Jesus is the well that won't run dry

Rigid thinking and inflexible positions often characterize Christianity, and while it is true that there is non-negotiable truth, our approach to that truth and its delivery can be pliant. Jesus communicated the truth of the gospel in many different ways to diverse audiences. For example when He would challenge the religious leaders of the day, He was often harsh, using vivid word pictures to describe their hypocrisy. And when He spoke to the marginalized living on the fringes of society, He shared with them stories that invited them into His presence. In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul, often crafted his message to the audiences he encountered through out the Roman Empire, for example on Mars Hill in Acts 17, Paul started his message by referencing the multiple idols that gave testimony to the idolatry of Athens.

Even a cursorily view of the New Testament will communicate that the truth of the gospel has been delivered in a variety of styles and context. What does this mean for 21^st century Christianity? At the very least I believe that we should understand that although the message is unyielding to the whims of an ever changing culture, the method with which we deliver the message must be adapted to the culture in order to be understood. Now many ministries often take this idea too far, and in an effort to communicate effectively end up loosing the message, because their audience becomes enamored with the method.

In the book “Cultural Intelligence: Improving your CQ to engage our multicultural world”, author David A. Livermore makes this helpful observation, “I’d rather see Jesus as a well of water to which we’re drawn to slake our thirst than view him in light of boundaries that keep me in.” He is referencing the differences in methods used around the world to corral animals. For example, many ranchers in the United States use fences to keep their livestock in and to keep neighboring livestock out, but in many rural areas around the world this isn’t an option. The cost or the expansiveness of the region is too prohibitive for fencing. So in many of these places ranchers use wells instead. Because as Livermore points out, “…livestock, though they will stray, will never roam too far from the well, lest they die…as long as there is a supply of clean water, the livestock will remain close by.”

When we see Jesus as a well, a source of living water, our perspective towards people changes. Rather than seeing them as objects to use or numbers to count, we can see them as Christ saw them, through the eyes of compassion and love. When this attitude fuels our methods, I believe the message of the gospel is most effectively communicated.

In John 7:37 Jesus spoke these simple but profound words, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” Our challenge as Christians should be that simple. We need to proclaim Jesus and His gospel. Too often denominational “fences” and doctrinal “boundaries” cloud the message, when we should only seek to proclaim Christ, and the living water He alone provides.

In what ways are you involved in sharing this good news? Are you actively reaching out to others to serve and bless them with the gospel of Jesus Christ? I am daily challenged with the increasing complexity and wickedness of our culture. But in the midst of this culture, God challenges us to be the salt and light that makes a difference in the lives of others. We do this by pointing people to Christ, the well that never runs dry.