Branches OC

Is it possible for us to return to the hope, peace, joy, and love this season was born from? What does that look like?

I can’t really get through to what God has for me if I’m stuck in a loop of what I think He wants from me. My only hope to navigate is this crazy unexplainable faith. Sometimes it’s hard work and in my opinion, it can’t be done alone.

Scripture Verse:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ...”My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak.” I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ’s power over me. I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

To Witness is simply to tell true stories. It’s been God’s pattern from the beginning.

We are part of a Legacy of storytelling that originates from love and finds it’s purpose in love.

Jon Eshleman joins us this week to speak on love.

In this short message we look at the Biblical example of what it is to witness and what it looks like for us today to 'bear witness.'

Following Jesus is more caught than taught. When you start a job, what they tell you doesn’t teach you how to do the job as much as what those at work do. Jesus makes it clear he is not calling people to join the club but to follow Him.

When it comes to sharing our faith, most people think it is awkward. We feel we have to talk about things we don’t understand to people we don’t know. That is awkward. Don’t do it. As we look at the way Jesus shared the Truth and the way those who trusted Him shared about Him we see a pattern that is natural for us. We only have to remember two words. We invite you to listen in to John 1:35-42 to discover these two words.

What if the character of Christ was reducible to two elements?

What if we, in sharing our faith, require just two ingredients?

In fact there are 2 qualities that are necessary in being the sincere, transparent witnesses of Jesus.

When the topic of sharing our faith is brought up, more than 90% of people who have a faith in Jesus are struck with fear or guilt. Something so beautiful as sharing a life changing understanding of Jesus an His love should not be so awkward and uncomfortable. Therefore, we must be wrong in our understanding of what is expected of us and what it can look like to be a part of Changed Lives.

There is a lie.

“Since I'm following Jesus why am I not getting any better with my issues? I must be doing something wrong." You are not doing something wrong. Come listen in.