by F. L. Anderson
Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.
(John 4 : 7 -9) NLT
In this scripture Jesus did something that was totally outside the box. Here He broke with tradition so that the Samaritan woman would be edified. So that her soul could be saved. If Jesus would have stuck with traditions, it would have hindered Him from accomplishing His purpose. To save those that or lost.
J. Lee Grady said it best, "if we want to reach our culture for Christ, we had better become willing to let go of the past. What worked 30 years ago has outlived its usefulness."
The phrase "We've always done it this way" is a poor excuse to always do it the same way.
When we stick with traditions for traditions sake our thinking is limited. When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman He not only went against Jewish tradition but He removed a man made barrier. The Church through out history has created man made barriers that conflict with it's purpose, winning souls.
In verse 10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water. In other words I would give you something fresh, new, and different.
(John 4 : 7 -9) NLT
In this scripture Jesus did something that was totally outside the box. Here He broke with tradition so that the Samaritan woman would be edified. So that her soul could be saved. If Jesus would have stuck with traditions, it would have hindered Him from accomplishing His purpose. To save those that or lost.
Traditions have a history of being or becoming barriers or stumbling blocks. The Barna Group found that two out of three Christian teens will leave the church after they graduate high school. That's 70 percent of graduating seniors walk away from the church after high school. Life Way Research showed last year that more than two-thirds of young adults who attend church stopped attending church regularly for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22. More studies are being conducted and resulting in similar statistics, making it the talk of the town in youth ministries across the country.
J. Lee Grady said it best, "if we want to reach our culture for Christ, we had better become willing to let go of the past. What worked 30 years ago has outlived its usefulness."
The phrase "We've always done it this way" is a poor excuse to always do it the same way.
When we stick with traditions for traditions sake our thinking is limited. When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman He not only went against Jewish tradition but He removed a man made barrier. The Church through out history has created man made barriers that conflict with it's purpose, winning souls.
In verse 10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water. In other words I would give you something fresh, new, and different.