 or 4 hours this week over last week? (Ouch.)

What is that we worship?  Why do we worship?

To worship is to ascribe worth to someone or something.  Today I want us to take an honest look at what is the thing or person that you ascribe worth to? On all of those grace retreats that I’ve served on since 1987, the first talk, no matter what kind of grace retreat it is, is  a talk about your priorities. You are asked to take a look at your life.  Look at your bank accounts—they might be a reflection of what you worship. Think about this question: What do you think about the most? Where do you spend the most time? What do you spend the most of your money on? Look, there’s no judgment here just thought-provoking questions. The answers might actually help you.

So What?
Jeremiah 33.3 says — “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

After my wife and I made our first grace-based weekend in 1987, we stopped and spent time together looking at the answers to these thought-provoking questions. Before this season of grace in our lives, we gave to God what we thought we could afford but first…we paid our mortgage, bought our food, provided for our children, and had our two separate, weekly FUN-money accounts for Jac and me. It was clear to us that God was not truly number one. We had not made God our number one priority. Attending the grace-based weekend didn’t make us better people, it made us think. What or who do we worship? Where do we spend our time? Where do we spend our money? Jac and I flipped our priorities upside down after that weekend in 1987. We decided we loved God and we wanted to worship God alone. We started to pray together every day. We became better givers to our home church, the first fruits of our weekly income went to God—we didn’t make 10% tithing right away but we improved on our giving. You know what? Since we put God first in our lives, God has told us great and unsearchable things!

Jeremiah 3:33! Show us great and mighty things.

I have a friend who was on vacation with his wife. They were at a gas station and Wal Mart when my friend heard, “See that guy over there? Go give him $80.” My friend was like, “Really? $80—not $5 or $10 or hey $20??” My friend went over to share with his wife what he was hearing. She said, “Do what you think you should do.” Hey, we’ve all been on vacation. Vacation is ME TIME—the money we’ve saved we are all too happy to blow on ourselves! YOLO—you only live once! And here was God, whom my friend worships with all of his heart, pulling at my buddy’s heartstrings. My friend walked over, struck up a conversation with the man and found out he was trying to get to a sick family member miles away. My friend blessed this man with….$80! Today when he tells the story, we all laugh! $80? Really? You know what I know? My friend and his wife are blessed knowing they did what was asked of them.

Brilliance at the well this week.  The unnamed woman at the well asks Jesus, “Where should I worship? Should I worship here or there?” Jesus replies, “You should worship everywhere!” I think what Christ is saying to the woman, and to us today, “Get your priorities straight. Put God first. Worship God with a humble, surrendered heart. Love God. Love others as you love yourself.”

What Covid-19/2020 has taught me this pandemic is that worship is not somewhere I go. I don’t go to worship at my home church. I don’t go to worship in a building. The church is not a building, the church is the BODY OF CHRIST…and it’s more important to worship GOD in my heart. Period.

Your SO WHAT? Homework questions this week are not easy but they will prove to be worthwhile. Sit down and take an honest look at yourself. Look at what you worship. Look at who you worship. What would happen if you were to put GOD at the number one position of worship? How would this one decision change your life?

Two closing stories. Our amazing naturopath prints out every SEED OF FAITH and ponders it all week long.  She journals on the ideas and “so what?” questions. When I stop in to pick something up, she loves to say, “So what? Pastor Dave!” The second story just happened to my wife. After teaching preschool, and having a magnificent day with their volcano pumpkins, one of the little boys broke away from his mom and said, “I have to tell my teacher!” He ran back and said, “I have Jesus in my heart!” Can you only imagine the party that happened in heaven when that little child asked Jesus into his heart? He’s only 4. I imagine it’s kind of like when you or I decide to topple our self-made idols and put GOD back on the throne of our heart. Listen, worship God everywhere. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter who you are: WORSHIP GOD.

I’m praying for you this week. November is the month when we give thanks. In all honesty, we have so very much to be thankful for:
pumpkin volcanoes, guys at gas stations, and all who put God on the throne of their heart. Have a great week.

Let’s pray:
“Jesus, you are the wellspring of my life. Only You can satisfy the deepest needs of my life. If I don’t have you as my number one priority, today I place you there and I worship—I bow down, I humble myself and I surrender to You. Give me my daily bread. I call out to You today. Show me great and mighty things. Amen.”

See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” John 4:19-21

Dear Faithful Seed-Sowers,

Here we are at the end of October! Today is the 31st–one of my favorite holidays: REFORMATION DAY! Yes, on this date in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg church doors in Germany! Oh, what a glorious day. God’s church should always be forming and reforming in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yet, here we are in 2020: the pandemic is still with us, it’s election season and things appear to be uncertain but I know One who is not uncertain. Let us learn more about worship in this Seed of Faith.

I love the passage in 2 Corinthians 12 when Paul asks the Lord to remove a thorn from his flesh.  The Lord answered Paul with these words, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Growing in grace during Covid-19 is hard.  I think we all wish to ask to have the Covid thorn removed from our flesh and our lives. Hear what Christ says, “My grace is enough for you! My power is make perfect in weakness.”  I know that during this time of panic and pandemic, anxiety and anger, fear and frustrations, doubt, and despair, worry and wonder, we can rest assured that God’s grace will be sufficient (enough) for us. Growing in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is what we are called to do.

Here are a few acrostics for COVID to ponder:

COVID
Christ
Overcomes
Viruses
In
Due time

COVID
Christ
Overcomes
Viruses 
Including
Diseases

Worship!  When you hear the word worship what comes to your mind?  Where do you worship?  How do you worship? When do you worship? Who do you worship?

These are the questions we wrestle with over the next few weeks.  We will look at the place of worship. The position of worship. The purpose of worship. And the PERSON of worship.

The woman at the well was surprised by Jesus.  She came looking to fill her empty water jars. Jesus came looking for her. Jesus found her hiding in the heat of the day, drawing water from a well that would never satisfy.  Jesus surprised her in her prejudices.  Jesus surprised her in sin.  Jesus surprised her in her evasiveness and avoidance.  Notice after Jesus tells her all about her life and how she has been married five times and the man she is with is not her husband, the unnamed woman changes the subject and asks Jesus about worship.  This is called distracting, avoidance, or redirecting. This woman is avoiding the subject, and changes the subject.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. John 4:19-21

“Where do I worship?” is the question that the Samaritan woman counters to Jesus as He is telling her about her life. I wonder if we are so different from this woman? Jesus tries to enter our lives. He knows everything about us and…we ask a distracting question desiring to get the heat off us and onto something (or someone) else.

I do have to hand it to her, the question of where we worship is truly a hot topic, especially today in 2020. We are meeting outside per state stipulations. It’s almost November. Yes, even today the topic of where to worship is HOT, HOT, HOT.

