John 4:39-42
"And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."
So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
And many more believed because of His own word.
Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

Message:
If ever there was a great spiritual climax to a story, that climax is found in the phrase with which John the evangelist ends his account of Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria.
The woman had believed in Jesus as the result of His conversation with her and had immediately gone off to her own city to tell others about Him. These came and believed. They asked Christ to stay with them. When He did, others believed also.
John's account of this miniature revival in Samaria is then rounded off with the concluding testimony of these new believers concerning Jesus; "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 his man really is the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD."
Here we have the story of a moment in the history of a city never to be forgotten...a moment when the Savior of the world became the centerpiece of a great spiritual awakening. History has often referred to these spiritual events as 'revivals.' One of the exciting studies in the history of the Church is the times when God moved upon cities, towns and nations in bringing many souls into the Kingdom of God.
Before considering some of the great spiritual awakenings of the Bible and history, let us note the verses that have just preceded our text. Jesus has compared some of the characteristics of the harvest to spiritual truths.
"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your

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eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
For in this the saying is true; One sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."
In His comments about the harvest, Jesus is thinking about the span of time between planting and harvest when the grain is growing but not mature. The farmer relaxes and enjoys the promise of plenty. But Jesus abruptly changes the image. The fields are NOW ready for gathering! He has planted the seed (at the well) and now the harvest (of Samaritans) is coming in. As He thinks about white harvests, some wonder if He is reflecting on the approaching Samaritans (4:40 dressed in white), who will become a crop for eternal life.
Jesus is in the world, God has invaded the field with seed, and it is bearing fruit already. The gospel has just been preached to a woman, and see how many of the Samaritans come to hear it also!
LOOK AT THE FIELDS, THEY ARE ALREADY WHITE FOR HARVEST! Grain, when ripe, turns from a green to a yellow or light color, indicating that it is time to reap it. So here were indications that the gospel was effectual, and that the harvest was to be gathered in. The very message of the gospel is such that the immediate impression of its truths cause results. Conviction, sometimes alarm, sometimes guilt, sometimes immediate confession and repentance! Paul says, "I am not ashamed, of the gospel of Christ, for it is THE POWER OF GOD TO SALVATION for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." (Romans 1:16)
We are to expect that the gospel will have immediate effects...we are not to wait to some future period, as if we could not expect immediate results.
CONSIDER THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF THE WORD OF GOD! Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not my word like fire," declares the Lord, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?"
Hebrews 4:12 "Far the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

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Jesus reaches for another agricultural metaphor in verses 37 and 38 as He explains what He expects of His disciples. In farming (as in so many other labors) significant labor precedes harvest. Sometimes those who do the preparatory work are not the same as those who harvest. But what does Jesus mean by "others [who] have done the hard work?" This is possibly John the Baptist or Jesus Himself, who has prepared the way for the coming church. Either way it is an important theological statement since it defines Christian mission in terms of what has gone on before, what God has been doing in advance of our efforts. Christian labor is never a solitary effort, divorced from the labor of God. The man that is crowned with eminent success has no cause of boasting over others, any more than the man who reaps a field of grain should boast over the man who sowed it. The labor of both is equally necessary, and the labor of both would be useless if God did not give the increase.
"For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase." 1 Cor. 3:4-7.
Every part of the work of the ministry and of teaching men is needful, and we should rejoice that we are permitted to bear any part, however humble, in bringing sinners to the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Verse 39 reads: "AND MANY OF THE SAMARITANS OF THAT CITY BELIEVED ON HIM BECAUSE OF THE WORD OF THE WOMAN WHO TESTIFIED..." There is seldom an instance of so remarkable success as this! From a single conversation, in circumstances, in a place, and with an individual little likely to be attended with such results, many sinners were converted; many believed on the testimony of the woman; many more came to hear, and believed because they heard Him themselves. Their faith (they believed in Him") is based on the woman's testimony, which underscores the value of human witness to the work of God. Evangelism is a cooperative effort, in

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which the preparatory work of God joins with our witness to what He has done and is doing in the world.
Our text shows how that God is pleased to use feeble messengers to accomplish mighty ends. Frequently He employs weak instruments to make manifest His own mighty power. In this, as in everything else, the Lord's thoughts and ways are very different from ours. He employed a shepherd lad to vanquish the mighty Goliath. He endowed a Hebrew slave with more wisdom than all the magicians of Babylon possessed. He made the words of Naaman's servants to have greater effect upon their august master than did those of the renowned Elisha. In making selection for the mother of the Savior, He chose not a princess, but a peasant woman. In appointing the heralds of the Cross, fishermen were the ones called.
And so a mighty work of grace was started there in Sychar by a converted harlot! "How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out."
AND NOTICE HER SIMPLE, YET SINCERE TESTIMONY!
"He told me all that ever I did." She did not say, "Of what use can I be for Christ?"--I who have lost character with men, and have sunken into the lowest depths of degradation! No; she did not stop to reason, but with a conscience that had been searched in the presence of the Light and its burden of guilt removed, with a heart full of wonderment and gratitude to the One who had saved her, she immediately went forth to serve and glorify Him.
She told what she knew; she testified of what she had found, but in connection with a Person. It was of Him she spoke; it was to Him she pointed. "He told me," she declared, thus directing others to that One who had dealt so blessedly with her.
But she did not stop there. She did not rest satisfied with simply telling her fellow-townsmen of what she had heard, nor Whom she had met. She desired others to meet with Him for themselves. "Come" she said; "Come to Him yourselves. And God honored those simple and earnest words!
This story should excite our hearts about the matter of giving witness to our faith so that others will come to know our Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord!

