Vineyard Church | Weekly Update January 28th, 2025

Happy Wednesday, Vineyard,

I hope your week is rolling along well! It feels like January flew by; it seems like a short minute ago we are ringing in the new year and kicking off our winter series together. One of the quiet movements happening in Following the Way is that the invitation keeps deepening, and the presence of God has come with it.

Last week, we watched Jesus' step into an ordinary workday and say something disarmingly simple: “Come, follow Me.” We noticed that following didn’t begin with certainty or preparation, it began with a willingness to move... A concrete yes. A decision to reorder life around Jesus, not privately, but visibly and together.

But following Jesus was never meant to end with proximity alone.

As soon as people begin walking with Him, they also begin to witness something else: the Kingdom of God breaking into the world around them. Not as an idea, but as reality. Not as theory, but as freedom.

That’s where this week takes us.

When Jesus heals, casts out spirits, and restores what’s broken, He’s not simply performing miracles. He’s revealing what life looks like when God’s reign is present. Authority that restores. Power that liberates. Compassion that moves toward real pain rather than away from it.

And here’s the important connection: those who follow Jesus don’t just watch this happen, they’re being formed to participate in it. Following Leads Somewhere.

It’s tempting to think of discipleship as mostly internal: learning, reflecting, growing quietly. But the Gospels don’t allow that version of faith to stand on its own. The people who follow Jesus quickly find themselves drawn into places of need, prayer, and compassion.

Not because they’re ready, not because they have answers, but because the Kingdom doesn’t stay contained.

This is why shared life matters so much! Following Jesus in isolation makes Kingdom participation feel intimidating or unrealistic. Following Him in community makes it learnable, ordinary, and possible. We stay churchy not to stay busy, but to stay rooted where the life of Jesus continues to shape us.

Here are a few ways to live into the movement from following to participating.

1. Practice noticing compassion.

Pay attention this week to moments when you feel moved toward someone else’s pain; concern for a friend, a nudge to pray, a quiet ache when you hear someone’s story. Don’t rush past it. Compassion is often the Spirit’s first invitation into Kingdom participation.

2. Practice praying with permission.

If the moment feels right, gently ask someone, “Would it be okay if I prayed for you?” Keep it simple. No fixing, no explaining, just presence. This is how Kingdom ministry is learned, one small, faithful step at a time.

3. Practice staying connected.

Choose one relationship to engage with spiritually this week and show up with intention. Formation happens where following is shared and prayer is practiced together.

The good news is not that we know how to bring the Kingdom, the good news is that the Kingdom has already drawn near in Jesus.

Our invitation is simply to keep following, and to learn together how to participate in what He is already doing. Have a great rest of the week and I will see you on Sunday!

 
Adam Greenwell
Lead Pastor
Vineyard Church
www.billingsvineyard.org