Sunday 2nd Service, Lay Missions Dedication Service
Title / Scripture: Samaria Evangelism (John 4:13-26)
Speaker: Pastor Ryu Kwang-su
Date / Place: September 18, 2022, Immanuel Church (Seoul)
Summary
Evangelism is not that difficult. If you do it sincerely, from the heart, it keeps opening. When doing evangelism and missions, what must you know first?
▣ Introduction_ Wounds are covered over.
▷ You must not try to evangelize for church revival or by using it for events. Whether revival happens or not, you must share the gospel.
▷ Wounds are spiritual cancer, so if you get them they keep taking root. For the people you meet, you must first remove this within the gospel. If you hold on to wounds, spiritual growth stops.
1. RT 7(TCK) – The characteristic of the 7 Remnants was that they were TCKs, and they had nowhere to go. There was no one to help them. That great wound became a stepping stone, and they were changed into tremendous evangelists.
2. Hebrews 11(Death) – The characteristic of the people of Hebrews 11 was almost death. If this becomes a wound, you die.
3. Early Church(Cut off) – The early church was cut off from all of society for the reason of believing in Jesus, but they conquered even Rome.
▣ Main_ Samaria Evangelism
1. Tearing down the barrier of the age (Samaria) (verses 4-15)
1) 722 BC – Assyria invaded and sold the men of Samaria as slaves throughout the world, and brought men from each nation and placed them in Samaria, so intermarriage occurred. In the eyes of the people of Judah, they were seen as mixed breeds.
▷ If you don’t know evangelism and missions, you become miserable because of darkness. There is something you don’t know. You yourselves are the light that tears down darkness. You are the light that overcomes Satan (Matthew 5:14, Isaiah 60:1). God gave that.
2) 606 BC – Because they didn’t share the gospel, Southern Judah was taken captive to Babylon.
3) 450 BC – When Israel returned and rebuilt the temple, the people of Southern Judah blocked the Samaritans from participating for the reason that they were mixed breeds, so the Samaritans obstructed them.
4) 129 BC – In the Maccabean era, the temple on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria was completely destroyed.
5) Enemy(Cut off) – They had completely become like enemies and were cut off.
▷ Jesus went there. It is a gospel movement that completely tore down the wound of the age.
2. Jesus, who tore down personal wounds (verses 16-19, 25-30)
▷ The gospel tears down the wound of the age and personal wounds. Jesus said, “I will give you living water, so bring your husband.” Then the woman said she had no husband.
1) Five – The five husbands you had before are not your husbands.
2) Current husband – Your current husband is also not your husband.
3) Witness – The moment the woman knew that Jesus is the Christ, she was changed into a witness.
▷ It must get to the point where the other person will bring out their wound. Otherwise evangelism and missions become in vain. If you keep giving messages through which these things are continuously healed, people are bound to be connected, all be revived, and come. Here, 237, healing, and summit must become 24. If children don’t know how to pray and go out, they die. You must know what the fulfillment of God’s word is. A person who knows the secret of God being with me speaks differently when facing problems. Children must be able to find the answer and overcome in any situation. You must know that wounds are the greatest blessing. If done wrong, this makes things difficult.
3. Religious wounds must be washed away (verses 20-24)
1) Mt. Gerizim, Jerusalem – Isn’t it that we worship on Mt. Gerizim and you worship in Jerusalem? Many people think they must go somewhere to pray in order to be answered, but that is wrong.
2) To God – It is not this mountain nor that mountain, but worshiping God.
3) Spirit and truth, spirituality and sincerity – “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit (spirituality) and truth (sincerity).” Wherever you are, God is set to invisibly bind evil spirits and work. If you worship God anywhere, God works by the Spirit.
▷ For those who do lay missions, in that nation there is something old that kills the person. It must be released. There are personal wounds. They grow and one day do something strange. They all have wounds from wrong religion that prevent proper worship.
▣ Conclusion
1. True gospel – Other things
The true gospel needs nothing else. Only then does it revive other things.
