Jesus' Method in John 4
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, He gave us an important example of how to talk about God with someone: starting with simplicity, listening attentively, speaking the truth with grace, and pointing to the grace that satisfies the soul.
The purpose of the Evangelism Simulator is to equip believers who share the gospel to discern, reflect on, and respond biblically to the different situations encountered in evangelism (1 Peter 3:15). Rather than offering ready-made answers, as if evangelism were a formula to be repeated, it seeks to develop discernment in the light of Scripture, which is sufficient to instruct and equip the servant of God for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Technique, however, does not produce conversion. It is the Holy Spirit who reproves the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8), and the core of the gospel message remains the same: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
During the simulation:
- •A dialogue scenario will be presented, representing challenges that may arise in different evangelistic contexts.
- •Each step will include a biblical passage, read in its context, which will serve as the foundation for analyzing the situation (2 Timothy 2:15).
- •The participant must choose a response that is biblically sound and appropriate to the context presented (1 Peter 3:15).
- •The response will be evaluated according to three criteria: faithfulness to the biblical text and its context (2 Timothy 2:15), appropriateness to the situation presented, and tone, since the reason for our hope should be given with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15).
- •The goal is not merely to identify a biblically appropriate response, but to understand why a particular approach is or is not consistent with the biblical teaching presented.
- •Context guides the form of the approach, but does not alter the truth of the gospel (Acts 17:22-31; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
John 4: the Samaritan woman
Follow this dialogue in John 4 and understand the principles that provide the foundation for our simulations based on this account.
Jesus had to pass through Samaria. The text highlights this necessity in a context of historical tension between Jews and Samaritans. By taking this route, Jesus came into contact with people separated from the Jews by social and religious barriers.
Tired from the journey, Jesus sat by the well around noon. The Son of God was there, thirsty and physically tired, and it was in this human condition of weariness and thirst that He began the conversation with the Samaritan woman.
When she arrived to draw water, Jesus simply asked: "Give me to drink." He did not begin with a speech or impose anything; He simply asked for help, placing Himself in the position of needing something from her. This attitude communicated humility in practice before any extended explanation.
The woman was surprised by the request because Jews had no dealings with Samaritans, and He was also a man speaking with a Samaritan woman. Jesus did not turn this historical barrier into a separate discussion; He continued the conversation and treated her with dignity.
Jesus began to take the conversation to a deeper level, but continued using the word "water", something she already understood and needed every day. He spoke of the gift of God and living water, using an everyday reality as a starting point to present a spiritual truth.
Jesus explained that whoever drinks the water from the well will thirst again, but whoever drinks the water He gives will never thirst, because that water becomes a spring of water welling up into everlasting life. The living water points to a gift from God that goes beyond physical need and leads to everlasting life.
Still thinking in practical terms, she asked for this water so she would no longer need to return there to draw water, not yet realizing that Jesus was speaking about something spiritual. Jesus continued the conversation without rebuking her for this misunderstanding.
After speaking about living water, Jesus asked her to go call her husband and began addressing her marital situation. He did not begin the conversation by speaking about her past, but neither did He avoid the subject when the time came to address it, showing that a welcoming attitude and truth can go together.
She replied that she had no husband, and Jesus confirmed that she had spoken truly, then completed the picture of her situation: she had had five husbands, and the man she was now with was not her husband. The text shows that Jesus knew her situation and stated it clearly.
The woman recognized Jesus as a prophet after He demonstrated that He knew her personal situation. From there, the conversation moved to a religious question about worship.
She raised a religious question about the right place to worship, Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim. Jesus answered by leading the conversation to what is essential: the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Even when complex religious questions arise, it is possible to lead the dialogue to what the biblical text presents as central.
She said that she knew the Messiah would come and tell them all things, and at that moment Jesus revealed Himself directly: "I that speak unto thee am he." The scene shows Jesus making Himself known to a Samaritan woman despite the social and religious barriers present in the context.
