Waynesville Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 25190 Highway 17, Waynesville, MO (2026)

11/06/2024

In response to recent flood activity in Pulaski County, the Pulaski County Office of Emergency Management, in conjunction with the American Red Cross, has established a short-term shelter & service center to assist displaced residents. The shelter is located at the Saint Robert Community Center (114 J.H. Williamson Drive, Saint Robert, MO 65584). The shelter will open today, Wednesday, November 6th, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. No pets are allowed at the shelter. For additional information, call (573) 774-8493.

11/01/2024

Read Ellen G. White, “At Jacob’s Well,” pages 183–195, in The Desire of Ages.

“As soon as the Samaritan woman found the Savior, she brought other people to Him. She was a better worker for Jesus than His own followers. The followers saw nothing in Samaria to show that it was a place filled with people that needed their help. They thought only about their important work in the future. The followers didn’t see that right around them were people who needed saving. The followers didn’t like the Samaritan woman. But Jesus used this woman to touch the hearts of a whole city. Because of this woman, the city came to hear the Savior. This woman carried the truth to her people right away.

“This woman is a symbol for how faith in Jesus works. Every true follower of Jesus is born into God’s kingdom as a worker for God. When we drink the living water, we become the same as a spring of water. Jesus gives to us so that we will give His blessings to other people. Jesus’ mercy in our hearts is the same as water coming up out of the desert. This water flows out of the earth to give life to everyone. Then those people who are ready to die and need the water of life will be ready to drink it.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, page 195, adapted.

10/31/2024

What surprising thing does the woman do? Read John 4:27–29 for the answer.

Jesus’ followers break up His conversation with the Samaritan woman. The followers are surprised to see that Jesus is talking with a woman. But they don’t ask Him about her. They try to get Him to eat.

At the same time, the woman forgets all about her water pot and leaves it at the well. She runs back to the city to tell other people her experience with Jesus.

What happens after Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman? What does this story teach us about how we can share the Good News about Jesus with other people? Read John 4:30–42 for the answers.

In the middle of the story about the Samaritan woman, Jesus tells His followers a picture story about picking crops. Why does John write the story in this way? John wants us to see how Jesus understood what was happening. Jesus wanted to share the Good News with the woman more than He wanted to eat. His job on earth was to save people from sin. Jesus used this experience at the well to teach His followers an important lesson about sharing the Good News with all people, including people who aren’t the same as we are.

There are many wonderful parts in the Book of John. For sure, John 4:39–42 is one of them. Many of the Samaritans believed Jesus was the Savior because of the story the woman told them about Jesus. “She said, ‘He told me everything I ever did’ ” (John 4:39, NLV).

The Samaritans asked Jesus to stay with them. Then many more people believed because of what Jesus said to them. “The people said to the woman, ‘First we believed in Jesus because of what you told us. But now we believe because we heard him ourselves. We know now that he really is the one who will save the world [sinners]’ ” (John 4:42, ERV).

What does this story tell us about how powerful one person’s story about Jesus can be? How powerful is your story for Jesus? What has He done in your life?

10/30/2024

Read John 4:16–24. What does Jesus do to show this woman that He knew her biggest secrets? How does the woman answer?

The truth about herself is too difficult for the woman to accept right away. The woman understands that Jesus is a special messenger from God. At the same time, she avoids the truth again. She asks Jesus a question about the disagreement between Jews and Samaritans. These two groups argued about the correct place to worship.

In answer, Jesus says that the Samaritans didn’t know what they worshiped. Their worship was a mix of the Jewish religion and the worship of false gods. The Jews worshiped the God who shows Himself to His people.

Worship of the true God isn’t connected with a place. So, the topic about a place of worship isn’t important to the conversation. God is spirit. People who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. The woman accepts this truth from Jesus and is ready for more.

How does Jesus show the woman who He really is? Read John 4:25, 26 for the answer.

There are four books in the New Testament about Jesus’ life on earth. Jesus tells the woman that He is the Savior. This story is special because it is the only time in the four books before Jesus is arrested that He tells someone He is the Savior. Jesus does not make the announcement to a large crowd. He makes the announcement to an unnamed Samaritan woman. Jesus and the woman are alone at Jacob’s well. Jesus is interested in any lonely person who feels separated and alone.

The Samaritan woman is a foreigner. She is living in sin. Jesus tells this woman who He is. Jesus tells her that He knows her biggest secrets. He also gives her a reason to believe in Him, too.

