Come See a Man - Relationship Series -Part II

Transcript Teachable Woman Podcast –

Come See A Man – Relationship Series Part II

Reverends Diana P. Cherry and Michele Owes

[00:00:00] Rev. Michele Owes: Welcome. Welcome. Welcome back to the Teachable Woman podcast. We're so excited to be back with you again today. We want to thank you for listening. Thank you for allowing us to come into your homes, ride with you while you're in the car, or be with you while you're taking your walks and allowing us to share.

Rev. Michele Owes: Thank you so much for that. I have the one and only Mrs. Deanna P. Cherry, the author. We will say the author because she has just finished her first book, and we are excited about that. Tell us about your book before we get back into relationships.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: The book is Seekers of Righteousness, a Man Who Obeyed God and a Woman Who Served. And it is a chronology of our [00:01:00] ministry, how we were called, and how the ministry was developed. We were always asked, what caused your church to grow so fast? And how did you handle this? And how did you handle that?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: This book provides many answers to people's questions over the years. In the back, you've got pictures of my husband when he was in the military in the army band and us when we went to Alaska. There are just really some amazing things. My light just took a dip.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I'm going to adjust here.

Rev. Michele Owes: Okay. No worries. All right.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Okay. Sorry about that. You all know that we are unscripted.

Rev. Michele Owes: No worries. That's right.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: and it's just

Rev. Michele Owes: And things go wrong, right?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's right. So, you know, both of us are just little old [00:02:00] women, and we do the best we can. That's Seekers of Righteousness. I'm so excited about it. And it's a chronological picture of our ministry.

Rev. Michele Owes: Well, we are excited too.

Rev. Michele Owes: All right. Well, excellent. Well, we will look forward to reading that. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Okay. In our last session, we talked about relationships and will continue to talk about relationships. One of the things that we said as teachers of good things was to remind us that our first relationship began with God, who created us.

Rev. Michele Owes: As we established that relationship, we understood Jeremiah. Before he placed us in the womb of our mothers, and before we came forth out of the womb, he had a purpose and a plan for our lives, just as He did with Jeremiah. We use Jeremiah chapter one as our reference, starting at verse number five.

[00:03:00] Rev. Michele Owes: Because Jesus, well, the word tells us that Before He formed him in the belly, He knew him, and before He came forth out of the womb, that he ordained him and sanctified him, a prophet to all the nations, so we recognize that was not just for Jeremiah. Before He formed all of us in our mothers' wombs, He knew us, meaning

He knows who we are. He knows what His purpose and plans are for our lives.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: We wanted to make sure that women understood the first primary and most important relationship, which is to have a relationship with God through his son, Jesus Christ, and that we didn't disregard the value of that relationship because, I should say, from that relationship, all other relationships are formed or not formed.

Rev. Michele Owes: We talked briefly about how some of us either learn to [00:04:00] trust or distrust from those who raised us.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right.

Rev. Michele Owes: Whether we knew that we had a savior, and so many steps that we've taken have been ordered by us. Not steps ordered by the Lord. We are going to talk more about that.

Rev. Michele Owes: All right, Mrs. Cherry.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: All right. I was hoping you would give me a lead. What do you think? I was having a ball listening to you.

Rev. Michele Owes: All right. What do you think, Mrs. Cherry?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I think the first session set the tone. Now, we're going to dig a little deeper. I believe we will look at the woman at the well who talks about relationships. She is a person who has had many relationships. I think Jesus read her heart and read her life.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: He opened up her life.

[00:05:00] Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Because of that, she witnessed to many, and many came to know Jesus Christ. She wanted them to come see a man who told her all there was to know about her. I think that the story of the woman at the well, I don't know exactly which direction you were planning to go with it, but I think that that story says to us, regardless of the relationships that we have had, good, bad, or indifferent, God can touch us. Our lives can make a difference regardless of what we've done, whether they are bad relationships or ungodly relationships. I don't think any of us Could exceed the woman at the well in terms of what she went through. The story of the woman at the well should speak to our hearts and say to us that it doesn't make any difference what we've [00:06:00] done in the eyes of God. Once he touches us, cleanses us, and makes a difference in our lives, we then can make a difference in the lives of others.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. That is an excellent lead, and that story is in John 4:7. It begins at verse number seven and goes on through to the end of that particular chapter, the woman at the well. I think her story is an excellent example of what Mrs. Cherry shared with us in our first relationship session about how the founding Episcopal pastor discussed with God about first giving God his guidelines.

