This semester we are going on a journey. A journey to become like Jesus for the sake of others. In the process, we are tackling some of the biggest questions we all must face—questions of identity, purpose, and belonging. Who is God? Who am I? What difference do I make? These questions are all wrapped up into one another, because what we believe about God shapes what we believe about everything else. We’ve spent the past 6 weeks exploring the character and nature of God. Because we know Him better, we can better understand who we are. Over the next 6 weeks, we are going to explore what it means to be human, what makes us—us, and what it means to be God’s image-bearers in the world today.
Week 1: Made in the Image of God
Week 2: Sinner Saved by Grace (Live Speak)
Week 3: Citizen of Heaven
Week 4: Child of God
Week 5: Disciple of Jesus (Recorded For Switch Online Only)
Note: The Week 5 message was originally recorded for Switch Online. Students can watch the service from their homes or meet together to watch it in groups. Switch Guides are not available for Switch Online messages.
Week 6: Temple of the Living God
In week one, we will talk about what it means to be made in the image of God—how the most true thing about us is not what we like or dislike, not our personality type, or our past mistakes. The most true thing about you is that you bear the image of the God who made everything in an act of love and called it good.
Week two reminds us that the Biblical narrative is, at its core, a redemption story. The story of a God who went to the greatest of lengths to rescue His creation from sin and restore our relationship with Him. Our identity as rescued, redeemed people changes the way we show up in the world.
During week three, we unpack the idea that when we give our allegiance to Jesus, we are brought into a new and better Kingdom—out of the dominion of darkness and into light and life. What does it look like to live into the now and not yet of the Kingdom of Heaven? The truth is that we have all been invited to partner with God in bringing heaven to earth.
For week four, we take a closer look at the beautiful fact that we have been adopted into the family of God. Becoming someone’s son or daughter changes everything, but we have to allow the love of the Father to rewire our hearts and confront our assumptions about what this relationship is all about. The good news is, God never stops loving us, even as we learn how to fully embrace Him.
In week five, we discuss discipleship as not just this thing we do, but as an identity we embrace. Daily picking up our cross and following Jesus, walking with Him and learning from Him, and allowing His words and His ways to become our operating system changes everything about us. It positions us to experience the intimacy and unity with God that we were created for.
Finally, week six is a powerful close to the series that inspires us to realize that the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence inside of us. He is working in us to transform and empower us to look and live more like Jesus. We don’t have to manufacture an identity for ourselves because the Spirit of God guides us into all truth and helps us become who we are truly meant to be.
