John 4:39-42 (NIV) – [39] Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” [40] So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. [41] And because of his words many more became believers. [42] 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 this man really is the Savior of the world.”
1. You cannot argue with a changed life.
Luke 19:7-9 (NIV) – [7] All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” [8] But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” [9] Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
2. Never discount the power of a personal testimony.
Revelation 12:11 (NIV) – [11] They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) – [15] Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
John 4:39 (MSG) – [39] Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman's witness: “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!”
3. God knows us yet still loves us.
Psalms 139:1-4 (NIV) – [1] O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. [2] You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. [3] You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. [4] Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
4. Jesus was a friend of sinners.
Matthew 9:9-13 (NIV) – [9] As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. [10] While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. [11] When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” [12] On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. [13] But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
5. You must believe in Jesus for yourself.
1 John 4:14-15 (NIV) – [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.