Rev. Michele Owes: I'm going to sort of let you drive; let me scoot over, and you can ride with me. Jesus asked her for water to give him to drink. What's his request? And she went on to tell him about how his nation of people and her [00:07:00] nation of people really didn't get along. So in essence, why are you asking me for water?

Rev. Michele Owes: Get your own water.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right, right.

Rev. Michele Owes: This discussion was back-and-forth with Jesus, and He just asked her for water. He told her that she had five husbands, and the man she was with was not hers. None of us tell how many people we've been with during our lives.

Rev. Michele Owes: That's our secret. That's why she could be so excited to say come to see a man who knows all about me, who told me all about me. There are some things we would like to keep close to the vest. That's our business. But Jesus just exposed it all. I already know, Sis. You had five husbands, and the one you are with is not yours.

Rev. Michele Owes: How did he know that? He's just a man who showed up at [00:08:00] the well and asked me for water. Jesus asked her if she wanted a drink of the living water. After she had drunk the living water, she would no longer thirst. We would probably think of that as I don't have to come down to this well anymore.

Rev. Michele Owes: I don't have to tote any water back up to the village. Yeah, give me the living water so I don't have to get thirsty and get water anymore. But Jesus was speaking about the fact that our souls are thirsty. Our souls always thirst for a relationship with our creator God through His son, Jesus Christ.

Rev. Michele Owes: And when she went to the village, she said, come see a man that told me all about me. The Bible says that the people believed because [00:09:00] of the woman's story, and they came. She had enough of a relationship with the people in the village to get them to see Jesus. When they met him, they convinced him to stay with them for two days while he expounded on the scriptures with them.

Rev. Michele Owes: And then they told the woman, now that we've met him for ourselves, we believe in him because of what he said, not necessarily what you said. The point is, once she met the Savior, she ensured everybody in her community had a shot. She said, come see a man. Interestingly enough, as young, older, and middle-aged women, wherever we fit in the category, when we meet a man, what is our first response? Oftentimes we're [00:10:00] wondering if he's going to be the guy for me, is this the man for me? And yet our job is always primarily to be a witness, right? We were created to be witnesses for the Lord. That is our sole job, to be a witness. If we could share the witness first, rather than trying to share ourselves, this woman at the well shared herself with five husbands and a man that wasn't hers.

Rev. Michele Owes: It is an indication that until we meet our Savior, we're out there looking for love, oftentimes in the wrong places. That's why the count was so high. But once she met the man who could tell her all about herself, it caused her to live the purpose of her creation, which was to be a witness.

Rev. Michele Owes: She called the men of her community to come see a [00:11:00] man. Now, the purpose of her creation is no different than the purpose of ours. We are to be a witness. The men we meet should first know the Savior before they get to know us.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen.

Rev. Michele Owes: We may find that there is husband material after he meets the Savior, not before.

Rev. Michele Owes: We often try to test the husband's material theory before we ensure he's met the man who knows all about us. What's so interesting is her terminology, come see a man who told me all about me. What you want and what we want you to know is that Jesus knows all about you. When you introduce the man to the Savior, the Savior can tell that man all about you, and [00:12:00] He can help that man become the man you need if that is the choice.

Rev. Michele Owes: I don't want us to forget the importance of the first relationship we have with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, the importance of allowing Jesus to lead us through all our relationships, and the value of living out our creed, which is to be a witness.

