John 4:42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

The woman was an extremely effective evangelist, but all evangelism must lead to the result expressed here, with the person being evangelized encountering Christ personally. Testimonies are powerful and effective, but only to the degree that they lead their hearers or readers to open their own hearts to the Lord. The problem with the various systems of evangelism is that they all depend on a logical progression of ideas. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with logic, but by itself it will save no one. What each person needs is an encounter, and since we don’t have the advantage these Samaritans did of seeing and hearing Jesus in the flesh, that has to be by faith. I have the greatest admiration and respect for Dennis Prager, but he hasn’t made that last step. He is mightily used by God in rescuing people from the lies of the devil, but his marvelously logical mind can’t believe that the Creator, of whom he is fully convinced, loves him personally enough to send His Son to be his Savior. That is tragic. He says clearly that he chokes on the idea of loving and being loved by God. The woman in this story was overwhelmed by Jesus’ love in treating her as a valuable human being, when she had been so used by men in the past, and the villagers in turn were touched by the love that radiated from Him. We have to express the facts of the Gospel to as many people as possible, but it is love that will draw them into the family of God.

This is perfectly applicable to the message I’m to bring tomorrow on Family. I prepared it for last week, but God superseded it with one on Walking. I just added, as the climax to the message, that we need to share the facts of the Gospel with people but it is love that will draw them into God’s family. We are never to be satisfied with a simply intellectual agreement with the Gospel, either in ourselves or in others. I got trapped in that, which quickly devolved into pride, because I knew the facts better than most, so I thought I was a better Christian than most. Salvation is in some respects a contract, but God wants far more than a contract; He wants a relationship. My focus is to be on that relationship, both for myself and drawing others into it as well.

Father, thank You for this clear Word. Help me express it clearly to everyone tomorrow, so that they too may turn on to sharing such a loving Savior with as many people as possible, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!