Leading them to Water

by Maurice Pujol
Published May 12, 2006

But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
(John 16:7-13)

Not long after Jesus told His disciples this, the Spirit of truth did come. When the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 faithful in the upper room on Pentecost, all the benefits Jesus promised were made available, not only to this privileged group, but also to believers in all the centuries to follow.

The great task of evangelism is to introduce new people to Jesus and the Word, to make the truth available to those who have never heard it. The rest of the work is in the hands of the Holy Spirit.

God’s Word, the Bible, doesn’t make a lot of sense to someone whose heart hasn’t been transformed by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. In contrast, those individuals filled with the Spirit can read the Bible daily for the rest of their lives and receive a new revelation every time they do.

God’s Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, remains an enigmatic figure to those who haven’t been touched by the Holy Spirit. To the Spirit-filled individual, Jesus is a personal Savior, a Friend, the center of history, Lamb of God and Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of kings and Lord of lords.

What a difference the Holy Spirit makes.

Because of this, I’m not a great fan of boycotts and organized protests. The polarization these actions cause can push lost people further away from Jesus and the Bible. Most public boycotts merely give extra publicity to their objects, thereby having an opposite effect from the one intended. Even worse, when Christians organize a boycott, those who have a negative opinion of us find more fuel for their fires of hate.

That’s not to say believers shouldn’t stand up for truth, even if it leads to conflicts with the popular culture. We should always stand on principle, even when it makes us unpopular or costs us money. However, we should follow Paul’s advice and always “speak the truth in love.”

So, how do we go about doing this? When Hollywood releases a repulsive film, do we stand outside movie theaters and protest? Do we e-mail the theater owners and ask them not to show it? Do we go even higher, contacting the film distributors and letting them know we are angry about it? All these things have been done in the past, and I’m not condemning anyone for doing what they think is right.

But here’s what I do: I just don’t go see it. I make a personal decision that I will not spend one penny of the money with which God has blessed me on a film that glorifies sin or blasphemes His name. I may tell friends and acquaintances why I’m not going to see it, but I don’t add to the film’s publicity by trying to organize a public boycott.

You see, I trust the Holy Spirit to prompt believers everywhere to take appropriate action. I don’t have to organize a boycott. The Holy Spirit will call for one when necessary, and nobody will know about it except the believers He prompts.

Nearly everyone in American is aware by now of a film being released this month, The Da Vinci Code. The movie is best on the best-selling novel of the same name, and it has already become a great talking point in popular culture. People who don’t know history and don’t understand Christianity are sure to be misled by the claims of “fact” in the movie, just as millions of readers of the book were.

What should believers do about the book’s fabrications, which are direct attacks on the heart of our faith? I trust the Holy Spirit to lead each one of us to do the right thing. In my case, of course I’m not going to spend a dime on the movie, just as I didn’t buy the book. My personal boycott will do nothing to prevent the film from raking in millions, but I will know I haven’t squandered God’s blessings on blasphemy.

Other than that, I decided to do something proactive because of the serious flaws in the story, the most serious being the generalized claim that “background” of this work of fiction is all factual and based on verified information and careful research. That’s bunk.
I did spend money on another film, The Da Vinci Delusion, and organized a showing of it at my church. I knew it was scheduled for broadcast on national television, but I thought an early viewing would educate at least one body of believers on all the lies that would soon be accepted as verified facts in the popular culture.

I decided to turn a negative into a positive. Instead of just boycotting the film, I used its impending release as a reason for a special gathering of believers to educate them on the truth, on historical fact and on real church history, not the fabricated version.

Since most people under the age of 40 read very little, there are a lot of Americans who will accept whatever is presented in the film as the “gospel” truth. Believers should not avoid discussion on these topics, nor should we condemn people who see the film.

“Speak the truth in love.” Be ready to address any claim the film makes with historical facts. Be ready to explain what’s false about these claims and know the answer to the obvious question you’ll get thrown at you: “But what really happened?”

Our job as believers is to lead people to the point of meeting Jesus, but we can’t do it if we’re uninformed. We really can’t do it if we’re just argumentative. This is true not just in the case of The Da Vinci Code, but with every issue we face in today’s secular culture.

Jesus told the woman at the well that He is the living water. Those who drink freely of His truth will never thirst for it again.

But there’s an old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”

Believers need to remember this about the Living Water. Our job is not to force feed our faith down people’s throats. Our job is to lead them to it, to introduce them to mankind’s Savior.

After they’re at the well, the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

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