Rev. Michele Owes: All right, take it away, Mrs. Cherry.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: You might be thinking, this woman, oh my God, how could she have had all these men? She is still shacking up with another one. But I wrote a long time ago in my Bible, and I don’t see the sin and miss the story. The story is that Jesus decided to stay in that place for two more days because [00:13:00] of her witness. She opened a door of opportunity for Jesus to witness in line with your words. She wasn't fixated on, oh my God, he knows my sin. He saw my sin. He's going to tell the whole world. No, no, no, no. His ministry touched her, and He knew her. I love that. I want you to know that when you change, it doesn't mean that people will believe you. It doesn't mean that people will accept you, but I love what it says in verse 41 because she introduced them to Jesus. She told them that she perceived that he was a prophet, verse number 41 of chapter number four says, and many more believed because of his words they said to the woman. Don't ever get discouraged by what people say after you witness to them. They said to the woman, now we believe not because [00:14:00] of what you said, a woman who sleeps with all these people, not because of what you say, but we have heard him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ. When you witness, your testimony doesn't mean a thing. But the thing is, we testify so that they can hear Him and believe that because they heard him for themselves. They know He is the Savior of the world, not because of what we've done. It doesn't matter if people receive us or don't receive us. That's irrelevant. Share the good news of the savior. Share the good news of Jesus Christ, the righteous son of God. They will hear Him and believe because of what He says to them and what He speaks to their heart. This is an exciting [00:15:00] story, it should encourage us. Don't become fixated on what you have done, what I have done, what I didn't do.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I should have, would have, could have.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes. Yes. That's right. That's right.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Live in the future and the now. That's all we have left. The past is just that. It's past. It's gone. It's not coming back. It's like our husbands are gone. They are in the past. We have to live our lives presenting Jesus as He is causing others to say; now we believe, not because of your saying, but because we have heard Him ourselves. That should be the goal of all of us. If people hear Him for themselves, Hey! That's all we want you to do because what we say and how we say it is irrelevant.

[00:16:00] Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So that's what I get from this story. It doesn't matter what you've done, but it matters what you are doing right now and what you will do in the future.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. I am most impressed with the fact that whatever her witness was, it was enough to get them to follow her,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah

Rev. Michele Owes: They followed when she said, come see a man. I am impressed by the fact that she didn't leave her experience at the well. She could have said, He knows way too much, and I'm not about to let him discuss my life with the general public.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah,

Rev. Michele Owes: Once she received him, she was able to say, come see a man. Once we've received Jesus for who He is, there should be no shame in our game to share Him with others. Oftentimes we don't. We don't want to come off [00:17:00] as preachy and we don't want our first words to be, do you know Jesus? We want to be cool with it.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah,

Rev. Michele Owes: Ultimately, we really need to be about come see a man,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes,

Rev. Michele Owes: Come see a man who knows all about me. We hope that this will help us in terms of our direction. That will help us in terms of how we proceed. As Mrs. Cherry said, it doesn't matter what has happened in the past. Nobody's counting your business.

Rev. Michele Owes: It is your business. From this moment forward, I will know how to proceed because the woman at the well introduced herself first five times and a sixth time with the man she was with. It didn't work. But when she introduced Jesus, it worked and changed the community. Whether or not [00:18:00] somebody says, well, it's not because of you. It was because of her.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: It was because she was at that well, and was willing to go back to help someone else make sure that they met the Savior.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: The Bible tells us that some plant and some water, but God gives the increase. We have to do our jobs. We may be in the planting business when we meet someone, we may be in the watering business, or we may be at the moment that God is prepared to give the increase in that person's life.

Rev. Michele Owes: But none of it is to our credit. It's all to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But we still have to do our job, right?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right. And wherever we are, the bottom line is present Jesus as He is.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Present him as He is out of your own experience with [00:19:00] Him. How dare we get saved, delivered, and hide it. Don't.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: You know that is not right and it does not please God. Don't be ashamed of who you are.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Don't be afraid to talk about the one who saved you, redeemed you, made you different, and made you change to be unchangeable. Be excited about sharing with others, not being obnoxious, but by your life and your everyday witness, you can present Jesus as He is.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. And love is the order of the day.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: When we share Christ, it's because we love our Savior and because we love humankind. The Bible tells us that we know that we pass from death to life when we love the brethren. So, we have to be willing to love one another and care enough about the quality of someone's life such [00:20:00] that they might know the Savior that we serve.

Rev. Michele Owes: All right. We are so excited to have shared this time with you on part two of relationships. We're going to come back. Thank you again for sharing your time with us and tuning into this podcast. Share it with others, and we will see you at our next session.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen.

Rev. Michele Owes: All right. Bye.