（陈怡彬长老著）

（附有中文版）

“Sometimes work gets me down, but then I come here for a drink, I have a chitchat, reset, go home and feel ready for tomorrow” said a sale rep of a huge firm. I recently watched a documentary on NHK World. It is about a small back space of a liquor store in Tokyo’s Asagaya neighbourhood. ‘Kaku-uchi’, the back room of a no-frills standing bar is where customers can drink their purchases. For three days, customers drinking in this liquor shop’s back room were interviewed about why they go and raise a glass. Patrons dropping in for a tipple came from all walks of life. Several individuals went regularly after work to relieve the stress or the tiredness after a laborious day’s work. One manual labourer enjoys freely interacting with people from other strata of society there, which otherwise would be unlikely. The regulars eventually found friendship and would confide problems with each other.

I reflected on how a drinking joint became a place for mental wellness and wondered whether similar setting presents an opportunity for Christians to share the gospel. I am reminded of the event recorded in John 4, where Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well.

Jesus was tired from the long walk from Judea to the Samaritan town called Sychar, and sat down beside the well to rest. A Samaritan woman came to draw water around noon, which is likely to be her regular timing to avoid others due to her shameful lifestyle. Jesus took the opportunity to break through social and class barriers to reveal the Good news.

Recently I have been jogging at Gardens by the Bay every Sat morning. Because I jog weekly at the same timing, I began to recognise some joggers who also do so. Probably some of you would also have regular habits at certain settings, and that God may open opportunities for us to meet new people and share the gospel.

From the text, subsequently we read that what was shameful to the woman became her powerful testimony for Jesus the Messiah. Many first believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, however they knew Jesus for themselves when Jesus interacted with them for two days. The believers stated that “No longer do they believe because of the woman’s words, for they have heard for themselves, and they know that Jesus really is the Saviour of the world.” The application here is that our testimony, whether good or bad, cannot be the foundation of someone’s believe. While our testimony can draw our family, friends and people to Christ, we need to shepherd them to encounter Christ personally and to know that Jesus is the foundation of their salvation.

“有时工作会让我失望，但后来我来这里喝一杯，闲聊，重置，回家，感到已为明天做好准备，”一家大公司的销售代表说。我最近看了一部NHKWorld的纪录片。内容关于东京阿佐谷附近的一家酒类商店的一个小后部空间。“Kaku-uchi”，后面的空间是一个朴素的站立式酒吧，顾客可以在这里喝他们购买的商品。三天来，在这家酒类商店的密室喝酒的顾客接受了采访，询问他们为什么要去举杯。前来喝酒的顾客来自各行各业。有几个人在下班后定期去缓解一天辛苦工作后的压力或疲劳。一位蓝领工人喜欢与那里其他社会阶层的人自由互动，通常这是不可能的。常客们最终找到了友谊，并会互相吐露问题。

我反思了饮酒场所如何成为心理健康的地方，以及类似的环境是否提供基督徒分享福音的机会。我想起了约翰福音4章记载的事件，耶稣在井边遇见了撒玛利亚妇人。

耶稣长途跋涉从犹太到撒玛利亚小镇叙加，疲惫不堪，坐在井边休息。一位撒玛利亚妇女在中午时分来打水，由于她可耻的生活方式，这可能是她避开他人的常规时间。耶稣利用这个机会突破社会和阶级的障碍，揭示了好消息。

最近，我每周六早上都在滨海湾花园慢跑。因为我每周在同一时间慢跑，我开始认出一些慢跑者。可能你们在某些场合也会有规律的习惯，上帝可能会为我们打开结认识新朋友和分享福音的机会。

从经文中，我们随后读到，对妇人来说是可耻的人生，却变成了她对弥赛亚耶稣的有力见证。许多人最初相信耶稣是因为这个妇人的见证，但是当与耶稣互动两天后，他们自己认识了耶稣。信徒们说：“现在我们信，不再是因为妇人的话，而是因为我们亲自听见了，知道这位真是世人的救主。” 这里的应用是，我们的见证，无论好坏，都不能成为某人信主的基础。虽然我们的见证可以吸引我们的家人、朋友和人们归向基督，但我们需要引导他们亲自与基督相遇，并知道耶稣是他们救恩的基础。