What are some of the behaviors that cause us to hide from each other? How does the Good News about Jesus help us to stop hiding from others? What does this story tell us?

10/29/2024

“ ‘Then I will put clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will make you clean from all your unclean ways and from all your false gods. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My Laws and be careful to do what I tell you’ ” (Ezekiel 36:25–27, NLV).

Read Ezekiel 36:25–27. How do these verses show the important spiritual truths that Jesus wanted to teach Nicodemus and the woman at the well?

In both stories, Jesus wanted to help these people understand spiritual truths. Jesus uses examples from nature to touch their hearts.

Nicodemus and the woman at the well don’t understand what Jesus means at first. How, asked Nicodemus, can a man be born again? How can he go back inside his mother’s belly? Nicodemus thought Jesus was talking about the body. But Jesus was talking about being born again in a spiritual way. The woman also thought Jesus was talking about real water when Jesus was talking about spiritual water.

Look at the woman’s answer to Jesus’ offer of living water. “The woman said to Jesus, ‘Sir, give me this water. Then I will never be thirsty again and won’t have to come back here to get more water’ ” (John 4:15, ERV). The woman felt that the water Jesus offered would end her need to walk to the well. Then other people wouldn’t see her. Look at how fast the conversation moves from Jesus’ asking for a drink to the woman’s asking Him for one?

Read John 4:16. How did Jesus answer the woman?

Jesus changes the topic of conversation. He asks the woman to go get her husband. Why does Jesus change the topic so fast? The woman’s behavior showed Jesus that she avoided the spiritual truth He wanted to give her. Jesus read her heart. The woman must confess her sin before she can be healed. “Before the woman could accept the gift Jesus wanted to give her, she must understand her sin and her need for a Savior.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, page 187, adapted.

10/28/2024

Read about the meeting in John 4:7–15. How does Jesus use this meeting to share Bible truth with this woman?

“The hatred between Jews and Samaritans stopped the woman from offering help to Jesus. But the Savior was searching for a way to touch this woman’s heart. God’s love filled His heart and gave Him wisdom. Jesus asked her for a favor. If Jesus offered to help the woman, she may have rejected His offer. But when we show people we trust them, our trust in them helps them to trust in us.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, page 184, adapted.

Jesus knew what was in Nicodemus’s heart. In the same way, He knows what is in the heart of the woman. The woman is surprised that Jesus asks her for a favor. Jesus is a Jew, and she is a Samaritan. Remember, Jews and Samaritans did not help each other. Jesus answered, “ ‘You don’t know what God can give you. And you don’t know who I am, the one who asked you for a drink. If you knew, you would have asked me, and I would have given you living water’ ” (John 4:10, ERV).

The woman’s answer is much the same as Nicodemus’s answer. “Nicodemus asked, ‘How is all this [being born again] possible?’ ” (John 3:9, ERV). The woman said to Him, “ ‘Sir, the well is deep. You have nothing to get water with. Where will You get the living water?’ ” (John 4:11, NLV). In these two stories, Jesus gives Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman the important spiritual truths they needed to hear and understand. Jesus tells the Jewish teacher and the Samaritan woman the same thing: they need a new heart.

What does the Old Testament say about living water? Read Jeremiah 2:13 and Zechariah 14:8 for the answer.

We need water to live. We can’t live without water. So, water is a powerful symbol of everlasting life, too. That’s why Jesus says, “ ‘Whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty. The water that I will give him will become in him a well of life that lasts [continues] forever’ ” (John 4:14, NLV).

Read John 7:37, 38. What is Jesus telling us in these verses? How do we experience what He promises?

10/27/2024

What problem caused Jesus to travel through Samaria? Read John 4:1–4 for the answer.

The Pharisees, or Jewish spiritual leaders, learned that Jesus’ followers were baptizing more people than the followers of John the Baptist. Some of John’s followers got upset. John’s followers cared what people thought about their master (compare with John 3:26–30). John said that Jesus must become more important while he, John, must become less important (John 3:30). Jesus wanted to avoid any problems between His followers and John’s at this time. So, Jesus left Judea to go to Galilee. To save time, Jesus traveled through Samaria to get to Galilee. There were other ways to get to Galilee without going through Samaria. But these routes took longer. Most Jews would take the long way. They would go east through Perea and travel around Samaria. But Jesus wanted to preach in Samaria.

Read the story in John 4:5–9. How did Jesus use what happened in this story to start a conversation with the woman at the well?

