Woman at the Well | Crossed Paths | Pastor Rob Koke | Shoreline Church | Message

There's a marine look to it. .' I feel so sad. She's so beautiful. It doesn't need to be anything outside. It's not a problem. I mean, they're just enough. They're $5 down from M&Ms, $9 you can eat. So in terms of price, they're centrally served. And it tastes good. The broth is hot. There's mold growing everywhere, and the inside soup looks nice. It does. Can I try some? Nice. Good morning. Good morning. You guys doing good today? We want to welcome all of you to Shoreline. Let's give a huge shout out to all of those that are watching online from around the community, in some cases, even around the world. We welcome you to our campuses here in Austin, Texas. Come on, let's give it up for our online congregation and our South congregation as well. We just love you guys so very much. So you're probably as glued to the news as I am.

Yesterday, some things began to unfold in our world and I thought it would be appropriate for us this morning to take a few moments to pray. We have, of course, our troops that are in harm's way. Some of them that are a part of the Shoreline family and we want to just pray a hedge of protection around them. We want to pray for all of our leaders, that God gives them wisdom to navigate through these challenging times. And, you know, we also have ministry partners that we are connected with that are in the very regions that bombs are dropping all throughout the Middle East, you know, not just, you know, Iran, but all the surrounding Gulf States and Israel. We have ministry partners there and so we're getting text messages. In fact, this morning, we're getting updated information. They're able to take pictures on their phone of, you know, where the bombs are dropping and all the different drama that's unfolding. And so we just want to pray a hedge of protection around them as well. And that at the end of the day, there's an opportunity for the kingdom to move forward, you know, and that's, you know, of course the heartbeat of the church. And so let's all of us just take a moment to pray and just believe God. Father, we thank you so much that we get to worship in this beautiful sanctuary, Lord,

that we have the freedoms that we do. And Father, we're so grateful, but there's things happening around the world, Lord, that we're asking collectively as a family of believers, Father, that you would add your strength and your wisdom to help navigate through all of it. Father, we just pray for our leaders and leaders around the world. Father, we pray for our troops and Father, those who are especially a part of the Shoreline family that are in harm's way. Father, we pray for our ministry partners, Lord, that are experiencing this drama firsthand. Father, we just pray that you would put a hedge of protection around them. And Father, ultimately, that that whole area of the world, Father, would just be open to your grace and your goodness and the good news of the gospel. And Father, we just pray that all in Jesus' name. And everyone said? Amen. Amen, amen. Well, I had the incredible privilege to be with the Sisterhood ladies on Wednesday night. They meet Wednesday night. All the guys meet on Wednesday night. They do up north and also down south. And so this is just one of the ways that you can experience community. But I had such a good time.

I actually went before the event started and just, you know, as people were setting up tables and so on and grabbed a couple of testimonies of why people enjoy being a part of that. And I just got a kick out of it. It was just me and my iPhone, but I wanted you to see some of these testimonies. I love Sisterhood because of the accountability, the community. The fact that you could just call someone to ask for prayer and they're there for you. It is a family. We've had fires. We've come and helped people with a fire. We've had women that had no place to go. We've furnished single moms' homes. We've done everything. I love Sisterhood. I love Sisterhood because these are our girls and we are here for each other. We can love on each other. And you know that at an instant, we have women that will support each other and come together and love on each other. Sisterhood is community. It goes to the hood. Yes. It's amazing, yeah, it's just an incredible group of ladies. And if you're not a part of it, we would certainly love for you to be a part of it.

And I was thinking, they're all faithful givers, they give into the ministry of Shoreline, but it takes so much more than just even what that group of people can do. When you add up all the expenses of air conditioning and cleaning up the rooms and the maintenance and fixing everything up. And so they just wanted to say thank you to all of you for all of the contributions that you make. You know, we honor God with our giving because he asked us to, and there's also a promise associated with it. But sometimes it's also fun to see people on the other side of your giving who are impacted by your generosity. And they just wanted to say thank you, so take a look. Thank you Shoreline. All right, give them a great big hand clap. And let's all of us stand to our feet here this morning. We do something at the beginning of every single message. We wrap our understanding around a collection of phrases that we call our Shoreline Creed. It's just our way of celebrating that at the foundation, Christianity is about God's amazing grace, not just information on how to live, but the wonderful reality that God did for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. And so we celebrate that in a collection of phrases. If you're new to Shoreline, you can read along.

