Freshwater Sunday Service (8:45 a.m.)

The love of the Father is so profound that He sent His Son to bear the weight of our sin, longing to bring His children back into relationship with Him. This love is not just something to be celebrated in our gatherings, but something that compels us to action. Just as a football team huddles to receive the play but must eventually break and execute it, we as followers of Jesus are called to break from our comfortable gatherings and step into the world with the mission He has given us. Too often, we remain in the huddle, enjoying the presence of God and the fellowship of believers, but hesitating to go and share the good news with those who need it most.

Many of us struggle to step out because of fear, a sense of inadequacy, or simply not knowing how to begin. Yet, God’s call is clear: we are to go into the world and invite others to His table. To help us do this, I introduced the “Five Thresholds” framework—a practical guide to understanding where our friends and family might be on their spiritual journey and how we can walk with them, step by step. These thresholds are: building trust, sparking curiosity, fostering openness, encouraging seeking, and finally, inviting someone to follow Jesus.

Building trust is foundational, especially in a culture where many are skeptical of Christians. Like Jesus with the Samaritan woman, we must be willing to cross barriers, show humility, and genuinely care for people without an agenda. As trust grows, we can gently spark curiosity about spiritual things, often through thoughtful questions rather than arguments. When someone becomes open, we lovingly challenge them to consider the deeper longings of their heart and how God might meet them there. As they begin to seek, we walk alongside them, praying with them and helping them find answers to their questions. And when the moment comes, we invite them to follow Jesus, trusting the Holy Spirit to do the work only He can do.

This journey is not about having all the answers or moving people quickly through the process. It’s about faithfully taking the next step, being present, and allowing God to use us in the lives of those around us. As we heard from Jamie’s testimony, living on mission is often about simple, everyday faithfulness—showing up, building relationships, and letting God work through us. May we be a people who break the huddle, filled with the Spirit, and go into the world with the love and power of Jesus.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The Father’s Love Compels Us to Action God’s love is not passive; it is a pursuing, sacrificial love that seeks to restore relationship with His children. This love is meant to move us beyond comfort and into mission, echoing the heart of the Father who longs for all to come to His table. When we truly grasp the depth of His love, it becomes impossible to remain unmoved or inactive. [36:10]
• 2. Breaking the Huddle: Moving from Gathering to Going It is easy to find comfort and strength in Christian community, but the true test of our faith is whether we are willing to “break the huddle” and step into the world with the gospel. The gathering is essential for equipping and encouragement, but it is not the end goal. We are called to take what we receive and put it into practice, running the play that Jesus has given us. [37:59]
• 3. Building Trust in a Skeptical World In a culture where many are wary of Christians, trust must be earned through humility, consistency, and genuine care. Jesus modeled this by crossing social and cultural barriers, engaging people with respect and vulnerability. Our first step in someone’s spiritual journey is often simply to be a trustworthy friend, showing up in their lives without an agenda and building bridges through shared interests and honest confession. [45:09]
• 4. Curiosity and Openness: The Power of Questions Spiritual curiosity rarely arises on its own; it is often sparked by thoughtful, non-threatening questions that invite deeper reflection. Jesus was a master at asking questions that drew people out and awakened spiritual hunger. As we journey with others, we can gently prompt them to consider their own stories, experiences, and longings, creating space for God to stir their hearts toward openness. [54:56]
• 5. Journeying with Others Through the Thresholds Evangelism is not about quick conversions but about faithfully walking with people through each stage of their spiritual journey. This means praying with them, helping them wrestle with their questions, and being present as they seek. When the time is right, we invite them to follow Jesus, trusting that the Holy Spirit is the one who brings transformation. Our role is to take the next step in love and obedience, leaving the results to God. [60:33]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [36:10] - The Father’s Sacrificial Love
• [37:05] - The Football Huddle Analogy
• [37:59] - The Danger of Staying in the Huddle
• [39:09] - God’s Call to Go and Invite
• [40:15] - Why We Struggle to Share Our Faith
• [41:23] - Equipping for the Mission
• [42:23] - The Five Thresholds Framework
• [44:40] - Building Trust with Non-Believers
• [48:45] - The Power of Humility and Confession
• [52:49] - Sparking Curiosity in Spiritual Conversations
• [56:02] - Fostering Openness and Addressing Longings
• [58:56] - Encouraging Seeking and Answering Questions
• [61:34] - Inviting Others to Follow Jesus
• [63:09] - Testimony: Living on Mission (with Jamie Bosley)
• [86:57] - Prayer for Boldness and Sending Out
• [93:13] - Closing and Next Steps

Bible Reading

John 4:4-26 (ESV) — > 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 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.
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> 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 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.) 10 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.”
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> 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 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.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
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> 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 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. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Observation Questions

1. In John 4, what barriers existed between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, and how did Jesus choose to interact with her? ([46:04])
2. According to the sermon, what are the “Five Thresholds” that people often move through on their journey toward faith in Jesus? ([42:23])
3. What practical example did the sermon give about building trust with non-believers, and how did it impact the person involved? ([49:43])
4. How did Jesus use questions and conversation to move the Samaritan woman from curiosity to openness and seeking? ([53:43])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why is building trust so important in sharing faith, especially in a culture that is skeptical of Christians? ([45:09])
2. What does it look like to “break the huddle” in our own lives, and why do many Christians struggle to do this? ([37:59])
3. How can asking thoughtful questions, rather than giving quick answers, help someone become more open to spiritual conversations? ([54:56])
4. The sermon described evangelism as a journey, not a quick process. What are the dangers of trying to rush someone through the thresholds, and what does it look like to faithfully walk with someone at their own pace? ([01:02:00])

Application Questions

1. The Father’s love is described as sacrificial and pursuing. When you think about God’s love for you, does it move you to action, or do you find yourself staying in the “huddle”? What holds you back from stepping out? ([36:10])
2. The sermon challenged us to identify someone in our lives who may be on a spiritual journey. Who is one person God is putting on your heart right now, and what threshold do you think they are in? ([43:44])
3. Building trust often means showing up in someone’s life without an agenda. What is one practical way you can build trust with a friend, neighbor, or coworker this week? ([52:11])
4. Think about a time when you were curious about faith or spiritual things. What helped you move from curiosity to openness? How can you create that kind of space for someone else? ([54:56])
5. The sermon encouraged us to ask good questions to spark curiosity. What is one non-threatening, thoughtful question you could ask someone in your life to open up a spiritual conversation? ([55:33])
6. When someone is seeking, the sermon suggested praying with them and helping them find answers. Is there someone you could offer to pray with or study a question with this week? What might that look like? ([59:16])
7. The testimony shared in the sermon showed that living on mission is often about simple, everyday faithfulness. What is one small, faithful step you can take this week to move from gathering to going? ([01:06:10])