Jacob’s well was near Shechem. Sychar, where the woman was from, was about a mile away (1.5 kilometers). Jesus sat next to the well while His followers went into the city to buy food. Jesus didn’t have any way to get the cool water from the well. When the woman came to get water, Jesus asked her for a drink.

When we read John 3, we were surprised when Nicodemus, a Jewish leader and teacher, lowers himself to come to Jesus. Nicodemus comes at night so that no one will see him. In John 4, the woman comes during the hottest part of the day when the sun shines brightest. Why did the woman do that? Maybe the woman wanted to avoid contact with other women. Most women came to the well at the beginning or the end of the day, when it was cooler. Why else would this woman go so far away from home to get water in the middle of the day when it was hot? Whatever the reason for her being there, her meeting with Jesus changed her life for the better.

10/26/2024

Who were the Samaritans? In 722 B.C., the Assyrians took Jews away from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The Assyrians made the Jews prisoners. The Assyrians forced the Israelites to live in different parts of their kingdom. The Assyrians also took prisoners from other countries to live in the Northern Kingdom. These people became known as the Samaritans. The Samaritans followed the Jewish religion but added some of their own beliefs. Those beliefs became mixed up.

The Jews and Samaritans did not have a good relationship. The Samaritans worked against the Jews when the Jews built their temple again after they came back to Jerusalem from Babylon to build their temple again. The Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim. But John Hyrcanus, a Jewish leader, destroyed this temple in 128 B.C.

The Jews and Samaritans continued to have a bad relationship when Jesus started to preach and teach. The Jews avoided Samaria as much as possible. Yes, the Jews and Samaritans bought and sold from each other. But that was all they did. The Jews and Samaritans did not help each other. During this time, Jesus meets with the woman at the well in the city of Sychar, a city in Samaria.

10/25/2024

Read Ellen G. White, “Nicodemus,” pages 167–177, in The Desire of Ages.

Nicodemus “searched the Old Testament in a new way. He did not look for information to help him argue his ideas or win a fight. Nicodemus read the Bible to get spiritual life. He allowed the Holy Spirit to lead him. Then he started to understand the kingdom of heaven. . . .

“Our faith helps us to accept God’s mercy. But faith is not our Savior. Faith earns us nothing. Faith helps us grab hold of Jesus and accept His offering for our sin. . . . Jesus also helps us to feel sorry for breaking God’s law. Forgiveness is Jesus’ gift to us, too.

How are we saved? Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. In the same way, Jesus was lifted up on the cross. Everyone that the snake lied to and bit may look and live. That’s why John the Baptist said, “ ‘Look! The Lamb of God! He takes away the sins of the world!’ ” John 1:29 [ERV]. Spiritual truth, the same as light, shines from the cross. This light shows us God’s love. God’s love brings us to Himself. If we accept this love, God will lead us to Jesus. Jesus will help us say we are sorry for our sins. Jesus will help us to change our behavior. These sins hurt Jesus on the cross. Then the Holy Spirit will give us new life. We will start to control our thoughts and wishes and obey Jesus. The Holy Spirit makes our hearts and minds new, the same as Jesus. The Spirit helps us to be the same as Jesus is in our hearts and minds. The Spirit also writes God’s law in our minds and hearts. Then we can say with Jesus, ‘My God, I want to do what you want. Your teachings are in my heart.’ Psalm 40:8 [ICB].”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pages 175, 176, adapted.

10/24/2024

Read the story about Nicodemus in John 3:1–21. How does this story show us who Jesus is?

Nicodemus was a respected teacher in Israel and a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the name of the religious government for the Jews. Nicodemus’ story about Jesus is an important part of John’s book for several reasons. Nicodemus says that Jesus is a “Rabbi” or teacher. Nicodemus also believes that the signs that Jesus did are proof that Jesus came from heaven. So, before Nicodemus really understood what he was doing, he gave proof to support the idea that Jesus was the Savior.

Nicodemus believed the signs were proof that God sent Jesus. But Nicodemus didn’t believe that the signs were proof that Jesus also kept all God’s promises about the Savior in the Old Testament. So, Nicodemus came to Jesus with some doubt. He didn’t, at this time, believe Jesus was the real Savior.

What did Jesus say to Nicodemus to show that He saw everything in his heart? Read John 3:3–21 for the answer.

Jesus knows what is in the heart of every person. The Jews believe that the non-Jews needed to be saved. But many Jews didn’t understand that they, too, needed saving. They needed new hearts. No one is born saved.

