Being a Follower of Jesus is NOT about religious duty

Hey Friends and Family of TCC,

If you missed last Sunday, please go online and watch it as soon as you can. The message I shared on Sunday has become so important to me as I’ve grown in my relationship with Jesus. As I shared on Sunday, I come from a “duty” framework of Christianity that I’m working through in my life. As I continued to hit the wall in my walk with Jesus, I would most often look for something I was either NOT DOING or NEEDED TO DO MORE. What I continue to discover is this: I cannot change my heart by doing more for Jesus. My heart is changed as I do more with Jesus.

Being a Follower of Jesus is ALL about relationship, not religious duty.

I had several meaningful encounters and emails after Sunday as people were moved to evaluate their own approach to walking with Jesus. Do we love Him so much that all other affections appear comparatively as hate? Wow!

One person asked me to send them my words to our younger adults concerning this issue and what constitutes success in life. This is what I sent: “What I was basically saying as I addressed those in their 20s and 30s is that many of the gray hairs in the room would say, ‘Listen to this. It’s important. Right now in this time of your life, you will feel that everything is about getting the right degree, right job, right spouse, right place to live, right home in that place, right friends, right etc.’ It’s natural, and society fuels that – in fact, it even creates anxiety and depression in young people who can’t seem to find these “right” things. So, listen to what I’m saying because Jesus promises us that if we put Him first NOW, He will meet all our needs and even the deepest longings of our hearts. As crazy and illogical as it may seem, pursuing Him is the most important thing you can do.”

If you missed it, please watch the service so that you can hear my heart as we looked at these Outrageous words of Jesus.

This week we begin a new series on the Songs of Christmas. We’re dedicating the Christmas season to a study of the four songs written by real people who had their lives rocked by the birth of Jesus. Their songs are included in the first two chapters of the book of Luke. We’ll look and listen to the words of these songs and let them impact our lives with “atomic elbows” (from Sunday’s message).

Looking forward to being with Jesus as we celebrate His birth,