The rest of us, we're gonna say this with some enthusiasm and passion. You guys ready? Here we go. I am loved by God. I cannot earn it. I cannot lose it. I am forgiven and made brand new. In Christ, I live with passion and purpose. I am empowered by the spirit to be the church in the world and to live this love revolution. Come on, let's give God praise for that. You may be seated. So we are in a brand new collection of talks this morning called Crossed Paths. And we're focusing in on those moments where Jesus crossed paths with people on his way to the cross and the impact that he made on their lives. And one of the things that is gonna stand out to you as it did, I think, to me, is that so many of these interactions were with sinners. And I think that that's something that Jesus received a lot of criticism for, but I think he kind of viewed as a compliment. And so we're gonna kind of unpack these stories and celebrate them. And this one that we're gonna kick off with is a story that you're probably familiar with, the story of the woman at the well.

And this story is found in the Gospel of John and kicks off here in the fourth chapter. Now, before I read this particular story to you, I wanna let you know that we're gonna do something a little bit different this morning. I'm going to share this message with you and I'm gonna condense it as much as I possibly can, because at the end of this message, I wanna share with you a seven-minute video. Normally, you would never be able to share a video like this for copyright purposes, but we received special permission to be able to show this video, not just us, but other churches as well. It's a seven-minute clip that will describe this story. So I'm going to share the story and then you're going to see the story. And this seven-minute clip, honestly, was one of the most powerful things I've ever seen in my life. So I'm really excited to share it with you at the end of the message. John chapter four. He, Jesus, speaking about Jesus, left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now, he had to go through Samaria. And we'll get back to it in a couple of minutes, but I just wanted to draw your attention to the fact that he had. That's a very, very important word.

Jacob's well was there. And Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, will you give me a drink? The Samaritan woman said to him, you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. And then a conversation begins to unfold. It starts with talking about living water and actually regular water. And then it moves into living water. and then eternal life. And then Jesus has an interaction with her about her own personal life. The fact that she's had a very difficult life. She was married and divorced five times and the person that she's living with now is not her husband. I've had very close friends of mine, people that I care very, very deeply about that have walked through the tragedy of divorce. It's a gut-wrenching, life-changing experience and she didn't have it just once, she had it five times. You kind of get the idea that she's given up on marriage altogether because now she's just living with this person. And then the conversation shifts to worship.

"'Yet a time is coming and now has come "'when true worshipers will worship the Father "'in spirit and in truth, "'for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. "'God is spirit and his worshipers "'must worship in spirit and in truth.' The woman said, "'I know the Messiah called Christ is coming. "'When he comes, he will explain everything to us.' Then Jesus declared, "'I, the one speaking to you, I am he.'" What's really powerful about this particular phrase, I am he, in the original language, it ties it to the most sacred name that has ever been given about God. When Moses asked God, who shall I say sent me to you in the great epic story of the Exodus, God responded, I am that I am. And it's that same original language that's used in this moment that Jesus says to this woman, I am he, I am that I am. And what makes this particular point so poignant, what makes it so special, is that this is the first time that Jesus actually reveals with crystal clarity who he is. He never said those kinds of words, even when he was giving the very eloquent sermon on the mount, he never said who he was to that group of people.

When the respected, sincere religious leader, Nicodemus, came up to Jesus and wanted to know about this whole eternal life thing, Jesus didn't even take that moment to share who he was. The very first time that he shares who he really is with this woman, this woman who had been divorced five times, living outside of the social norms of marriage, the first time that Jesus with crystal clarity gives the idea of who he is, it's not his disciples, it's not respected religious leaders, it's not the crowd that was following him, it is this person who the religious leaders have written off, this woman is the one who receives that beautiful revelation. Then leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, come see the man who told me everything I ever did, could this be the Messiah? They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Meanwhile, his disciples urged him, Rabbi, eat something, but he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. Many of the Samaritans came from the town, believed in him because of the woman's testimony, he told me everything that I did. So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them for two more days and because of his words, many more became believers and they said to this woman, we no longer believe just because of what you said, we have heard for ourselves

