LIVING A RESURRECTED LIFE

Since the first Easter, Jesus has been writing the promise of His resurrection on the hearts and minds of his disciples!  Over the centuries the people of GOD have considered and pursued ideas, practices and thoughtful ways they could respond to GOD’s invitation — LIVE the Resurrection!  Through Christ in us, the hope of glory, we can know by experience what it means to live in this new reality, the promise offered to all who respond to the invitation of Jesus.  What a gift of grace!

Jesus teaches us how to live a life of love and surrender as we grow in full participation in His Kingdom. He spells it out for us in the Sermon on Mount by naming ways we might get distracted, confused, preoccupied; things that will tempt us, distort truth and lure us toward self absorption. He teaches us fundamental truths about the blessed life of discipleship, and he promises the power of his resurrection to guide us, and enable us to take up our cross and follow Him.  

Throughout Church history, Bible scholars, teachers and students of Jesus have thought deeply and prayerfully, trying to discern HOW — how can we become the kind of people who routinely live this life that Jesus talks about in his teaching?  It comes back to this simple yet profound reality…being with Jesus, becoming more like Him, and responding to the call to do what He would do if He were in our place is the way toward the Resurrection Life!

This week we will unpack more deeply the seven spiritual practices Marcus outlined in his sermon that our church has identified as a helpful guide toward becoming more engaged in our life of discipleship to Jesus. We will think about:

• Worship, what it means to give praise to GOD, and why it is important to develop this through Daily Rhythms of Scripture and Prayer
• The importance of Baptism into His way of resurrected living
• Why Serving and participating in faith community through discipleship Groups has such profound implications 
• How Generosity and sharing our transformed life through Outreach will deeply impact our souls as we journey through faith with others

We’ll also wrestle through the possibility that we can do many of these things and still miss out on connection with Jesus.

If you haven’t downloaded our Compassion App we’d encourage you to do so now as it will be a helpful resource to engage the pathways available to you through our church to engage each of these practices.

As you consider these spiritual practices, think about:

• What practices are easy for you to engage (downstream practices — like swimming with the current)?
• What practices are challenging, even difficult for you (upstream practices — like swimming against the current)?
• What practices do you think you most need to settle into, develop and interact with?
• Why did you choose these practices?
• Write a simple prayer asking GOD to help you find your way into a sustainable rhythm for the practices HE is inviting you to engage.

Sermon on the Mount — Matthew 6, the practices of Giving, Praying and Fasting
Living the Resurrection — Eugene Peterson, book