Breaking the Chains of Indifference. . . Learning to Listen as a Vital Approach to reaching people in Today’s Culture by moving from Sympathy to Empathy

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Breaking the Chains of Indifference. .
.Learning to Listen as a Vital Approach to
reaching people in Todays Culture by moving from
Sympathy to Empathy

• John 47-14 27-35

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John 4 7-14

• 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus
  said to her, Give Me a drink. 8 For His
  disciples had gone away into the city to buy
  food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him,
  How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink
  from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no
  dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and
  said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and
  who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you
  would have asked Him, and He would have given you
  living water. 11 The woman said to Him, Sir,
  You have nothing to draw with, and the well is
  deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12
  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave
  us the well, and drank from it himself, as well
  as his sons and his livestock? 13 Jesus answered
  and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water
  will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the
  water that I shall give him will never thirst.
  But the water that I shall give him will become
  in him a fountain of water springing up into
  everlasting life.

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John 4 27-35

• 27 And at this point His disciples came, and they
  marveled that He talked with a woman yet no one
  said, What do You seek? or, Why are You
  talking with her? 28 The woman then left her
  waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to
  the men, 29 Come, see a Man who told me all
  things that I ever did. Could this be the
  Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city and
  came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples
  urged Him, saying, Rabbi, eat. 32 But He said
  to them, I have food to eat of which you do not
  know. 33 Therefore the disciples said to one
  another, Has anyone brought Him anything to
  eat? 34 Jesus said to them, My food is to do
  the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His
  work. 35 Do you not say, There are still four
  months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say
  to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields,
  for they are already white for harvest!

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JESUS and the Samaritan Woman . . .

• Jesus intentionally traveled through Samaria.
• He speaks to the woman, give Me a drink.
• As a result, He affirms her humanity and value
• Thus helping her come to the reality of who she
  is to God as Father (Creator).
• He obviously cared more about the womans soul
  than His religious traditions.
• Note Jesus practiced active listening as a
  tool for reaching people.

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Five Levels of Listening

• Ignoring
• Pretend listening
• Selective Listening
• Attentive Listening
• Empathetic Listening

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Key Listening Mistakes

• One-up Listening
• Dr. Phil Listening
• Charlie Sheen Listening
• Barney Fife Listening
• Ipod Listening

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Hints for Active Listening

• Eye contact is essential! Dont play w/phone!
• Seek to determine their perspective in life.
• Relax, listen with your ears, eyes, heart.
• Ask good questions (Tell me your story).
• Always seek to Continue the Conversation, this
  is KEY!
• Give room to respond.
• Remember In this culture, we are tour guides
  not ticket takers!!!
• DO NOT ARGUE!!!
• Learn the art of follow-up.

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Consider the Disciples

• They were rude and refused to acknowledge
• Jesus or the Woman

• Thus, they did not affirm the womans
• humanity (Being created in Gods image).

• Most of all, they did not affirm the eternal
  value
• of the womans soul. Their reaction (ignoring)
• communicated they did not care about her!
• Unfortunately, they communicated that they would
• rather see her go to Hell than to look beyond
  their
• cultural comfort zones. So . . .by your life
  right
• now, what are YOU saying to the world?

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The Question is . . .

• Be brutally honest! Who are you most like right
  now in your life . . . Jesus or the Disciples?
• As a Christian. . . Are you willing to do what
  it takes to reach people (drink from the same
  dipper), no matter the cost in time, reputation,
  pain?

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How did Jesus Respond . . .

•   39Many of the Samaritans from that town
  believed in him because of the woman's testimony,
  "He told me everything I ever did." 40So when the
  Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay
  with them, and He stayed two days. 41And because
  of his words many more became believers.  42They
  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. -John 439-42