and we know that this man truly is the savior of the world. Okay, I wanna make some observations about this particular story. But to set it up, I want you to realize that this story represents a little bit of the rhythm of what happens in kingdom life. This woman meets Jesus, Jesus touches her and she is so excited about the transformation and forgiveness that she receives, that she goes to the town and tells everybody she possibly can. That idea of receiving and then giving is the rhythm of the kingdom. You know, we get touched by God so that God will use us to touch other people. We hear the story of God's grace, it transforms our lives and then we get to be carriers of that story to other people. And the mission that this is associated with is so critical. In fact, the last words that Jesus spoke before he left this planet was basically, go and tell. And this story is such a beautiful, beautiful story about Jesus's friendship with sinners. It's good news to each one of us, but it's also a great example for each one of us. Her story is our story and some of the things we can learn from her story is going to help us in sharing the story with others. So just a few observations that I want to make. Number one is that we need to go where people are. Reading this story from our own cultural perspective will probably lose the shocking elements of this simple interaction. Jesus crossed so many barriers in his interaction with this woman. The woman's response to Jesus even gives us an insight into how extraordinary it was. She said, why are you talking to me? Because she was surprised that it was happening. There are so many barriers that he busted through. There was, of course, the gender barrier. Men, especially Jewish men, would never interact even with Jewish women. And here was, you know, not just the gender gap, but there was also the ethnic barrier. The Jewish people and

the Samaritans were at odds and had a very troubled history for hundreds of years. Lots of animosity between them. There's the religious barrier. The Jewish people felt like the Samaritans were heretics. And so there was also then the moral barrier. Here is this woman who had five husbands and was living with someone who wasn't her husband. She was an outcast. And then there was a purity barrier because he asked for some water to be drunk out of a vessel, but it was impure for him to do so. But he didn't care. John, when recording this particular story, uses an interesting word. I highlighted it when I was reading the passage. He had to go through Samaria. Interesting choice of words. Because most Jews would never travel through Samaria. They would always go around. But Jesus had to travel through Samaria. And that word had to literally means divine necessity. You must. That's another way of translating it. In fact, the Bible translates that word must in another passage. You must be born again. When Jesus said, you must be born again, that divine imperative, you must be born again. That's the same word. You must be born again. I've got to, I must travel through Samaria. It was the shortest route, but Jesus wasn't taking a shortcut. He was on a divine assignment. Most Jews would do everything they could to avoid Samaria. So this word had to was not a practical consideration. It wasn't a logistical consideration. It wasn't a geographic consideration. It was a spiritual consideration. Jesus flat out cares about those who are living outside of a relationship with him. He really, really cares. And I wonder if as Christians, we can become isolated in our day to day lives that keeps us into groups that the people we hang out with are more like us. But Jesus shows in this particular story that he went out of his way to interact with people and establish relationship with people that were completely unlike him. No Jew would have spoken to this woman, much less be willing to drink out of her unclean container. Jesus often talked about the importance of relationships and community to sustain your commitment and strength in the Lord. In fact, we embrace that wholeheartedly. The mission of Shoreline is to help people become fully devoted followers. And it's my conviction, and I know many of you share it, is that it's impossible for you to become a fully devoted follower outside of having godly relationships in your life that will help you in the journey. That's one of the reasons I just shared that video about sisterhood is that you would understand that that's available for you here to be connected in relationships so that you will be who God wants you to be. And as important as it is for us to