2. True prayer – All things
For a person who truly prays, nothing becomes a problem. Only then does it revive all things.
3. True evangelism – God’s sovereignty
True evangelism is within God’s sovereignty.
Morning (Quiet prayer) Day – Prayer of enjoyment Night (Deep prayer)
▷ You must gain new strength every day. Keep doing this prayer. An answer will surely come where you don’t need to ask how to do the future. That is normal. The moment a problem comes, God’s great grace and blessing are seen. Jesus also said at the end, “When you receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, you will receive power. You will go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Transcript
Samaria Evangelism
Today, under the title “Samaria Evangelism,” we must do the evangelism movement. A long time ago, some elders invited me to a meeting. When I went, it was a good meeting that gives scholarships to boys and girls without parents. There they asked me to give a sermon. Several children who would receive scholarships had come. The moment I saw them, I thought, “This is not right!” It wasn’t just a few; about seven came, and all seven were very ashamed. They could hardly lift their heads. Even more, the people running the event showed it off too much. As if it were something great, they put on a big event like this, and the kids were there ashamed. I felt so sorry that I asked for their list and checked their phone numbers. Because I asked for it in order to share the gospel with them. So then I contacted them in my own way like this. Among them, one child gave me a book as a gift. I really cried while reading that book. It was about boys and girls without parents living diligently. “Wow, we adults are really too much.” You must not use children for such events that show off your face. Through them, the door of evangelism kept opening.
From then on, the director of a certain orphanage contacted me. Asking for some help at Christmas. I went. Of course, for the children, to put it simply, I brought some offering. I said this to the director. “Use this money for the children. At Christmas a lot will come from many places, so I will come next time.” That’s what I said. The director’s eyes lit up and she looked at me. “Ah, Pastor!” she said. It’s like, how did you know? When people come bringing something at events at Christmas and do it like this, she’s thankful, but she said it becomes a wound for the kids. Of course it would. After that, evangelism kept going into that orphanage.
When I started in Busan, our church said they were going to do prison evangelism, and the deaconesses prepared some food and went like this. At that time I was really tired, and honestly in my heart I thought, “Oh man, I wish the associate pastors would go,” but I had no choice and went. There was a person who wasn’t eating anything. So I went close and asked like this, “Why aren’t you eating?” and he just smiled like this. Such things aren’t visible to the eye. He had a prisoner number on, and the color was red. Red is a murderer. So I asked, “Why did you do it?” He was a really decent-looking man. He said he truly regrets it. He didn’t do anything severe, but while just arguing he hit her once, and his wife died. So isn’t that murder? So he said he is always thinking of dying. He has a daughter, and he said he can’t see his daughter with this face. I shared the gospel. This man accepted Christ in tears, and change took place.
Of course, I’m not saying don’t bring food, but would disciples who will truly receive the gospel do it because of food? Evangelism is not that difficult. If we do it sincerely, from the heart, it keeps opening.
A certain pastor introduced this. Coming over from North Korea seeking freedom, the river apparently wasn’t that deep. As she was coming over, she was crossing while holding her baby. But the baby kept crying, and the baby must not cry. Even though she kept telling the baby not to cry, the baby doesn’t understand well, you know. Still, because no sound must be heard, she held the baby tightly and crossed. So she crossed, and she had held the baby so tightly while crossing that it didn’t cry, but when she arrived and looked, it had suffocated and died. You can understand that mother’s heart.
We must know what we should know first when we do evangelism and missions now. When I started the industrial complex evangelism in Busan, I didn’t do anything else. The kids at the industrial complex were kids from poor families. I don’t know about now, but back then it was like that. They were kids around fifteen, sixteen. They couldn’t go to school and mostly came to work. And there were Busan kids too, but many came from places like Jeolla-do. I told them. “Study at night. It’s a challenge. You must not think you came to get a salary. How much would a salary be? You are to realize the gospel here, evangelize your family, revive your family, and become a disciple.” Why, at those words, the kids received grace and were moved. I didn’t go looking for them at first, but they kept bringing people. They have their own language, terms that only they understand. Whatever they say, they come.
