As Christians, we are to be the repairers of the damage the enemy has done in people’s lives. Whether it is in the natural, spiritual or incorrect thinking. Part of being ‘A Repairer Of The Breach’ means that we must learn to recognize ‘Breaches’ (brokenness in others) in all its forms. John 4:1-26 tells the story of a Samaritan women at the well who met Jesus. When we study this story, we discover that she was in actuality, an Israelite. However, the Bible identifies her as Samaritan because she was long removed from the culture, and promises of her people. She had become assimilated into the culture, and “world of the Samaritans” because of taking on their behaviors, customs, and lifestyle.
In previous articles, we examined the two other breaches that the Bible identified in the story of the woman at the well. Today, we will take a look at the Third Breach.
Simply stated, The Third Breach is Socially Acceptable Immorality or behavior. Socially Acceptable Immorality and behaviors involves the thought process of accepting certain lifestyles, attitudes and thoughts simply because everybody else says ‘It’s Ok’. Perhaps, they simply do not know a better way of living. The unfortunate part is this, that this mindset has crept into the church under the guise of being ‘Politically Correct’. It has also crept in through people being unacknowledged of the Word of God and rejecting the Word. Further, it has found entry points through those that have yielded to the pressure to be ‘Trendy’ and “Keeping Up With The Times’. While there is nothing wrong with making sure that the church is modern in outward, physical appearance, good programs and is inviting to people and the younger generation, there is a problem when it embraces society’s immorality into its core values. There is a serious problem when the church rejects sound biblical teaching in order to offer a greater appeal to the masses. With some, the effort to become more marketable to the masses has resulted in compromise, the loss of Godly Identity and the pollution of purity.
We see this concept in the story of the woman at the well. Jesus identified it when He said you have had five husbands. We find it fascinating that the Bible records the fact that Jesus told her how many husbands she had. Possibly to some, her life style of having five husbands in the Samaritan culture may have been acceptable and perceived as normal or ‘just not that big of a deal’ to those who did not know a better way of living. However, upon coming into contact with Jesus, who was purity personified, she was confronted point blank by her sinful lifestyle. It is not the will of God for anyone to have sexual relationships with person after person. God wants to spare us from the fracturing and brokenness of one’s spirit and disease which is a result of having multiple partners.
Socially acceptable sin is a very slippery slope. Thinking that certain behaviors are ok just because the majority of people agree with them is very, very dangerous. Basing morality off of the compass point of society’s consensus of what is acceptable is like using a GPS in a car where the destinations address changes every 5 minutes. Confusion is the result. Our faith hope and trust must be in the Lord who never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever more. He is the One who has set the fixed point on the compass which never changes.
Jesus was gracious and did not antagonize or chastise the woman at the well about her morality but rather simply said, if you drink of this water, you will never thirst again. An interesting statement in light of the fact that by having five husbands, clearly, she was thirsty for something. Her thirst was not being satisfied with her first husband. She wasn’t satisfied with the second, third, or fourth husband. Even being with the fifth man, there was still dissatisfaction within her spirit. Jesus in His graciousness, simply offered her water where she would never thirst again.
The woman at the well looked, behaved and had the lifestyle of many of the Samaritans even though she was Israelite. She had internalized the culture’s belief system rather than her true destiny and heritage. She embraced the Socially Acceptable Immorality of having many husbands rather than the Jewish culture of shunning divorce and the love of The True and Living God.
She is representative of the type of church or person that has internalized the society’s consensus and popular opinion of what is okay rather than what The Lord has said. She is representative of the type of person who simply attends church and gathers at ‘the well’ of a church to get water (see friends and have social interaction) but still is a Samaritan at heart. Consider this, the water that she came to draw had no life in it. Society’s illusion of what is cool, trendy and politically correct can be initially exciting and temporarily removes thirst but it has no life in it. Jesus came that she would have life. And that life more abundantly. Jesus said:
“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. “ – John 10:10
Our questions for you are… Do you look like a Samaritan? When people look at you, can they tell you are of God or do you look, behave and smell just like the world? Has the ‘Samaritan’ thought process of ‘It’s all ok’ because everyone is doing this, taken over your sense of right and wrong instead of the Word of God? Has the ‘Samaritan’ thought process infiltrated your thought process because you have seen other church people behaving badly? If it has, then perhaps some introspection is required.
Do you feel pressured by society and social media to accept certain behaviors, attitudes and levels of morality as ‘normal’ when you know in your heart that it is wrong? Do you see these behaviors, attitudes and lower levels of morality creeping into God’s church? Do you often push past the limits of the Holy Spirit to do that which is socially accepted? Saints, this should not be so.
We encourage you to drink of the Living Water. We encourage you to learn of who you really are in Christ! Cast off the filthy Samaritan garments and put on the Righteousness of God. We are His Beloved. We are His Favored. We are blessed because of God, who so loved us that He sent His only Son to die for us.
“God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. ” – John 3:16-17
Consider this:
Jesus didn’t condemn the woman at the well. He simply offered her a drink of the Water that would give her Everlasting Life. As Christians, we should not condemn those people that are Samaritan in heart, but simply offer them a drink of Living Water.
Selah.
Apostle Ric & Prophetess Kathy Steele
Ric Steele Ministries 