maintain and develop and cultivate relationships with like-minded believers, Jesus never intended that we would completely isolate ourselves from everybody who thinks differently from us. He wants us to be a light in the darkness. He showed us that we must be willing to break through the barriers of people who are living outside of a relationship with him. We need to go where they are. And sometimes that's not a proximity issue. The people who are living far away from God are in our proximity. Sometimes they're in our own family. Sometimes they're in our neighborhood. Sometimes they're at the place where we work. So the issue isn't that we have to go somewhere physically, but I do think that we need to go somewhere emotionally and mentally. We need to go somewhere in our attitude. We need to become more aware. They're already in close proximity. We just need to be more aware of the people around us that God wants us to reach out to, that he wants to use us to make an impact in their lives. Could I hear a good amen? So we got to go where they are. Second observation, we need to create some margin. Jesus and his disciples had places to go and things planned. But when the opportunity arose, Jesus hung out at the well and stayed for an additional two days to do what was most important. Everyone was tired. Everyone was hungry. The disciples go into town to get some food, but Jesus creates some margin in his schedule to do the most important thing. When someone asked him, you know, Hey Jesus, why are you here? And he said, I came to seek and to save that which was lost. I mean, that was his mission. And I know some of you might not necessarily, you know, fully embrace it or fully understand it for sure. I lose sight of it from time to time in my own life, but we're a part of that same mission. God wants to use us who have been touched by his grace, sinners saved by his goodness. He wants to use us to make a difference and impact in the lives of those around us. But sometimes we're too busy and we don't create margin to do it. We lose sight of what our mission really is. And I'm not trying to preach at you. I do the same thing. I love efficiency. I love productivity. I love to schedule my day full of activities, but I'm learning that in the kingdom, the rhythm of the kingdom is, is to always be aware that there is a mission in our lives that we would share the good news with those around us. When we get to heaven, honestly, we're going to see so crystal clear how big a deal that is. When we get to heaven, they're not going to say, oh, you know, I wonder if you had X amount of dollars or whether you did or whether you did that. What they're really going to care about is how many did we help bring with us

on this journey. And I know some of you very, very empathetic, working hard. Some of you two jobs, you get up, you got small children. Your life is crazy busy. I'm just asking you to open up your heart to some margin. Maybe you heard that old adage, you know, that if the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy. So busy that you don't have time for the most important things in life. It takes a lot of interaction to get people to experience the beauty of God's amazing grace. Sometimes it happens, you know, in one magical conversation, but most often it takes a whole bunch of interactions with a whole bunch of different. people to get somebody from where they are to the point where they're willing to surrender their hearts to the Lord. I've used this example in the past, but it really seems fitting to me. You know, when you watch a football game and you got the offensive line, you got the wide receivers and, and you got the quarterback and you got the halfbacks and they're all doing whatever they can to move the ball forward. And sometimes it's a run that only goes three yards. Sometimes it's a down and out pass that gets you seven yards. Sometimes it's that bomb that scores the touchdown. We don't know what it was that eventually scores the touchdown. We don't know, you know, we, we know the play that had happened, but we don't always give credit to all of the preceding plays that made that play happen. And sometimes it's just as important for that one yard run to get the first down, to open up the opportunity for another play. And that's the way that I see all of us interacting with people outside of a relationship with God. Maybe it's just a word of kindness. Maybe it's an act of service. Maybe it's an invitation, all kinds of different ways that God will use you to move the ball forward in someone else's life. That's what creating margin really is all about. Third observation, initiate conversations. I love this story.

Jesus is breaking through thousands of years of reinforced barriers and he initiates a conversation. Notice that the conversation doesn't immediately revolve around biblical things. Sometimes we have this misguided notion that every word that we say in terms of the kingdom has to be about a scripture or has to be about confronting somebody's behavior or something that feels a little bit awkward and forced. Jesus just has a very natural conversation with this woman. It starts out with a conversation about water, will you give me a drink? And I love how Jesus doesn't posture himself as a superior person, a know-it-all that has all the answers. He actually strategically places himself in need of what the woman has. He says, I'm thirsty, can you give me a drink? And in creating that dynamic, it opens up her heart to a conversation. I think it's important for us to be good at initiating conversations. It's a paradox. He who gives rest to the weary is tired and rests at the well. He who has living water asks for physical water. You know, I'm learning to initiate conversations in all the ordinary, you know, kind of days of my life, if I'm running an errand or going shopping, or if I'm engaging in one of my favorite hobbies, I'm just learning how important it is to initiate conversations and just be kind because you never know where it's going to lead. Sometimes just being kind brings a little bit of joy to somebody else, but sometimes it opens up the door for you to have conversations that are really meaningful. And I do these conversations all the time, you know, when Laura and I, you know, we go check in at a hotel, one of my favorite lines, and I'm just joking, I'm just kind of putting it out there, you know, I'll say to the lady across the desk, I'll say, we're on our honeymoon. Even though we've been married for 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, I just, you know, we're on our honeymoon and we just kind of laugh a little bit. She tells me all the time, you need to get new material. And I tell her, well, all the people that we interact with have never heard it before.

