EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – Life’s Interruptions – When Doing God’s Work is Interrupted

Date: November 23, 2025

When Doing God’s Work is Interrupted

The Point: God may interrupt us to move our ministry in a new direction.

Get Into the Study

Read after discussing Get Into the Study:

For many years, there were thought to only be two species of manta ray, the largest of the ray family. After a decade of research, a group of mantas native to the Atlantic Ocean were confirmed to be a third species, thanks to global efforts and animals cared for at the Georgia Aquarium.

This new species, named Mobula yarae, makes its home in the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and the southeastern United States. They can be differentiated from the other two species of manta by differing color patterns and tooth patterns. While these seem like small differences, they led to a big breakthrough once they were noticed and catalogued. Two manta rays at the Georgia Aquarium, Tallulah and Blue, helped researchers better find these differences between manta species.

It was only in 2009 that mantas were discovered to have two distinct species. Finding a third kind was a major upset in the status quo of marine biology. But just as this discovery helps scientists learn more about the animals that inhabit our oceans, sometimes God interrupts our lives to push us in a new direction. Something that we may see as small, like an unusual color pattern on a manta ray, could be God trying to show us a new path to take while joining Him in Kingdom work.

Get Into the Study (Option for Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play a video clip showing a famous long road. Then ask Question #1.

Study the Bible

Read after discussing Question 2:

Thanks to a collaborative effort between the Georgia Aquarium, Conservation International, Marine Megafauna Foundation, and Biopixel Ocean Foundation, a new meeting site for whale sharks was discovered in Wreck Bay off the eastern coast of Australia.

For years, these gentle giants were considered to only be on the western coast of Australia, though researchers admitted this was a large data gap in the sharks’ populations in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Researchers from Biopixel Ocean Foundation suspected there were suitable habitats on the other side of the country, however, and used environmental modeling to find the potential habitat in Wreck Bay. Over the course of a week in Wreck Bay, the team had 45 whale shark encounters consisting of over 25 unique individuals. 14 of these individuals were tagged with trackers to aid in future research.

This effort couldn’t have happened with just one group. In fact, there were 11 different collaborators that helped with financing and research for this project. Similarly, when our group or church comes together to work for God, we can accomplish things for His glory that we wouldn’t be able to on our own. And just as this new research effort can inspire new marine biologists, our joint work can inspire those around us to continue to seek the Lord and join in His work.

The week’s writer for Extra is Emily Duncan. Emily is a Southern California native who lives in west Georgia with her husband and daughter. God saved her from Wicca when she was sixteen while at a youth retreat. Emily’s a member of Midway Church in Villa Rica and mentors young women as they transition from high school to college.

Additional Questions

Icebreaker

• If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you go?
• What’s your top tip for someone who’s about to move for the first time?
• What’s the most memorable move you’ve ever made?

Acts 16:4-5. It’s encouraging to see how God is working through us.

• When has your obedience been used by God to work in the lives of others?
• What fulfillment have you experienced as God has worked through your life?
• When has God given you a season of fruitful ministry?

Acts 16:6-10. God can change the course of even a productive ministry.

• How might a worldly definition of success interfere with following God’s command to change the course of a productive ministry?
• How do you determine God’s leading as you seek His will?
• When has God closed doors of opportunity and led you in a different direction?

Acts 16:11-15. An interruption could be God’s way of opening a new avenue of ministry.

• How do you determine what work God wants you to engage in a typical day? In a typical month?
• When has God opened a door for you to minister in an unexpected way?
• What have you learned during this study about divine interruptions?

Podcast

Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.