Wrapping up our BLAST series

We wrapped up our first teaching series of the year, our BLAST, series, in both our ministries this week. It has been really fun for Ryan and I to take five weeks just to talk about five Biblical purposes of ministry (evangelism, fellowship, worship, mission, and discipleship). This week we talked about discipleship, with the big point being that following Jesus needs to be something we commit to do ON OUR OWN. We looked at Acts 1:12-14, where the Disciples return to the Upper Room after Jesus' death and ressurection and have to make a decescion: do they continue to follow even after Jesus is gone? This is a choice we all have to make: do we truly follow Jesus after the moment we first commit to God? Do we truly follow Jesus when our parents, pastors, and small group leaders are no longer around? Do we really follow ON OUR OWN? We tried to make the point that we follow on our own because we need to constantly be connected to God, as John says: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. ‘Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:1-5. When we stop connecting to God our lives tend to turn rotten and nasty, like the fallen apples I used to throw at my friends as a kid. If we are going to live the life God created us to live we need to constantly connect to God ON OUR OWN by developing habits such as reading the Bible, prayer, quiet time, personal devotionals, etc. For those interested in growing on their own we have a program called Growing University. This is a series of packets that help your develop these different spiritual habits on your own. They are always available on the Growing U table outside the youth room.