And you know, sometimes I'll say, you know, to the person checking us in, I'll say, I just met her a couple of minutes ago and she's agreed to spend the whole week with me. How cool is that? And Laura just, you know, kind of rolls her eyes. Get some new material. I went to a restaurant the other day and you know how they have that little check-in, you know, stand and they're going to seat you in the restaurant. And so I checked in, Laura was in the restroom. And so I said to the, I said to the lady, I said, um, the most beautiful woman in all of the world. is gonna be asking, you know, where I am. I just want you to know, when you see the most beautiful woman in the world, you'll know to bring her over to my table. And while we're walking, she turns around and says, you know what? You said that before. The last time you were here. So maybe I do need to get some new material. On a slow golf day, not too long ago, I was golfing with three other guys. And so we had a foursome and it was a very, very slow day because the golfers in front of us were so bad that they were slowing down the whole course. And these three guys knew each other. I didn't know them. I just kind of joined their group. They were all, you know, friends for many, many years. And so they were cutting up and making fun of the golfers in front of us.

Yeah, it happens. And, you know, they were cussing the whole way. Hole number one, two, three, four, like all the way to hole 13. They were cussing all the time. You know, just, you know, this, this, this. I can't even pronounce the words they were saying. Hole 14, they just kind of asked, I'm just kind of involved in conversations. I'm not adding to the cussing. I'm just hearing it, but I'm not confronting it. I'm not saying anything about it. I'm just, you know, trying to laugh and enjoy the journey. And then they asked me on hole 14, well, what do you do for a living? And I said, well, I'm a pastor. And I knew, I knew what was gonna happen. The next three holes, they were apologizing profusely for all the cussing that took place. Because they were just good old boys, you know, good guys. And then I told them, I said, you have nothing to apologize. You know, Laura cusses all the time, my wife. And I don't know what it was about that interaction, but it was enough to extend an invitation to them at the end of the round. And I just said, hey, listen, guys, maybe, just maybe, God put us together this afternoon so that I can extend an invitation for you to come to church. And you know, one of the guys said,

you know, I haven't been to church in a while, and I know I need to get back to church. And so I'm looking forward to God using that simple, initiated conversation, perhaps to change somebody's eternal destiny. And I wonder if in the back of our minds, we wonder if one is all that significant. And I would say it is to the one. In fact, Jesus wants us to think about the one. At the beginning of this year, 2026, I was talking with the staff and some of our key volunteers, and I just said, I felt like God put a word on my heart for this year. It's a word about the one, the one. When Jesus was talking about, you know, how he cares about the one, he said he left the 99 for the one. Jesus cares about the one. When we were on vacation as a family, we had, you know, had to pull over to get some gas and had to, you know, get some food at the convenience store. When we got back in the car, you know, I took off and I was on the highway and about a mile down the road, I knew something was different. And I turned around and my daughter, Danielle was not in the car. It took me a mile down the road to figure that out. Now, I promise you, while I was driving down the road, I didn't think, well, you know what? We got the other two, we're good.

