The Growth Process | Part 2 (February 16, 2012)
John 8:32
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free
We are all looking for freedom. Often our desire for freedom leads us to a misunderstanding of what true freedom actually is. The verse above from the book of John is one of the most famous verses in the Bible and is even used by many people who don’t even realize they are quoting the Bible. The equation of truth = freedom is an easy one to understand but much more labored to apply. That’s where understanding the context of this verse helps us.
See when Jesus said this, He was coming off of a jab-hook-uppercut-ninja kick combo of addressing several issues. He addressed His status as messiah and living water. He attacked the issues of division and unbelief. He responded to a woman (and her accusers ready to stone her) caught in adultery with baffling grace (especially for someone who was beginning to paint a vivid picture of the fact that He came straight from His Father who is our Holy and unapproachable God). He was also almost arrested 4 times in less than 2 chapters. The best way to get to the heart of this verse though is to examine the verse RIGHT before it.
John 8:31
“Jesus said to the people who believed Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.”
Jesus was being clear, if you want to be a disciple, follow my teachings ONLY then will you find freedom from ALL these other ideas and rules, of which confusion over said rules and ideas would lead to the arresting of God Himself and ultimately His death on our behalf. See discipleship is not just for the spiritually elite who “get it”. It isn’t some Christian black ops task force who carry out missions with their amazing strength and faith. EVERYONE is a disciple.
So the question isn’t, are you a disciple…the question is, WHO are you a disciple of?
So as disciples, how do we stay faithful to the teachings of Jesus and GROW in our obedience to His word when so many get so confused? This is where Revolution’s GROW UP process helps us to encourage one another in becoming faithful disciples of Jesus Christ and to continue to obey His scripture.
Our process of obedience is never ending, but has 3 clear steps to start:
Step 1
Gospel Class
This is where we set the foundation of all our beliefs and get on the same page about how to Grow in response to the greatest news ever.
Step 2
Membership Class
In this class, we both clarify what it means to be a part of a body of believers and how Jesus left us the church to help us continue on a life long journey of growth.
Step 3
Once we have joined each other in covenant membership, we pledge to continue to study His word together. The first class we have for this is a practical class designed to equip and encourage you, which we call our 101 class. We also have seasonal studies and classes, which we will use to help propel everyone all year long in continued dedication to the Scriptures.
Our membership process is 2 steps that happen the same night. We want you to set the foundation of belief in our Gospel Class first, then after you can join Revolution at our Membership Class. Ideally you would attend our 101 class a few weeks later, then sign up for classes and studies as they are offered throughout the year. All of this is, of course, with a continued personal commitment to spending time in God’s Word.
Contributor | Preston Porter (Grow Pastor)
My Life Ambition (February 7, 2012)
This has been one of my favorite series we have done at Revolution. It is really fun to get fired up about how we can join God in building His kingdom. I think all of us need to be reminded we are not only set free in Christ but we were set free FOR FREEDOM. Jesus saved us not just from Hell but from a life with no ultimate purpose. And sadly, a lot of Christians never really figure out why God made them specifically and let alone live it out. However, all of us should have one overarching ambition to our life.
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever
All of us were created to glorify God with our lives and to enjoy Him in the process. My main goal for us in this series was to begin thinking about what our ambitions are. I hope you have been wrestling through exactly how you can best glorify God through godly ambition. This last week I asked several questions as they relate to the process of ambition. So many times we can miss where we are and therefore miss where God wants to take us. Therefore, I have created a document that lays out the questions as they relate to each step of transition. I hope that you will take some time and work through these questions. They are meant to help you pray and seek how God would use your life to glorify Him.
My Life Ambition worksheet: My Life Ambition Worksheet (69)
I am praying for you often and love you all. Now let’s go make disciples.
Pastor Jason
Grow Process | Part 1 (January 31, 2012)
Revolution’s process of Growth is designed to make it as simple as possible for you to Grow in Jesus. While we acknowledge that everyone has their own unique story, situations, and experiences, we believe we have designed a process to help everyone balance the tension of the Gospel along the path of true Christianity. Over the next few weeks and months, we will be rolling out more and more programs, ministries and classes to help us all grow, but we want to start with a general overview to get everyone on the same page. Revolution Church’s vision to Love Jesus and Grow People begins to flesh itself out when you look at our ministry strategies of growing deep in relationships and growing up in obedience. In this post we will take a closer look at our Grow Deep steps.
Our Grow Deep process is all about helping people get connected in healthy biblical relationships. The Grow Deep process can be broken down to 3 key steps or opportunities to establish and cultivate relationships at Revolution that are focused on the Gospel.
First Wednesday
This is where we gather once a month to celebrate baptism, communion and give everyone a chance to meet outside of the awesome frenzy that is Sunday’s at Revolution. Here you can connect with both staff, other attendees and members to begin growing relationships.
Community Groups
In homes all over Cherokee County and surrounding area, Revolution folks meet to discuss the message from Sunday, talk about life, and just have a good time with new friends. Group leaders encourage a welcoming environment and support continued growth for everyone in their group.
Serving Teams
Our teams that make Sunday and our other ministries happen at Revolution are truly remarkable. Not only do they help a church with an average attendance of 1000 happen every week, but they also are there for each other no matter what situation they face together in life.
So those are our steps of Growing Deep in relationships at Revolution. While we realize not everyone will do all 3, people who call Revolution home should strive to be involved in at least one to be in community and continue to grow in their walk with Jesus. God designed us all to be in relationships and this process can help us connect and grow while having Jesus as the foundation of every relationship.
-Contributor | Preston Porter (Grow Pastor)