Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Thank you for tuning in to the Power Walk Ministries broadcast with pastor and teacher, Reverend Dr. Paul Cannings. This week we've just begun a new series on the Samaritan woman, an incredible exchange between her and Jesus Christ in John chapter 4.

How do we fare in our relationships? Do we cut short conversations that make us uncomfortable? Do we just bail out when sensitive buttons are pushed? Dr. Cannings' message today is titled "The Conversation," and he shows us how this woman chose to stay in the conversation with Jesus when she could have just left. Let's listen.

Dr. Paul Cannings: Some of the best times in my devotional life is when the text don't make sense and I'm struggling to understand it. I stay there. In the midst of trials and difficulties and the choosing to just stay at the throne of God and constantly trying to work out what is the steps you want me to take so that things are not reactive. Because it's easy to get into situations where it's just react, react, react, and then you sit back and regret that you know you should have stopped for a minute.

One of the greatest experiences that God has grown me through is when I just rush to the throne of grace and say, "God teach me," and you stay there with Christ. And that process is strong now because you're committed to the prayer. You're committed to search the scriptures. You're committed to seek advice from people who you see commit to live God-conscious, godly.

And in that process, once the structure is in place, that structure gives you one step sometimes after another step. Sometimes you put your foot in a pothole and mess up your ankle, but you pull it out and God heals you and you keep going. Those are the greatest experiences, and that's what we find here with this Samaritan woman.

I'm intrigued by the fact in John chapter 4 that this woman stays in the conversation. By all accounts she should have left. She should have not stayed in this conversation. Number one, she was talking to a Jew who was a rabbi. He's dressed like a rabbi. He's speaking to her at a well when nobody else is there.

From her background and from her experiences in dealing with men, here's this man in the sixth hour. That's what verse 6 says. It is the sixth hour. It is later on in the evening. Jesus Christ is weary and tired, hungry. He gets to this spot because he has to be there and he's ahead of schedule.

He gets there early. She comes to meet him. So the last thing that she would expect for him to do is say something to her, then worst of all, drink from her cup. Okay, now you're really hitting on me. So that's why it seems like she would run, but her background says, "No, I'm going to check this out first before I do anything."

So she stays in it even though the conversation becomes deep theological principles. She doesn't run from it like, "Who do you think you are?" Jesus Christ is meeting her at a historical spot to start with. So that just messes up the conversation because the Jews, they went and built a temple on Mount Gerizim.

And when they built this temple, the Jews got mad that they built another temple and came and destroyed it. So the woman doesn't have a place to go worship because the Jews tore it up, and she can't go to Jerusalem. So you destroyed our worship, you're now at Jacob's Well and it's very deep, 138 feet deep.

They would tie a rope around their waist and they would have this kind of leather bucket, and they would take the rope off their waist, tie it on the bucket, and let the bucket down. Jesus Christ has no bucket, no rope around his waist. So what are you doing asking me for water to start with?

The beautiful thing about this that leads to tremendous growth is the fact that she stayed in the conversation. Folks, that's fundamentally how we grow. Many times you hear a sermon you don't like it, but do we run from those conversations? Sometimes we read the Bible we don't understand, do we keep reading?

Sometimes we come to situations where people are giving us advice, do we keep listening even when we know that they're saying something that does fit biblically? Do we stay there when we don't like what they're saying? We need to stay there. That's where the growth is.

A tree stays in the dirt even when the sun is blistering because a tree knows I can keep trying to get some water down here and it gives me stability. In spite of all of the storms above or the difficulties above, I'm not going anywhere. This is my strength.

This woman stays in there. Jesus Christ comes, he's ahead of the meeting. In verse 6 it says, "Now Jacob's Well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour." It's later on in the evening. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water.

The key thing in this text is this water. And Jesus saith unto her, "Give me a drink." Give me a drink. He just started a war. Number one, you're not supposed to talk to her. Number two, he's going to drink from her cup. That's why he had to send the prejudiced disciples away.

This would have messed them up. They couldn't see how Jesus was leaving Judea, not heading back there to cleanse himself. Because if he talks to a Samaritan woman and touches a Samaritan woman, he has to go back to the temple and get himself cleaned based on all of the added laws they placed on him.

That's not true. It's all this ritualistic stuff that they created. 300 more laws on top of the laws of Moses that the elders created that has nothing to do with the Bible. And so the disciples who grew up under that would think Jesus Christ lost his mind.

Look at this. That's why verse 8 says this: "For his disciples were gone." While that's talking about a drink, he's saying, "Okay, just so that nobody gets lost in this text, let me let you know right now the disciples are gone." They're gone to buy meat.

"Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, asketh drink of me?" How come you being a Jew asks drink of me, a woman of Samaria? What is your problem? "For the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." So what are you doing?

Jesus says, "Great. I'm glad you asked." In verse 10 he says, "Jesus answered and said to her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." Man, he just messed this woman up.