The Jews had a wonderful history that went back to Abraham. They had many spiritual blessings (read Romans 3:1, 2). But that was not enough. Jesus told Nicodemus that, as a teacher and leader in Israel, he must be born again!

Then Jesus showed Nicodemus how little he really knew about being saved. “Jesus said, ‘Are you a teacher among the Jews and do not know these things?’ ” (John 3:10, NLV). For sure, Jesus’ words surprised Nicodemus.

Nicodemus had questions about Jesus at that time. But later, Nicodemus took Jesus’ side with the true followers of Jesus (read John 19:39).

What does it mean to be born again? Why did Jesus make being born again an important part of being a Christian?

10/23/2024

Read John 1:43–46. What did Philip’s message show about his faith in Jesus?

Philip was from Bethsaida. So were Andrew and Peter. Philip found his friend Nathanael and told him about Jesus. John the Baptist named Jesus the Lamb of God. Andrew told Peter that he found the Savior. But Philip said that Jesus was the Person that Moses and God’s special messengers wrote about. Philip also adds the name, “Jesus of Nazareth.” When Philip says Jesus is from Nazareth, Nathanael gives Philip a sharp answer.

Nathanael’s answer shows us that he had bad feelings in his heart against the town of Nazareth. For sure, no king would come from this town! Our bad feelings about something easily can close our minds. Nathanael could not understand Jesus at this time. How does Philip answer? He doesn’t try to argue with Nathanael. Philip invites Nathanael to, “ ‘come and see’ ” (John 1:46, ERV). So, Nathanael went and saw.

Read John 1:47–51. How does Jesus convince Nathanael about who He is? How does Nathanael answer?

Nathanael’s answer to Philip’s invitation is missing between verses 46 and 47. We do know that Nathanael got up and went to see Jesus. Nathanael’s friendship with Philip was more important than his feelings about people from Nazareth. Nathanael met Jesus, and his life changed in that moment..

Jesus says nice words about Nathanael. Jesus says that Nathanael is an Israelite you can trust (John 1:47). Nathanael isn’t false. He doesn’t try to fool or trick people. Jesus’ nice words about Nathanael are different from Nathanael’s words about Jesus (John 1:46). Nathanael answers Jesus with surprise because he never met Jesus before. So, how could Jesus know who he was?

Then Jesus says that He saw Nathanael under a fig tree. This small announcement convinces Nathanael. With the Holy Spirit’s help, Jesus saw Nathanael while he prayed and searched for truth under that tree (read Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pages 140, 141). Nathanael confesses that Jesus is a Teacher, the Son of God, and the King of Israel.

10/22/2024

The two followers of John the Baptist stood with him when Jesus came near. John announced, “ ‘Look! The Lamb of God!’ ” (John 1:36, NIrV). The two followers listened to John’s message about Jesus. Jesus came to keep all the Old Testament promises about the coming Savior. The two followers left John the Baptist to follow Jesus. The two followers understood that Jesus was more important than John the Baptist. The followers also understood that Jesus was the promised Savior that John preached about.

Read about John the Baptist’s two followers in John 1:35–39. What did these two followers do after hearing John preach about Jesus?

The followers wanted to be with Jesus. So, they stayed with Him for the day. Who knows what amazing experiences they had, or the wonderful things Jesus taught them!

They must have had a powerful experience. Before long, the two followers wanted to tell other people about Jesus. One of the two followers was Andrew. Right away, Andrew found his brother, Simon, and said, “ ‘We have found the Messiah [Savior]!’ (Messiah means the Christ, the messenger of [from] God.)” (John 1:41, WE). Then Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Right away, Jesus showed that He knew Simon. “Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon, the son of John. Your name will be Cephas.’ (Cephas means Peter, a rock or stone.)” (John 1:42, WE). Jesus understood Peter. Jesus’ special knowledge about people is an important topic in the Book of John that we see again and again (read John 2:24, 25).

“What if John and Andrew were the same as the Jewish leaders? Then John and Andrew couldn’t be Jesus’ followers. They would never sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from Him. They would come to Jesus to judge His words and attack Him. . . . But John and Andrew didn’t do those things. The Holy Spirit spoke to their hearts through the preaching of John the Baptist. John and Andrew answered the Holy Spirit’s invitation to follow Jesus. Now John and Andrew knew Jesus was a Teacher from heaven. . . . Jesus helped them to understand Old Testament teachings in a new way.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, page 139, adapted.

The Book of John helps us to understand who Jesus is so that we may share this Good News with everyone.

Waynesville Seventh-Day Adventist Church

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