Sermon Series: September 29-November 10
Jesus was, among other things, a rabbi. Like other rabbis of his day, Jesus had apprentices or disciples who attached themselves to Jesus with one goal: to become like him.
Living and loving like Jesus requires more than effort and will power. It requires training and transformation. How do you live and love like Jesus for a lifetime? We need what Dallas Willard called a “curriculum for Christlikeness” — a clear path to being formed by Jesus. We need to “train for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7-8) rather than passively be shaped by the culture around us.
Portland-based pastor John Mark Comer has been encouraging the Church to “call people up to a higher level of apprenticeship” with Jesus (Practicing the Way, 109-110). This sermon series introduces seven disciplines, practices, or habits that hold the potential to shape your core impulses. These core practices form the basis for a rule of life that can create space for the transformative work of God. Think of these practices as a discipleship pathway or a spiritual program or a framework. We’re going to learn a way of life together as disciples, students, learners, or apprentices of Jesus.
September 29: Look Up: Praise and Worship
October 6: Pray Up: Prayer/Contemplation
October 13: Group Up: Community
October 20: Wise Up: Study/Teaching
October 27: Fess Up: Confession and Accountability
November 3: Build Up: Serving
November 10: Invite: Speak Up