Embracing Disruption: Living Sent in Faith
Summary
This morning, we gathered under the open sky, reminded that the God we worship is the Creator of all—the One who made the sun, the trees, the river, and every breath we take. Even as our circumstances have shifted—moving from our usual building due to unforeseen challenges—we are reminded that the church is not a building, but the people of God gathered in His name. Whether in a sanctuary, a home, or a park, Jesus is present where His people are, and that is more than enough.
Turning to John 4, we see Jesus intentionally traveling through Samaria, a place most Jews would avoid, to meet a woman at a well. This encounter was not a matter of convenience or geography, but of divine purpose. Jesus broke through cultural and social barriers, engaging with someone considered an outsider, to offer her living water—a relationship with God that truly satisfies the deepest thirst of the soul. The woman’s life was transformed, and through her, many others came to believe. This is the heart of multiplication: as we live sent, not complacent, the gospel advances and more lives are changed.
Our own journey as a church mirrors this story. Unexpected disruptions have forced us out of our comfort zones, but perhaps God is leading us to new places and new people who need to encounter His love. The question is not, “Where will we worship?” but, “Will we be the kind of people God seeks—those who worship in spirit and truth?” God is not seeking a place, but a people. Our mission remains unchanged: to make disciples, to live sent, and to trust that God will multiply His work through our obedience.
As we move forward, let us embrace the discomfort, trusting that God’s plan is greater than our own. Let us seek to interact with those we might not have otherwise met, believing that God has divine appointments waiting for us. And let us pray for a fresh zeal, repenting of complacency, and asking God to stir our hearts for the advance of the gospel—not just in our city, but to the ends of the earth.
Key Takeaways
- God’s Sovereign Disruptions Lead to Divine Encounters
When Jesus “had to” go through Samaria, it wasn’t because of geography, but because God had a purpose—a woman at the well who needed hope. Likewise, when our routines are disrupted, it may be God’s way of sending us to people and places we would never reach otherwise. Instead of asking “Why do we have to go through this?” we should ask, “Who is God sending us to?” [41:00]
- True Worship Is About People, Not Places
Jesus taught that the Father is seeking worshipers, not worship sites. The question is not whether we gather in a building, a park, or a home, but whether we worship in spirit and truth. Our identity as God’s people is not tied to a location, but to our relationship with Him and our willingness to follow wherever He leads. [35:27]
- Living Sent Means Embracing the Uncomfortable
Jesus crossed ethnic, social, and gender boundaries to reach the Samaritan woman. Following His example, we are called to step out of our comfort zones and engage with those who are different from us. God often sends us to hard places so that His love can reach those who are far from Him, and so that we ourselves do not become complacent. [44:29]
- Multiplication Happens When We Obey God’s Leading
The story in John 4 shows that when we live sent, the gospel multiplies—many believed, and then many more. Our own history as a church confirms this: every time we’ve been moved or disrupted, God has brought new people and growth. Obedience to God’s direction, even when inconvenient, leads to greater impact than we could achieve by staying comfortable. [46:00]
- The Mission Is to Make Disciples, Not Maintain Comfort
Jesus was sent, and He sends us—not to settle, but to go. Our calling is to make disciples, to seek out those who are spiritually thirsty, and to trust God for the results. When we prioritize God’s mission over our own comfort, we become part of a movement that advances the gospel to our city and beyond. [38:15]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[01:00] - Opening Prayer and Praise
[03:30] - Introduction and Church Updates
[07:45] - Gratitude for Volunteers and Teams
[10:30] - Why We’re Meeting at the Park
[15:55] - Setting the Stage: John 4 and Multiplication
[19:00] - Jesus’ Journey Through Samaria
[22:30] - The Encounter at the Well
[27:00] - Living Water and Spiritual Thirst
[31:45] - Jesus Reveals the Woman’s Story
[32:54] - Worship in Spirit and Truth
[35:27] - God Seeks People, Not Places
[38:15] - Sent, Not Complacent
[41:00] - Three Lessons from John 4
[44:29] - Reaching People We’d Never Meet Otherwise
[46:00] - Multiplication and Gospel Advance
[47:35] - Trusting God’s Presence Over Place
[49:00] - Closing Prayer and Worship
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
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### Bible Reading
John 4:1-42 (ESV)
> Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
>
> A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” ...
>
> [Read through verse 42 for the full story.]