▣ Introduction_ Wounds
Wounds. They are holding these things. We must not try to use those people for church revival. They have their wounds covered over tightly. We use them for some event to evangelize, we must not do that. Pastors evangelize in order to revive the church, that’s not it. Whether revival happens or not, we must share the gospel. Revival is something God does, not something people create, right?
Today, this (Samaria evangelism) evangelism is a very important evangelism.
1. RT 7 (TCK)
You probably know well, but first, take a look at the 7 Remnants. This wound is spiritual cancer. If you get it, it keeps taking root like cancer. You must not have this, and to the people you meet first, you must first remove this, within the gospel. Also, no matter how much you study, knowledge grows, but if you hold this wound, spiritual growth doesn’t happen. Spiritual growth just stops completely.
The characteristic of these 7 Remnants was that all of them were TCKs, and they had nowhere to come or go. I mean, Joseph goes as a slave, goes to prison, who helps him? There is no one to help. That great wound became a stepping stone, and he is changed into a tremendous evangelist.
2. Hebrews 11 (Death)
The characteristic of the people of Hebrews 11 was almost death. Now, if this becomes a wound, you die.
3. Early Church (Cut off)
For the early church, there was something worse than death. What is it? Dying would be better, I tell you. What’s worse than dying? Being cut off from all of society. This is no ordinary problem. Cut off from all of society. Why? For the reason of believing in Jesus. But they conquered even Rome.
▣ Main
See how much of a blessing you who do lay evangelism and missions are.
1. Barrier of the Age (Samaria)
Today, this Samaria evangelism tears down this thing that is the barrier of the age. Why?
1) 722 BC
It’s 722 BC. It’s 722 years before Jesus came, so it’s a long time ago. At this time Israel was split into two. The south was Judah, taken by Solomon’s son, and the north was Israel, which is Samaria. Now, in 722 BC Assyria invaded. How much was left? A miserable situation came; not only killing, of course, but they captured every last man of northern Israel, Samaria. So they sold them as slaves throughout the world. I mean, think about it. Your husband is suddenly dragged off somewhere and sold as a slave somewhere over there, think about it. Almost all the men of Israel became like that. Not realizing missions is this miserable. If you don’t know evangelism and missions, you become miserable. Why? Because of darkness.
There is something you don’t know. So much. You don’t know that you yourselves are light. You are light. Jesus said that. “You are the light of the world.” That’s what He said. “The light of the glory of the Lord has come upon you, so arise and shine. Shine the light.” In your heart you might think, “Oh my, what light could someone like me be.” That’s not so. It means you are the light that tears down darkness. You are the light that overcomes Satan. God gave that.
Because they didn’t do missions, this (722 BC) thing happened. Like this, they brought strange servants, men, from each nation and placed them in Samaria. What would happen, everyone? Naturally, intermarriage would occur, right? As I see it, it’s international marriage, but in the eyes of the people of Judah, they saw them completely as mixed breeds.
2) 606 BC
Now, so around 606 BC, because they didn’t know the gospel, didn’t share it, the south, Judah, was also taken captive. Where? To Babylon. There is this history.
3) 450 BC
It would be around 450 BC. It may not be exact. At this time Israel returns. When returning from Babylon, they were told to rebuild the temple, right? At this time, at first, though the Samaritans obstructed, the Samaritans said, “Let’s participate together,” in building the temple. “We will participate,” they said. So the nation of Judah said, “You are mixed breeds like this (722 BC), so you can’t participate,” and cut them off. From then on they began to obstruct. Everyone, when Samaria is mentioned like this, it seems like nothing, but there is this great history.
4) 129 BC
After that, in 129 BC, during the Maccabean era, they completely destroyed the temple on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria.
5) Enemy (Cut off)
Like this, the people of Israel’s Judah and the Samaritans did not have fellowship. They completely became like enemies and were cut off. It’s similar to South and North Korea now. They cut them off completely. So when going to Galilee they had to pass through Samaria, and it felt bad. So they went around by the Jordan, all the people of Judah. But Jesus went there. This is tremendous.
