This is Us

We are the church, whether we are gathered or scattered--each one of us, a part of the body of Christ, wherever we go, whatever we do.

So, where can you find us, and what are we doing?  

Every week for youth group the Five Oaks commons and gym are transformed into a welcoming, engaging place for youth. It takes a lot of work, and, thanks to a group of students, it's ready to go by the time everyone shows up. Afterward, Brian Cretzmeyer (pictured on the right) and some of the guys from his small group show up to take everything down, freeing the student and adult leaders to continue to interact with students. They do this even though none of them have kids old enough for youth group! Thanks, guys!

3 Essential Elements of Being a Christian according to Jesus

I can be a very impatient person.

My mom has an in-law apartment attached to our house. She’s over at our house a lot and I’m at her apartment a lot because she needs a lot of help these days. And if she wants to drive me a little crazy with impatience, all she has to say is, “I want to show you something.” 

“I want to show you something” means, “Shuffle slowly behind me while I push my walker and shuffle behind it until I reach my destination 10 minutes from now.”

I always say, “Just tell me what you want to show me so I can go look at it.” She usually wants to show me that something is missing or that something fell under the bed and she needs me to fetch it. Something along those lines. 

I don’t NEED to shuffle behind her. 

I BEG her to tell me what it is.

I can be a very impatient person.

Jesus is not averse to trying my patience either by making me wait. He might say to me, I think, “When I try your patience, I’m developing your patience.”  

But when Jesus invited people to be his disciples, he was pretty clear about what it meant from the outset.  

Peter and Andrew were fishermen, and he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19; ESV)

That was pretty clear to them because they had been listening to Jesus for quite some time. This was not their first meeting. They knew the basics of what Jesus was about. 

And they knew fishing. 

They still had a lot to learn about what "fishers of men" meant, but contained in those words are three essential elements of being a Christian. 

The three elements lead to the kind of dynamic, purposeful, and joyful life Jesus calls us to live. 

The three elements aren’t just descriptive, they can serve as a diagnostic when we’re ailing spiritually or as a basic strategy for growth.

Unfortunately, many who call themselves Christians lack all three all the time. 

We’ll unpack the three elements this weekend as we focus on Matthew 4:17-22. 

I hope to see you there. 

It would be a great weekend to invite someone who is wrestling with following Jesus or feeling stalled in their spiritual growth.

Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash