WEBVTT 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:14.179 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:16.559 Did you ever notice that good things come in 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:20.160 small packages? Interestingly enough, Jesus was 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:24.839 a big proponent of small. If you long for a breakthrough 00:00:24.839 --> 00:00:28.739 in your life, here's what you need to know. Absolutely 00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:32.140 small is the birthplace of breakthrough. Stay 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:36.320 with me and discover how to open it up. What 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:38.320 if the breakthrough you're seeking won't come 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:40.899 from doing something bigger? but from starting 00:00:40.899 --> 00:00:44.140 something smaller. Today on Living on the Edge, 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:47.159 Chip Ingram reveals a pattern that runs throughout 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:50.240 scripture and history. God's most significant 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:53.520 movements always begin with absolutely small 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:57.179 groups of people. Three people in a car, 12 disciples 00:00:57.179 --> 00:01:00.859 around a table, 120 believers in an upper room. 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:03.859 It's part of our series, Experience Breakthrough. 00:01:04.250 --> 00:01:07.469 From Jesus reaching a Samaritan city to the explosion 00:01:07.469 --> 00:01:10.090 of the early church, we'll discover why size 00:01:10.090 --> 00:01:13.950 matters only in reverse. Here's Chip Ingram with 00:01:13.950 --> 00:01:17.129 Absolutely Small, the birthplace of breakthrough. 00:01:17.950 --> 00:01:20.349 Spent about an hour in a car with a good friend, 00:01:20.370 --> 00:01:22.969 and out of the blue he turned to me and goes, 00:01:23.030 --> 00:01:24.430 you know, this breakthrough stuff's messing with 00:01:24.430 --> 00:01:26.170 me, man. You hit me right between the eyes. I 00:01:26.170 --> 00:01:28.930 said, let's get this clear. I just talk. If you 00:01:28.930 --> 00:01:33.170 get hit, it's God. He said, okay, well, God hit 00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:34.390 me between the eyes. I said, well, what do you 00:01:34.390 --> 00:01:37.989 mean? And for the next hour, he began to very 00:01:37.989 --> 00:01:42.310 candidly and honestly talk about some issues 00:01:42.310 --> 00:01:45.090 in his life that he knows this is right and this 00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:48.209 is wrong and right now this is wrong and I know 00:01:48.209 --> 00:01:50.950 what I need to do. And then he had that look 00:01:50.950 --> 00:01:56.010 on his face like I was not many brain cells working. 00:01:56.129 --> 00:01:57.829 Now, do you understand if I do what's right, 00:01:57.849 --> 00:02:00.609 the implications? And he started going through 00:02:00.609 --> 00:02:05.549 relationships, finances, reputation. And I just 00:02:05.549 --> 00:02:10.610 said, man, you believe God is real or not? You 00:02:10.610 --> 00:02:12.289 believe he can take care of you? You think this 00:02:12.289 --> 00:02:14.110 is any different than when he said to the disciples, 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:17.129 feed the 5 ,000 or feed the 4 ,000? You just 00:02:17.129 --> 00:02:18.990 got to believe. He goes, I know. I got it. I 00:02:18.990 --> 00:02:22.150 got it. And I had to believe that he's probably 00:02:22.150 --> 00:02:26.050 not the only one. Now, here's what I want you 00:02:26.050 --> 00:02:29.050 to get. You're on the verge of breakthrough. 00:02:30.969 --> 00:02:34.949 Absolutely small is the birthplace of breakthrough. 00:02:35.629 --> 00:02:38.189 You can have catalysts. You can be moved. You 00:02:38.189 --> 00:02:40.870 can step out. You can start. But the birthing 00:02:40.870 --> 00:02:44.330 of breakthrough happens in what I call absolutely 00:02:44.330 --> 00:02:48.909 small. Look on your notes. Size absolutely matters 00:02:48.909 --> 00:02:56.050 only in reverse. To birth and sustain breakthrough. 00:02:57.030 --> 00:03:00.870 A book I've been reading, great book. It's a 00:03:00.870 --> 00:03:02.629 little heady in the first part, but it will be 00:03:02.629 --> 00:03:04.969 an intellectual challenge, but super insightful. 00:03:05.550 --> 00:03:08.750 It's by Andy Crouch. It's called Culture Making. 00:03:09.150 --> 00:03:12.189 He studied how cultures develop and how things 00:03:12.189 --> 00:03:14.830 happen in cultures and how they're shaped. He 00:03:14.830 --> 00:03:17.150 writes, every cultural good, whether a new word, 00:03:17.210 --> 00:03:19.830 a law, a recipe, a song, or a gadget, begins 00:03:19.830 --> 00:03:23.469 with a small group of people. And not just a 00:03:23.469 --> 00:03:26.620 relatively small group of people, but an absolutely 00:03:26.620 --> 00:03:29.860 small group. No matter how many people it goes 00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:34.819 out to or the mass effect, it always starts small. 00:03:35.259 --> 00:03:37.979 And this means that no matter how complex or 00:03:37.979 --> 00:03:39.919 extensive the cultural system you may consider, 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:44.840 the only way it will be changed is by an absolutely 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:47.400 small group of people who innovate and create 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:51.560 a new cultural good. In other words, rapid change, 00:03:51.900 --> 00:03:56.300 significant change, Any change of any kind that 00:03:56.300 --> 00:04:00.280 is major always starts with a very, very small 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:04.020 group. He goes on, the optimal size of this small 00:04:04.020 --> 00:04:06.539 group I suggest is three. Sometimes it's four 00:04:06.539 --> 00:04:08.379 or five or occasionally you can pull it off with 00:04:08.379 --> 00:04:11.479 two. But three people can fit into a Mini Cooper 00:04:11.479 --> 00:04:13.960 barely with room for luggage. Three people can 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:15.659 talk on a conference call and convene around 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:18.120 a table in a meeting or chat online without anyone 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:20.879 getting bored or distracted or feeling superfluous. 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:23.360 Three people can sit in a booth in a restaurant 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:27.420 and hatch an idea. But the surprising pattern 00:04:27.420 --> 00:04:30.300 that emerges when you study the propagation of 00:04:30.300 --> 00:04:33.839 new, dynamic, innovation, cultural goods is that 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:35.959 these three concentric circles are never very 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:39.060 large. They're almost always absolutely small. 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:43.160 The optimal size, as I've studied, is 3 and 12 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:45.740 and then 120. These circles are small enough 00:04:45.740 --> 00:04:47.600 so that people can know one another's faces. 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:50.620 They can be intimately acquainted. They know 00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:52.939 one another's talents and limitations, and they 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:56.420 know how much to trust and how to verify. And 00:04:56.420 --> 00:04:58.620 then he goes on, and whether it's the movie industry 00:04:58.620 --> 00:05:01.540 or the corporate world, or he even gets around 00:05:01.540 --> 00:05:03.699 and realizes that, you know, Jesus had of the 00:05:03.699 --> 00:05:06.459 12, he had three. And then there were the 12, 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:09.660 and at Pentecost there was 120. And he goes through 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:12.680 ideas, and whether it's the starting of MySpace 00:05:12.680 --> 00:05:19.220 or Facebook or Google or CEO, CFO, CIO, he just 00:05:19.220 --> 00:05:22.379 goes through and says it always starts small. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:26.079 And I want you to know that whether you're on 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:29.040 the verge of potentiality and you're thinking 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.459 and praying and dreaming and God's put it on 00:05:31.459 --> 00:05:34.740 your heart, what you need is an authentic, smaller 00:05:34.740 --> 00:05:37.459 group of people to get on board with you, to 00:05:37.459 --> 00:05:40.060 dream that dream, to pray with you and take some 00:05:40.060 --> 00:05:43.410 risk and say, let's do this together. And if 00:05:43.410 --> 00:05:45.850 you're on the other side and you are pregnant 00:05:45.850 --> 00:05:48.470 but conflicted and you realize this would mean 00:05:48.470 --> 00:05:50.949 I would need to move out and I'm presently living 00:05:50.949 --> 00:05:52.750 with someone. This would mean I'd have to get 00:05:52.750 --> 00:05:54.930 my finances in order. This would mean I'd have 00:05:54.930 --> 00:05:57.750 to say I'm sorry and make restitution and forgive 00:05:57.750 --> 00:06:00.509 someone that I hate their guts. This would mean, 00:06:00.569 --> 00:06:04.129 oh, and you're just thinking, I just can't do 00:06:04.129 --> 00:06:06.629 it. I know I should. I know I want to. I can't. 00:06:06.689 --> 00:06:09.610 You need to be in a small group of safe, loving, 00:06:09.810 --> 00:06:13.990 caring people. That say, regardless of the implications, 00:06:14.389 --> 00:06:17.589 whatever happens will be there with you. And 00:06:17.589 --> 00:06:19.310 what I want to tell you is that's the pattern 00:06:19.310 --> 00:06:22.550 of Scripture. Everyone here believes that God 00:06:22.550 --> 00:06:25.050 wants to change the city, right? I mean, all 00:06:25.050 --> 00:06:27.029 through Scripture, isn't that what He does? I 00:06:27.029 --> 00:06:30.509 mean, have you ever kind of done a little look 00:06:30.509 --> 00:06:34.290 at this Bible and realized, like, the names of 00:06:34.290 --> 00:06:36.709 these books? When God wanted to change the world, 00:06:36.750 --> 00:06:39.509 He wrote a book to the Corinthians in the city 00:06:39.509 --> 00:06:44.180 of... And the Ephesians in the city of? And the 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:47.220 Thessalonians in the city of? And to the Romans 00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:50.279 in the city of? What are those? Those are the 00:06:50.279 --> 00:06:53.560 most influential cities in the world. But it 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:56.399 always started what? Jesus, a small group of 00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:00.579 people, the 12, the 120, and then that got multiplied 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:04.279 and birthed here, there, and everywhere. Well, 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:06.319 did you ever wonder how Jesus reached a city 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:08.860 and how he taught his disciples to reach a city? 00:07:09.610 --> 00:07:13.810 Well, if you didn't, you should. And here's your 00:07:13.810 --> 00:07:15.170 lucky days. That's what we're going to look at. 00:07:15.230 --> 00:07:17.490 Open your notes, if you will, and let's look 00:07:17.490 --> 00:07:21.209 very specifically at how Jesus reached a city. 00:07:22.290 --> 00:07:25.209 And today he's doing it in London and Paris and 00:07:25.209 --> 00:07:31.350 Hong Kong. John chapter 4. Very, very interesting. 00:07:33.129 --> 00:07:36.649 I think the goal here is so the disciples learn 00:07:36.649 --> 00:07:38.850 later when he leaves and gives them the mission, 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:42.120 how to pull this off. If you open your Bibles, 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:44.519 John chapter 4, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, it's 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:47.639 the gospel. The story opens as the Pharisees 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:49.939 hear that Jesus is gaining and baptizing more 00:07:49.939 --> 00:07:52.720 disciples than John. And it's actually not Jesus 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:55.339 baptizing, but his disciples. And so he chooses 00:07:55.339 --> 00:07:58.040 to leave Judea and he goes to Galilee. He's going 00:07:58.040 --> 00:08:02.959 to go on the non -Jewish side of the lake. And 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:05.579 he says, verse 4, now we need to go through Samaria. 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:07.740 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:09.879 near the plot of ground that Jacob had given 00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:12.420 to his son Joseph. And Joseph's well was there, 00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:15.500 and Jesus was tired from the journey. And he 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:17.699 sat down by the well, and it was about the sixth 00:08:17.699 --> 00:08:19.800 hour, or it's noon, and it's very, very hot. 00:08:20.779 --> 00:08:23.259 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:28.240 said to her, will you give me a drink? Sidebar, 00:08:28.339 --> 00:08:30.519 the disciples all had left to go get food in 00:08:30.519 --> 00:08:34.980 town. And she's shocked because Samaritans are 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:38.019 a half breed. The cultural division, I mean, 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:41.259 is absolute. Jews hate Samaritans. Samaritans 00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:45.480 hate Jews, A. B, men don't initiate conversations 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:48.639 with women. Women were subhuman in that day. 00:08:50.139 --> 00:08:52.600 And so she's wondering, one, you're a Jew. I'm 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:55.340 a woman. It's an odd time of day. And the reason 00:08:55.340 --> 00:08:57.799 she's out at this time of day is because there's 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:00.700 a little colorful past and she's rejected in 00:09:00.700 --> 00:09:03.269 her community. And so when all the other women 00:09:03.269 --> 00:09:05.250 go out and draw water, she doesn't want to be 00:09:05.250 --> 00:09:07.309 there because she's not accepted. So she's out 00:09:07.309 --> 00:09:11.370 here by herself. You, a Jew, ask me for a drink? 00:09:11.730 --> 00:09:16.309 For Jews don't associate with Samaritans. Jesus' 00:09:16.409 --> 00:09:18.590 response. If you knew the gift of God and who 00:09:18.590 --> 00:09:22.669 it is that asks for a drink, you would have asked 00:09:22.669 --> 00:09:25.309 him. And he would have given you living water. 00:09:26.629 --> 00:09:29.129 Sir, the woman replied, you have nothing to draw 00:09:29.129 --> 00:09:31.840 with and the well is very deep. where will you 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:33.620 get this living water? Are you greater than our 00:09:33.620 --> 00:09:35.840 father Jacob who gave us this well and drank 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:39.980 from it himself and also his sons and his flocks 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:43.500 and his herd? And Jesus said, everyone who drinks 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:46.559 this physical water will be thirsty again. But 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:49.019 whoever drinks the water I give him will never 00:09:49.019 --> 00:09:52.159 thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:55.139 in him a spring of water welling up to eternal 00:09:55.139 --> 00:09:58.320 life. Now, here's the woman's response. I love 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:00.940 this. Sir, give me this water so I won't get 00:10:00.940 --> 00:10:02.720 thirsty and I have to keep coming back to draw 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:04.940 water. Boy, if you've got this, it sounds great. 00:10:05.940 --> 00:10:09.080 And so he throws out a little test, like many 00:10:09.080 --> 00:10:11.179 of you are in right now, like my friend is in 00:10:11.179 --> 00:10:13.519 right now. He says, oh, you want water? You're 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:15.720 thirsty? You want me to meet your need? You want 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:18.580 to spring up in you eternal life? Why don't you 00:10:18.580 --> 00:10:20.159 go get your husband? We'll talk about it further. 00:10:22.740 --> 00:10:26.610 Her reply, I have no husband. Jesus said, you're 00:10:26.610 --> 00:10:28.429 right. When you say you have no husband, the 00:10:28.429 --> 00:10:30.409 fact is you've had five husbands and the man 00:10:30.409 --> 00:10:33.110 you have now is not your husband. What you have 00:10:33.110 --> 00:10:36.690 said is quite true. And contrary to how I think 00:10:36.690 --> 00:10:39.490 most of us would read this text, I think he was 00:10:39.490 --> 00:10:44.330 affirming her honesty and vulnerability, not 00:10:44.330 --> 00:10:48.929 condemning her, as we will see. You're listening 00:10:48.929 --> 00:10:51.690 to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and we'll 00:10:51.690 --> 00:10:54.350 continue our lesson in just a minute. If you've 00:10:54.350 --> 00:10:56.669 missed any part of this series or want to dive 00:10:56.669 --> 00:10:58.690 deeper into the principles we're learning about, 00:10:58.830 --> 00:11:02.509 everything is available at livingontheedge .org. 00:11:02.769 --> 00:11:05.409 You'll find the complete message library, small 00:11:05.409 --> 00:11:08.570 group resources, and practical study tools, all 00:11:08.570 --> 00:11:10.809 designed to help you experience the breakthrough 00:11:10.809 --> 00:11:13.590 you're seeking. It's all there, waiting for you, 00:11:13.629 --> 00:11:17.769 at livingontheedge .org. Well, now let's continue 00:11:17.769 --> 00:11:20.649 with today's message. Sir, she said, I can see 00:11:20.649 --> 00:11:22.269 that you're a prophet. Our fathers worshiped 00:11:22.269 --> 00:11:24.269 on this mountain, but you Jews claim the place 00:11:24.269 --> 00:11:27.309 we worship is in Jerusalem. So I guess, man, 00:11:27.429 --> 00:11:29.429 anybody that knows this, you're reading my mail. 00:11:29.529 --> 00:11:31.389 There's no way you could know this. You must 00:11:31.389 --> 00:11:33.169 be a prophet. I guess we're going to talk religion. 00:11:33.169 --> 00:11:35.409 Let's change the subject. You say this mountain, 00:11:35.570 --> 00:11:39.809 you know. And Jesus says, it's way bigger than 00:11:39.809 --> 00:11:43.710 what mountain or where. Jesus, verse 21 says, 00:11:43.789 --> 00:11:47.460 believe me, woman, the time is coming. when you 00:11:47.460 --> 00:11:50.200 will worship the Father neither on this mountain 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:52.399 nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what 00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:54.559 you do not know, but we Jews worship what we 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:57.179 do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet, 00:11:57.259 --> 00:12:02.139 new dispensation, new truth. A time is coming 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:05.759 and has now come when true worshipers will worship 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:08.139 the Father in spirit and in truth, for they're 00:12:08.139 --> 00:12:11.019 the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:13.639 is spirit, and his worshipers must worship him 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:16.399 in spirit and in truth. You might in your Bible 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:19.320 circle or highlight in your mobile device, seeks. 00:12:19.460 --> 00:12:22.600 Literally, it's pursues. The father is pursuing 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:26.100 and seeking and running after people that don't 00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:29.000 know him. That they might turn and worship him, 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:31.879 not in some external form, but in spirit and 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:35.539 in truth. The woman said, I know, okay, we're 00:12:35.539 --> 00:12:37.740 getting down to patriarch. Well, I know that 00:12:37.740 --> 00:12:40.500 the Messiah, the Christ is coming. And when he 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:43.500 comes, he'll explain everything. Now, this next 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:46.240 line is absolutely amazing because the Pharisees 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:48.399 can't figure out who he is. The disciples have 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:50.779 been foggy on who he is. And after he heals people, 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:52.600 he says, don't tell anyone because of all the 00:12:52.600 --> 00:12:55.580 mushrooming of crowds. But here is an immoral 00:12:55.580 --> 00:12:59.580 woman who's a half -breed, who's despised, who's 00:12:59.580 --> 00:13:02.139 rejected, and she gets honest. And here's the 00:13:02.139 --> 00:13:04.940 truth she gets. Then Jesus declared, I who speak 00:13:04.940 --> 00:13:08.740 to you am he. I'm the Messiah. Just then his 00:13:08.740 --> 00:13:10.419 disciples returned and were surprised finding 00:13:10.419 --> 00:13:12.620 him talking to a woman. That is an understatement. 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:15.940 But no one asked, what do you want or why are 00:13:15.940 --> 00:13:19.419 you talking with her? Then leaving her water 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:22.480 jar, here's her response. She leaves her jars 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:25.600 there. The woman went back into the town and 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:27.220 said to the people, come and see a man who told 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:29.360 me everything I ever did. Could he be the Christ? 00:13:29.879 --> 00:13:31.860 And they came out of the town and they made their 00:13:31.860 --> 00:13:34.679 way toward him. Meanwhile, the camera lens, as 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:36.740 the people were starting, hubbub, they're coming 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:39.440 out of the town. Camera lens goes back. It's 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:42.620 Jesus and the disciples. Meanwhile, the disciples 00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:44.899 urged Jesus to get something to eat. By the way, 00:13:44.899 --> 00:13:47.100 that's why we went to town. It was a to -go order. 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:48.759 We got it. We brought it back. You got to be 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:53.279 hungry. Rabbi. But he said, I have food to eat 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:55.820 that you know nothing of. Then his disciples 00:13:55.820 --> 00:13:58.000 said to one another, could someone have brought 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:02.960 him food? Come on, guys. I mean, think about 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:08.230 where this is at. My food. Jesus said, is to 00:14:08.230 --> 00:14:10.809 do the will of him who sent me and to finish 00:14:10.809 --> 00:14:14.970 his work. Do you not say there are four months 00:14:14.970 --> 00:14:18.090 and yet then comes the harvest? You think that 00:14:18.090 --> 00:14:19.929 the work of God or when things are gonna really 00:14:19.929 --> 00:14:22.250 happen and breakthrough and things like you've 00:14:22.250 --> 00:14:24.809 never seen, you guys say it's in the future, 00:14:24.870 --> 00:14:28.730 someday, someway when God intervenes. But I say 00:14:28.730 --> 00:14:31.429 to you, lift up your eyes and I imagine there's 00:14:31.429 --> 00:14:35.879 some people coming out of that town led by, an 00:14:35.879 --> 00:14:39.500 immoral woman who was disrespected and despised, 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:45.200 who thought she was unworthy. See, the fields 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:49.759 are white for harvest. And then notice his explanation. 00:14:49.820 --> 00:14:53.259 Even now, the reaper draws his wages. Even now, 00:14:53.259 --> 00:14:55.740 the harvest crop for eternal life so that the 00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:58.980 sower and the reaper may be glad together. One 00:14:58.980 --> 00:15:01.259 sows and other reaps. It's true. I sent you to 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:03.200 reap where you haven't worked. Others have done 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:05.019 the hard work and you have reaped the benefits 00:15:05.019 --> 00:15:07.559 for their labor. And in just a few moments, we're 00:15:07.559 --> 00:15:10.139 going to learn that they come, they believe based 00:15:10.139 --> 00:15:12.960 on her testimony and they're Samaritans and he's 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:15.519 a Jew and they say, do you think you could stick 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:17.580 around for another couple days? So he does a 00:15:17.580 --> 00:15:19.840 two -day seminar and then they turn to the woman 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.419 and they say, we have come and believed based 00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:25.360 on your word and your testimony, but after two 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:28.190 days of hearing his word, Look in your text. 00:15:28.250 --> 00:15:31.789 What's it say? Now we believe and know that you 00:15:31.789 --> 00:15:35.889 are the Savior of the world. Now, I want to have 00:15:35.889 --> 00:15:37.889 you look at your notes, if you would, and I want 00:15:37.889 --> 00:15:42.690 to show you something about how Jesus very intentionally 00:15:42.690 --> 00:15:45.389 reached a city. And I'm going to suggest that 00:15:45.389 --> 00:15:47.929 he didn't just reach a city, but he's wanting 00:15:47.929 --> 00:15:50.330 to teach his disciples about how to reach cities. 