Every single day of His ministry, Jesus would spend His time in the temple courts. Church today looks very different from the day that Jesus walked this Earth. Even our churches may look very different from each other today. In a world filled with so much bad news, we crave and need the consistent practice of gathering together as a church to hear the Good News of God's faithfulness in our past, His presence in our present, and His hope for our future. This constant reminder of God's grace is what propels us to grow in our relationship with Him and compels us to be more like Him.
We live in a very loud and distracting world. It is very easy to become enamored with the things of this world and lose our focus on why we exist. Jesus, in the midst of pressure, stress, and busyness managed to remain focused on His mission that would lead Him all the way to the grave and back. One of the regular practices of Jesus that helped Him keep His focus was solitude with God. In order for us to stay focused on the mission God has for us, may we turn off the noise of this world and spend alone time with God.
Any solid relationship must have regular communication. Prayer is our chance to communicate with God. Jesus was in constant communication with God through prayer. We live in a world with more options than ever today. In our very confusing world, prayer with God not only gives us much-needed direction, but also reminds us of the power of the one we are praying to.
The greatest place to gain wisdom in our world today is still through God's Word, the Holy Bible. In the Bible, not only do you find our who God is, but you find out who you are. Knowing who you are and what your identity is informs the person you become and the habits into your life, let's start by understanding more of who God has made you to be.
You can't read any account of Jesus' ministry without realizing his commitment to His disciples. He commits to a community of people even when they deny and abandon Him. Your community can propel you to the place where God wants you to be or take you in an altogether different direction. Who have you committed to and who is committed to you?
The greatest followers of Jesus are in great relationship with God. The problem is that many don't know how to be or how to grow in relationship with God today. In a loud, confusing, distracting world, the answer is found in none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Through following Him, we are trained for godliness. (1 Timothy 4:7)
A dismembered body part can be excruciating, even deadly. To experience the kind of community we were meant for, we must move from rows to circles.
Your suffering and comfort are meant to be shared. That is, you were neither meant to suffer alone nor hoard your comfort. By moving from Rows to Circles, we can better accomplish the Lord's intent for His body.
What is the Church? Most people were raised to think of the Church as a place you go. We ask, "where do you go to Church?" We've become accustomed to sitting in rows and participating in programs - always while we're AT Church. Is this really what Jesus envisioned for His Church?
God has given his people the joyful task of actively remembering what He has done for and through us – a chance to celebrate, give thanks, and teach our children. We have been changed in the past year by God’s grace, in both challenging and joyful ways; remembering these whings will empower us to move into the future.