Two out of three ain't bad. No, of course not. I whipped that car around and there was Danielle with her arms folded like this, looking straight at me. She's held that over me for a long time. I'm like, I'm not gonna do that. Looking straight at me. She's held that over me my entire life. Anytime she wants something, she goes, and I know exactly what she's talking about. Jesus cares about the one, the neighbor, the coworker, the cousin, the friend. And then reaching one can reach many, which is really the truth if you think about it, because every one person has a sphere of influence that's different from your relationship with them. They've got friends and family members and coworkers and neighbors. And you reach that one, and then they reach someone in that pool of relational connection, and then they reach. someone else, and it keeps going on and on and on, and when we get to heaven, we'll find out all of the wonderful ways that God used a simple, initiated conversation or invitation to change the lives of maybe hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Reaching the one will reach the many. In this particular story, I find it fascinating that the disciples went to the town

where this woman was from, bought some food, came back, and the Bible does not record one single convert from their journey to that town and back. And yet this woman, touched by the grace and forgiveness of Jesus, can't wait to run back to her town and tell everybody, and the whole town gets saved. My gosh, the power of passion. In verse 28, it says, leaving her water jar. That little phrase could be loaded with meaning. Maybe she just left it because she was so excited about her interaction with Jesus that she just absentmindedly forgot it. But maybe there's a deeper meaning. Maybe that water jar was left because she went from drawing physical water to someone pouring out living water. And that's the journey that God wants to take all of us on. Let me conclude with this final observation. Bottom line, this is what I'm really hoping will land with the right impact on your hearts this morning. People are worth saving. Jesus met this woman at the well. In the Old Testament, wells are the place where love stories begin. Abraham's servant meets Rebecca at a well. Jacob meets Rachel at a well. Moses meets Zipporah at a well.

It's a pattern. A man travels to a foreign land, needs some water, goes to the well, draws some water, meets a woman, and they get married. We don't make that connection reading it in our current understanding of the world. That doesn't jump out at us. But John, when he was writing this particular story, knew the impact it would make on those who were reading it in that first century. He knew that they would make the connection that Jesus's interaction with this woman at the well was a love story. And not that Jesus was looking for a wife. He was looking for a bride, and she represents all of us here today, a love story initiated at the well. Amen. And this Samaritan woman represents the outsiders, the unexpected ones that God invites into his family. It's the greatest unconditional love story you're gonna find. And this woman didn't have her act together. She wasn't one of those that you would look at and say, oh, most likely to be saved. She had issues, major issues, but it didn't stop Jesus. In any way, shape, or form, Jesus knew all about it. And it didn't change his passion to reach her. For God so loved the world. God so loved the world.

Now, I did my best today to share or to preach this story, but I want you to see this story. And I gotta tell you, this so impacted me. It's seven minutes. So please just enjoy this beautiful illustration of what you just heard. Would you give me a drink? Did you hear me? That's bad, huh? What? You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan, and a woman? I'm sorry. I should have said please. You know, it's not safe for you to be alone out here. Nor you. Why haven't you come with others? Why so late in the day? Don't women come to the wells in the cool of the morning? Yeah, well, none of them will be seen with me, so I have to come at noon, in the heat, as you have so kindly reminded me. Why won't they be seen with you? Long story. I'd still like a drink of water, if you can spare it. Amazing what a parched throat will do. Aren't I unclean to you? Won't you be defiled by this vessel? Maybe some of my people say that about your women, but I don't. Yeah? And what do you say?

I say if you knew who I am, you'd be asking me for a drink. Really? And I would give you living water. Would? Except that you have nothing to draw water with, and this is a deep well. Besides, what do you need from me, if you have your own supply of living water? Long story. But Jewish water is better than Samaritan water. That's not what I said. Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well? Your water is better than his? I know Jacob. And everyone who drinks this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. Wouldn't that be nice? The water I give will become in a person a spring of water, welling up to eternal life. Really? Yes, really. Prove it. First, go and call your husband, then come back. I will show you both. I don't have a husband. You are right. You've had five husbands. And the man you're living with now is not your husband. I see. You're a prophet.

You're here to preach at me. No. Usually the one good thing about coming here alone is I can escape being condemned. I'm not here to condemn you. I've made mistakes. Too many. But it's men like you who have made it impossible for me to do anything about it. How? Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain. But you Jews insist Jerusalem is the only place for true worship. They say that because the temple is there. Yeah, exactly where we're not allowed. I'm here to break those barriers. And the time is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. So where am I supposed to go when I need God? I've never received anything from God, but I couldn't thank him even if I did. Anywhere. God is spirit. And the time is coming and is now here that it won't matter where you worship, but only that you do it in spirit and truth. Heart and mind. That, that is the kind of worshipper he's looking for. It won't matter where you're from or what you've done.