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In the early moments of Church history following the day of Pentecost, Samaria again becomes a place of spiritual awakening.
Acts 8:1-8 "Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
And there was great joy in that city."
When men and women, boys and girls, respond to the gospel and families, neighborhoods and cities are greatly effected in spiritual awakening, there is much joy and the church becomes alive and exciting. When sinners become saints, drunkards become clean, houses of strife become homes of blessing and love...there is much joy, great joy, real joy.
The story is told that a miner once interrupted John Hutton, a famous Welsh preacher of the last century. The miner leaped to his feet in the middle of a sermon and leading the whole congregation in the "Doxology" totally upset the service!
Hutton was taken aback and decided he would make the acquaintance of the man. Later the man explained that he had been a Christian only a few months and that it was all so gloriously different that he could not sit still while the Word was being preached. Then he said, "I was a bad lot. I drank. I pawned the furniture. I knocked my wife about. And now life is real life, and splendidly worthwhile."

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When asked how he fared among his fellows down in the pit, he laughed and replied, "Today they asked me, "You don't seriously credit that old yarn about Jesus turning the water into wine?" To which he had answered, "I know nothing about the water and wine, but I know this: that in my house Christ has turned beer into furniture; and that is a good enough miracle for me!"
I think there must have been something of this in the Samaritan woman's life. She could not give the townspeople all the right theological answers, but they saw that her life had been changed--and they wanted to meet the man who had so effected her life.
Spiritual awakening can touch a life, a community, a city...and the church. When it happens in the church, we call it a REVIVAL. When the House of the Lord becomes filled with the glory and presence of the Lord...when the worship is heavenly...when lives are being transformed by God's power and grace...that is REVIVAL. And throughout history, such spiritual awakenings usually begin with one or a few persons who begin to share their faith and love of the Lord.
There is a story of spiritual awakening in the Old Testament that marked a high point in the spiritual life of the nation of Israel. It is recorded in 2 Chronicles chapter 29. Ahaz, the wicked king had turned away from Jehovah God, sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, closed the Temple doors so there was no more worship in the House of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 28:24 says:
"So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers."
Ahaz died and his son, Hezekiah took over the responsibility of leading the nation. He was only twenty-five years old, but he had a heart for God and spiritual things! The first thing he did was open the doors of the House of the Lord and repaired them. He called the Levites to prepare themselves personally by sanctifying themselves and the house of worship. (Read the passage in 2 Chronicles 29) The rubbish was cleaned out of the Temple, the religious leaders got themselves right with

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God. When the place of worship was clean and repaired, the priests sanctified and cleansed before God...then the King ordered the sacrifices to be made on the newly repaired altars and worship began! 2 Chronicles 29:27 is the moment of SPIRITUAL AWAKENING for the nation.
"Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. AND WHEN THE BURNT OFFERING BEGAN, THE SONG OF THE LORD ALSO BEGAN, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel. So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped."
Ah! what a scene of joy as a king takes the lead in bringing worship back to his nation. "So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven." (2 Chron. 30:26)
Down through the pages of religious history, there have been those moments in the life of the Church that God wonderfully and blessedly moves upon a person, a community, a city and sometimes a nation...and the spiritual results are thrilling, amazing. As it had happened in the little village of Sychar as the result of a little woman’s story of how Jesus had effected her life...so God has used one person or a few to bring about a great spiritual tide that brings many into God's kingdom.
It is a thrilling story of the great spiritual awakening that came to Wales in the years of 1904--1906. While indeed there had been special times of grace through the years, the last in 1859, the spiritual level of the Welsh church at the turn of the nineteenth century was at low ebb. Here and there, however, groups of concerned believers had been praying for a new work of the Holy Spirit. And there was the twenty-six year old miner, Evan Roberts, who felt called to preach to his fellow countrymen. Numbers of young men were converted through his ministry, and a spiritual awakening began that influenced not only Wales but many other countries as well.

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People gathered by the thousands to hear this spiritual young miner or another witness much like him, preacher Seth Joshua. Unique to this Welsh revival was the great amount of time given to singing, testimony, and prayer. Evan Roberts often emphasized four specific requirements for the godly life. The past must be made right, he said; every unrighteous thing must be made good. Further, everything doubtful must be put aside there must be prompt, simple obedience to God's Spirit and finally, Christ must be openly acknowledged.
The great spiritual awakening continued for two years. Believers came from all over the world to share in its spirit!
Oh! to experience a great awakening in our day is my heart's deepest longing. Oh! that all of us would begin to share our faith to our (Sychar), our family, our friends...like the woman of Samaria.
One more example from history! The son of simple mason, Dwight L. Moody was born in Northfield, Massachusetts on February 5, 1837. When Moody was but four years old his father died, and Mrs. Moody was left quite impoverished with nine children to care for. At the age of seventeen, Moody asked to join the church but failed in answering the questions put to him. For a time, Moody made his living selling shoes. Beginning in 1860, Moody gave all his time to the work of God's kingdom...working with the Sunday School and handing out tracts. Because he desired to do more, he gathered crowds of children from the streets of his own accord and brought them to Sunday School...and to Christ! Finally he started his own Sunday School in an empty building on the north side of Chicago. When these facilities became too small he asked the mayor of Chicago for permission to use an area of the city market. This space was quickly filled with fifteen hundred students. To minister to the parents, he rented a building where two hundred sat on rough planks to hear the Gospel. Thus, "Madman Moody," who talked to everyone he met about salvation in Christ had become a well-known personality in the city of Chicago by the age of twenty-two! We are safe to say that millions heard the Gospel and multitudes were saved under his testimony of God's love and grace...and to this day...Moody Bible Institute and Moody Church in Chicago still sound out the glorious news of Jesus!