00:15:50.470 --> 00:15:51.970 And then we're going to learn from the disciples 00:15:51.970 --> 00:15:54.830 how to reach a city. Where did the breakthrough 00:15:54.830 --> 00:16:00.370 begin? Answer with Jesus. Jesus cared. Jesus 00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:03.690 had compassion on that city, and he had very 00:16:03.690 --> 00:16:06.950 specific compassion on that woman. Whom did Jesus 00:16:06.950 --> 00:16:10.070 choose? This is always a stumper for us religious 00:16:10.070 --> 00:16:13.690 people. He chose an immoral, socially rejected 00:16:13.690 --> 00:16:17.929 woman in a culturally despised town. That's just 00:16:17.929 --> 00:16:19.470 for all of us that think we're not qualified. 00:16:20.409 --> 00:16:23.750 Third, how did she make room for breakthrough? 00:16:24.649 --> 00:16:29.190 She recognized that she had thirst. A lot of 00:16:29.190 --> 00:16:32.110 us do a lot of stuff. A lot of us eat, sex addictions, 00:16:32.250 --> 00:16:35.789 shop, work. We have thirst for fulfillment and 00:16:35.789 --> 00:16:39.409 meaning. She recognized she had thirst, and she 00:16:39.409 --> 00:16:41.690 was open to realize maybe there's a different 00:16:41.690 --> 00:16:44.250 way to quench your thirst. Second, when confronted 00:16:44.250 --> 00:16:47.330 with the truth, she was just honest. I don't 00:16:47.330 --> 00:16:49.210 have it all together. I have a checkered past. 00:16:49.370 --> 00:16:52.049 But she had the guts enough to say, yep, that's 00:16:52.049 --> 00:16:55.340 me. And then... She made room. When she heard 00:16:55.340 --> 00:16:57.759 about the truth, she left her jar, step of faith, 00:16:57.879 --> 00:16:59.759 and she said, I've got to share this with someone 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:04.059 else. It's a pattern. What courageous step did 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:08.440 she take? Can you imagine her reputation and 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:10.940 the fear of rejection of going to a whole town 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:13.279 that thinks you're like the most immoral person 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:15.960 in the whole town? And you say, I believe that 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:18.920 I may have just met the Messiah. You should come 00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:21.460 and see. What do you think was going on in her 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:23.559 heart when she was walking from where her jar 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:25.960 and the well was to the town? No one's ever going 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:27.599 to believe me. No one's ever going to, I got 00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:28.740 to tell them. No one's ever going to believe 00:17:28.740 --> 00:17:30.819 me. I got to tell them. I got to tell them. Anybody 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:35.180 here in the labor pains of potentiality, but 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:38.359 your fear of being rejected is keeping you from 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:42.440 launching? What did Jesus want his disciples 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:46.710 to learn about himself? His love and compassion 00:17:46.710 --> 00:17:49.390 is for all people regardless of where they've 00:17:49.390 --> 00:17:52.289 been, what they look like, or what they've done, 00:17:52.430 --> 00:17:55.509 or what they're presently doing. He wanted them 00:17:55.509 --> 00:17:57.970 to understand that his personal satisfaction 00:17:57.970 --> 00:18:02.170 is rooted not in what you can achieve, not in 00:18:02.170 --> 00:18:05.970 how you look, not in what you own. My food is 00:18:05.970 --> 00:18:08.349 to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish 00:18:08.349 --> 00:18:13.400 his work. I saw in 60 minutes a brief Little 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:17.240 interview with a man in New York City. And his 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:23.900 name is Tudor Jones II. Paul Tudor Jones II. 