Now, completely tearing down the barrier of the age, completely tearing down the wound of the age, is this gospel movement. So that’s the content. Jesus saw that woman and said, “Give me water.” But what this woman said was, “You’re a Jew, how is it that you ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water?” That’s this (Main point 1) word. At that time what Jesus said was, “If you knew who I am, you would have given me water.” Since He said this. So Jesus said, the woman said, “Don’t you not even have a vessel to receive water? I have to draw it and give it, so how will you receive water without a vessel?” “If you knew who I am, you would draw living water, living water with which you will never thirst forever.” Jesus said this, right? Who in the world are you?
2. Personal Wounds
Here Jesus completely tore down personal wounds. Everyone, the gospel tears down the wound of the age, and it is a complete barrier. It tears down personal wounds. What did Jesus say? “I will give you living water, so bring your husband.” He said that, right? So this woman was startled. “I have no husband.”
1) Five
So Jesus said, “You had five before, right? Those are all not your husbands.”
2) Current Husband
“Your current husband is also not your husband.” Jesus said this kind of thing. It’s a startling thing, right? So if you look at verse 28, this woman was so startled that she said, “Oh, who are you? You seem like the Messiah.” At that time Jesus said. He ends up saying, “I am the Messiah, I am He.”
3) Witness
At this time the woman was so startled; she was moved by the Holy Spirit. There is a record that she left her water jar and went and testified in the town. She is completely changed into a witness.
Those of you who do missions, there’s no need to intentionally ask, “What is your wound?” but you must become such that the other person will bring out their wound. You must remember this. Otherwise, evangelism and missions become in vain. Many people who came from foreign countries, people I’ve met, have old wounds they can’t speak of, I tell you. And everyone has personal wounds. These must be released. So many people think that if they make a big fuss the church will be revived, but that’s not so. If you keep giving messages through which these things (Main 1, 2) are continuously healed, people are bound to be connected and all come.
There are people who barely come out on Sunday, worship, and run away, but there are also people who worship all day, take the message, and keep listening. There are many. They are holding personal wounds they can’t tell anyone. Those people from Africa, from wherever, they all have wounds of the age. It’s not that we release this. When the gospel goes in, it gets released, right? But the environment must be such that the person can bring this (wound) out. People don’t counsel with just anyone; they listen, and they do it with a person where they think, “Ah, this person will listen to me.” Right.
Look. These TCKs are tremendous treasures, but they have tremendous wounds. That must be healed. So, we are attempting this for the first time in the world, but it must not become a church where people just worship and come and go. Here, 237, healing, and summit must completely be happening 24.
As I see it, it can fully happen. I threw out the message a bit, once or twice, and already our church’s organization is starting to move. Call the kids of the three-day weekend age, and you must help the kids properly. If the kids really don’t know how to pray and go out? They die. What is the fulfillment of God’s word? You must know that; otherwise, hearing this word they fall into temptation, seeing that they collapse. They’ll have to live like that all their lives, I tell you. Didn’t I talk to the university students earlier? The eyes with which a beggar sees problems and the eyes with which a rich person sees problems are different. Right? Even if they went on the same trip, what a beggar without a single cent sees tagging along and what a rich chaebol sees going are different. A person who knows the secret of God being with me meets a problem? The words are different, the speech is different.
We must make our Remnants like that. These kids must be able to find the answer and overcome in whatever situation they are in. But they have more wounds than you’d imagine. Today, everyone, at the moment of hearing the message, you all have wounds. You must know this is the greatest blessing. Because it’s a stepping stone. Isn’t that right? It’s the greatest blessing, but if done wrong, this becomes something that makes things difficult for you. If there’s an obstacle in front of me, that obstacle could be a stumbling block, but it’s not. If you look at it carefully, it becomes a stepping stone. It’s not just to that degree.
