How To Reach Your City

In the final episode of the fourth season of “The Bonfire,” Jesse Bradley discusses the hope of Jesus and the transformation it can bring to individuals and cities. He uses the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman from John chapter 4 as an example of how personal transformation can lead to citywide change. Bradley encourages listeners to think beyond themselves and their own lives, to consider how they can bring hope to their cities. Let’s all work to trust in God and be bold in our faith.

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Transcription:

Welcome to The Bonfire. My name’s Jesse Bradley, and this concludes today our fourth season. The last episode we’ve been talking about the hope of Jesus. We’re going to look at John chapter four today, and I think this is going to stretch you because it’s both personal and citywide, and I want us to have a vision that goes far beyond our own lives. If we’re consumed with ourselves, our vision is too small. We need to think about our cities today and how do you win your city? How can your city be filled with hope? In Acts chapter five, we read that Jerusalem has been filled with the good news, the good news of the gospel. How does that happen in our cities? Sometimes people who know Jesus are retreating. They’re kind of quiet, they’re intimidated, they feel outnumbered, and because of that their light doesn’t shine. Same is true with churches.

Great things are happening within their walls, but is there any vision beyond the church building? What about beyond Sunday, where we live, work, learn, and play? God has placed you in a neighborhood, in a job, in communities, in relationships, in families. He’s placed you not accidentally, but with great purpose. As we look at Jesus today and his hope in John chapter four, you’re going to see how there’s a deep personal connection which then leads to citywide transformation.

It’s an unlikely scenario, and I’ll tell you, there’s a lot of pastors, ministry leaders, there’s a lot of Christian leaders overall thinking, “How do we transform our city?” And there’s some great initiatives, there’s some great unity. It’s exciting what’s happening in many cities across America. There’s some momentum. At the same time, I don’t want us to get caught up in methods and technology and plans, because what we see here in John chapter four is really the heart of how cities are transformed. And I encourage you to be in prayer for your city where God has placed you. As the city prospers, it’ll bless everyone. The rising tide lifts all boats, and we want to be active, involved in our communities, in our city, and our neighborhood, shining the light of God, so that people would be drawn to God, come to know God, and ultimately it’s going to be God’s presence that changes our cities.

So, let’s look at John chapter four today and we have an interaction between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. It’s interesting because the Bible says Jesus had to go to Sychar, that’s this town, and it was in a region where the Samaritans lived. Now, you need to know that Jews and Samaritans did not get along well. Samaritans were considered half-breeds, not full Jews, and yet not gentiles. So, they were really overlooked, mistreated, looked down upon by both Jews and gentiles and Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans, yet Jesus had to go to Sychar. Why is that? Because God leads us out of our comfort zone, God leads us to unlikely conversations, unlikely places, and Jesus is modeling for us to break the cultural norms, break out of your little bubble and go build some relationships with people who are hurting, with people who are confused, with people who might be considered less than.

Jesus goes to this woman and they begin talking about water because she is literally coming to draw water from the well. Jesus says that he has living water and whoever has his water will not thirst again. That is so good, that is so powerful. All of our souls are thirsty and you’ll either fill it with entertainment and junk and cheap fillers and sin and whatever pleasure you can find, because we live in a culture that’s consumed with me right now, feel good, or you’re going to have living water that’s going to satisfy. Go to Jesus. Don’t go to 10 other sources that can’t satisfy. Go to Jesus. If there’s something in your life that isn’t what you want it to be, your job, your career, your finances, your relationships, your marriage, your family, if there’s something that isn’t what it’s supposed to be, or isn’t what you want it to be, go to Jesus.

He has living water. He’s generous with living water. He will give this living water that’ll satisfy, it’ll overflow in your life. And in fact, there’s no substitute for the living water of Jesus. And this woman, she’s intrigued, she’s like, “Give me that water,” and Jesus starts to walk her through a couple of different areas and topics of life. He talks about her personal life. He knows she’s had five husbands and the man she’s with right now is not her husband. This acknowledges a lot of pain. In her life, relationships haven’t gone well. Jesus is coming to bring hope. He doesn’t say that to guilt and shame. He says this to get her attention. Some people think if they just find the right person and married the right person, they’ll be so satisfied in life. She kept thinking that, hoping that, and then the marriages would fall apart.

