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As I was working on this episode, I couldn't get a song out of my head. It's a simple song that I learned in church as a kid. "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..." In John 1 we find that Jesus is not only the Word of God, He is the light of the world. And when His light shine the darkness cannot win. But if you can get past the grand metaphors and visions of light battling darkness, at the heart of John 1 is a messy love story. 

In the midst of our darkness and our mess, he relentlessly pursues you. Even as you walk the Jesus way, His heart is relentlessly pursuing you.

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  Ask yourself this question, "Whose words do I love? Who gets my ears?" I can't love Jesus' words if I'm never in His Word (the Bible). So how much of it have I read? How often did I read it this week? Do I treasure it? Do his words saturate my soul? Do I let His Words convict me? Guide me? 

Here’s the deal, I can’t be an apprentice of Jesus if I never listen to the word. In other words, the first step is as simple as, open the book. This may take a little planning. The good news is that God will meet you wherever you are at, whatever your plan. But you have to open the book. It's hard to walk in His ways, if I don't listen for His voice!

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I don't actually say those three words often in this episode. In fact maybe I don't say them ever. But as you listen to me describe the way of Jesus that we find in John's gospel. I hope you hear those three words over and over again, "You are invited." You are invited to follow Jesus. You are invited to become more like Jesus and do more like Jesus. You are invited to be with Jesus. You are invited on this journey of the Jesus way. You are invited by me, but more importantly we are invited by Jesus!

I hope you join us!

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The Gospel of John is a masterclass in the Jesus way. It is not just a record of what Jesus did, but an invitation into how Jesus lived, loved, related, discerned, and moved through the world. If the other Gospels give us the story of Jesus, John opens a door into the inner life of Jesus—so that anyone who reads it can learn to live from the same center, with the same Father, in the same Spirit, for the same purposes. 

For this journey, think of John as an apprenticeship manual disguised as a story. And we start with the question, "What is my most urgent hunger?"

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Today at Calvary we started a new series, a 50-Day Journey called "The Jesus Way." There's even a devotional guide that goes with it. If you aren't a part of Calvary, you can download it online at https://www.calvarycwow.org/resources -- This is the first message in the series and in-between messages, I'm going to do something in the gospels. For the next 50+ days it's all about Jesus and the Jesus way.

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Our God is able to do immeasureably more than anything we could ever ask for or imagine. And not only is He able to do it, I believe He is doing it. So I'm asking for more. With the open heaven's all around us, I'm asking Him for more. I'm asking Him to do more than I can imagine. I want to be part of a move of God that makes it impossible to stay seated when the opportunity comes to give God a standing ovation.

This episode will ask you to join me, because our God is beyond beyond. He is able to do infinitely and immeasureably and exceedingly abundantly beyond every bit of more you could ever ask for. If we could get beyond what we can imagine...He's
still beyond that. Our God is beyond beyond!

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What does it take for us to persevere, to be a people who never give up? I think Paul would say that it takes a connection, a connection to Jesus and a connection to people. And he would say that it takes prayer, all-prayer. Pray at all times with all kinds of prayer for all people with all perserverance. Don't give up praying and when we pray together, there's even more strength for the battle. 

So in the darkness, in the battle don't give up, stand up! Stand up together. Stand up in prayer, in the end light wins!

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The apostle Paul is writing his friends to help them when they encounter darkness and in a way the first thing he says is this: If darkness is near, heaven isn't far. Dark times are often isolating times. When we go through dark times we begin to believe we are not only alone, but we are far from God. But don't miss God's words, in Paul's words, "Be strong in the Lord." Even while we are in the Lord, while we are in Christ, the darkness comes, but when it comes, His strength is close. 

Listen, if you find yourself in the midst of a dark time, right now, that doesn't mean that heaven is far from you. In fact it may mean that heaven is closer than you can imagine.  

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Here is the statement I want to start with so that it saturates you heart, mind and soul for the next 20 minutes or so. The grace God has given you is not just for you. It's His grace and He's asking us to steward His grace. The grace He gives you is not just for, it's for someone else. The question is who? Because there is nothing more amazing than being a conduit of His grace. 

Are you a steward of grace?

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Taking a Monday break by posting last weekend's message from Calvary is becoming a habit. But, this one matters to me. Not that other messages don't matter, but this one gave me a sense of hope and expectancy as I worked on it...and a sense of conviction as I spoke it. With all my heart I believe God is inviting us to a year of unforgettable walks. I'm asking you to join us! Ask God for more!