Holy Uprising - Thur Apr 1

Jesus said to his followers, 'Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.' Mark 16:15 (NCV)

This past weekend I made a road trip by myself from Corpus Christi to north of San Antonio. As I left the City of Corpus, I began to see the most magnificent sight! The Texas wildflowers are in bloom and they are gorgeous. I saw all kinds of colors: whites, yellows, blues, purples, pinks, reds, and oranges. I was so enthralled, I’ve gone to the Texas Wildflower website to look them up. I think I saw, among others, white Bull Nettle, Bitter weed, Buttercups, Indian Paintbrush, Nettle, and of course Bluebonnets.

Did I mention they were gorgeous? Everywhere you looked people were pulled over and out of their cars taking pictures of the flowers and taking pictures of people and animals in the flowers. I would go around a curve and the sight was so beautiful it would take my breath away! I found myself wanting to share the beauty with someone. As I passed other vehicles or they passed me, I really wanted to get their attention so that I could point it out and get them to “ohhh” and “ahhhh” with me.

Even after I arrived at my destination, I would tell everyone I saw how beautiful it was. I called my daughter I law. I called my husband. I posted by experience on Facebook. On my way home, I called a friend to share it with her. I called my daughter. I even stopped and took a couple of pictures of them myself.

As I headed home, it struck me that I just couldn’t wait to tell everyone about the beauty I had seen. It made my heart rejoice, and I just wanted to share it. It reminded me of the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4. If you remember, Jesus entered Samaria near the town of Sychar and stopped at a well where he met the woman we now refer to as the Samaritan woman. After a conversation with her, Jesus reveals to her that He indeed is the Messiah. And what did the woman do?

John 4:28-30: "Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?' They came out of the town and made their way toward him."

She went back to her town and told everyone about Jesus and people went to see for themselves. And then what happened?

John 4:39-42: "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did.' So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, 'We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.'"

Because of the woman’s story they believed. And listen to her story: “He told me everything I ever did.” No three point sermon needed! Very simple. This is what He did.

But then the people said they no longer believed because of what she said, but they had heard for themselves and know that He is the Messiah.

Now, back to “my” wildflowers: I can tell you (and maybe even show you if my photography skills are good enough) just how gorgeous all those flowers were, but you will not truly be able to appreciate their splendor until you see for yourself.

What God showed me is that I should be just as excited to share what I have seen Him do in my life as I am to share the beauty of those wildflowers! Because of what I have experienced in the presence of My Lord, I should hurry back and tell everyone about Jesus.

The beauty of this story to me is that because of the woman’s testimony, they came to believe. But their belief was no longer dependent upon her. They came to Jesus and saw for themselves.

It made me think of our Easter services this weekend. Because of what I have experienced, I should be excitedly sharing my experiences with everyone I know. Then I should invite them to come see for themselves that Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed.

On Sunday we celebrate the greatest day in the history of the planet! It has completely rocked our world and changed our eternity! So I’m looking this week for people to tell about my experiences with Jesus. . . . Who will you tell???