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Hey Vineyard Fam!

We have been on quite the journey together… As we come to the end of this series, it’s worth pausing long enough to recognize what Jesus has been doing among us. For twenty-one weeks, we have walked through the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and mission of Jesus.

We have watched Him call disciples, confront fear, restore failure, challenge assumptions, and reshape people from the inside out. We have watched Him patiently form ordinary men and women into people who could carry His presence into the world.

And if we’ve been watching closely, we’ve also begun to realize something important: This series was never just about learning more about Jesus. It was about being formed by Him. That is what following Jesus actually is… not simply believing the right things about Him but learning to take on His life. His posture. His way of seeing. His way of loving. His way of surrendering to the Father.

That’s why this series has continually brought us back to formation. Again and again, we’ve watched Jesus meet people exactly where they are, but refuse to leave them there. Fear becomes peace. Doubt becomes trust. Failure becomes restoration. Confusion becomes clarity. Self-centered stories begin giving way to the larger story of the Kingdom of God.

And now we arrive at Pentecost. Not as a disconnected church holiday, but as the culmination of everything Jesus has been preparing His followers for. The cross was not the end, the resurrection was not the end, even the ascension was not the end!

Pentecost is the moment the formed people of Jesus become the Spirit-filled people of Jesus. The Church is born! Not as an institution first, but as a people who now carry the life and presence of God into the world together.

That matters deeply for us right now, because the temptation in every generation is to reduce church to something that supports our lives rather than something that forms our lives. We drift into seeing faith as something personal and private, disconnected from the larger mission and people of God.

But Pentecost pushes against all of that. The Spirit does not simply come to comfort isolated individuals. The Spirit forms a people. A community shaped around the reign of Jesus and sent into the world as witnesses to His Kingdom.

Which means following “The Way” does not end with inspiration; it leads to participation. Participation in the life of the Church. Participation in the mission of God. Participation in the ongoing work of the Spirit among the people of Jesus.

And honestly, I think this is where many of us feel tension. We still live with smaller stories pulling at us constantly. Stories about comfort, control, fear, and self-protection. The pressure to organize life around ourselves and simply fit Jesus somewhere into the schedule.

But the Spirit keeps drawing us outward. Toward surrender, toward trust, toward one another, toward mission, toward the larger story of the Kingdom of God.

That’s what Pentecost is about. Not religious hype or emotional intensity, but ordinary people becoming fully available to the life of God. Maybe that’s the invitation sitting in front of us as we close this series.

Not simply to admire Jesus or to agree with Jesus, but to become the kind of people who increasingly think like Him, love like Him, surrender like Him, and participate in His Kingdom together.

That is where this series has been leading all along: Toward a church that is not merely informed about Jesus, but formed by Him; toward a people who know how to stay rooted when seasons change; toward a community that understands the church is not an event we attend, but a people we belong to; and toward lives that increasingly make room for the Spirit of God.

So as we move beyond Following the Way, we don’t treat this as the end of a conversation. This is an invitation to keep walking and keep surrendering the smaller stories that compete for the center of our lives.

The story is still unfolding, and the risen, ascended, reigning Christ is still forming His people!

A Simple Practice for This Week

Spend a few quiet moments with Acts 2 and Philippians 2.

Ask:

  • Where is the Spirit inviting me deeper?

  • What smaller story am I still clinging to?

  • What would it look like to take on the mind of Christ here?

  • How can I participate more fully in the life of the Church instead of standing at the edge of it?

Then simply pray: “Holy Spirit, form me into the way of Jesus.”

Transformation rarely happens all at once. Over time, Jesus forms people who learn how to live inside His Kingdom together, and that changes everything!

Stay Churchy my Friends!

Adam Greenwell
Lead Pastor
Vineyard Church
www.billingsvineyard.org