Vineyard Church | Weekly Update January 21st, 2025

Happy Wednesday, Vineyard,

I hope your week is rolling along well! I'd like to take a moment to interrupt your week with some encouragement as we journey together.

One of the quiet assumptions many of us carry is that following Jesus is mostly about belief... what we think, what we affirm, what we hold privately in our hearts. Belief matters deeply, but when we pay close attention to the Gospels, we begin to notice that belief is never where the story ends.

Jesus calls people to follow.

That word is active. It implies movement, proximity, and shared direction. It means life begins to take shape around Him, not just inwardly, but visibly and relationally.

In the early weeks of Following the Way, we’ve seen a pattern emerge. Jesus is revealed before He is followed. Identity comes before obedience. Belovedness comes before mission. And then, almost quietly, Jesus begins to gather people around Himself.

Not the impressive. Not the prepared. Ordinary people, in ordinary places, responding with an ordinary but costly yes.

What’s striking is how rarely those yeses are dramatic in the moment. They don’t come with clarity about the future or confidence about the outcome. They come in the middle of real-life workdays, routines, fatigue, and relationships.

That’s often where our yes begins, too.

Why Shared Life Matters

Following Jesus was never designed to be a private endeavor. From the beginning, discipleship is communal. People follow Jesus together. They learn as they walk. They misunderstand. They fail. They try again, side by side.

This is one of the reasons we keep emphasizing small groups and shared rhythms in this season. Not because everyone needs another commitment, but because formation happens best when faith has a place to be practiced out loud!

Small groups give us space to name our yeses and our hesitations. Time together reminds us that we are not self-sustaining. Sunday worship re-centers us on the voice we are learning to follow, and then we get to follow together. 

This is what we mean when we say stay churchy. Not staying busy. Not staying institutional. But staying rooted in the places where Jesus continues to meet us and form us together.

Practices for the Middle of the Week

Rather than adding more spiritual tasks, here are a few practices meant to help us notice how following is already unfolding in your life.

1. Notice where obedience feels small.
Pay attention to the moments where a simple yes feels slightly inconvenient or uncomfortable. That’s often where formation is happening.

2. Say your yes out loud.
Share one area where you sense Jesus inviting you to follow more closely. Faith grows when it’s spoken and shared.

3. Stay connected on purpose.
Choose one shared rhythm this week: group, prayer, worship, and show up not to contribute, but to receive. Let others carry faith with you when your own feels thin.

Following Jesus is not about having everything figured out. It’s about staying close... close enough to hear His voice, close enough to walk with others, close enough to be formed over time.

We’re learning that way together, and I love being in this with you! See you on Sunday!

 
Adam Greenwell
Lead Pastor
Vineyard Church
www.billingsvineyard.org