The Essence of Discipleship
Joe Slater
	In John 4:1-42, Jesus treated three subjects that summarize the essence of being His disciple:
	Salvation (vv. 1-19). A Samaritan woman encountered Jesus at Jacob’s will where she had come to draw water. In the course of the conversation, Jesus offered her living water – not a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, but salvation and eternal life. Contrasting it with literal water, Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (13-14).
	Water is essential to life; Jesus, and the salvation He offers, are essential to eternal life. Literal water satisfies temporarily; then we must seek more of it. Jesus satisfies permanently – we need nothing else. To be His disciple, one must drink the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17); that is, one must receive the salvation Jesus offers by complying with His terms of pardon.
	True Worship (20-30). Samaritans used a corrupt version of the Old Testament and worshipped God at Mt. Gerizim rather than Mt. Zion (Jerusalem). These and other factors resulted in an ongoing feud between Jews and Samaritans.
	Under Judaism, Jerusalem was the location of the Temple. However, under Christ, no special geographic location is required for worship. Jesus emphasized worshipping “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Once a person has received salvation, it is essential that (s)he worship God in spirit and in truth.
	Evangelism (31-42). To Jesus, evangelism was more important than eating! Like ripe grain awaits harvest, so Jesus taught that souls await being evangelized. It must be done now, not later! While worship is crucial, it constitutes only part of the Christians duty. Sowing the seed of the kingdom (i.e. planting the gospel into people’s hearts) comprises another essential activity. The Samaritan woman told people in her city about Jesus; they, in turn, went out to speak with Jesus personally, resulting in many becoming believers. When was the last time you sold someone about Jesus?
	To be Jesus’ disciple, you must first believe and obey the gospel so that you are saved. Then you must worship in spirit and in truth, and you must help others to learn and obey the good news. These three things summarize our duty to the Lord.
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To Look Is One Thing . . .
A management axiom illustrates a spiritual truth that is important to keep in mind as we read God’s word:
To Look is one thing.
To see what you look at is another.
To understand what you see is a third.
To learn from what you understand is something else.
But to act on what you learn is all that really matters.
It is action based on faith that ultimately counts.
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).
	--via House-to-House/Heart-to-Heart
Dead In or Dead To?
	Death is not pretty. Often it is very ugly. For this reason many people do not want to think about death. Death is corruption, decay, stench, and a lot of other pictures that we don't like to think about. Because death is so bad and repulsive, the Holy Spirit compares sin to death (Romans 6:23). If we do not like being around physical death because of all that is connected with it, we certainly should not want to be around spiritual death. What is your relationship to sin?
	Dead in sin: Paul described the Ephesian people before they became Christians by saying "You were dead in your trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). They were dead because they "walked according to the course of this world" (Ephesians 2:2). Paul said of some women, "She who gives herself to wanton (fleshly, worldly, sexual) pleasure is dead even while she lives" (I Timothy 5:6). People involved in sin today are dead in sin.
	Dead to sin:  Paul said of those Roman people who were living the Christian life as those who "died to sin" (Romans 6:2).  These were people who had made up their minds that they were not going to live a sinful life. They were finished with sin - they were dead to sin. That is what this world needs! Our world would be a wonderful place in which to live if everyone was "dead to sin."
	Paul told us how to become dead to sin. He said, "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ have been baptized into His death? (Romans 6:3). He goes on to say that when we are raised from the water of baptism we are raised to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). That is the way we become dead to sin.
	Every accountable person on earth is in one of these two conditions - dead in sin or dead to sin.  Where are you? If you have not been forgiven by the blood of Christ, you are a walking dead person. If you have been forgiven, you were made dead to sin. Are you showing that you desire to remain dead to sin or are you still practicing sin? Let us help you become "dead to sin."
		--Wayne Burger (Conifer, CO)