STATE OF THE JOURNEY ADDRESS: January 21, 2005
Our first official meeting as YOUNG ADULT JOURNEY was at the Nickelodeon Pizza on Valley Boulevard in Colton on November 7, 2003. Then, two days later, on November 9, we had our first official Sunday Morning Meeting. I talked about Jesus’ call to us when he said, “Follow me and I will make you.” And that thought, has become the foundational principle of the ministry that we now call THE JOURNEY.
I had four points in that first message, and they are that following Jesus and allowing Him to make us what He wants us to be takes a team, time, transparency and trust. It takes time because we cannot do it alone. But the amazing thing is that we could not do it alone even if we tried. We cannot walk with Jesus without walking with each other. When we heed God’s call to follow Him, we all end up walking together. This is so fundamental that if you’re not walking in fellowship with other Christians, I would question just how closely you are walking with God, or if you’re walking with Him at all. That does not necessarily mean that you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, but I can guarantee you that God wants it to be better than it is. It takes a team to follow Jesus.
I know for me personally, it has been an amazing blessing to be a part of the team at my church, especially the JOURNEY team that I lead, because of what everyone means to me individually—they’re my spiritual family—and because of the accountability and consistency of the Christian fellowship that we have.
The second thing that it takes to follow Jesus and let Him transform us is time. It takes time because walking with God doesn’t mean that you now have it all figured out, just like driving a car doesn’t mean you know what is going on under the hood, and it doesn’t mean you know where you’re going, or even how to get there. It doesn’t mean you know where to get the best gas for the cheapest price; and it doesn’t even mean you have the money to pay for the cheap stuff at Arco. What it means is that you’ve made a start. You’ve traded your old, decrepit excuse for a vehicle for the brand new, beautiful car of your dreams.
I know some of us have experienced this: “I’m a Christian, but now what? There’s so much I don’t know. I have so much to learn.” For some of us, that’s why we go to church to begin with; we want to learn more. I can tell you that’s why I’m there. I’ve been a Christian for over 20 years, but I’ve learned so much in just this past year. Every time I open up God’s Word, He’s there teaching me something, leading me into all truth, just as He promised. And so often when I talk with fellow believers I get a new perspective or new insight into who God is, and I get reminded what it means to be a follower of Christ. Following Jesus takes time. Believing in Jesus is not a one time thing. It’s a process of continual growth, of being on the journey.
When we realize this we start to understand that following Jesus and allowing Him to shape our lives means we’re going to have to be transparent—both with God and with each other. If becoming a Christian begins with admitting, “Lord, I’m a sinner in need of your mercy,” then being a Christian necessarily means dropping the false pretense. To say “I’m a Christian” is to say “I don’t have it all together.” The Bible even says that to claim you have no sin is to call God a liar. It’s like telling God, “I don’t need you. I don’t need a Savior because I have it all together.” But we don’t have it all together, and we know it, and we’re humbled by it, and we thank God for His mercy, forgiveness and grace. We rely on it and we don’t take it for granted.
But we’re not only humbled before God; we’re humble toward one another. We know we’re not perfect and we know that no one else is either. So we don’t show judgment, but grace, and instead of rejection, love—just as Christ loves us.
Even though we don’t pretend we have no sin, we can’t boast about it either. If Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins how can we be content to stay in them? Within the blood of Christ is not just the power of forgiveness of sins, but also the power to overcome them. And fundamentally, the call to follow Jesus is a call of repentance, to turn from sin and worldly ways and to turn toward God, to become an apprentice of the Lord Jesus Christ, taking on His holiness. If we take forgiveness and repentance out of the equation, then all we have left is an empty religion and a moralistic philosophy, because the reason Jesus came, and the reason He calls us to follow Him, is because He’s on a mission to restore the earth back to its original glory and to restore humankind back into a relationship with Him. And no matter how much we may want to deny it or dismiss it, sin is the problem. So being transparent means not only being humble before God and each other, but, since He’s shown us such great love, to strive for holiness, yet even that striving is in His strength.
As we follow Jesus in a team, over time, learning to be transparent, and continue to allow Him to change us, we start developing some trust. This is the trust of an old friend. We can all think of people in our lives that we trust. It may be that they stay true to their word, or that they’re always there for us no matter what. It may be the history we share with them, that we know them and have no reason to doubt them. It’s been just over a year that I've been part of THE JOURNEY. We've all been a part for various amounts of time. But already I can see relationships of trust have begun. But even more so, I know that each of us, the longer that we walk with God, the more convinced we are that He’ll never leave us or forsake us, that He is our Rock and His promise never fails. Even when times are hard or confusing we know He’s at work for our good.
This is the kind of trust that God is calling us to today. We know He loves us and we know He knows what’s He’s doing. We just don’t know exactly where He’s leading. All we know is He says, “Follow me and I will make you.”
Being a Christian is not about sitting around waiting for Jesus to come back. We know He’s going to come back, but we’re not waiting for that day, we’re living for it. We know that Christ has come to save, heal, restore and put things right again. We know He has called us into partnership in His mission. In order to join Him we must turn from sin and turn to Him. He calls us to follow Him and promises to make us fishers of men. But it takes a team; we are partners. It takes time; it’s a process. It takes transparency; we don’t need to pretend. And it takes trust; we can rely on his promises.
When I first started leading THE JOURNEY I did not know what I was doing. I’m still figuring it out. I have so much to learn and so much growing up to do. My inadequacies as a leader, and just as a person, have been made apparent and I am thankful for the patience of those I minister alongside. But like Abraham to whom God said, “Get up and go to a place I will show you,” I have gotten up and I’m walking. God hasn’t laid out the whole course in front of me. But He’s giving it to me step by step. It’s my choice whether to take that step. The choice is really before us all, everyday, today, right now. Will we take the next step? What is the next step you need to take?
a. Following Jesus through Bible study and prayer.
b. Living a God-conscious life of praise and worship.
c. Sharing your live within a community of believers.
d. Serving others in a spirit of unity.
e. Doing good in the name of God.
f. Sharing your story with others.
In Matthew 4:19-20 Jesus says, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
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