There’s some brokenness in her life and there’s some brokenness in all of our lives. She has a routine of getting water, but that routine can’t satisfy, your work can’t satisfy. You could have a great job. It’s a blessing from the Lord that you can use your gifts and serve other people, but ultimately your job can’t save you and your job can’t fulfill your deepest needs. She has those things. Jesus is guiding her, and then Jesus starts to talk about theology with her and she says, “We worship on this mountain, you worship over there.” She starts to talk about some things theologically that are off base. People are confused today. That’s why Jesus says he is the truth. He’s the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to Father except through him. There’s a lot of people who are spiritual or religious in terms of what they would say to describe themselves, but religion isn’t going to satisfy. Religion rules, some rituals alone, that’s not going to satisfy. It’s relationship with Jesus.

And Jesus is bringing truth in love. When someone’s off base, it’s important to bring truth in love. It’s been said our most important part of our lives is our view of God and who we think he is. This woman is deceived and she has been duped by some false traditions and false teachings. There are so many false traditions and false teachings today. She’s been duped. Jesus isn’t just going to say, “Oh, that’s fine. Believe whatever you want to believe. Oh, that sounds great. False gods, go for it.” It’s not what he says. He’s leading her and eventually he’s guiding her to know that he is the Messiah. Notice how Jesus guides this conversation. When you have conversations with people who don’t know God, and I’m assuming you do know God, if you haven’t put your trust in Jesus, today’s the day. Salvation is here. Don’t harden your heart, decide to follow Jesus.

It’s by grace, not earned. It’s because he died for our sins and he’s risen. Don’t wait any longer, and then you can start to let others know the good news. And if you’re talking with someone, notice how Jesus keeps going deeper. He’s talking about water. That makes sense, they’re both at the well. You can start with talking about current events, talking about what’s right in front of you that you can see, and then he’s going to go a little deeper and get a little more personal. Now, I’m talking about life and family and relationships. Then, he goes a little deeper and he starts to talk about theology. Well, what do you think? Who do you think God is? And then he talks about the ultimate, which is the gospel. And as he does that, he’s making it clear that he is the Messiah.

Notice that progression and I challenge you in your conversations to go there, to go a little deeper, a little deeper, a little deeper. There’s probably people in your family, friends, relatives, like I said, acquaintances, neighbors, coworkers, maybe you’ve known some of them for five years and you’ve never gone very deep. You can go deeper with questions. Tell me about your background. Did you have good experiences or bad experiences? Did you grow up going to church? What do you think about Jesus? You’re asking questions and then just listen. Don’t judge, you’re not better than anyone, don’t keep interrupting, don’t be preparing your answer as they’re talking, just listen with the goal of understanding. Hear their story, hear their pain points, hear their questions. Hear why they believe what they believe and engage in that conversation and you’ll probably be able to provide some resources, either things that you can pass along that or a website or a book.

God will lead and guide you, but be like Jesus. If you want to grow spiritually with God, you’ve got to think beyond yourself. You’ve got to think, “How can I come alongside of other people? Have some conversations that go deeper and we talk about God?” Take that relationship risk because that’s what Jesus does. That’s what he calls us to do. This is how cities are changed. When the people of God are quiet about God, cities don’t just fix themselves. Cities don’t change. They don’t just shift from darkness to light. It’s when God’s people start to be like Jesus and live like Jesus and love like Jesus that cities are changed, and this woman’s life has changed and she doesn’t have all the words. Sometimes someone that’s new in the faith will just talk about it in a very simple way.

I was blind, now I see. I didn’t know God, now I know Jesus. It’s beautiful, it’s awesome. You don’t have to have a 50-minute explanation and explain the whole Bible, as you grow in your faith, you’ll be able to talk about more, but initially, here’s her salvation and now she’s starting to talk to other people. She’s starting to point people to Jesus. As you read the Bible, and in John chapter four, there’s this contrast between the disciples who are following Jesus and this woman who just started following Jesus. And again, in life and in the Bible, there’s the unexpected. You would think the disciples understand the mission and they’re all about it, and then this woman who’s brand new would need a lot of training and a lot of explaining. Here’s the irony. The disciples come to Jesus and say, “Why are you talking to her? Jesus, don’t you know our culture? Don’t you know the unwritten? Jews don’t associate with Samaritans. Savior, what’s going on?”

