Meeting Jesus

Rhordan Wicks

INTRODUCTION

What happens when you encounter Jesus? We can do the works of Christianity but never really encounter Jesus. Being a Christian is not about going to church, living a good life or being raised in a Christian home. It is not even about believing in God. It is about being a follower of Jesus Christ and having a relationship with Him. 

When we encounter Jesus, our hearts should be so filled that there is no way that we would ever be silent. When the religious leaders asked Peter and John, two of Jesus’ disciples, to stop speaking about Jesus, they replied, “We are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). 

In this two-part series, we look at the story of the Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus at the well – a life-changing conversation with Jesus changed the course of her life. She was so filled with awe that she could not help but share with those around her.

DISCUSSION

  1. When did you last encounter Christ? What did it mean to you?
    OR
    How often do you think the people around you encounter Christ? How would you know if they have done so?

  2. Read John 4:1-42.

    a. Why do you think Jesus initiated the conversation with the Samaritan woman? What does this tell you about Him?

    b. What were the needs that Jesus saw in the Samaritan woman? How did Jesus respond to those needs?

    (i) Notice that Jesus moves from talking about the here-and-now (v7) to a Messianic future (v21-24). What does this tell you about Him?

    c. Jesus uses their conversation to bring about conversion through conviction. He goes to the heart of the matter. “Go get your husband…” Jesus said. In other words, Jesus looks to deal with what deals with her. For there can be no salvation without first realizing that you are a sinner in need of it. Refer to Psalm 32:1-5, 1 John 1:9.

    Why is confession beneficial for our soul? Share some practical points about confessing your sins to God and how we can build up the healthy practice of confessing our sins and keeping short accounts with God.

    d. What have you learned from Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman?

  3. Compare Jesus’ conversation here with His conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21).

    a. Did Nicodemus encounter Jesus at the time? Why or why not? Refer to John 7:50-51; 19:39-40.

    b. What do we learn from the two conversations about encountering God?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO

Have you met Jesus? If you are a believer, have you met with Jesus lately? 

We can easily go through the motions of Christianity and lose sight of Jesus. Jesus said, “These people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me” (Matthew 15:8-9).

Whatever we find amazing, we share. We spread what we are in awe of. If we have not been sharing our faith, perhaps we have been distracted or something else has taken over our hearts, that we have lost the awe of His amazing grace. If you find yourself in this place, would you draw towards Jesus and encounter Him once again?

MEMORY VERSE

“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” ~ John 4:39 (NIV)