19th July , 2007

CHRISSI ELLANKOON

Bible text: John 4: 1-26

To read the New International Version, go here...

Wells in the time of the Bible were essential to the survival of the community. The life of a town centred around the well as a source of water; it meant health and prosperity for the townspeople.

When new people arrived in town, one of the first things they would need to do is find the local well. It was a gathering place and an equaliser - everyone needed water and therefore rich and poor alike depended on the well. The well was not the source of the water but merely a collection point, one of many for the people in the local area.

There are many similarities between the well and the local church. While the church does not contain our God, (for nothing can contain God), it is a place within the local community where people know they can come to meet with God. They come to the church to meet the One who can give eternal life and everlasting water.

Just like the well, we need to continually be topped up and replenished with life giving water - we come armed with urns and buckets to take as much in as we can to last us till our next visit. Just like the townspeople we will spend the week giving out this life giving water to those around us: at work, with our families and in ministry. If we don’t return to the well regularly, we will run dry and have nothing left to give.

Just like the Samaritan woman in John chapter four, we need to bring others to the well to experience the life giving water for themselves. When the Samaritan woman realised who Jesus was, she did not ask Him to go within her into the town. Instead she went into the town and brought the people to Jesus, where they could be saved. Just like the Samaritan woman, Jesus asks us to bring people into the church to meet with Him and be saved. That is not to say that we are not to take Jesus out into the world, but sometimes the world needs to come to Him. There are people who we need to bring to the well, so that they can meet their Lord and Saviour.

Come to the well and drink deeply of the Spirit, come to the well regularly and be filled so that you can continue to pour out into the lives of others.

How do you see your church? This is the lifeblood of your local community so make it a practice to invite people to the well to meet God for themselves and drink from the everlasting waters.

Got a verse or a short passage you'd like us to look at? Just send an email to editor@sightmagazine.com.au.