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:27.819 He's a hedge fund guy. I have no idea his spiritual 00:18:27.819 --> 00:18:29.559 background other than he mentioned his mom wanted 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:34.059 him to be a preacher. He started 80 charter schools 00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:38.740 in New York City. And in the interview, this 00:18:38.740 --> 00:18:41.480 one line captured me. He turned to the interview, 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:43.670 he says, Well, you need to understand that the 00:18:43.670 --> 00:18:46.950 only real purpose and significance in life is 00:18:46.950 --> 00:18:49.410 making sacrifices to meet the needs of other 00:18:49.410 --> 00:18:53.450 people. That's what life's all about. The rest 00:18:53.450 --> 00:18:55.529 of the world's trying to make a lot less than 00:18:55.529 --> 00:18:58.789 $3 .6 billion, but someone with $3 .6 million 00:18:58.789 --> 00:19:01.049 understands there's not enough steak, there's 00:19:01.049 --> 00:19:02.829 not enough jets, there's not enough houses, there's 00:19:02.829 --> 00:19:06.700 not enough vacations. What life is about is sacrificially 00:19:06.700 --> 00:19:09.819 giving up time and energy and money to meet the 00:19:09.819 --> 00:19:11.720 needs of other people. That's where fulfillment 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:15.660 is. I think he got that from somewhere. I wonder 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:20.079 if we do. And finally, what about breakthrough? 00:19:20.740 --> 00:19:24.019 I think Jesus wanted them to learn that breakthroughs 00:19:24.019 --> 00:19:30.299 start small. This is Living on the Edge with 00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:33.619 Chip Ingram. What an incredible example. Jesus 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:37.220 chose one despised woman in one rejected town 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:40.759 to spark a citywide movement. That's how breakthrough 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:44.119 works. Chip has more to say in a moment. As you 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:46.420 consider what God might be calling you to start, 00:19:46.579 --> 00:19:49.359 even if it feels too small to matter, I want 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:51.440 to point you toward a resource that can fuel 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:54.819 your faith. It's Chip's free 10 -day devotional 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:58.450 called Psalms of Hope. Each day follows a simple 00:19:58.450 --> 00:20:00.990 pattern. Chip provides 10 minutes of teaching 00:20:00.990 --> 00:20:04.930 from Psalm 1, Psalm 15, or Psalm 23. Then you 00:20:04.930 --> 00:20:07.390 take 10 minutes to pray and meditate on what 00:20:07.390 --> 00:20:10.910 you've learned. 20 minutes a day, 10 days total. 00:20:11.150 --> 00:20:14.309 So don't wait. Get started today. It's completely 00:20:14.309 --> 00:20:19.069 free at livingontheedge .org. Just search for 00:20:19.069 --> 00:20:22.630 Psalms of Hope. This ministry reaches millions 00:20:22.630 --> 00:20:25.109 because listeners like you provide the support 00:20:25.109 --> 00:20:27.849 that makes it possible. If these messages are 00:20:27.849 --> 00:20:30.109 helping you grow, would you help us reach others? 00:20:30.369 --> 00:20:34.349 Visit livingontheedge .org to give or write to 00:20:34.349 --> 00:20:38.170 Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:20:38.430 --> 00:20:45.640 Georgia 30024. You can also call 888 -333 -6003. 00:20:45.940 --> 00:20:48.259 And be sure to subscribe to the Living on the 00:20:48.259 --> 00:20:51.779 Edge podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 00:20:52.099 --> 00:20:55.140 and wherever you listen. Well, now here's Chip 00:20:55.140 --> 00:20:58.140 with more on today's lesson. Just a final thought 00:20:58.140 --> 00:21:01.220 as we close today's program. I love this part 00:21:01.220 --> 00:21:05.019 of the series because we all get this. Big things 00:21:05.019 --> 00:21:08.339 don't just happen. They're a culmination of a 00:21:08.339 --> 00:21:11.319 lot of little things. And we can get our mind 00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:14.079 around little things. You know, I think so often 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:16.039 when we think about breakthrough, we think of 00:21:16.039 --> 00:21:19.400 these huge things that occur and people that 00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:23.259 are smarter than us and holier than us and historic 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:25.599 characters are out of the pages of the Bible. 