Followers of Jesus are meant to be a light in the darkness of the world, to be mirrors of Jesus to those around them and spread the gospel. We can do that through our prayer, our presence, and partnering with other believers.

Key Text: Matthew 5:13-16

The outpouring of knowing and loving of God is a turn to share the way of Jesus. The friends of the paralyzed man in Luke 5 show an example of the zeal we need to turn away from our sins and turn to Jesus. God’s design is to use Christ-seeking people, growing in their Christlikeness, to carry his message for the sake of the world. Scripture: Luke 5:17–32

Our culture is full of examples of communities—groups of like minded individuals trying to foster camaraderie and shared experience—and yet we are still lonely as a society. God is communal in nature, and since we are created in His image, we mirror His communal nature. However it’s not just shared-interest that we need but deep change through repentance, which happens best in the context of Christ-centered community. Scripture: 1 John 1:5–10

Better understanding of our source idols should lead us to surrendering the things we lean on more than God to God. Because the only thing that replaces our idolatry of our love of the world is a stronger love: the love for God. Jesus has the power to expel our idols from our hearts, through our confession and repentance.

Scripture: 1 John 2:15; 5:21

The story of the rich young ruler is a story that points to the idolatry we all struggle with. In our human brokenness, idolatry means putting anything other than God at the forefront of our hearts and minds. Becoming more like Jesus means re-directing our loves from the idols of our life—the things where we seek power, approval, comfort and control—to Jesus, who loves us and never fails us.

Scripture Mark 10:17–22

We are born into a fallen world of competing voices. In the desert, Jesus is tempted in every way yet without sin, fully living in God’s world God’s way. There we learn from Jesus’ example that the voice of the Father never leads us astray. Thinking like Jesus means listening to the voice of the Father.

Scripture Matthew 3:16–4:11

Thinking like Jesus requires our whole person. Our doctrine must fuel our devotion, and our devotion, our doctrine. On other words, our love ignites our hunger for more knowledge of the Savior; likewise, knowing Jesus drives our desires and love for Jesus.

Scripture: Mark 12:24-27 & 30

Jesus loves you way more than we think he does and he demands more than we think he does, because he wants more for us. He doesn’t want compartmentalized disciples. He wants disciples who have no secular/sacred divide. Becoming more like Jesus means integrating all parts of us—how we think, love, feel and act.

Scripture Mark 12:29-31