By Pastor David Ashburn
In Adult Ministries, we deeply desire to help adults see two parts of their relationship with Jesus realized.
The first is that every follower of Jesus needs to move along the continuum of growth toward Christlikeness. When we come to faith in Jesus we are made right with God, but we don’t look a lot like Jesus. God’s Word describes the process of becoming like Jesus as something that will continue to be worked in us until we see Jesus face to face. This is sanctification. It is a continuum that exists between a newly regenerated believer and a fully glorified saint in the presence of his or her Savior. We are all on that continuum somewhere and we need to humbly identify where we are, submit to the work of the Holy Spirit to move us along in that process, and engage intentionally in ways that position us to be ready for the work of the Holy Spirit. This is discipleship in its essence—our intentional participation in God’s work of sanctification in our own lives and the lives of others.
The second is that walking with Jesus is best done in community. We need the body of Christ. Throughout Paul’s letters to young believers and young churches, we read that there is so much of the Christian life that should be done with “one another” and even the admonitions that Paul gives that don’t include that phrase are often very relational. Think about how Paul describes life as a living sacrifice in Romans 12. He says things like “love one another with brotherly affection” (Rom. 12:10, ESV) and “live in harmony with one another” (Rom. 12:16, ESV). You can’t do these kinds of things alone. In the body of Christ, we need each other. God has gifted and guided you uniquely and you have an important part in the function of the whole body. Similarly, God has designed you without certain gifts or understanding. That means as much as the body needs you, you need the body! This is the essence of distinctly Christian community—each one growing and contributing to the development and effectiveness of the whole.
With these two parts of our relationship with Jesus in focus, it’s my desire that each adult (and the whole body together) is growing in Christ and living the Gospel Life.
I am praying that more adults would be connected in contexts at Heritage where they can grow. I’m praying that in those contexts each person is committing to their own spiritual growth and the spiritual growth of others. I’m praying that these contexts are ones characterized by grace and freedom where the healing that Christ can accomplish is normalized and we understand that what Pastor Nathan says weekly, “We are a church of broken people, all in need of God’s grace,” is real but that Jesus doesn’t intend to leave us broken, so we confess that brokenness and pursue the restoration that can take place.
I heard Pastor Nathan say recently that in our American culture, authenticity and vulnerability can often bring fear of consequences, but that if we look at the Bible, authentic and vulnerable brokenness before a loving, redeeming, restoring God results in joy. I’d like for all of us to experience that joy together.