Do you believe what I'm telling you? Until the Messiah comes and explains everything and sorts this mess out, including me, I don't trust in anyone. You're wrong when you say that you've never received anything from God. This Messiah you speak of, I am he. The first one was named Ramin. You were a woman of purity who was excited to be married. But he wasn't a good man. He hurt you, and it made you question marriage and even the practice of your faith. Stop it. The second was Farzad. On your wedding night, his skin smelled like oranges. And to this day, every time you pass by the oranges in the market, you feel guilty for leaving him because he was the only truly godly man you've been with. But you felt unworthy. Why are you doing this? I have not revealed myself to the public as the Messiah. You are the first. It would be good if you believed me. You picked the wrong person. I came to Samaria just to meet you. Do you think it's an accident that I'm here in the middle of the day? I am rejected by others. I know, but not by the Messiah.

And you know these things because you are the Christ. I'm going to tell everyone. I was counting on it. Spirit and truth? Spirit and truth. It won't be all about mountains or temples? Soon. Just the heart. You promise? I promise. This man told me everything I've done. Oh, he must be the Christ! Hey, wait! Your water! You forgot your, um... I'll see you now. You told me everything I ever did! I saw that in my office this past week. And it just touched me so deeply. Because in a very real way, that's my story. And that's your story, too. And what I think the Holy Spirit wants to do in our hearts today is to carry that same passion that the woman at the well carried. That we would leave this place reminded of how fortunate and blessed we are. And extend just sincere invitations to everyone we can. It was strategy on our part to put this message first in this collection of talks. Because Easter season is now upon us. And in our society, Easter is that one Sunday

that everyone's open. I mean, honestly, studies have been done about this. And like 80, 90% of people would actually come to a service if they were just invited. I mean, even if they go never intending to respond to anything. They'll go on Easter because that's the thing to do. And we just want to make it as easy as possible for you to extend invitations to those in your world. Like the woman at the well. Just a simple invitation to your friends, your neighbors, the people you work with, the folks that maybe are in your family or extended family. And we have these invite cards that are available at every single exit today. We encourage you to take some. This is not an invite card for you. Just a take to be reminded. I hope you don't need to be reminded. So take four or five or more. It's an opportunity for you to extend invitations to others. To be a part of a very special service that celebrates the greatest event in all of human history. Can I hear a good amen? Would you bow your heads and close your eyes for a moment? Maybe you came to church today and you're not where you need to be in your relationship with God. You'd say, pastor, I'm not living right. I'm not doing right. I'm not where I ought to be with God.

I need prayer. Maybe you made that decision at one point in time but you've slipped away. You know what? Life happens. Every single one of us are capable of making a mess out of things. And maybe you're here today because you need to rededicate your life to serving him. Or maybe you've never invited Jesus into your heart. But you want to. That would be literally the best decision. decision you have ever made in your life. And so, if you came to church today, and you want to meet Him for the first time, or you want to rededicate your life to serving Him, would you please raise your hand quickly and boldly in the air, wherever you are? Wonderful. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Wonderful. All of you with your hands raised, I want to lead you in a very simple prayer, and I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. Would you do that? And everyone else, come on, enthusiastically, as a reaffirmation of your faith in God, let's join those with their hands raised. Come on, let's pray together. Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart. Forgive me of my sins.

I put my trust in you. And I will live for you from this day forward by your power, for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Come on, let's give them all a great big hand clap. Those of you who raised your hands today, we want to encourage you, as we're being dismissed, that you would go over to where Pastor Oscar is. He's got a sign he's holding up. We want to give you a Bible and some information that'll really help you to live this Christian life that you just prayed to receive. Also, this Wednesday night is First Wednesday. It's going to be so beautiful. We'll celebrate communion together. And also, don't forget, on the other Wednesday nights, we got sisterhood and men's meetings and small groups. That community is so, so important. And also, on your way out, grab some invite cards, and let's let everyone know about the goodness of our God. Amen. Let's all of us stand to our feet. God bless you. Go in peace. And we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday night. God bless.