They’re questioning Jesus when he is being faithful to the Father and then they say, “Jesus, just come eat some lunch,” as if maybe he’s made a bad decision, maybe he just needs a little food, and then he’ll think clearly, and he’ll be more like us. No, that’s not where Jesus is going to go. Jesus challenges them and says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Jesus says, “My very nourishment is to serve God, to love people, to lead people to God. My nourishment every day is to listen to my Father and be faithful to what he’s called me to do. I want to finish his work.” Jesus was faithful to finish it, including through his death on a cross where he proclaimed, “It is finished.”

What is God’s call in your life? How about that purpose, that passion? What is God calling you to do today? What is God calling you to do this week? How can you walk by faith and make it your top priority, to abide with Jesus, and serve him with all your heart? As you do that, lives are going to be changed. God’s going to be glorified. It’s going to be awesome. You’re going to come just fully alive, and Jesus is explaining to the disciples that in this situation right here, the Father’s food is to share the good news with this woman who’s at the well, and yes, she’s a Samaritan. And there’s a lot for the disciples to process. Eventually, they’re going to live like this and they’re going to lead people to Jesus and they’re going to see cities change. They’re even going to die for their faith.

They’re going to become very devoted. At this point, they don’t really get it, what it looks like, to start conversations and love people and go out of your comfort zone. Jesus says there’s a harvest and it’s not four months from now, it’s right now. Hear those words, there is urgency in what God’s called us to do. Don’t make excuses, don’t procrastinate. Don’t say, “Yeah, but this doesn’t apply to me,” or, “Maybe I’ll do it sometime later. Well, I don’t think I’m going to do it because I have these other hobbies and things,” no, it’s not four months later, it’s today. You can change today. It’s a shift, it’s repentance and say, “I’m done with excuses, I’m done with procrastination. God, I want to go for it, what you called me to do, and that’s how I want to live.”

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As this woman is now excited about Jesus, her life has changed. She tells the other Samaritans, they come to Jesus, they want to know more, and the Bible says here in John chapter four that Jesus spent two more days with them. When people are hungry, Jesus spends time and Jesus walked them through a relationship with God for two days, he did that, and many of them believed. Many of them decide to follow Jesus.

We don’t know who’s going to believe and when, but we know this, that as Jesus is lifted up, he will draw all people to himself. When I decide to follow the Lord, I have over 50 people in my extended family. I didn’t know who had followed Jesus and when, but I just tried to consistently, authentically keep sharing Jesus, and I’ve seen family members turn to the Lord. You can’t control results, and yes, it’s going to feel scary. Yes, you’re going to need to rely on God, but God is going to work through you and it’s going to be his power and your weakness, and it’s not about your ability, it’s more about your availability. Just be teachable, be willing, say, “God, here am I. Send me,” and start praying, “God, I want to see my city changed.”

Jesus gave us this prayer. He said, “Pray to the Lord of the harvest. Ask that there would be more workers in the harvest field.” Well, what does that mean? You pray for your city that God would raise up more people who would love and serve your city, that people would bring the hope of Jesus and would rise up instead of shrinking back. As you pray that, God’s going to work in you, you’re going to be one of those people, and then you’re going to encourage others, mobilize others, cities will be transformed. Here, Sychar is transformed and it’s through the living water of Jesus Christ. Have you seen a city transformed? I believe God is calling in this hour, I believe in 2024, that it’s time for the hope of Jesus to fill the cities in the land, for healing in the land. God says, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, turn from their wicked ways, and seek my face, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

We need to repent, we need to return to God. We need to be faithful in spreading the good news of Jesus all around our cities to every man, woman, and child. I remember when I was a college pastor in Iowa City, Iowa, and this is where the Hawkeyes are in the Big 10, go Hawks, and arriving in that city, we had about 20 college students, and yet here’s a campus of about 30,000 students, and our thoughts were, “How is this going to happen, God? There’s about 20 of us, 30,000 students.” We started praying that God would do a great work in Iowa City, and what we saw is the students, like this woman, come alive. And more than any plan, it was just pure joy, passion, and with that, it was like overflowing, students started turning to Jesus, following Jesus, going deeper in their faith with Jesus, and they started telling their friends and it got kind of fun.

