by Erin Bird
Before I get to this week's main article, let me remind you to set your clocks back one hour as you head to bed this Saturday night. That's right, Daylight Savings Time ends, so enjoy getting that hour back that was stolen from you this past Spring.
Let's continue with our series here on the blog about Riverwood's mission. Once again, our mission is...
To invite the spiritually disconnected to find and follow Jesus.
We've looked at the "invite" and "spiritually disconnected" segments of our mission, which means we are ready for the word "find".
If you attend a Worship Gathering or have a conversation with me, you will hear me use the words "find and follow" together. On the surface, "find" refers to evangelism and "follow" to discipleship.
(Side note: I view "evangelism" (sharing Jesus with others) as merely a part of "discipleship" (becoming like Jesus). In order to become like Jesus, you have to first hear about Him and understand the significance of the gospel.
What we all need, whether we are followers of Jesus yet or not, is to "go deeper" with Jesus. For some, "going deeper" is making the initial decision to follow Jesus, while for others "going deeper" is, for example, reading their Bible, or serving their neighbor, or helping plant a church. "Discipleship" is merely taking your next step in obedience. We are all at a different place in our spiritual journey, so your next step will look different than someone else's. But that's what the Holy Spirit is enabling us to do - take our next step toward Jesus, whether that's our first step or 400th step.)
While I normally tie "find and follow" together (and will continue to do so), today I want to do it a bit differently and focus just on the word "find."
Let's be honest with ourselves: Our sight is often on the things immediately around us. We are physical beings with busy schedules and a variety of relationships, living within a loud culture shouting to us through our TVs, newspapers, Facebook feeds, and water cooler conversations.
This means we don't always see the spiritual. We give so much attention to the things of this earth that we miss the divine.
So even if you are already a Jesus-follower, you still need to "find" Jesus. And the great news is that He is all around you! You can "find" him:
Colossians 1:17 tells us:
[H]e is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
This means Jesus is constantly with you and around you (just as He said), holding ALL things together. So I encourage you, keep your spiritual eyes open. Don't let your sight be filled simply with your schedule, to-do list, and the nightly news. Instead, look for Jesus. Find Him. And have open eyes to see where He is at work.
Because as you find Jesus everyday, it will fill you with wonder and awe at the majesty of God!
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We are on a mission to help people love like Jesus loved and live like Jesus lived.
It doesn't matter to us if you:
No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, we want to help you become who God has created you to be.
