The local church can be about a lot of different things - but before he ascended into heaven Jesus was clear about the one thing that every church must be about.

In Matthew 28:19-20b we read, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” 

At Port City Church we know there are many good things that we can and should be doing to further the kingdom of God here in Halifax and beyond.  But at our core we exist to help others encounter Jesus and follow his way.  

We see Halifax as a strategic city to fulfil the mission that God has given us. Our city is home to one of the largest natural ports in the world, which means that at 71 metres deep, God created Halifax as a strategic outpost for importing and exporting. Certainly the world sees Halifax as a strategic place to import goods and services, but we see Halifax as a strategic outpost for importing and exporting the greatest “good”... the gospel.

The gospel is the greatest news that the world has ever known.  It reminds us that even though we have rebelled against God and thus are separated from Him - God sent His only Son to live a perfect life in our place, die to pay the penalty for sin on our behalf, and then rise victoriously so that we could have new life and a renewed relationship with God.

This news changes everything…Jesus changes everything.  One of the most striking examples of the life change that takes place when one encounters Jesus is found in the Gospel of John.  There, Jesus encounters a woman, who for all intents and purposes is a social outcast…a woman searching for purpose and longing for hope.  And it’s in an every day moment that she has an eternal encounter with Jesus.

Through this woman’s mid-day meeting with Jesus we see a few clear implications from an encounter with Jesus.

We read in John 4:4-6, “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.”

1. Encounters with Jesus are never a “coincidence” 

It’s interesting that John uses the words “had to” - Jesus, a Jew, did not have to pass through Samaria.  In fact most Jewish people did all they could not to pass through Samaria.  But Jesus, whom all things were created by him and for him (Colossians 1:16), knew before the foundation of the world this woman - made in the image of God - would be drawing water at that exact moment.  

The story unfolds further and we read  in John 4:16-18, “Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’  The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.’” 

2. Encounters with Jesus aren’t necessarily convenient or comfortable

The second thing we see is that Jesus is not after outward conformity but rather seeks a complete and total inward devotion.  Here Jesus knows this woman’s heart and he goes after the one thing she has been using to find meaning, purpose, and value in life.  Jesus knows that the only way that we can find true joy and the fulfilment that our hearts sincerely long for is in complete surrender to him.  When we encounter Jesus we will find the One thing that our hearts most desperately need and desire: God himself.

Continuing in John 4:19-24 we read, “The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.  Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.  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.” 

3. Encounters with Jesus often break our preconceived religious categories

So much of Jesus' ministry on earth consisted of him shattering the pre-conceived notions that the religious (think Pharisees) and even the irreligious (think Roman government) carried about a messianic king.  And here, at the well, Jesus is re-orientating this woman’s conception of things like God, worship, and salvation.  The reality is that when we choose to follow Jesus we don’t follow Jesus on our terms.  Jesus is not only saviour but he’s Lord, which means he’s the one that spells out the terms for following him (see Luke 9:23-24).

Lastly we read in John 4:25-29, “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.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he…So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 

4. Encounters with Jesus change everything 

When we truly encounter Jesus we change.  Not a superficial outward change that lasts as long as a new pair of Old Navy jeans.  The change that Jesus brings into our life is lasting and extensive.  It reaches to every part of our life and into every fibre of our being.  It changes the way we use money, treat others, parent our children, speak to our co-workers, spend our weekends, serve our spouse, and even take care of our bodies.  And it lasts, which is one of the ways in which you know it’s real and genuine (see Matthew 13:8).

As a church, it’s our prayer and hope that we see hundreds of people encounter Jesus in order that they may experience this type of change.  We envision the day when the addict encounters Jesus and is free; the day when the downcast encounters Jesus and finds true happiness, a day when the cynic encounters Jesus and finds joy; a day when the wayward son encounters Jesus and finds healing.  And the list goes on.  

Would you join us in praying for Port City Church as we help others encounter Jesus and follow his way.