by Diana Brassfield
The woman at the well – an all too familiar encounter to those of us in ministry, one that hits home in so many ways. In some shape or fashion, we recognize ourselves in the face of this Samaritan woman. Our hopes and ambitions, our future, tainted by our past, our mistakes on display… unworthy and never enough…. Until Jesus. That was all of us before we ran into Jesus.
We know what Jesus did for us. We know where we came from, and we are wide awake to what being planted in the local church can really do for someone. We know what it did for us, and we want that for everyone else.
So, we can relate with the woman that made her way to Jacob’s well on an ordinary day – John 4:1-30 lays it out for us. In fact, toward the end of the passage, we are told, “28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.”
This is what being planted in the local church is all about – introducing people to Jesus, discipleship, serving, and sharing Him with someone else. There is an unexplainable joy and satisfaction that comes with having an integral part in someone’s relationship with Jesus, and we cannot help but share it! The joy of Jesus is contagious. We want everyone to know Him, and so our prayer is that our church exudes that same joy as the woman who met Jesus on an ordinary day at the well. He changes everything, and we want the world to know it.
This is what we do.
The assimilation process is how we do it.
Sometimes this path of assimilation is easy and seems quite natural. At other times, this path takes on twists and turns that require a bit more commitment. Either way, the spiritual growth of the believer is what drives us (Colossians 9:1-14). What I have found is that most people that come through our doors know they need Jesus, but most really do not fully understand their need of being planted in the local church until they experience it for themselves. It gives them life! (John 10:10) Psalm 92:13 says that he who is “planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.”
From Connect Cards to Growth Track, our goal is to see each person that walks through our doors become a fully devoted follower of Jesus – saved, water baptized, connected to community through small groups, serving on a team and giving faithfully… sowing seed of their own. This is the process of planting and bearing fruit. We talk much about the process, but it is truly God who causes His Church to grow. 1 Corinthians 3:7-9 says, “7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” This process is simply strategy, a tool of His equipping. But suffice it to say – assimilation is really all about discipleship at its core. This is how we build teams. This is how we build the local church.
The process of assimilation is great and fully necessary. But as Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The most important aspect of the entire process is prayer. Inviting Jesus in is key. Wanting to grow your small group? Pray. Needing to build your team? Pray. I am reminded of Matthew 9:37-38. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” He is faithful to do it when we ask.
So, back to the woman at the well. Imagine people so transformed by their experience with Jesus because of our church that they run and tell everyone they see; people start streaming through our doors. They are coming to meet Jesus, and God has so graciously called us and equipped us to help them plant by streams of water, His Living Water, where they will grow and bear much fruit (Psalm 1:3).
God is growing His Church, and we get to be a part of it. This is the harvest. How rewarding it is to experience His Church flourishing!
