Vineyard Church | Weekly Update January 8th, 2025
Jan 08, 2025
We are off and running in a new year, a new teaching series, and prepping for a new small group season… so much newness, and yet so much feels the same as last January, the January before, and the January before the January before.
Sometimes I get worked up at the greeting card Christianity that likes to talk about the new thing God is doing because there is a voice in me that hollers “There is nothing new under the sun! He is doing what he always has done and always will do!” While that old man yelling at the clouds type rant is accurate, it also is a defense against the thing God is trying to do in me that certainly is new to me.
Last week, as we opened the Gospel of Luke, we were confronted with the reality that we are not just saved BY Jesus; we are saved FOR Jesus. This week, we will see John the Baptist prepare the way for Jesus by calling people to become self-aware and to see that the will we are committed to may not be the will of God. For some of us, we want salvation in the form of God’s submission to our will, desires, ambitions, and plans for life.
What if that was last January, the January before, and the January before the January before, and this year I submit to salvation by Jesus but also FOR Jesus?
As a family of believers, this is a shared task of self-evaluation and response to that evaluation. This is done together in our worship, our small group discipleship, and our living life together, from Sammich Sunday and beyond. Driven by the Great Commission given to us by Jesus, we can turn to the task of being made more like Him and telling others about the inner voice of love that beckons us to relationship with God.
In a few weeks, we will be kicking off our winter small groups, which for us is one of the most effective platforms for working out what God is doing in our lives. If you have participated in small groups, you know the strength that comes from our shared walk. If you haven’t, I encourage you to taste this for the first time.
One small group that we host as a church is an excellent dovetail of evangelism and discipleship. Alpha is a series of group conversations that introduces the basics of the Christian faith to new and non-believers, regardless of a person’s background or beliefs. Each Alpha we have run has seen some people leave with the same beliefs they started with, but also, we have seen even more respond to the truth of the Gospel, the new thing Jesus wants to do in them and see them accept Jesus as their Savior. Saved by and saved for.
If you know someone who is struggling with questions of life, if there is someone that you have been looking for an opportunity to share your story and the Gospel with, if there is someone you have been praying for, consider inviting them to join you for Alpha, beginning January 29 at 6:00 pm.
This Sunday after we worship together, we will gather all of those interested in helping with Alpha (meal prep, small group discussion, praying, all kinds of ways you can help!) as well as for those who are planning to invite someone to go through the course with. Please RSVP for this so we have enough food for the meeting by shooting an email to [email protected].
Saved by and saved for… Let His will be done. Whether this is a new action or a continuing action, it is something we get to do together and invite others to join. Have a great week!
Adam Greenwell
Pastor
Billings Vineyard Chruch www.billingsvineyard.org
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