Tag: Come Further Up, Come Further In

Jesus was such an attractive teacher. He drew all sorts of people to himself: the clever ones, the sophisticated ones and the desperate ones.

What he asks of those who want to follow him is to lay aside their fear of what people might think of them and be courageous enough to follow a totally different path through life.

What does a successful life look like? 

Is it when everyone praises you – as long as you are doing what they want?

Or is it about everyday acts of consistent service and courageous acts that change things?

Explore with us what Jesus thought was important and the difference it can make for us.

Jesus is the Resurrection.

Let’s explore the themes of grief, loss and hope in John chapter 11.

What does Freedom look like for us? Who can you trust? Which leader is worth our vote? Who will lead us out of the mess we are in?

Jesus promised that we would be able to hear his voice – and that he would be the leader we have been looking for all this time.

Jesus makes us choose and gives us questions to ask ourselves. Are we willing to make a choice? Are we willing to make a stand?

Sometimes our pain is caused by the reactions of others.

We can be overcome by their disapproval and condemnation of us and the way we live.

We can be overcome by their disapproval and condemnation of us and the way we live.

Watch how Jesus deals with the sense of guilt and the condemnation of others.

Everyone wants to be ‘spiritual’ but no one wants to be ‘religious’.

What do we mean by ‘spirituality’ and what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit of God in everyday life?

What is your deepest hunger?

What are the things that feel insatiable?

For some it’s intimacy, for others security, for others it might be approval.

John points us to Jesus who feeds our deepest hungers.

Anxiety preys on all of us.

It makes us fear we won’t have enough, or that we will be overwhelmed.

Jesus knows this and is able to transform these fears of not having enough to living abundantly.

In a world where it feels everyone is ready to argue, it’s easy to be defensive about our own assumptions.

But if we are going to see the world differently, we need to allow our assumptions about life to be challenged.

It’s what Jesus did to people in his time. It’s what he still does.