If we are united to Christ, then the mission of Jesus becomes our mission. Being united to Christ is the foundation of following after Christ. Of course, Jesus is the only Christ and his mission was unique, but in union with him, we are called to follow a similar pattern of life, which includes loving God and neighbor, seeking the lost, eating and drinking with sinners, and suffering for the sake of the kingdom.

If you are united to Christ, then you are also united to everyone else who is in Christ. This is the deepest possible belonging that goes way deeper than affinity, friendship, or any other ordinary bond. We belong to each other because we belong to Christ (body and soul; in life and in death), and this liberates us to love each other based on an unbreakable bond.

It is common to think that faith is a decision to trust in a God who is far away. In reality, however, the faith given to us by the Spirit is the gateway into intimate relationship and mystical union with God through Christ. In this introductory week, we’ll unpack this core truth and begin looking at some of the vast implications.

Jesus pursues the blind man and heals him, interrupts religious systems that often isolate people, invites us to see in a whole new way, and offers good news. 

Why is this concept of neighboring so intimidating? Is the potential outcome for our city worth the potential risks? What underlying fears (fences) need to be addressed and torn down in order to pursue my neighbors?

The biggest obstacle to taking the great commandment seriously is time. When we say; “I don’t have time to get to know my neighbor”, what we are really saying is “I don’t consider getting to know my neighbor as important as everything else that I do.” We live in tension between the urgent and the important. When our priorities are determined by the urgent, our lives won’t match up with our values.

The power and genius of The Great Commandment is that it’s so simple and yet extremely powerful when acted on. One of the most important things we can do collectively to live out our mission and impact our city is to actually live out Jesus’ command to love our neighbors, beginning with the neighbors next door.

At the end of the passage we’ve been exploring, there’s a humbling and energizing statement about God adding people to the church as they are being saved. This message covers two simple points: that God is the one who does the saving, and that salvation is not just a past event we leave behind but an ongoing work of God in the present.

The Acts of the Apostles embodied good news as a community practicing resurrection, bearing witness to Jesus with awe (wonder/ astonishment), praise, and favor (grace) in the midst of suffering. Today, we’ll unpack how wonder informs the kind of people we’re meant to become.

Joy is a uniquely Christian attitude. Since we live in a world in which Jesus has risen from the dead, we can have deep joy. Because God in Christ has given us everything we need to be his companions, we can be joyful people. What does it look like to rejoice always, even in the midst of hard circumstances?