journey// formation// movement//
If you get right down to it, if you boil it down to essentials. What are the things that matter most?
If you are part of a community of Jesus followers, what would those essentials be?
In our community, what matters most is the gospel, this “good news” which began with Jesus, and which has been transmitted from generation to generation for centuries. It is the notion of a loving God having compassion on a humanity bereft of hope, and at the culmination of the ages, taking on flesh, sacrificing himself, triumphing over death, and in so doing, reconciling everything to himself. Things in heaven, and on earth.
Last time we checked, the grave is still empty!
It is in following Jesus, this savior of humanity, that we find the things that matter most. Our rescue, our restoration, and the purposing of our lives to spread this message of hope wherever we go, in whatever we do, in whatever we say, with whomever we find ourselves.
journey//
The reality is that we are already spreading this message. If you wear the label “Christian”, you’re already telling it, you’re already on the journey. The question is what are you telling? to whom? about what? As a young adult, what do you communicate about Jesus to those around you? Does the Jesus you show give life? or something else?
formation//
Centuries ago, a follower of Jesus named Paul wrote a letter to some fellow believers, who were living in modern day Turkey. He told them they already had attained unity of the “Spirit” (that is, a manifestation of the Spirit of God inhabited the hearts of those who placed their faith and trust in this Jesus), and the really cool part is that the same “Spirit” inhabited everyone, he told them they had yet to attain to 2 things, unity of the “faith”, and knowledge of the “Son of God.” Sounds simple right?
Simple, yet hard!
Jesus taught, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus taught, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The scriptures teach us what God requires of us, “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”
The teachings are simple, the proper transmission and adherence to them is not. We must do this together. We cannot do this alone.
movement//
What would it look like?
What would it look like if college-age young adults embraced this hope, this message, this call to show the world different? Would our communities be different? Would our schools be different? Would our relationships be different? What about our jobs, our aspirations? What if we looked at everything through spiritual lenses? What if we recognized that everything right, and pure, and peaceful, and restorative, and fun, and life-giving came from this God, who sent his Son, and offers rescue? God is at work, God does the restoring. We get to be part of the story. It’s a great story.
We use the terms journey, formation, and movement as simple concepts and tools to help move us, compel us, and remind us of what matters most. We are all on a journey, we are all being formed, and we want to join in a movement that embraces, and communicates what matters most. Come join with us!