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### Observation Questions
1. According to John 4, why was it unusual for Jesus to travel through Samaria and speak with the woman at the well? ([22:30])
2. What did Jesus offer the Samaritan woman, and how did she respond to his offer? ([27:00])
3. How did the woman’s encounter with Jesus impact her, and what did she do after meeting him? ([39:41])
4. In the sermon, what reasons were given for why the church was meeting outside and not in their usual building? ([15:55])
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### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus “had to” go through Samaria, even though most Jews avoided it? What does this say about God’s purpose in disruptions? ([41:00])
2. Jesus tells the woman that true worshipers will worship “in spirit and truth.” What does this mean, and how does it challenge the idea that worship is about a specific place? ([32:54])
3. The woman’s life was changed by her encounter with Jesus, and then many others believed because of her story. What does this teach us about the way the gospel spreads? ([39:41])
4. The sermon mentioned that God sometimes moves us out of our comfort zones. Why might God do this, and how can it lead to new opportunities for ministry? ([44:29])
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### Application Questions
1. The church was forced to leave its building and meet in new places. Have you ever experienced a disruption in your life that turned out to be a “divine appointment”? How did God use that situation? ([41:00])
2. Jesus crossed cultural, social, and gender boundaries to reach the Samaritan woman. Are there people or groups in your life that you tend to avoid? What would it look like to intentionally reach out to them this week? ([44:29])
3. The sermon said, “God is not seeking a place, but a people.” How does this truth affect the way you think about church and worship? Is there anything you need to change in your attitude or habits? ([35:27])
4. The woman at the well shared her story, and many believed. Is there someone in your life who needs to hear what God has done for you? What’s one step you can take to share your story with them? ([39:41])
5. The pastor challenged the church to “live sent, not complacent.” In what areas of your life have you become comfortable or complacent? What is one specific way you can step out in faith this month? ([38:15])
6. The sermon encouraged praying for a fresh zeal and repenting of complacency. What would it look like for you to pray this way? Is there something specific you need to repent of or ask God to stir up in your heart? ([47:35])
7. When routines are disrupted, the question was asked, “Who is God sending us to?” Who might God be sending you to right now, and how can you be open to those opportunities? ([41:00])
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Devotional
Day 1: Jesus Had to Go Through Samaria—God’s Direction, Not Convenience
Sometimes God leads us into unexpected or uncomfortable places, not because it’s the easiest route, but because He has a divine appointment waiting for us there. Jesus’ journey through Samaria was not a matter of geography or convenience; it was a matter of God’s will, as He was sent to meet a woman at the well who needed hope and transformation. In the same way, God may lead us into situations or places we wouldn’t choose for ourselves, so that we can encounter people who need the love and truth of the gospel. Are you open to God’s direction, even when it disrupts your plans or comfort? [41:00]
John 4:4-7 (ESV)
And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
Reflection: Where is God asking you to go or whom is He asking you to reach that feels inconvenient or uncomfortable, and how can you respond with obedience today?
Day 2: True Worship—People, Not Places
Worship is not about a specific location, building, or tradition, but about the posture of our hearts before God. Jesus taught that true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, and that God is seeking people, not places, to worship Him. Whether gathered in a church building, a park, or a home, what matters most is that we come before God with sincerity, guided by His Spirit and grounded in His truth. God’s presence is not confined to a place; He desires worshipers who seek Him wholeheartedly wherever they are. [35:27]
John 4:23-24 (ESV)
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Reflection: How can you intentionally worship God in spirit and in truth today, regardless of your physical location or circumstances?
Day 3: Living Water—Only Jesus Satisfies Our Deepest Thirst
Every soul is thirsty for something deeper, and only a relationship with Jesus can truly satisfy that longing. The Samaritan woman came to the well seeking water, but Jesus offered her living water—eternal life and a relationship with God that quenches spiritual thirst forever. We often look to temporary things to fill us, but Jesus invites us to receive what only He can give: a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Will you come to Him today and ask for this living water? [31:45]
John 4:13-14 (ESV)
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Reflection: What are you turning to in order to satisfy your soul’s thirst, and how can you turn to Jesus for the living water He offers?
Day 4: Living Sent, Not Complacent
God calls His people to live sent—to go, to reach, to multiply—not to settle into complacency or comfort. Jesus was sent by the Father, and He sends us to reap a harvest, to interact with people we might never have otherwise, and to advance the gospel. When we embrace being sent, rather than staying comfortable, God multiplies the impact of our lives and our church, reaching many and then many more for Christ. Are you living sent, or are you settling for complacency? [38:15]
John 4:35-38 (ESV)
“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
Reflection: What is one step you can take today to live “sent” rather than complacent—who can you reach out to or serve in Jesus’ name?
Day 5: Multiplication—God’s Mission Advances Through Our Obedience
When we follow God’s leading and live sent, the result is multiplication—many people come to faith, and then many more. The story of the Samaritan woman shows how one encounter with Jesus led to a ripple effect: her testimony brought her whole town to Jesus, and many more believed because of His word. God’s mission is not just about addition, but multiplication, as each of us shares the gospel and makes disciples. Will you trust God to multiply His work through your obedience, even when it means change or sacrifice? [39:41]
Acts 2:46-47 (ESV)
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear your story of what Jesus has done, and how can you share it with them this week to be part of God’s multiplying work?
Quotes
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