3. Religious Wounds
You just don’t know, but there are also many wounds in religion. In the old days, you know, they all have wounds from idol worship. They all have the shamanic rituals they did. This part must be completely washed away. Today, that Samaritan woman spoke first. “Then we worship on this mountain, but don’t you have to worship in Jerusalem?” That’s how it came out. She ends up saying a tremendous thing.
1) Mt. Gerizim
“We worship on this mountain.” This means worshiping on Mt. Gerizim.
Jerusalem
Aren’t you worshiping in Jerusalem? This is the problem. Many people think they must go somewhere to pray in order to be answered. That is already wrong from the start.
2) To God
At this time Jesus’s famous word comes out. “Not this mountain, not that mountain, but worshiping God.” That’s the word that came out then.
3) [ Spirit ] and truth
What does the emcee say every day? “God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.”
[ Spirituality ] and sincerity
In the old days it was said like this. “God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirituality and sincerity.” It’s a very important word. Wherever you are, God is set to invisibly bind evil spirits and work. This wound (religious wound) must be healed. Where are Mt. Gerizim and Jerusalem? Wherever you worship God, God works by the Spirit. If you don’t understand this word, the whole world is now caught by evil spirits and all dying, but they don’t know. God is spirit, a very important word.
You who do lay missions, in that nation there is surely something old that kills the person. It must be released. And there are surely personal wounds. That grows one day and does something strange, I tell you. They all have wounds from wrong religion that prevent proper worship. You must remember this. You just need to hold onto this covenant.
▣ Conclusion
It must be concluded like this. You enjoy it too, and you must teach it to unbelievers and the saved.
1. True Gospel – Other things
The true gospel needs nothing else. Why? Only then does it revive other things.
2. True Prayer – All things
For a person who truly prays, nothing becomes a problem. Only then does it revive all things. You must make sure to let them know this.
3. True Evangelism – God’s Sovereignty
True evangelism is within God’s sovereignty. So you are bound to enjoy this blessing. No matter how storms and disasters come crashing in, they can’t touch you, and this movement is bound to happen. Just watch. No matter how much they attack from inside and out, Immanuel Church and our people who evangelize are bound to be victorious. Why? The road is set. So you must gain new strength every day. You must gain new strength every day.
So don’t I always say this? It’s okay to do just a little. Didn’t I tell you before? Do it from now.
[ Morning Prayer (Quiet Prayer) ]
For me, opening my eyes is waking up. The time isn’t set. Opening your eyes is getting up, right? Sometimes when I open my eyes it’s 3 AM, sometimes 2 AM, 5. It doesn’t matter. From the moment I open my eyes, morning prayer begins. Quietly. A truly quiet prayer. It’s really good.
[ Night (Deep Prayer) ]
At night, this is the biggest problem. At night I go into very deep prayer, mainly because I have to prepare the message. In the case of yesterday too, after organizing the message, if time passes, I can’t sleep. There are many such cases. Still, it’s really good.
[ Prayer of Enjoyment ]
Morning and night are my personal time, and here (daytime) is the time of activity, right? This is the day. Right? Because the day is the time you can be active. Prayer of enjoyment. Keep doing it. Without a doubt, questions like “What should I do?” won’t come out for you. An answer will come where they don’t come out. That’s normal. “Ah, what should I do about my future?” An answer where you don’t need to ask such questions will surely come. That’s normal. The moment a problem comes, God’s great grace and blessing are seen. It’s normal. The Remnants we send out, we must make them like this (Main, Conclusion) and send them out.
For once, they came to Korea from abroad like a miracle, I tell you. It’s a miracle. Such people have many wounds. We heal this. So Jesus directly showed the example. The evangelism of Samaria. And at the end He also said, “When you receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, you will receive power. You will go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” Even if you just hold onto the covenant this week, everyone, new grace will come upon you. I bless you in Jesus’ name that it will be a week of enjoying the answers God accurately carries out. Let us pray.
Prayer
God, thank You. Let us experience and testify of God’s power within the covenant. Grant us the new grace You will give this week. God, heal the difficulties and wounds of the many multi-ethnic people and the many saints. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.