Divine Encounters – How God Uses Ordinary People to Reveal Jesus
Pastor Phil Derstine 11-30-25
A Prayer to Help Others – God orchestrates Divine Encounters
- “Lord, thank you for putting people in our path today that we can be a blessing to; and thank you for Divine Encounters, Connections, and Favor in our lives!”
- Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
- Matthew 4:19 “Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men.”
- Divine Encounters are not coincidences – they are God-ordained intersections where heaven touches earth through you.
John 4:4-42 Jesus’ Divine Encounter with the Samaritan Woman
- Divine Encounters Happen in Ordinary Places
- John 4:4 “Now he had to go through Samaria. (5) So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar…”
- Sychar (Gr.) – falsehood, drunkenness
- Jesus didn’t go to a synagogue, a crusade, or a revival meeting – to a well, at noon, in a despised region.
- You have a sphere of influence – at home, work, social circles, medical centers and marketplace.
- God is putting People into your Path for His Purposes
- Divine Encounters Cross Racial, Social, & Religion Boundaries
- John 4:9 “The Samaritan woman said to him, You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman, How can you ask me for a drink?”
- Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans (But God!)
- Divine Encounters break the Walls that Culture Builds
- Divine Encounters Draw on God’s Divine Power
- John 4:17 “You are right when you say you have no husband. (18) The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
- Gifts of the Spirit – The Word of Knowledge (I Cor. 12:8-10)
- This was not condemnation – it was revelation that opened her heart.
- The Holy Spirit knows – and He Partners with You.
- Divine Encounters Always Carry a Larger Purpose
- John 4:39 “Many…believed because of the woman’s testimony; He told me everything I ever did.”
- This Encounter wasn’t just about one Woman – it was about an entire Community.
- Isaiah 60:3 “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
- Go Ye into All the World and bring the Good News
- Divine Encounters Ultimately Reveal Christ!
- John 4:42 “They said to the woman, We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
- Divine Encounters Exchange Institutional Religion for Personal Relationship with God.
- John 12:32 “If I am lifted up… I will draw all men unto Me.”
- John 4:23 “A time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. (24) God is Spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and truth.”
- This is a Season to Reveal the Christ of Christmas!
- Worship Song: I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus.