From Abraham to Ezra, the people of God built altars as they traveled. For 1500 years, the people of God built altars and offered sacrifices to God.  Moses built a portable sanctuary that traveled with the people for 40 years as they moved with the cloud by day and fire by night.  It was not until the time of Solomon that the first temple in Jerusalem was built. In 586 B.C.E. the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. It was seventy years before Ezra and the people came back and started rebuilding the temple and Jerusalem. Six hundred years later, the second temple was destroyed around 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, just as Jesus had predicted. It appears that the people of God have always struggled with this question: where do we worship?

“Surprised by God” is the series that we are in.  Did Jesus surprise the woman at the well with one of her evasive and elusive questions, “Where do we worship?”

In my career before becoming a pastor, I was blessed to be able to travel with Goodyear.  They sent my wife and I on amazing trips to the Netherlands, Italy, Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, and China. I must be honest with you, I was not always a follower of Christ.  I was like the woman at the well.  I was seeking the things of this world to fill my thirst and satisfy me. For more years than I care to remember, I made the trip every morning to the wells of the world. I was not aware yet that they would never fully satisfy my thirst.  During our trip to Italy, we went to the Vatican, St. Peter’s church and the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I was memorized by the opulence and massive size of what I saw.  Not only did we tour Roma, we also went into churches in Milan, Florence, and Venice.  We toured the places where Michelangelo placed his magnificent sculptures. While in China, we visited Buddhist and Hindu temples. Here in the USA, when Jac and I travel, we always find a church on Sunday to attend. While living in California, we have enjoyed visiting the California missions. God’s people all over the world place a high value on the beauty of their places of worship.

Today, during COVID 19, many of these magnificent edifices are now closed or are only open for a small number of masked people to attend.  Here in California our churches have been closed and opened and closed yet again. As I said before, the SEED Christian Community meets in a city community center in Rancho Cucamonga and the city buildings are closed. We have not worshiped together in our church home in Central Park since March. As we’ve prayed as a leadership board, we have decided do virtual church online together. Thank God for ONLINE CHURCH! It has helped many churches and thousands of people to stay connected and to worship together. Since the beginning of October, a pastor friend of mine has opened his church’s parking lot to us. We currently meet outside AND online!
What a great question asked by the Samaritan woman, “Where should we worship?”

So What?
A 2012 Pew study tracked the rise of a new religious group: the “nones,” or the religiously unaffiliated. One-fifth of Americans—and a full third of adults under 30—say they belong to no religion at all.  Yet, argues Casper ter Kuile, a researcher at Harvard Divinity School, this group is still looking for elements of religious experience. His 2015 study explores ways modern millennials seek out meaning, community, and ritual in the absence of organized religion. The study started by profiling organizations they deemed particularly formative in the lives of their students. One of the most striking spaces? Fitness classes. Institutions like CrossFit and SoulCycle are offering their students more than just a chance to lose weight or tone up. They function like religions.  “People come because they want to lose weight or gain muscle strength, but they stay for the community,” he said. “It’s really the relationships that keeps them coming back.” We heard people say, “CrossFit is my church,” “SoulCycle is like my cult,” in a good way. “Once that religious perspective had been opened in our eyes, so many things came out. Whether it’s the flag [on display] in every CrossFit [gym]; the way that the space is set up; or how you could follow a kind of liturgy in a SoulCycle class, especially through their use of light and sound. So, it’s really an emotional and spiritual experience as well as a physical one.”

The Samaritan woman raises an important question that is still important to this day: where do we worship during this time of Covid-19? I wonder if during this time of panic and pandemic if we as Christians have learned that the place of worship is NOT IN A BUILDING or a parking lot. The real place of worship, the place Jesus is speaking about, is IN OUR HEART.

Maybe this is one lesson we can all learn during this time of lock-down and of being shut-out of our churches. We don’t need a building. Church can be a building without walls. Church can be online. Church can be in a parking lot. Church can be in your car. Church can be on you tube.

Because of covid, my wife is teaching preschool for two little boys. They meet twice a week and she gives them the best experience she can. (She taught preschool, directed preschool from 1979 on. She retired two years ago.) She came home the other day and said that as one of the little boys was leaving preschool, he ran back. “Miss Gee, I have Jesus in my heart.” Miss Gee (aka Jac, my wife) has been teaching them a bible verse and a bible story a month. She was overjoyed to hear the good news her little preschooler shared with her. Here’s the truth, friends, if you have Jesus in your heart, you can worship GOD anywhere, any place, any time. AMEN?

Before Covid 19, if someone asked me, “Where do you worship?” I would have answered, “At Central Park in Rancho Cucamonga.” Not anymore, after months of videotaping my messages and learning a new way to preach, teach and reach, I have a new answer. “Where do you worship, Pastor Dave?” (Point to your heart.) “Right here.” I hope you have learned this wonderful insight, too. This is what the Bible means when it states that God will bring good out of the bad.

Your homework for the week: WORSHIP GOD. Anywhere. Anytime. Focus on creating within your own heart, the most beautiful place of worship you’ve ever been to. Is your heart a wooded forest? A cabin on a lake? The ocean at sunset? Is your heart extravagant like the Vatican? or the Sistine Chapel? Your heart is Christ’s home. It isn’t closed down, locked down, or shut down.

I have a great idea. Put on some Christian tunes and sing praise to God from your heart–where your Savior now lives! And let’s create the most beautiful place for worship ever known to humankind: YOUR HEART. AMEN.

See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,
It is my prayer that we come to know the deep, deep love of God as we endure this pandemic.  I pray we grow in the outrageous grace of Jesus and that God uses you to go out into your world (your family, workplace, schools, neighborhood, community) sowing seeds of faith. If this world ever needed living water, it needs it today.

We are still sitting with Jesus and the woman at the well. Picture the scene. It’s high noon, it’s hot.

There is a gold mine of pearls of wisdom to glean from this story.  Read John 4:1-26 and let’s see what the Holy Spirit is speaking to us.

Last week, we spent our time looking at the woman at the well and her response to the surprise she had that a Jewish man would ask her, a Samaritan woman, for a drink.  We saw how surprised she was that Jesus knew everything about her yet still responded in love to her. Stop for a moment and ponder that probing thought.  Jesus knows everything about you and still responds with love to you! This very thought humbles me, how about you?

Listen again to Jesus’ words, “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”

This reminds of a passage that God gives to the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah. Listen to Jeremiah’s words found in chapter two, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth? Why then has he become plunder? Lions have roared; they have growled at him. They have laid waste his land; his towns are burned and deserted.” Jeremiah 2:13-15 The people have forsaken God, the spring of living water and have dug their own wells instead. Sounds familiar.

