Gathering together for worship is an crucial part of following after Jesus Christ, and connecting outside of corporate worship is just as important. The early church exampled a pattern of connecting that we would be wise to follow as they remained enamored with what God was doing in and through them in order to advance the Gospel in the world.

The final words of Jesus give us hope as Christians because the resurrection. Jesus' words clarify our identity with God and with one another.

Jesus' final breath was not a cry of defeat nor was it an announcement of His certain death. He declared that His mission on earth was complete--but not everyone has rightly responded to this declaration. What about you? What has your response been to the final breath of Jesus?

Jesus' last days before His crucifixion were some of the richest days in His ministry. His final interactions with His disciples, His final prayer, and His final actions leading to the cross contain a wealth of things for us to learn from. In Jesus' final prayer, recorded in John 17, He anticipates the relationship that all Christians will have with the Father.

Following Jesus is not a cake-walk. Not only does He expect Christians to love one another, Jesus prepares Christians for a less than favorable response from the world. But rather than isolate ourselves from the things of this world, we are encouraged by Christ to bear witness to His Name. After all, He is the one who has overcome!

In John 13, Jesus spoke of a new command for His disciples: to love one another. This love for one another would be the proof that they were followers of Jesus. The early church was revolutionized by this love. They were devoted to one another. Somewhere along the way, today's church has attempted to love Jesus without loving each other, and that is not the kind of love that Jesus desires.

In our final week of the I AM series, we take a look at what may be the most important "I AM" statement that Jesus made. Jesus' bold statement that He was (and still is) the resurrection and the life was not only life-changing, it was history-changing and eternity-impacting. It makes all the difference.

Throughout the Bible there are references to sheep, goats and shepherds used to analogize us and our relationship to our God. We don't often make those references in today's culture, but in Biblical times, shepherds guarded their flock with their lives. They cared for their sheep from their birth to their death, and every moment in between. In John 10, Jesus calls Himself a "Good Shepherd" to help us understand the close relationship He has with us.

The next three chapters in our John series focus on another key "I AM" statement made by Jesus. "I am the light of the world." This week we talk about just what Jesus meant when He said it, and how it impacts you today.

"In every human heart there is a hunger to live free" --this includes a spiritual hunger for a relationship with God. While many people can't articulate a sense of spiritual hunger, it is very real in their lives. So, how do people naturally handle spiritual hunger?