She left her water jar, went into the city, and began speaking about Jesus. The text shows an immediate change of focus: she interrupted what she was doing and told others about her encounter with Jesus.
She called the people of the city with a question: "Is not this the Christ?" and mentioned that Jesus had told her everything she had done. Her testimony awakened interest and led the townspeople to go and meet Jesus.
Many Samaritans from that city first believed through the woman's testimony. After hearing Jesus, they said that they now believed because they had heard Him themselves and knew that He was indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. The account shows how the woman's testimony led other people to Jesus.
The same simple dynamic seen in John 4 is also found in several other biblical passages used in our simulations. Our goal is to show that evangelism does not need to be overly complex or limited to great theologians: it is about loving people, listening to them attentively, and pointing them to the grace and person of Jesus Christ in everyday life.
Experience Jesus' Method in Practice
Choose one of the simulations below based on John 4 and discover how to apply these principles in everyday life: in the workplace, at family lunches, at university, or in moments of pain and suffering.
Living Water in the Concrete Desert
This simulation will lead you to apply the principles of John 4 in a context of evangelism and biblical counseling. You will face real challenges in the workplace, focusing on a biblical and careful approach to people struggling with chemical dependency.
Living water on the bed of pain: Dialogue with skepticism
This simulation will lead you to apply the principles of John 4 in a discipleship context. You will face real challenges in a hospital visitation setting, focusing on the right approach for young university students.
Living water in the square
This simulation will lead you to apply principles of John 4 in a teaching and evangelism context in a public square. You will converse with Lucas, a young agnostic, a reader of existentialist philosophy interested in questions about the meaning of life. Although he is polite and open to dialogue, he claims to rely primarily on reason and science to understand reality and shows skepticism regarding the answers offered by religion. Lucas values his work, his relationships, and his personal experiences, but admits to reflecting on deeper questions of existence. He also raises objections related to the diversity of religions, the mistakes made by religious people and institutions, and, especially, the Christian claim that Jesus is the only way to the Father. Throughout the conversation, your challenge will be to listen to him carefully, answer his doubts with respect, and clearly present Christ, the living water He offers, and the eternal life proclaimed in the gospel, without giving up biblical truth.
The well on the porch: conflicts and grace in family discipleship
Antonio is a 78-year-old man, widowed for five years, whose identity has been shaped by hard work on the farm and by the religious traditions inherited from his parents. He believes that a man's dignity lies in his own effort and in preserving family customs. He often states with pride that he has never needed anyone's help and considers his moral life and good deeds signs that he is right with God. As he grows older, however, he faces the loss of physical vitality, loneliness, and the fear of being forgotten, feelings that often appear as stubbornness and grumbling. Antonio remains strongly attached to the religious rituals he learned in his youth and associates them with the memory of his parents and with his own history. For this reason, he tends to react defensively when his convictions are questioned, understanding this kind of conversation as disrespect toward his family and the way he has always lived. Although he rarely speaks about his feelings, he shows discomfort with the limitations of old age and, at times, reveals anguish and dissatisfaction with his own life. In this simulation, you will take the role of one of Antonio's family members in a conversation on the porch. The dialogue will be based on John 4 and will present you with situations related to Antonio's convictions, memories, concerns, and reactions. At each stage, you will need to evaluate the situation presented and choose how to respond within the proposed biblical reference.