Broken Wells
Here we are at an old well, or cistern, where Jesus finds this Samaritan woman. So many of us are like this woman; we have been digging our own cistern for years and we return there daily. We have dug wells of fame and fortune, wealth and health, power and prestige, sexuality and sensuality, alcohol and drugs, sports and academia, politics and popularity. The truth we find here in this story is that the wells of this world will never fully satisfy.  The wells of this world will never be enough.  The wells of this world hold stagnant, sluggish, and muddy water.  We are like the people in Jeremiah’s time.  We have turned away from the one, true spring of living water and we have built our own wells. The world’s wells will never completely satisfy; they will always shout, “More!”

Here’s a crazy idea:  Does Jesus wants to meet you at your well? You know the well, well.  You go there often, if not every day. Take a look around. Is that Jesus sitting there? Waiting for you to offer Him a drink of your polluted spring? I ask you a second time, Does Jesus want to meet you there today? (Stop and ponder that question.)

Jesus says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”   When Jesus says “everyone” the Greek word “pas” means “all, the whole, the total, anyone or anything.”  Jesus includes us all; He is not just speaking to one, outcast, Samaritan woman. Jesus is speaking to everyone, the total of all people who come to drink from the well. This means YOU and it means ME. All of us at some time in our life are drinking from a well that will never parch our thirst.

The Greek verb for “drinks” — “pino” is a present active verb which means that this action of us drinking is ongoing, unending, and continuous.  It makes great sense then that every single one of us has a well that we visit and drink from continuously. Jesus wants to give us a drink HIS well of living water. This water will quench our thirsty hearts, minds and souls. Maybe we should be thinking about it.

Everyone who drinks this water from this broken well will be thirsty — the word for “thirsty” — “depsesei” is a verb and it is in the future tense which means that we will be continually parched, thirsty, having strong desires.

What is that wakes you up with a strong desire?  What do you thirst for each day?

Jesus is telling us that if we will only ask Him for a drink, He will give us a drink of living water that will satisfy our desires. I don’t know about you but I can testify to the truth of this eternal, living water of Jesus Christ.

Bubbling Springs
“How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Psalm 36:7-9

Have you ever seen an artisan well?  The artisan well is a well or a spring that does not require a pump to bring water to the surface. The living water is continuously pumped to the surface because there is enough pressure contained within the aquifer to force the water to the surface without any sort of assistance. The water is alive.  The water is in never-ending supply.

The so what questions of the day are:
What well are you going to drink from? 
Will you drink from the broken wells of this world? 
Will you drink from the spring of living water that bubbles up to eternal life?

So What?
Jesus offers each one of us the same drink that He offered the Samaritan woman.

You know, Jesus could have shown up at the well at 6 a.m. when all the popular kids got their water, but he did not. Jesus went to the well in the heat of the day because Jesus knew there would be an outcast who was too ashamed to be seen at the well at 6 a.m. She was a sinner—she had lived with five different men—and was not married to the one she was living with now. And everyday she made the long trip to the well. Alone. Hot. Tired.

“All you have to do is ask me and I will give you living water, a spring of water welling up, an artisan well of water…and you will never be thirsty again.”  Please notice Jesus didn’t make her state her credentials. He simply said, “All you have to do is ask.” 

The choice is ours to make. Do we want to return to the wells we have dug in the heat of the day? Or are we thirsty enough to ask Jesus for living water?

I understand that we are living in unprecedented times. No one has canvassed this season and written a book about surviving COVID-19, the world-wide pandemic. There’s hundreds of thoughts and ideas out there for us to ponder; from the far right to the far left and all in between.

Here is what I know: (Grab your Bible and hold it up) This is an artisan well. Come here daily and drink your fill. I started reading my bible in October of 1997. I have not stopped. God’s word is new to me every morning. (Lamentations 3:22)  Every day when I open this book up, I am filled with hope, peace, insight and wisdom. During my 66 years on the planet, I have been to countless other wells. They have all left me thirsty.

This week I want you to be honest with yourself. Are you drinking from the well of living water or are you drinking from a polluted well?
John Ortberg has written a most excellent book (and a bible study dvd) entitled, “Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You.” Check it out. He gives a great illustration of how we are to go check out our stream, our wells. Are they clear and free? Or are they stagnant, filled with the trash of our life?

This is exactly what Jesus is saying to the Samaritan woman. “I don’t care who you are.  I don’t care where you’ve been. If you will simply ask Me, I will give you LIVING WATER.”

Her response is more than amazing! I hope ours is, too.

See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Copyright © 2018 THE SEED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, All rights reserved. May you be blessed by God’s grace and love. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our weekly devotionals.   Our mailing address is: 6450 Emerald Street Alta Loma, California 91701   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’”  John 4:10

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

It is my prayer that as we live and walk through this world-wide pandemic that we do not get lost!  Have you ever felt spiritually lost?  Do you feel a little spiritually lost now? My prayer is that God’s word will be our guide and that we won’t get lost.

We have been taking time to sit at the well in Samaria with Jesus and the woman at the well. I encourage you to read John 4:1-26 this week.  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak life and light to your heart and mind.

Last week we looked at the fact that the woman at the well was spiritually empty  The woman at the well missed the real living water at first. Why?  She was spiritually empty and spiritually lost.

SPIRITUALLY LOST
What I find interesting in this story is that Jesus speaks seven times in the conversation and the woman speaks six.  Jesus begins with a question, “Will you give me a drink?”  Jesus, the living water, asks for a drink of water. The woman replies with a tirade of prejudices.  “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)  Jesus challenges her with the statement, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Don’t you find it interesting that this woman misses Jesus’ invitation completely?

I wonder how many times you and I have missed these encounters with Jesus.  Jesus offers us himself and we question and doubt Him just like the woman at the well. “Hey, Mr. Living Water, where’s your bucket? Where are your containers? You think I’m going to do all the work and give you a drink of my water?  What are you doing here, coming to the well in the middle of the day? There is never anyone here…but me. And you expect me to fetch you a drink? Mighty bold of you, Mr. Living Water.”

Jesus asked a question. That is all. “Will you give me a drink?”

One hundred years ago, The Student Volunteer Movement for Missions met in Des Moines, Iowa, and they voted to drop the traditional aspects of its program which had focused on Bible study, evangelism, and foreign missions. Instead they voted to choose to focus on racial injustice, imperialism, and other social issues. Within fifteen years the movement was dead.[i]

Thirsty people need more than optimism, confidence, self-will, and self-worth.  They need good news and that good news centers in the only one who can say, “The water I give [you] will become in [you] a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”’

The problem is that when a person is spiritually empty and spiritually lost—it is easy for us to miss Jesus at the wells of our lives.

