Your life is a series of short stories forming a larger narrative. This fascinating narrative is the sum total of your reflection on, and reaction to, the multitude of experiences rushing toward you every day. Your testimony to the world, to quote Luke Schroeder, is your personal reflection and reaction to your experiences with the living God [listen to Luke’s excellent podcast on Testimony here.] In The Art of Following Jesus we are reflecting and reacting to his words and ways. The more we let Jesus shape our reactions to our experiences, the more we discover that our story is beautifully intertwined with and follows the trajectory of the Big Story of God. Telling this story to our friends and neighbors is our Testimony.

This Sunday, I’ll tell the story of a man desperate in pain, ostracized and isolated, who meets Jesus, discovering God has power over evil, and that Jesus’ compassion will cross any boundary to bring life and freedom. Read Mark 5:1-20 and see the three stories: the story of Jesus, the story of the man, and the story of his community. You might even find that your story can be caught up in his.

Bill

A testimony is a personal story of how God has interacted in your life. This is the story of how Jesus entered into your life, and how you have been changed through knowing him. This story is your story and it is powerful and beautiful; it has the power to change others journeys with God around you.

We are planing a very exciting time together this Sunday as we celebrate the most important historical event that has literally rocked this world; The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection is the account of God coming down to earth to die in our place so that we could live. From death to life so that we could experience new life. It is the most hope filled message of the year. Bring your friends and family and join us either at the beach or at the Norris for a time of worship, a message, and a story of life change through the eyes of two of our own church attenders. It’s going to be transforming. Then, if you like, join us for baptism right after the beach service. We will gladly baptize you as a testimony to your faith in Christ. Don’t forget to join us Friday evening from 5pm-6pm for a one hour reflection time on the beach for Good Friday.

Todd

What comes to mind when you read the words, share the gospel? For me, in light of my history as a Christian and my quasi-neurotic personality, I’m immediately struck with a handful of rather negative impressions. Brace yourself, this is going to start off on a downer, but I promise, the message won’t be. My feelings and thoughts at the prospect of “evangelism” probably begin with shame: “I don’t share the good news of Jesus enough.” I quickly move to my general distaste for sales and the “salesperson” feeling I get when I awkwardly force Jesus into a conversation. I dabble in comparison: “Todd/Denise/Bill/Brae/Brixton/etc. is so much better at this than I am. What’s my problem?!” I sometimes take an excursion into my fear of the socially-awkward “talking religion” in our day and age. I may rehearse a few botched gospel-sharing attempts from my past. I wrestle with the blurry popular ethics of proselytism (I know plenty of folks who think no one should ever encourage someone to change their current faith position). Finally, I often trip over the main gospel “talking points” (what exactly are the main points I need to “hit” for this to “count” as evangelism?). On this last point, my head is populated by a panel of Christian experts grading my performance. Sometimes one of them has a buzzer. I know what you’re thinking—this guy shouldn’t be a pastor; he should see a therapist. Well, I do see a therapist, but that’s not the point of this blurb. The point is that I don’t think I’m alone in my trepidations at sharing the good news of Jesus in our modern world. If you ever find yourself stung by a swarm of apprehensions at the prospect of evangelism, then this Sunday’s message is for you! There will be no guilt, shame, quotas, awards, or clever 1,2,3 algorithms for sharing the good news of Jesus. All I want us to do is crack open John’s Gospel (chapter 4) and observe the organic, elegant, and compelling dynamics involved in one of the first ever “evangelism” events in ancient Samaria.

James

Throughout the Bible we see God's people, over and over again, share the story of God's redeeming and transformative love. The theological word for this is evangelism and it is the act of sharing with others about God’s story and the nature of God’s kingdom. This is something we do with our words and with the actions of our lives.

Challenge Ideas:

Quick Dip - Listen to the podcast about Sabbath on The Art of Following Jesus Page (https://riversouthbay.org/jump-in/the-art-of-following-jesus).

Buoy Swim - Listen to the podcast and do the worksheet.

Pier to Pier - Listen to the podcast, do the worksheet, and utilize an additional resource listed on the podcast description.

I almost didn’t want to tell you what I’ll be teaching. I fear someone might read this email and decide to skip church this week. Maybe I would… But I promise this weekend’s sermon won’t be about making anyone feel guilt or shame. It won’t be about adding a single thing to your full calendar or your life.

As we look at the words and ways of Jesus this Sunday, I think we’ll uncover God’s original intent behind the “Sabbath.” I want our first reaction to this word to become even more than simply a positive one. I pray that the Word of God will come alive and the Holy Spirit will work in us to stir a deep longing in our bodies and souls when we hear the invitation to Sabbath … A practice of rest and delight that leads us to a posture of worship and brings clarity to everything. Only when we practice the Sabbath like Jesus did, we will be able to play our part in the kingdom of Heaven on earth.

Jesus’ words in Mark 2:27 reveal to us a true gift from God...the Sabbath. Yet, if there is a gift from God that many of us choose to reject it is the Sabbath. “Stop work and rest” that’s impractical. “One day off from work” I cannot afford to take time off. Our culture does not honor a break from our productive lives. Yet, the Sabbath is a gift from God that we need to receive. It is a gift that makes space for us to hear from God, enjoy God, receive the good things God wants to give us, and allows us to love our neighbor.

We all want the efforts of our lives to mean something--we want to live lives of purpose, passion and impact. But can't we all also think of people who are full of passion to change the world while oozing ugly, self-righteous pride? And in a world with so many needs and in which certain types of contributions are glorified while others are ignored, burn out often feels inevitable. So as we learn together from the words and ways of Jesus to play a part in God's mission, we have to ask ourselves a crucial question: How can we find our part to play in bringing redemptive life to the world without falling into the trap of self-righteousness and without burning out in the process? Join us this Sunday as we learn together to be people who serve in the power of the Holy Spirit with the gifts of the Spirit.

Taylor

Spiritual Giftedness is referring to different spiritual gifts or talents given by the Holy Spirit to all believers in order to serve others and experience the body of Christ working together. These gifts are God's supernatural strength and ability showing up in our lives in various ways.

In this topic of the Holy Spirit, we discuss the mission of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives and as a part of the Godhead. In John 14 verse 16, Jesus tells us of an "advocate" that he will ask the Father to provide us with forever. In this session, we give practical tools on how to invite our Heaven sent helper and advocate into our daily lives.

View the worksheet and other resources for The Art of Following Jesus on our website: https://riversouthbay.org/jump-in/the-art-of-following-jesus