But don't forget, this is a collecting well. So he's going from a collecting well, which has stagnant water deep down to make sure things don't get messed up down there when they go for water, and he's talking about living water. Contradiction.

Living water is when there's a spring under the water. It's fresh. It's water that they would love to have. They would love to have this living water because they don't get this stale water that's sitting way down there and have to wait for rain to fall for them to get it.

This fresh spring is constantly flowing. It doesn't stop flowing and they can use this water, come at any time to get it, don't have to worry about the rain falling before they come. This is perfect because it never runs dry. This is what they're looking for.

So Jesus Christ starts a contradiction to get her attention, and she stays in the conversation. He says two things in this: the living water, but he says a gift. "If thou knewest the gift." You are asking water from me and you're telling me you have a gift?

What are you talking about? I want you to see how this woman can look at this because Jesus Christ has no bucket. The well is 138 feet deep and he's talking about a gift. What gift are you talking about? And Jesus Christ just leaves the conversation right there.

He doesn't say, "Let me tell you about the gift. Let me tell you where we get this living water." Nothing. He is using this to engage her. This is how she responds. "And the woman said to him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou this living water?"

"How do you get this living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?" Who are you to get us a better well? This well has history. You don't respect us.

Because we are a mixture of Assyrian and Jews, and we are a mixed group of people, you don't respect us. The one thing we have is the heritage of this well Jacob and his family were at. So how you going to come to this well, the one little thing we have because you tore down our temple, and then come and talk to me about water which you don't have?

And you're telling me right now you're thirsty and you don't have no bucket, you have no string, but you're telling me about some kind of living water? I've been coming to this well. I know what this well does. How are you going to tell me about this well?

When do you come here? You don't come here. I come here. You want to come to the well that I come to all the time and tell me you have a different kind of water? Where's this living water? What are you talking about?

She stays in the conversation even when there's conflict, even when it doesn't make any sense, she stays there. How many times when the Bible talks to us, it doesn't make sense? Life and all the different things we're dealing with in life. Folks, many times our prayer life seems empty when we're praying to Christ.

Sometimes you're calling on his name and the issues are still there. But do you stay in the conversation? Or do you get mad and use your own reasoning and logic when he says, "Do not lean to your own understanding?" This woman was leaning that way, but she stayed in the conversation.

Jesus Christ made no sense, but she's in the conversation. She needs water and she doesn't need to talk to some man up here, she's already had enough man problems to be talking to a man who's not even supposed to be talking to her. But she stays in the conversation when it didn't make sense.

Folks, do you stay in the conversation when Christ is speaking to you? Or do you turn it off because you don't like it? You turn it off because when you read it, this is your interpretation. I don't know what the pastor's talking about, but he is called to be the pastor-teacher, you're not.

He gave you Ephesians chapter 4 pastor-teachers. He gave people in the church the gift of teaching. If you don't have that gift, stay in the conversation. Sometimes the Bible wouldn't make any sense because the Bible is written to work our lives into a life of wisdom, directed and controlled by the Spirit of God in a world that is dark and evil.

So sometimes we are so into the world, she's so into what's going on at this well, the history of this well, and all that takes place with the water and everything else, it doesn't line up with what he's saying. But she stays in the conversation.

Folks, some of my greatest points of my life of growth is just learning to stay in the conversation, whether it's prayer, whether it's studying the scriptures, whether it's seeking godly advice. Whether it's just coming before God and just picking up a concordance and grabbing some words from the concordance that's relative to the issue I'm dealing with.

But at the end of the day, God, until you give me the one step forward—and I never wait for 20 steps—God, just give me direction and I'll start off the journey because I trust you. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Do you stay in the conversation when Christ is speaking to you? That's a powerful question posed by Dr. Paul Cannings. As he stated, it's fundamentally how we grow.

Please visit us online at PowerWalkMinistries.org. That's PowerWalkMinistries.org. And for any questions you may have about our ministry or the resources we offer, you can give us a call right now at 281-260-7402. Again, that's 281-260-7402.

Dr. Paul Cannings: We're excited about this book When You Pray. New book that's coming out. Your support of the ministry of $25 or more would make this book a blessing to your life or for those around you that need to hear when we pray, how to move in our prayers to see and experience the blessings of God and grow closer to God. This is the book. Come to our website at PowerWalkMinistries.org and be blessed.

Guest (Male): Thank you Dr. Cannings. As we conclude the broadcast, we want you to know that this is a listener-supported broadcast. Our purpose is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and equip and encourage the body of Christ.

So would you consider making a one-time or regular monthly financial contribution to help us get God's word out? If so, please call us again at 281-260-7402. If you'd prefer to write us, our mailing address is P.O. Box 920517, Houston, Texas, 77209.

Please know that we count on your prayerful and financial support for our ministry. God bless you. Now remember to stay in the conversation with Jesus even when he calls you to make changes in your life and it's uncomfortable.