SPIRITUALLY FULL — SATISFIED
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Look for a moment at what Jesus is saying to the woman in verses 13 and 14.  Jesus tells her that nothing will ever satisfy her longing and dissatisfaction…except for a continuous long drink of God’s living water. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”

Don’t miss the word, “Never!”  (Say that verse again.)

Jesus saw the woman for who she was: God’s creation.

Jesus sees us for who we are: God’s creation.

Are you spiritually empty? Are you spiritually lost? This story is put here for us! Can we read and come to know and understand that Jesus offers us this same drink of living Water? This drink will satisfy our thirsty soul forever. Do not miss what Jesus offers the woman and what Jesus offers us: a drink of living water that will completely satisfy and permanently satisfy. Once we have tasted this living water of Jesus Christ, we will never be thirsty again. Once we have tasted the living water of Jesus, the ways of the world lose their hold on us.

SO WHAT?
So what do these ancient words mean to us today as we are shut-in, shut-out, or essential workers? What about our relationships, our families, our church and our friendships?  I am here today to tell you that God wants to speak to you of a living water that will fill you and bring you eternal life.

When we were in Zambia, Africa, with our mission team I was struck by the life-giving wells that have been dug in the compounds.  The people of the area go daily to these wells for water, 365 days a year. Do you know that the human body is made up of 60% water? Do you know you could go without food for about 3 weeks but you could only go without water for 3-4 days? Every cell in our body needs water. Water is a lubricant for our joints, regulates our body temperature, and flushes out waste. Water acts as a shock absorber for your brain and spinal cord. Water is needed by your brain to manufacture hormones and your neurotransmitters. Water helps to deliver oxygen throughout your body.

Now, can you understand why Jesus met this outcast Samaritan woman at the well, in the middle of the day? “Will you give me a drink?”

Why didn’t she just give the guy a drink? Because she was spiritually empty, and spiritually lost. She needed a spiritual refilling and Jesus knew that. I am going to be really bold here: When Jesus meets you at the center of your emptiness and lostness, it’s an invitation for you to never thirst again. It is an invitation for your hot, dry well to become a SPRING of life-giving water. A spring has an underground source. Much of the bottled water that we pay good money for today comes from SPRINGS of underground wells!

Are you hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying? Are your ears open? Are your eyes open? Is your heart open? Jesus wants to trade us: our stagnant, worldly well for His, our shallow, empty well for His, our dried up, lost well for His.

“I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me, makes the lame to walk and the blind to see, opens prison doors, sets the captives free. I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me. SPRING UP, O WELL, and fill my soul! Spring up, O well, and make me whole! Spring up, O well, and give to me: THAT LIFE ABUNDANTLY!”

Here is a link to the song on YouTube … https://youtu.be/ytGCFLK3KtU

Here we are, Jesus is standing at your well and asks you a simple question, “Will you give me a drink?”

Here’s your answer. “Jesus, thanks for meeting me here at my empty well. Why don’t you give me a drink of your living water instead?”  I promise you: HE WILL! And you will never thirst again. Keep drinking from the life-giving well of Jesus Christ and from the words of Scripture; living words for parched souls: acronym for BIBLE–Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!

“Jesus, meet me at the wells I visit that never seem to satisfy my soul. I want the life-giving water that springs up eternal life. Amen.”
See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

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Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

First of all, I truly believe that God will make us faithful and fearless seed sowers during this corona-virus epidemic. Life has changed.  Sowing seeds of faith has changed. I pray God is creating you more faith and less fear!

We are still digging deeply into the well at Sychar in Samaria. Maybe during this time of anxiety from the pandemic you might be experiencing a little bit of feeling spiritually empty. If so, come along on our journey and drink from the well that promises to spring up to eternal life. I encourage to take a few minutes this week and read John 4:1-26; as you read, put yourself into the story. Don’t just enter the story once, put yourself into all of the characters.  They all have a viewpoint and a story to tell from the well and Jesus promises us that, if we drink, we will never thirst again!

Let me set the stage.  Around 722-721 B.C. the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian army.  The king of Assyria deported many of the Jewish people and transplanted foreigners to live in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  These foreigners intermarried with the Jewish people and the races became mixed.  This land was called “Samaria”, the people were called “Samaritans.”  When the Southern Kingdom fell to the Babylonians in 586 many of the remining Jewish people remained behind and longed for the return of God’s kingdom.  Finally, after 70 years of captivity, the Jewish people started returning under Ezra, a scribe, and Nehemiah, the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. The people banded together rebuild the walls and they also started to rebuild the temple. The returning Jewish people now viewed the “Samaritans” as political rebels, racial half-breeds and religious people who worshiped the many Gods of the foreigners along with the One True God — Yahweh!  Their prejudices were mighty and many!

This surprise encounter with Jesus at the well confronted all of the prejudices this woman held.  First, she was a Samaritan. Samaritans and Jewish people had nothing to do with each other. Second, she was a woman.  Men did not talk to women in that culture. Third, she had been with many different “husbands” and she was a sinner. Any righteous, religious person would never have anything to do with a sinner like this woman. Fourth, her place of worship was there at the well of Jacob, the Jewish people worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem. Did you hear the prejudices? Racial prejudices, social prejudices, moral prejudices, and religious prejudices are all confronted in this story found in John 4.

Maybe an early “so what?” question for us today is, “Where does Jesus surprise you with your prejudices?”

“What if Jesus met me at Jacob’s well this Sunday morning?” I’m serious, what if you were dressed just like you are right now, and what if you had gone to the grocery store: Staters, Vons, Ralphs, Sprouts or your own favorite, grocery store? On your shopping list is: WATER! Go to the well to get water and,,, Jesus meets you there? Holy cow! (This is what I call “putting yourself into the story!”)

Am I spiritually empty? Maybe that is a good “so what?” question during this season of our lives. Some of us are totally running on empty while others of us seem to be coasting along okay but we do hit a few bumps here and there. The truth is we are all like this woman at the well.  At one time or another we’ve all become empty. It’s true; we become empty with the things this world has to offer.  We become lost when we follow our own will and go our own way and we don’t leave any room for God to surprise us.

The real truth is, we all long to be spiritually filled.

What I find interesting in this story is that woman at the well had most likely heard of the prophets and their prophecies.

Listen to just four of these prophecies:

“On that day, a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” Zechariah 13:1

“On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.” Zechariah 14:8

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” Isaiah 44:3

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3

I wonder if this unnamed Samaritan woman had grown up reciting, singing, and memorizing the Psalms?

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Psalm 42:1-3

But somewhere along her way, she forgot those words and she began to drink from other wells.