Students got creative. One of them dressed up in a gorilla outfit and then from a grocery store with friends bought hundreds of bananas and just handed them out and gave invitations to come to the group. It was students that were going and buying bagels and then showing up at class with breakfast for everyone and just getting in conversations and out of that, seeing people come to the event, and then out of those conversations, seeing people turn and come to know Jesus. I remember one student that said, “If we get a couple hundred people to come,” and this is when we were starting out, he said he’ll shave his head. And at that time, he was a guy with a lot of hair and everyone was curious. Everyone’s like, “What’s Andrew going to look like without any hair? We got to do this.”

And it was fun, but God also used that, and so many people invited their friends and yes, Andrew had his head shaved that night and there’s just that joy and creativity, and I’ll tell you, you don’t have to come up with all the plans. When you start to work with a team, they’re going to come up with creative ideas and it was just one after another. We started out in church and then we moved down to the Ped Mall, and it was in Iowa City and we were at the Sheraton Hotel. We never saw that coming. God is going to lead you in ways that open doors that you couldn’t anticipate. And here in Sychar, I think the disciples were probably shocked. How could it happen in Sychar? When we were in Iowa City, there were two other major campuses in Iowa. There’s Ames, which is Iowa State, and there was a ministry of hundreds there.

Then up at UNI, there was basic, University of Northern Iowa hundreds there, and God did something special in Iowa City where our group grew to over 800 students and literally every week we saw people come to know Jesus. A lot of them grew up in a Catholic or a Lutheran church, but they didn’t know the Lord yet. They had gone through the motions. They had some familiarity, but they didn’t understand grace, they didn’t understand that Jesus has died for their sins, and they need to put their trust in him. A lot of people know about God, but they don’t know God. They haven’t started the relationship. And once it starts, it’s exciting, just like Sychar in this passage. Someone comes to the Lord, then they tell their friends, and then they listen to Jesus, and then they start reading the Bible, and they start having a conversation about Jesus, and they learn some more and eventually the truth sets them free.

Jesus has come to set captives free, to seek and save the lost, and he calls us to do the same. What happened here in Sychar is powerful, and you see it throughout the Bible. Even in Jonah who’s reluctant, he’s going to go to Nineveh and there’s revival that sweeps across Nineveh, 120,000 turn to God. You see Philip in Samaria in the Book of Acts, again, revivals happening. Revival is when people come to know God, return to God, and the people who know God, they come alive. Revival is what happens, it’s momentum and it’s spiritual, and basically everything in the Bible that God wants to do, it happens in a way there’s multiplication and acceleration, and pretty soon a city’s changed. It can happen quickly, but here’s the key. One woman in this passage who tastes and sees that the Lord is good, one woman who experiences living water, one woman who’s close with Jesus, one woman who’s not afraid to talk, and share her faith, one woman that understands the mission of God, one woman that says yes to Jesus and the city changes.

I believe what we need today is some people who are devoted like this woman. She didn’t go to seminary, she didn’t even wait 20 years, she wasn’t in 15 Bible study groups, she didn’t do 20 studies on the word outreach. All those things are fine and good. I encourage you, find a church, be faithful in church, serve in church, study the Bible, learn more, but knowledge is not the end goal. I know a lot of people who know a lot about the Bible, but they’re not interested in living like this.

And then I know people as well who don’t know as much of the Bible, and this is newer to them, they don’t know the songs as well, but they’re willing, they’re excited to live like this. Let me ask you, are you willing to live like this woman in John chapter four? Are you willing to say, “I don’t care about the world that much, I don’t care about popularity that much, I don’t care about feeling comfortable that much compared to seeing people come to know Jesus, compared to seeing healing in my city, compared to seeing lives transformed and families restored. Compared to the hope of God, that stuff just doesn’t matter that much to me.”

And this is time when you read John chapter four to do a heart check, say, “How do I really want to live? What’s really important to me?” And I wrestle with this all the time in America, in a place that’s prosperous with so many options and distractions and things that just feel good, why would I want this kind of lifestyle? I believe God is calling the church to not be like the disciples in this passage, to not say, “Jesus, why are we doing this? Jesus, eat some food.” No, God is calling us to listen to his word and say, “All right, the harvest is right now, the harvest is my city, the harvest, it’s going to take courage, reliance on God.”

