Living By Faith Blog

Jesus was hungry

One day, after walking all morning, Jesus and His disciples stopped by a well in Samaria.

They were tired and hungry and had no food — so the disciples went into town to buy lunch.

And while they were away a Samaritan woman came to the well to get water — and Jesus shared the Gospel with her.

She ended up trusting Jesus — and went back into town to tell others.

Food you don’t know about

Meanwhile, the disciples had come from town with lunch, divied up the food, and started eating.

But then they noticed — Jesus wasn’t eating.

He was hungry when they left for town.  They had placed food in front of Him.  But He wasn’t eating.

So they said — “Rabbi, eat!” (John 4:31).

His answer shocked them — “I have food to eat that you do not know about” (John 4:32).

What food?

The disciples were puzzled.  “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” (John 4:33).

Then He said — “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34).

The disciples had been thinking of the strength and satisfaction that comes from physical food.

But Jesus had been strengthened and satisfied with spiritual food.

As He shared the Gospel with this woman, His heart was so strengthened and satisfied that He forgot all about His physical hunger.

Which means that —

Evangelism is food — for the soul

How does this work?

Last week I sat down and shared the Gospel with a friend.

We talked for maybe 45 minutes — about God, how we have all sinned, how Jesus Christ died so we could be forgiven, about what happens when we repent and believe.

It was an encouraging conversation — honest, back-and-forth, earnest, loving.

I am praying — and hopeful — that this friend will soon come to faith.

And after this conversation I could tell — God had fed my soul —

• I felt the Lord’s favor on me
• I felt even more that God, Jesus, the Cross, and eternity were REAL
• I was deeply strengthened in my own faith
• I loved Jesus even more for dying on the Cross
• I was full of joy in Christ

Evangelism is food for the soul.

Eat!

Imagine that this past week you only ate HALF the physical food you usually do.

Think of how weak, tired, depleted you’d feel.

Well — if you are not somehow engaged in evangelism — then it’s like you are only eating HALF the spiritual food God has for you.

Which means you won’t have the spiritual strength, encouragement, and energy God wants you to have.

So what can we do?

Turn to Jesus as you are.  Confess your lack of evangelism.  Look to Him to help you.  Ask Him to forgive you and change you.  He will.

Then — pray over Scriptures that will encourage you towards evangelism.  I’ve listed some here.

And then — ask the Father to give you one specific step you can take to reach out to someone who does not yet know Christ —

• Bake cookies for a neighbor
• Ask a neighbor to go for a walk
• Invite a work-associate to lunch
• Invite a family to the beach
• Invite a neighbor to go to a baseball game
• Invite a friend to go shopping

Get the idea?  If you ask the Father to give you a specific step — He will.

He has a way for you to pursue evangelism that fits your personality, your schedule, your family, your situation.

And as you take the steps He gives you —

He will feed your soul.

How have you experienced this?

I’d love to hear — leave a comment below.  Thanks!

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And here’s some related posts you might find helpful —

• Become A Fisher Of Men -- Guaranteed
• A Different Way To Share the Gospel
• How God Saved An Impossibly Hardened Atheist

(Picture is by pontuse on everystockphoto.)