This Samaritan outcast came to the well in the middle of the day in order to be alone. She wanted to be away from the ridicule, scorn, mockery, shame, and guilt she felt from the other women and the rest of the people of Sychar.  She was spiritually empty.  Spiritually bankrupt. Can you go with her to the well? It’s the middle of the day. It is burning hot. And there she is dragging her empty containers with her. The woman was empty. She was not expecting God to meet her at the well.  She was not expecting a surprise from God. She was expecting that she would go, get her water, and go home. Everyone else had already gotten their water. Sneak in, sneak out in the middle of the heat of the day.

Do you ever do anything like this? Do you look in the mirror and say, “Don’t go to the store now, you might run into someone you know. Wait til just before the store closes.” And at 9:50 pm, you put on your hat and sunglasses and pull your jacket up to cover your face, you keep your head down and enter the store. Ever been there?

Okay. Now imagine Jesus meeting you at whatever aisle you are shopping in. Right.  You need tomato sauce? There’s Jesus.  You need milk? There’s Jesus.

Jesus meets this woman right where she is.  Jesus meets her in the middle of her shame, guilt, fear, doubt and even in her hiding.

Are you empty?  Are you worried and troubled by many things?  Maybe you think you cannot go one more day or walk one more mile with the burden you are carrying. The truth is that Jesus will meet you no matter where you are, no matter what you have done.

At first meeting, the woman misses Jesus, she misses the living water. Why?  She was spiritually empty and spiritually lost.

So What?
I am here to tell you today that Jesus wants to meet you right where you are and Jesus has a gift for you: the gift is to come drink from the well that springs up to eternal life.  The choice is simple, take and drink or walk away empty. My prayer is that you will drink deeply like the deer at the stream.

Open your bible. Read the story of the woman at the well.  Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Let God surprise you!

My wife became a Christian 20 months before I did. For 600 days, she watched me go to the world’s wells. For 600 days, she went to the well of living water. I don’t know how many times she mustered up her courage. She walked into the family room where I was putting on my work boots and she handed me her bible. She said the same thing every time: “Here. Would you please read this? I highlighted it.  I don’t want you to read the whole book. I don’t want you to read the whole page.  Just read the sentence or two I’ve highlighted.” Each time she did this, for 600 days, 20 months, I smiled and took the book.  When she left the room, I closed the book and set it under the couch. There were days, I’m embarrassed to tell you, that I slid her bible across the room. What I did notice is that Jac was happy. She was full of joy. And the other thing I noticed, it wasn’t me that was making her so happy. Jac had joined bible studies and had everyone in town praying for me. One day she told me her bible study was hosting a couples bible study. She handed me a piece of paper with the name of the study (Romans) and the name of the teacher. The teacher was one of my former high school teachers and he was one of my favorite teachers. I decided to go and hear what he had to say; he was, after all, a really great teacher!

It took me until chapter 8 of Romans, verses 14 and 15, to understand that the wells of the world were not going to quench my thirst. Jesus met me at the well that night after bible study. It was January in Northern Illinois. It was freezing and the snow was blowing. The bible teacher had talked to our group about how we are children of God, how we can cry, “Abba, Father” to God. I couldn’t wait to get home that night. I got down on my knees and I prayed, “God, if you want to be my father, I’d like to give you a try!”

That well has never run dry. The year was 1981. Jesus met me at the well that cold, snowy night. SURPRISE, Dave!

Come meet the man who knows everything about me and still wants to be my Father. Come to the well that never runs dry.  No matter where you are, no matter what you’ve done–you are forgiven. And THAT is the BEST SURPRISE of all.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is my prayer that during these days of the pandemic that we come to KNOW the LOVE of God, GROW in the GRACE of Jesus Christ, and GO in the POWER of the Holy Spirit. It’s really a perfect time to MAKE TIME to open your LIVING WORD and drink deeply from the WELL OF ETERNAL LIFE.

We are walking slowly through Samaria with Jesus.  We are walking very slowly. I encourage you to take a few moments and read John 4:1-26 again.  Put yourself into this story. Are you the woman at the well? Are you one of the disciples who go into town? Are you a town person? Maybe you’re the clerk selling the disciples food for Jesus. Seriously.  Go look at what Samaria looked like back then. Put yourself INTO the story. And then ask yourself, “What is the Holy Spirit saying to me?” “What is Jesus saying to me?” “What is God, my Father, saying to me?” As the pandemic lingers, maybe now is a good time to put yourself into another story: the story of the unnamed woman at the well.

Last week in The Seed of Faith we looked at the “Gentleness of Jesus.” This week I want like to reflect on “The Patience and Loving Kindness of Jesus.”

Here we go. The unnamed woman comes to draw water from the well in the middle of the day. I don’t know about you, but out here in SOCAL, it’s hot and it’s been hot for around 100 days. If I knew I had to go draw water every day, you can bet I’d get up early and go when it was the coolest. I know I wouldn’t go in the middle of the day when the sun was beating down the hottest.

There she is at the well. Can you see her? It’s hot. It’s the middle of the day and the sun is bright. Jesus asks her for a drink. “Hey, unnamed woman at the well, would you mind giving me, a total stranger, a drink of the water you just worked really hard to retrieve?”

I can picture the scene. I wonder if any words were exchanged. I wonder if she just shot Jesus a look before she replied, “I’m a Samaritan and you’re a Jew.  I’m a woman and you’re a man. We aren’t supposed to talk to each other.” And then Jesus speaks to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

I have been pondering this question: “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks for a drink….”

This unnamed woman comes every day to this well to draw water.  This water never gives her satisfaction. She’s always back the next day, and the day after that and the day after that.  And here is Jesus, opening up a dialogue. Will she respond? Will you?

Maybe a simple so what question for today is: what do you know about being dissatisfied by the world?

The dis-ease this woman has is dissatisfaction.  What is the dis-ease you have?  What are you dissatisfied with? Who are you dissatisfied with?  This woman lacks spiritual satisfaction and has gone to drink water from a well that will never satisfy.

So What?  How many times do you and I go to that well?

There’s plenty of wells that always say, “MORE!” How about the wells of of materialism, money, power, eating, drinking, sex–just to name a few. These are wells that never cry, “Enough. I’m satisfied.”

As many of you know, I love the Psalms.  I love the prayer in Psalm 103. Psalm 103 is only seventeen verses, but it is powerful.  I love verses 8 and 9 — “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever…” Psalm 103:8-9

Do you see it?  Do you hear it? The Lord is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.  That is exactly what Jesus was demonstrating with the woman at the well. On one side of the well we have the unnamed woman doing her job, doing her duty and on the other side of the well is Jesus. 

Look at the patience and loving-kindness of Jesus in this encounter. All throughout the Old Testament we read story after story of the patience, long-suffering, and loving-kindness of God.  In this story of the woman at the well we read about Jesus’ patience, long-suffering, and loving-kindness with this woman. This patience of Jesus is based upon His knowledge and power. Jesus knows the end from the beginning. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  Jesus is the Lord: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love. And the good news for us today is that Jesus is patient with us just as He was with woman at the well. Maybe she is unnamed so that we can easily put ourselves into her place, into her story. Jesus knows our condition, that is why he came into the world. Jesus knows men and women who are trapped in a sinful lifestyle just as this woman at the well was.