See, apart from the Holy Spirit, we won’t do this, and same is true in the Book of Acts. We see Peter transformed. He was a man who didn’t even want to talk to a young girl about Jesus, and then he starts talking to thousands of people about Jesus. God can take someone who’s very timid, and God doesn’t give us a spirit of timidity, but power and love, and God will work through that person and that person will become an instrument. That person will become the one who delivers the words, and a lot of times they know it’s in their weakness, but it’s God’s power. Are you willing to be one of those people? How much do you want your city to be changed? Do you look around at your city, start crying out to God?

Nehemiah cried out to God for his city and then God gave him direction. When you seek God and pray, God’s going to give you direction, and it’s going to include your hands and your heart and your mouth and your mind, but don’t forget about the words. A lot of people think, “Well, if I just do things with my hands, that’s enough.” No, the people in your heart and then listen to God, have the mind of Christ, and what’s in your heart and your soul, it’s going to come out of your mouth. Let’s talk about Jesus more. Let’s have more conversations about God. Let’s listen well, let’s ask questions, and let’s just share the pure excitement. “This is how Jesus changed my life,” that’s what the woman’s saying. “This is how Jesus changed my life. This is what I’m believing and this is why I believe it.”

I encourage you this week to have a conversation. It could be through text, it could be in person, go out for coffee, buy someone lunch, could be a coworker, family member. You might want to write it down, however you’re most comfortable, however God guides you, but have a conversation coming from John chapter four. Think about your city and someone that you could talk to and listen to and encourage them with the hope of God. Let’s pray for cities across America, and I want to pray for us together now. God, we thank you for these last seven episodes about your hope, Jesus. And God, I pray that your hope, because you are the God of all hope, I pray your hope would fill our hearts to overflowing. And God, I pray this overflowing would move beyond just the walls of churches. But I pray, Jesus, that your followers would be bold and have courage and initiate and take risks in our cities.

God, we can’t do this alone. So, we ask you to fill us with the Holy Spirit and guide us to people, guide us, give us a heart that’s humble, that we would really draw out and listen and understand people, that we would communicate in a way that makes sense, that they can understand as well, and that we would share our stories of what you’ve done in our life. Just one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread or in this case, living water, that’s what we want to do. God, I pray we’d roll up our sleeves. We would use our strength, our energy, our talents to make a difference, and God, I pray that you would do a work this year across America in major cities and in small towns, that you would do a work where there’s unity, where there’s joy, and we’re not looking to politicians or the laws of the land to transform our country.

Those have their place, but God, we’re looking to you and we’re saying yes today and that we’re available and we trust you, God. We’ll give you all the glory in Jesus’ name, amen. Remember, embers alone can fade, but together there’s a bonfire. God wants to build a bonfire. There’s a bonfire in John chapter four, and it’s full of God’s presence. God is love. God is a consuming fire. God can change cities like Sychar. God can change your city. I’m trusting that God’s going to change Auburn this year. I don’t have the whole plan, but again, John chapter four, it’s more about the passion than the plan. It’s not an exact blueprint that this woman is following, but there is a pure passion of abiding with Jesus and his great love, and there’s no reason to contain it. The Bible says, “Let your light shine.”

It’s time to step out of the cave, to take the light, and to take it to the darkest places. Say, what if you’re insulted, persecuted? That might happen. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, I’m saying it’s worth it. And what you see in John chapter four, what Jesus does there, Jesus is still doing today. God can heal our land and it’s going to be one city at a time, and it’s going to be churches united, it’s going to be hearts on fire for God, and The Bonfire is a place where I pray that you sense the fire of God and that God lights your soul on fire because when your soul is on fire, I don’t think there’s going to be anything more rich and rewarding in your life.

When your soul’s on fire, you’re alive. You’re going to be all God’s designed you to be, and ultimately our cities will be all God’s designed them to be. Let’s trust God and be bold together. Thanks for checking out The Bonfire today, and please, share it with a friend and let’s keep growing in our faith. Let’s seek God together. God is good all the time. This is The Bonfire.