WestGate Church Teaching

In the final week of our series on living like Jesus taught us to, we’ll examine an important word. Serving. Perhaps when you hear the word “serving” you think of chores - things you have to do that aren’t fun, and will never be fun. And although there are times in any family when things simply have to get done, for the most part, that’s not what Jesus is inviting us to. First off, Jesus links the word “serving” to the idea of “leadership” - meaning that if you want to truly make an impact on this world, you must serve. Some people even use the term “servant leadership” but this is a misnomer because it implies there’s any other type. There’s not. And Jesus also linked serving to “joy” - meaning that when you do what God has designed you to do to help other people, you come alive in ways you can’t imagine. Campus pastors explain this, and outline all the different ways you can jump in to try serving.

Last week, we examined the results of a Spiritual Life Assessment survey in which more than 38 percent of people said that they felt “stalled” in their relationship with God. What causes this? And when you stall spiritually (and we *all* stall spiritually) how can you re-capture that vibrant connection with God? Lead pastor Steve Clifford examines the data behind spiritual stagnation, and offers up some best practices for raising your spiritual temperature depending on your unique personality and disposition.

Every now and then, it’s good to stop and take stock of where you are, where you’re going and where you want to be. Last week, more than 1,300 people from WestGate Church filled out an anonymous SPIRITUAL LIFE ASSESSMENT survey. The results were both encouraging and worrisome. This week, lead pastor Steve Clifford goes through the data, gives a brief “State of the Union” and then talks about what next steps we have in place (and will have in place) to help people in our ultimate goal to become more like Jesus.

The spiritual landscape of the United States is changing dramatically, with far greater numbers of people identifying themselves as “non religious” or when asked what religion they identify with, responding with “none.” So what does that mean? In his famous Parable of the Sower, Jesus outlines four different types of spiritual conditions, and then invites us into the final category. The question is, will we accept Jesus’ invitation to become loving, fruitful, resilient disciples, or no?

In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul travels to the major city of Athens and enters into a conversation and dialogue about religion. And in that, Paul says something incredible: that the God he knows of doesn’t live in Temples, but rather inside people. Out of this comes an amazing implication: that God does this so that He can be close to people. Which means that God is close to our neighbors because *we* are close to our neighbors. Which - both in ancient Athens and now - has all sorts of implications for how we live.

There’s a human tendency, when we encounter someone who does something wrong, or immoral, or even just mildly annoying. We condemn (either mentally in our heads, or out loud with our words and actions) and then withdraw. That’s what we do. Condemn. Then withdraw. In fact, this is so ingrained, that we think that this is the most noble and virtuous way to act. But the way of Jesus - both His example and teaching - challenges this. Because the way Jesus acts tests the limits of love, as he shows that his route of virtue is to extend mercy and move toward reconciliation. Even to those who don’t deserve it. Especially to those who don’t deserve it.

SERMON DESCRIPTION

The Bay Area, sociologists tell us, and indeed the modern world is defined by a growing sense of isolation. Lost in this is the ability - and even the willingness - of people to move toward those they don’t know. But the Bible records that the early church, modeling itself after the life and teachings of Jesus, were a people marked by a peculiar Greek word: philoxenia. Love of the Stranger. This was a core element of what the early church thought it meant to truly follow and reflect Jesus. We’ll examine what it looks like - and why it’s vitally important to those who want to follow Jesus that we be people who willingly move to turn strangers into neighbors, and neighbors into friends.

The admission process for the United States Military Academy, West Point, is one of the most exclusive of any school in the world. More than 14,000 people apply annually, with only 1,200 getting admitted. These are the best of the best academically, physically and cognitively. And yet, at the end of the first week of testing, about 20 percent drop out. Why? It turns out, there’s something more important than talent. It’s sometimes called “grit” but the Bible’s word for it is “perseverance.” And in our final session of Roadside Assistance, we’ll talk about you can pass on this important trait to your kids - and how God can help.

Around graduation season, if you ask any parent what they most want for their newly graduated children, they will nearly always say, “I don’t really care what so-and-so does, as long as they are happy.” This is a dangerous barometer for success. After all, what if they’re “happy” robbing banks? So is the generalized American Dream model, which only focuses on the accumulation of wealth. In this message, we’ll examine a better barometer for success - and how to help your kids get there.