So What?
“So what?” do these ancient words mean to us today?

In January of 2003 I went with a group of men to Rockford, Illinois, to help get a Credo Recovery weekend started.  Did you catch that? It was the middle of January in Illinois.  What was wrong with me?  I grew up in Illinois. It is cold, and snowy, and windy, and freezing in Illinois in January.  And, sure enough, the snow was blowing, and temp was below zero. The Credo Recovery weekend was held inside the Salvation Army men’s adult rehabilitation center (ARC). Credo Recovery is a grace-based recovery weekend for those who are struggling with addiction; addictions of all kinds.  These men at this ARC had committed to staying in the Salvation Army Rehab facility for 90 days. Our Credo group went in and led worship and shared talks on God’s grace and forgiveness.  I was one of the spiritual directors. For one of the messages, I used Psalm 103:

Psalm 103
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. ²Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— ³who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, ⁴who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, ⁵who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. ⁶The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. ⁹He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; ¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹²as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. ¹³As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; ¹⁴for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; ¹⁶the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. ¹⁷But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— ¹⁸with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. ¹⁹The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. ²⁰Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. ²¹Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. ²²Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul. (Psalm 103)

As I read my bible, I see my notes. My notes are like footprints of where I’ve been. As I read Psalm 103, I thought of these men and I thought of the woman at the well. Sitting across from the non-satisfying well that you pull up sits Jesus. Jesus told the unnamed woman everything she had ever done. He knew all about her and, yet, he waited for her.  He asked her for a drink.

I do not know what you are struggling with.  Maybe you go to a well every, single day and come back empty, and dissatisfied.  Maybe the fear of failure, the hurts of the past, the anxiety of the times, the physical struggles, or your emotional struggles have left you empty and wanting more.  I want you to know that it the Lord himself who is waiting at your well. It is the Lord of Psalm 103 who is waiting for you.

Jesus knows that we are dust. The Lord’s well was established in heaven and He is a well that never runs dry. Jesus is compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He does not repay us for our sins. He removes our sins from us–as far as the east is from the west.

Do you see it? It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done. The unnamed woman was forgiven. The men and women of Credo have been forgiven. You and me? We are forgiven. Our sins have been removed from us.

And Jesus sits at the well of our life and waits for us.

If only you knew who it is who is asking you for a drink….

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed Sowers,

It is my prayer that as we go through this pandemic of Covid-19 and are shut-down in so many ways, we will stand strong in the grace and mercy of Jesus.

We have been looking at John 4:1-26 for our entire SUMMER SERIES!  I encourage you take a few minutes over the next week and read and re-read this story.  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Try to put yourself into this story. There are many characters in the story, try on several of their sandals and see the story from their side: Jesus, unnamed woman, disciples, town people, ex-husbands, current partner–and YOU.

Have you ever been surprised by God? 

I asked that question this week to several of my friends. Some of them shared how God has surprised them.  One friend who is struggling with emphysema and multiple myeloma cancer wrote to me and said, “Amazingly this humanly incurable cancer I have is sensitizing me to the Presence and Reality in ways not previously expected. Jesus is wonderful.” Another friend said that he moved to California to find love but Jesus showed up and changed his life unexpectedly .A good friend in Illinois texted me after I asked him, “Have you ever been surprised by God?”  He shared how he was lost at 21 and while driving his motorcycle he hit a car head-on.  He was driving without a license plate, insurance, and helmet.  The doctors who did surgery on him after the accident told his parents that it would be a miracle if he gained 100% use of his right hand.  The doctor said he would be hoping for 50% use of his right hand. My friend’s parents were Christian, and they prayed for their son. Today, after battling and overcoming the accident, my friend has 100% use of his right hand and is a strong believer in miracles.

Have you ever been surprised by God?

Let’s focus on Jesus and how He responds to the woman at the well.  Next week we will look at the woman and we will focus on her response to Jesus.

When we read this story, we see that Jesus is always in control. This is a good point for us to ponder.  Each one of us is going through a zillion different situations.  Many are struggling emotionally with the fear of the virus, the panic of the pandemic, and the emotional lockdown  and isolation of this physical epidemic. As we read this story, please notice that Jesus is in control of the situation. Maybe we should apply this to our own situation right now:  “God is in control.”

Another point to ponder is that we are told that Jesus had to go through Samaria.  Why?  Because Jesus had it on his agenda to meet this woman. Jesus was in control of this meeting. As a pastor, I meet hundreds (if not thousands of people) and after a few minutes, I wonder why so many of us try to control so much of our life. Why in the world do we feel that it is our job to control our friends, families, workplaces, schools, neighbors, and even our religion or faith experiences?  Some of us are trying really hard to control the virus, and the germs. I have a great point for us to think on: when Jesus sets his heart and affection upon a person, Jesus always takes charge, and does not let go.

Maybe an early “SO WHAT?” question that we need to ask is “Who is in charge of my life?”  I’m hoping that by reading this story and studying it, we are going to let go of our end of the rope of control. If we know that we are in Jesus’ hands, we can find real comfort for our souls. We can trust that Jesus is in control of our lives. We can trust that God is not surprised by our situation.

What amazes me in this story is the extreme gentleness of Jesus. The gentleness of Jesus is such a beautiful aspect of this story. Do not miss it!

Look how Jesus’ gentleness pours out with this woman.  The woman at the well was living in adultery and had been for some time. Jesus does not scorn her or ridicule her.  Jesus does not force the situation.  Jesus does not shame her or disgrace her. Jesus is full of grace and wants the fullness of grace for her. Oh, how I pray that you will know that Jesus wants the fullness of grace for you, too.

One of my favorite passages from the prophet Isaiah is found in Isaiah 42:3, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice…” (Isaiah 42:3)

To me Jesus handles the bruised reed of this woman so very gently.  Her life is but a smoldering wick. Every day her life is trying to be snuffed out by the world, by the other women of Sychar, by her ex-husbands and even by herself.  This unnamed woman is lives a life of fear, anxiety, doubt, shame, disgrace, guilt, remorse, and forgiveness. She doesn’t want to see anyone, hence, she goes to the well in the middle of day, in the heat because no one else will be there.

Maybe some of us are living in fear, anxiety, doubt, shame, disgrace guilt remorse and unforgiveness.

Do you see the gentleness of Jesus in this story? He heads to Samaria and stops at the well. He is waiting for this unnamed woman.