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:29.140 And sometimes we get lost thinking, I guess those 00:21:29.140 --> 00:21:32.299 things are reserved for, you know, people that 00:21:32.299 --> 00:21:36.150 are so far above us. And yet. The Bible goes 00:21:36.150 --> 00:21:39.509 out of its way to remind us that the biggest 00:21:39.509 --> 00:21:42.490 breakthroughs have come through the most ordinary 00:21:42.490 --> 00:21:46.789 people. You think about Rahab, a breakthrough 00:21:46.789 --> 00:21:50.609 that changes the course of a nation that is a 00:21:50.609 --> 00:21:53.950 part of the lineage of the Messiah because there's 00:21:53.950 --> 00:21:56.730 a little thing. She's heard some stories about 00:21:56.730 --> 00:22:00.049 this God and she lowers a red rope down and she 00:22:00.049 --> 00:22:02.869 trusts him in the midst of it. Or you think of 00:22:02.869 --> 00:22:06.000 disciples who... I mean, the people that Jesus 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:10.180 chooses in Scripture, in church history, the 00:22:10.180 --> 00:22:13.559 closer we get to them, we realize how regular, 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:16.700 how ordinary, how much they're just like us. 00:22:16.859 --> 00:22:20.279 And in the teaching today, the important point 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:23.400 I want you to get is that supernatural breakthroughs 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:27.579 are not dependent on a future work of God, but 00:22:27.579 --> 00:22:31.150 on a present work of one. And that's you. In 00:22:31.150 --> 00:22:32.710 other words, there's not some big thing that 00:22:32.710 --> 00:22:35.549 someone out there is going to do. Your breakthrough 00:22:35.549 --> 00:22:38.930 is going to come. And it starts very, very small. 00:22:39.369 --> 00:22:41.750 And as I wrap this up, I'll just share. There 00:22:41.750 --> 00:22:46.150 was a season that I. found myself drifting in 00:22:46.150 --> 00:22:49.289 my marriage. Just a little mindset was emerging 00:22:49.289 --> 00:22:54.430 where I was very busy and I found myself being 00:22:54.430 --> 00:22:57.069 critical of my wife. But inside my head, not 00:22:57.069 --> 00:22:59.390 even in my words, but if you're critical of your 00:22:59.390 --> 00:23:01.089 mate, you know, why doesn't she do this? And 00:23:01.089 --> 00:23:03.230 why didn't she catch that? And what about this? 00:23:03.250 --> 00:23:06.609 And what about that? And, you know, I have my 00:23:06.609 --> 00:23:10.240 issues. She has her issues. And it formed a little 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:12.960 bit of a habit and I could feel emotional distance. 00:23:13.859 --> 00:23:16.980 And I knew in my heart, God, I want a close marriage. 00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:20.279 And I got concerned, like, boy, this is not a 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:22.859 good way to go. And I began to pray for a breakthrough, 00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:24.859 pray for a breakthrough. And I need to try harder 00:23:24.859 --> 00:23:27.980 and try harder. And nothing was working. And 00:23:27.980 --> 00:23:30.599 kind of had this private world that I was living 00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:33.759 in. Like, I'm a pastor and I love my wife and 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:36.099 I'm absolutely committed to her. But I didn't 00:23:36.099 --> 00:23:39.200 realize I was feeding my mind. A lot of negative 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:41.480 thoughts about my wife that produce negative 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:43.700 emotions. And, you know, then I would get from 00:23:43.700 --> 00:23:45.779 her like, hey, what's wrong? Or, you know, are 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:49.240 you okay? Or are we okay? And here was my breakthrough. 00:23:49.380 --> 00:23:51.220 Talk about something very, very, very small. 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:55.339 The Holy Spirit whispered, Chip, I want you to 00:23:55.339 --> 00:23:58.960 focus on what you do have in your wife, not what 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:02.000 you don't have. I want you to focus on how faithful 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:04.660 she is, what an amazing mother she is. I want 00:24:04.660 --> 00:24:07.160 you to every single day start listing in your 00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:10.180 mind all the things she does, all of her qualities, 00:24:10.359 --> 00:24:13.099 all the positive things. And I began to do that. 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:15.980 And as I began to do that, guess what? The breakthrough 00:24:15.980 --> 00:24:18.259 started to come and I was more and more attracted 00:24:18.259 --> 00:24:20.579 to her. And all of a sudden, that 10 % of the 00:24:20.579 --> 00:24:22.619 things that bothered me were just overwhelmed 00:24:22.619 --> 00:24:25.319 by the 90 % of the things that I was renewing 00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:29.210 my mind and thanking God for her. What do you 00:24:29.210 --> 00:24:31.890 need to do? What small next step do you need 00:24:31.890 --> 00:24:34.309 to take to get a breakthrough in a relationship 00:24:34.309 --> 00:24:38.130 or with a supervisor or with yourself and how 00:24:38.130 --> 00:24:41.490 you see yourself? It starts absolutely small. 00:24:42.009 --> 00:24:45.549 So start small and do it today. Think your next 00:24:45.549 --> 00:24:48.170 step is too small to matter? Well, think again. 00:24:48.450 --> 00:24:51.450 I'm Dave Drewy. Join us tomorrow on Living on 00:24:51.450 --> 00:24:57.160 the Edge. Today's program is produced and sponsored 00:24:57.160 --> 00:24:58.619 by Living on the Edge.