Breaking Free from Excuses to Share Your Faith: A Call to Action Inspired by the Woman at the Well

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Have you ever caught yourself crafting a well-oiled excuse for why you can't do something—especially something as important as sharing your faith? Our latest discussion peels back the layers of justification we wrap around our inaction, taking a cue from the disciples' hesitations in the story of the woman at the well. We're probing the depths of this culture of excuses, examining the often-heard reasons like perceived disinterest from others or the classic 'I'm too busy' defense. This isn't your average reflection on human behavior; it's a rally cry to shed the chains of excuses that prevent us from living out our calling.

Join us as we illuminate the stark contrast between the disciples' reluctance and the Samaritan woman's zeal to spread the news of her encounter with Jesus. We scrutinize the importance of valuing the kingdom of God above our comfort, drawing inspiration from John Calvin's poignant observations on the matter. Whether you're an introvert, someone swamped by life's demands, or simply seeking a renewed perspective, this episode is a compelling examination of what truly nourishes us and the pressing need to share our faith with everyone we meet—no reservations, no delays.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
I think we all know someone that has excuses in life
.
I mean excuses for everything,why they don't change, why
life's not going well, why theydon't share their faith, why
they stopped going to church.
We live in a world of excuses.
In fact, I grew up listening toSouthern gospel music and there
was a band called the KingsmanQuartet and they had this song

(00:25):
called Excuses and it wentsomething like excuses, excuses.
We hear them every day and thedevil will supply them if from
church, we stay away.
When people come to know theLord, the devil always loses.
So to keep those folks awayfrom church, he offers them
excuses.

(00:45):
Now, I did not say it was goingto be a great song, nor did I
say I was going to sing it.
Well, I'm just reminded aboutit when I think about this idea
of excuses.
When John, chapter 4, the womanat the well kind of the second
part of the story and thedisciples are living this out,
they have excuses.
In fact, their excuses areprobably going to sound pretty

(01:08):
familiar to you and I because westill use them today.
And these were excuses for whythey weren't doing their job and
why they weren't sharing theirfaith.
The first excuse is kind ofthat.
This lady wouldn't beinterested.
They want to ask Jesus aquestion as they come upon the
scene.
Remember, they went to lunch.
Jesus stopped at a.

(01:29):
Well, he's talking to this lady.
They come back from lunch andimmediately they look at Jesus
and they think why are youtalking to her?
In fact, that's what Scripturesays, verse 27,.
Why are you talking to her?
They don't ask the question,they just think about the
question.
And it's a question that youand I probably ponder sometimes.

(01:50):
Why are you spending your timesharing your faith with that
person?
Or why are you spending so muchtime chasing that person?
That's far from God.
See, what we do is wepre-decide that they won't be
interested, that there's no way,and so we don't share it with
everyone.
The good news is, the gospeldoesn't discriminate, and

(02:11):
neither should you and I.
We should be in the habit ofsharing our faith, sharing what
Jesus has done in our life witheveryone that we meet.
And I love the contrast betweenthe disciples' reaction Jesus,
why are you talking to this lady?
And the woman's response.

(02:31):
She finds Christ, she lives outthis Scripture.
In fact, she's so excited sheruns back to the town to tell
everybody that she can findabout this man.
The second excuse they areliving with is the I'm too busy
excuse, and I think I fall inthis trap.
I lead a busy life, I choose tolead a busy life, let me say it

(02:56):
that way, but sometimes I allowthat to be an excuse for why I
don't do other things, in thiscase, sharing my faith.
If you know me, you know I'm alarge introvert, and so whenever
I go into public spaces thataren't the church, I like to be
in the corner, I like to hide.
I don't want to talk toeverybody.

(03:17):
I feel the prompting of God forme to speak to someone and
instead of walking up to them,oftentimes I find myself pausing
and arguing with God.
God, you know I do this for aliving.
God, you know I'm tired.
You know I've been doing allthese things.
I'm busy.
The disciples had these sameexcuses.
The reason they weren't talkingto people was because they were
on lunch break.
I mean, think about that for amoment.

(03:37):
They were on lunch break fromspending time with God and
telling people about God.
They're so concerned aboutJesus' eating because that's
what they had been doing, andhis response is a little cryptic
.
Right Verse 34, he says my foodis to do the will of him who
sent me and to finish his work.

(03:58):
So he's saying, hey, I'msustained by doing the work of
God, not just eating.
I love how John Calvin commentedon this passage.
He wrote by his example.
Speaking of Jesus by hisexample shows us that the
kingdom of God should havepriority over all bodily

(04:18):
comforts.
I want you to think about thatfor a moment.
Nothing in life is moreimportant than you and I telling
the next person about Jesus.
The third excuse they had wassimply I'll do it later Right
verse 35, don't you say thereare still four months and then

(04:39):
comes the harvest.
Obviously, jesus is stillspeaking a little cryptic to
them at this moment, but he'ssaying hey, you guys are always
looking for something to happenin the future, but I'm telling
you, the time is now.
There are people all around youthat need to hear the gospel.
So let me end today with thisquestion for you what's your

(05:01):
excuse and who is it that youshould be sharing your faith
with today?
Spoiler alert the answer iseveryone.
But let's get specific.
Who in your circle do you know,man?
You know beyond the shadow of adoubt that they don't know
Jesus, and you could be the oneto tell them about it.

(05:22):
Let's not miss that opportunity.
Let's engage today.