We are told that Jesus must go to Samaria to meet this woman.  Jesus is concerned about her soul. Pay close attention; Jesus does not grab ahold of her, shame her or condemn her. Jesus gently brings this unnamed woman at the well face-to-face with the honest truth, the truth of her need for grace and love. Wow!  The gentleness of Jesus!

So What?
Why is it important for us to notice the gentleness of Jesus? Because Jesus uses this same method with us. The truth is that many times we miss this gentleness. We’re so in control of everything that we’ve even set up our own idea on how Jesus will meet us. “Jesus, I sleep in until 6 a.m. then I have my coffee.  I need a solid hour of peace and quiet. no talking but anytime between 7-9 a.m. is good.  I’ll leave that time slot open for you.”

I’m going to challenge you today. Your “SO WHAT?” is simply this:

In the middle of my ordinary day, am I open to meeting Jesus at the dry well of my life?

From what I know of Jesus, he rarely surprises us between our allotted time slots that we’ve reserved for Him to surprise us.

You never know where or when you are going to be surprised by Jesus.  You never know what words or questions Jesus is going to ask.

Let’s get one thing straight as we put ourself into this story: Jesus controls the SURPRISE factor, not you.

“If only you knew the GIFT OF GOD…and WHO IT IS THAT IS ASKING YOU FOR A DRINK….you would have asked and He would have given you living water.”

Surprise, that’s our gentle Jesus.

“Lord, do it again. Surprise me. As I study this story, surprise me. Help me to let go of the controls. I want living water. Amen.”
See you Sunday!

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

If you would like to join in our online worship on Sunday mornings at 10 A.m., Pacific here is the link

theseedchristianfellowship.online.church

Or you can go to our YouTube channel at The Seed Christian Fellowship and watch our message or our complete worship service.

Keep THE SEED in prayer as our leadership team voted to hold outdoor worship beginning this Sunday in the parking lot of the TAIWANESE Church, 9284 Baseline Road, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 91701,,

^{“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.'”John 4:10}

Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed-Sowers,

During the world-wide pandemic it is my prayer that the Lord would bless you and keep you in His unfailing love.  May Jesus meet you at the well of living water as you work your way through this unprecedented time of covid-19. This week I pray that we learn that God shows up during our ordinary days and when we least expect Him to.

GOD SHOWS UP ON ORDINARY DAYS
As I read the living word of God, I am always amazed at how God shows up on ordinary days. The purpose? To surprise you. Jesus met Peter and Andrew in their fishing boat getting ready to do their job–fish. Matthew (Levi) was at his tax collector’s booth doing his job: collecting taxes. I love this story of the woman at the well; she was not at a big, Jewish festival or at a concert in the local synagogue. She wasn’t away in the mountains on a private retreat.  The woman at the well was going out in the middle of the day in order to draw water from the well so that she could cook, clean, and do her ordinary tasks. She went out to get the water her many jobs at home required. We are not told how many people are in her household. We are not told how far she had to walk but we are told that she went out around the 6^th hour (midday or the hottest part of the day) high noon. From the dialogue with Jesus, we know she had had 5 husbands and was living with a man who was not her husband. What we know about the Jewish culture of that day, if the woman went to well in the early morning, she would have been around all the women of town who were also getting water. The woman waited. She did not want to join the companh of the other women. My guess is she knew that they knew about her. They might look disgustingly at her and whisper about her.  The other women would shame her and ridicule her.

Instead, the unnamed woman comes out at the hottest part of the day, noon, and she is carrying two jars of water on her shoulders. Big, heavy clay jars. Her family and her household needed water. There was bathing to do, washing dishes to do, and cooking to do–just to name a few of her responsibilities. The woman arrived at the well not expecting a thing.

Don’t miss it: Today is just another ordinary day! {I think we call those days, “Monday!”}

Something amazing happens. On this very ordinary day, Jesus is waiting for her at the well of her ordinary life. How I have been hoping and praying for you to be surprised at the well of your ordinary life this series.

SOMETIMES GOD SHOWS UP WHEN WE LEAST EXPECT HIM
Expect the Unexpected is a familiar theme in the scriptures.

-Abram becoming a father at 99 years old.
-Moses coming across a burning bush.
-Joshua called to lead the people after Moses dies.
-Ruth who follows her mother-in-law., Naomi, “Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.”
-Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer, lets Ruth glean his fields.
-How about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trapped in a fiery furnace with a fourth man in the fire?
-Daniel in the lion’s den.
-Jonah swallowed and in the belly of whale for three days.
-David facing a giant of a man over nine feet tall with a slingshot and five smooth stones.

The list is long. I believe with all of my heart that God loves to show up when you least expect it. Ordinary with Jesus is extraordinary.

Can we relate? It’s 2020.

Maybe you are facing a giant today with Covid-19.  Maybe the quarantine has you defeated and depressed. Maybe your finances are being depleted.  Maybe a relationship has fallen apart.

The GOOD NEWS FOR YOU FOR TODAY:
Expect the Unexpected.

I always will ask you to put yourself into the story we study.  Today is no exception. Maybe you are one of the people who is at home. WAITING. “What’s taking her so long? I need to get to my meeting.”  Maybe you’re one of Jesus disciples; waiting for a miracle.

The story of the unnamed woman at the well is your story. It’s my story.

Every beautiful morning, we wake up. What’s your routine? I’ll tell you mine: I check my phone to see if I have any messages from the church. I use the rest room. Brush my teeth. Make coffee. Stand around and try to wake up.

Go ahead. What’s your ordinary morning routine?

Okay. STOP.

Suddenly, in the middle of your ordinary morning, there’s Jesus. What’s He saying?

“Give me a drink.”

Would you? I want you to know that if you will let yourself be interrupted on this very ordinary day, it won’t be just coffee that you share. If you listen closely, you will be sharing LIVING WATER from the wellspring of eternal life. Let me give you a really fun example.

For the past 230 days my wife and I have cared for her Dad.  We’ve been his 24/7 caregivers.  It’s a whole lot of work. Recently, we found a wonderful woman whom we’ve hired for respite care. Twice a month my wife and I are going to go sleep in a hotel and rest.  Those are two things we don’t usually get to do these days of caregiving: SLEEP. REST.

We just got home today from our three days, and two glorious nights away. We sat on the beach all day. Let me clarify. Jac sat on the beach. I threw seaweed back into the ocean. We saw dolphins play in the morning. We enjoyed a two-hour sunset each night. We shared a filet mignon meal each night. Our TV didn’t work. Jac napped. I read. It was 98 degrees back home and smoky. It was 65 degrees on the beach, foggy.

Two weeks prior to making our hotel reservations, two friends called to ask what exact days we were going away.  They had the name of a great hotel they knew about and they wanted to see if it had vacancies.