Living water in the valley of the shadow: discipleship in grief
Lucas, a former school acquaintance of yours, is going through a period of intense grief. A few weeks ago, his younger brother passed away tragically in a car accident after a heated family argument. Lucas has isolated himself and turned to social media, where he alternates between periods of silence and posts filled with cynicism, bitterness, and anger towards God and religion. Today, he posted an Instagram story with a completely black background and the phrase: "Another day dragging myself. If there is a God, He is a sadist who likes to see us suffer. Spare me your empty prayers and verses." Lucas carries intense guilt from the last argument he had with his brother. His last memory of his brother is a violent exchange of insults, in which he shouted that he hated him minutes before the fatal collision. In an attempt to numb the pain and silence recurring thoughts, he has turned to alcohol daily until he passes out. This attempt to relieve the pain, however, ends up worsening his suffering. Lucas directs his anger and despair against religious institutions and against God Himself, making it difficult for anyone who tries to talk to him about his pain to get close to him. Just as Jesus went through Samaria and, being wearied with His journey, sat on Jacob's well (John 4:6), and began a conversation with a Samaritan woman, crossing social and religious barriers, the evangelist must approach Lucas via direct message (DM) without triumphalist answers or ready-made formulas. It is necessary to welcome his pain with attentive listening, not be diverted by debates that distance the conversation from his spiritual need, and present the Messiah, the One who does not remain distant from human suffering, but wept at the death of Lazarus (John 11:35) and offers the Living Water that sustains the soul in the valley of the shadow of death.
Living water in the corporate world
This simulation will lead you to apply the principles of John 4 in an evangelistic conversation in the workplace. Lucas is your coworker, with a practical, skeptical, and analytical profile. He tends to evaluate questions through logic and scientific explanations, and he distrusts religious answers that seem simplistic to him. Despite his professional achievements, acquisition of possessions, and experiences in relationships, he is beginning to realize that these things have not eliminated the emptiness he feels. When talking about religion, he questions why Christianity should be considered true in light of the diversity of beliefs and the influence of culture. Even with his objections, Lucas shows a willingness to reflect when he is heard with respect and when his questions are answered without requiring him to abandon reason. Throughout the conversation, you should listen to him respectfully, respond to his objections, and, starting from ordinary situations, present the truth about the living water and lead him to understand who Jesus is and what He offers.
The confrontation of the living water at family lunch
The scene unfolds at a traditional Sunday family lunch, amid home-cooked food and side conversations. There you find your uncle Roberto, a man in his 50s, a nominal Catholic who is very attached to the religious traditions of his youth. He does not attend church regularly, but participates in some rites on specific occasions, such as seventh-day memorial Masses, and associates these practices with his way of maintaining a relationship with God. Roberto is going through a difficult period. His marriage is going through difficulties that are rarely discussed, and his alcohol consumption has become frequent. He lives with guilt over choices and behaviors that he recognizes as problematic, while at the same time finding security in the religious practices he learned from his family. For him, stepping away from these traditions could also mean facing the disapproval of relatives and breaking with part of his family history. During lunch, Roberto shows a willingness to talk about God, religion, and his own difficulties, but also becomes defensive when his traditional convictions are questioned. This contrast between openness and resistance defines the context of the dialogue that will follow.
Living water at Sunday lunch
Sunday lunch brings the family together around the table. Amid conversations about daily life and memories from the past, your uncle Roberto brings up religion. He has always considered himself Catholic because of his family tradition, although he rarely attends church or reads the Bible. For him, keeping certain customs and being a good person are enough before God. Roberto highly values the family's religious history and associates faith primarily with the customs he learned in childhood. He shows no hostility when talking about God, but usually understands religion through family tradition and moral conduct. During lunch, the conversation opens up an opportunity for you to talk with him, using John 4 as the biblical reference for the simulation.
Dialogue in the courtyard: the living water and the burden of works
Letícia is a senior college student deeply involved in preparing her final thesis (TCC). Raised in a strongly spiritualist home, she understands life through the law of cause and effect and believes that current suffering may be related to past-life debts that need to be repaired. On weekends, she dedicates herself to charity work at a center and takes this practice very seriously, fearing she may fall short in the eyes of her spirit guides and delay her journey of evolution. In recent months, academic and religious pressure has increased her anxiety and tiredness. Letícia feels she never does enough and is constantly worried about fulfilling her responsibilities properly. At times, she cries in secret in the college restrooms. Although she remains dedicated to her convictions and practices, she appears emotionally overwhelmed and willing to talk about the doubts and distress she has been facing.
Share Your Faith with Grace
Explore interactive simulations, practice everyday situations, and communicate the biblical message naturally.