Posted on June 3, 2024 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
The Way of Jesus
by Marnie Vasquez
It’s summertime! For most, it’s the time of year we wait for all year!! It’s fun time, adventure time, exploring time, goofing off time, relaxing time. There’s great anticipation and excitement to get started… almost better than January 1st when all things start over!
And Heartland is leaning into one of our favorite seasons and really re-grounding us on “who we are” and “what are we doing” through this Imprint Series. I’m very much looking forward to this Series. I’ve joined two new groups so far this year, and I’ve got two other groups I’m going to try out. These groups sound like new adventures to me! New people, new activities, a lot of uncomfortable moments…. But those moments are surrounded in SUMMERTIME and makes those uncomfortable moments a little easier.
As I’m leaning into and trying these new groups, I’m eager to hear and learn their journey’s with Jesus. I’m anxious to know… how did they meet Jesus, how do they connect with Jesus today, what questions and demands do they ask of Jesus, where are they struggling and needing Jesus more, what do they want to know more about.
I’m also preparing myself that that’s not quite how these conversations and relationships will go down. Lol. Well, some might! But, it’ll take time, it’ll take showing up again and again, and having uncomfortable moments until I get to know people a bit more and we start sharing and building from our last experience together.
So, this summer, I’m going to follow Heartland’s lead with this Imprint Series, join some groups and see what adventure Jesus takes me on to get even closer to Him and some of you!
The disciples are reminded that God will send them the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide them. Put the charge Jesus offers in verse 8 into your own words. What is Jesus asking of you?
Read this passage and imagine yourself in the scene. What do you notice? What questions arise for you around the events described? What do we learn about Judas and the consequences of his betrayal? What do you notice about the replacement of Judas?
The Holy Spirit arrives in a bold way! As you watch the scene, what are your thoughts and questions? Read it again, and imagine yourself in the room…what would your first response be? Would you think that these people had seen Jesus, or that they were indeed drunk? If you were present, what good thing has God done in your life that you could share to encourage others?
In these verses we get a reminder of the power of the resurrection and the promise it fulfilled, along with a depiction of the future promises in store for us. Even David, as quoted from his psalm, declared the resurrection and promise of Jesus, many years before the event occurred. Then, as promised, God raised Jesus from the dead. What possibilities have you received through Jesus’ resurrection? If you haven’t yet chosen to follow Jesus, consider what it will take for you to choose him.
Here we receive a beautiful description of this community of Jesus followers. Write 3-4 sentences describing the community you belong to. What do you receive from your community? What do you have to give to or share with your community?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
Please visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and share what you are learning, questioning or experiencing. We love conversations!