So What?
I do not know what you are facing in this time of Covid-19.  Maybe you face loneliness, illness, homesickness. Maybe you are missing school, or work.  Maybe you are missing family. Maybe you have a loved one in the hospital or assisted living home. Maybe today you are just going to take your chances; you are going to go late to the well. You have a million things to do. You’re just going to run to the well, get the water and go home. It’s an ordinary day.

You plus your ordinary day equals an ordinary day.

You plus JESUS standing at the well of your ordinary day makes for quite an extraordinary day!

Your homework for this week is to sit with this question:

AM I REALLY WILLING FOR JESUS TO MEET ME AT MY ORDINARY WELL?

On the first day that my wife sat on her towel at the ocean, four sets of dogs came running over to her. Each of the four dog owners were like, “We’re so sorry.  Our dog never does this.  Our dog is shy. I’ve never in my life seen my dog run over to a perfect stranger.” One of the dogs came and sat down right by my wife.  I missed the whole thing.  He licked her face! Sat down. Then laid down. The owner ran over and called the dog, “Chase.  Chase.” The dog didn’t move. The man apologized profusely for barging in on her morning. Jac, as only Jac can say, told the man, “Your dog was sent by God to stand at the dry well of my ordinary day.” After the man left, somewhat perplexed by her comment, Jac told me, “Dave, Jesus chased me down–just like the woman at the well.  He saw her. He waited. He gave her a drink of living water.” I was somewhat perplexed by my wife at the moment.  She turned and yelled over her shoulder, “CHASE. The dog’s name was Chase. I didn’t have to chase God. God chased me.”

Are you ready for God to chase you? Are you ready for Jesus to turn your ordinary day into something more?

Something extraordinary? That’s my prayer for you this week.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

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Dear Faithful and Fearless Seed Sowers:

Greetings faithful and fearless ones! I hope and pray that you are well and that the Lord Jesus is shining His light and love into your lives during this time of the pandemic. Today we begin a series on John 4:1-26.  I have titled this series, “Surprised By God.”  It is my prayer that God will surprise you each and every single day with His everlasting love and grace.  I hope you read through John 4:1-26.  Stop, pause and ponder the verses.  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what he wants to tell you. Put yourself into the story!

NOTHING DEPENDS ON US
Have you ever stopped to ponder verse four — ^“Now he had to go through Samaria.” 

Why did Jesus have to go through Samaria? The Samaritans were hated by the Jewish people. Most Jewish people would walk the two extra days around Samaria just to avoid the people there. Why?

What I find so amazing is the stark contrast between two groups of people.  Think of Nicodemus. Go and read his story in chapter three and then read this story again in chapter four.  Can you see it, the difference between the important and sophisticated Nicodemus, this ruler of the Jews, and the simple Samaritan woman? Nicodemus was a Jew, she’s a Samaritan.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, he was high class. She belonged to no religious party, she was low class. Nicodemus was a politician, she had no status whatsoever–unless you call a bad reputation a status. Nicodemus was a scholar, the woman at the well was fairly uneducated.  Nicodemus was highly moral,  the unnamed woman at the well was not all that moral (she had at least five husbands and was not married to the one she was with at the time.) Think of it this way, Nicodemus has a name in the Scriptures. She is nameless. Nicodemus was a man; she was a woman. Nicodemus went in the dark of night to meet with Jesus, to protect his reputation; the unnamed woman had no reputation, she meets with Jesus at high noon at the town well. Nicodemus came seeking something of Jesus; the woman at the well was sought by Jesus.

WOW!  Did you hear that?  The unnamed, immoral, uneducated, fearful, lonely and outcast woman was sought out by Jesus. Listen, I do not know where you are at today.  I do not know if you are lost and lonely, if you are surrounded by wealth and education, or if you sneak out at night so no one sees you. Wherever you are, I want you to know this:  God knows your name and Jesus has come to seek you.

The HOLY Jew and the LOWLY Samaritan: A great contrast, yet the point of the story is that each one of them needed the fullness of grace brought through the Gospel the Good News of Jesus and both were welcome to it.

If Nicodemus is an example of the truth that no one can rise so high as to be above salvation, then the woman is an example of the truth that no one can sink too low to be saved.

It is by no means an accident that the Apostle John has placed these two wonderful stories together at the beginning of his Gospel and that they end in 4:42 with the Samaritan woman saying,  “This man really is the Savior of the world.” (Notice–no class is mentioned here; not the Jews nor the Samaritans–He’s the savior of the WORLD!)

The first point to take home today is this: NOTHING DEPENDS ON ME — NOTHING AT ALL. 

This unnamed woman at the well is absolute proof of this. We must never say, “I am just a nobody from nowhere, I have gone too far to Jesus to find me, I just an ordinary Christian, the fullness of God’s grace is not for me. The fullness of God’s grace is for everybody, high and low, moral and immoral, sick and healthy, educated and uneducated, religious and non-religious or sinner or saint.  The fullness of God’s grace does not depend on ME.  Nothing depends on ME — nothing at all.

SO WHAT?  Jesu
Which one of these two characters do you most identify with: Nicodemus or the unnamed woman at the well?
Why?
Are you a little of each?
How?

Both Nicodemus and the unnamed woman were surprised by Jesus. If you haven’t viewed the series, “THE CHOSEN”, check it out. Both of these characters are in the story line. Maybe you will learn more about yourself as you SEE the story come alive?

I see myself in both of these people. I watch as my intelligence often wants me to think logically and not with my heart. After 22 years in ordained ministry and add 14 years in youth ministry, I’ve learned never to try to out-think God because, when I do, God surprises me. I remember when I took my exegetical exam. I was supposed to write about the still, small voice of God. I didn’t do that. Instead, I tried to spin a tale about the still, small voice of Dave! I had to rewrite that exam. “Stick to the Scriptures, Dave.” God didn’t need my spin on His word. Like Nic at night–Jesus shared His heart. “You must be born again.” Incredibly intelligent Nic asks, “How can that be? Can I reenter my mother’s womb and be born a second time?” Can’t you just see Jesus wince. “Nic, stop thinking. Do you know where the wind comes from or will go next? Let the Holy Spirit of God guide you in this.” Yes.  I can surely see myself in Nicodemus. And there is God–surprising Nic.

And then, I am also like the unnamed woman; ashamed and embarrassed of myself. Before I gave my life to Jesus, I made some poor decisions that hurt others and myself. Jesus simply showed up. “Suprise, nameless woman at the well, I am the living water for whom you thirst.” Have you ever had God read your mail? Have you ever been sitting in a church, listening to a message, and BAM! You swear the pastor somehow got into your journal?

HOLY or LOWLY? It doesn’t matter at all because our God is a God of surprises who will meet you in secret at midnight, alone, or who will meet you at high noon at the public well.

This week, pray with me: “God, surprise me. Amen.”

God loves you and so do I
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com