Story begins with showing up

I shared with you a definition of success last week, remember it?

I shared with you a definition of success last week, remember it?

Collecting the stories of God in people’s lives.

It’s like stories you heard today.

Going to camp and not having such a powerful testimony

But there is a vital important point to being part of God’s interaction, His story in this world. That I didn’t get.

Maybe being a church planter

overwhelmed with the idea of trying to give people God.

I went to my own addictions of video games, discovering their is no there, there.

Life with Jesus was never meant to be just agreeing to a view of Jesus, but an adventure

We take that Jesus told us to Love God, Love Others. You can love God with no one else around you but you can’t fully obey God until you have someone else, anyone else around you. That’s why Jesus didn’t just ask people to agree with what he was saying, he actually wanted there lives to change.

When Jesus said to his disciples, follow me he actually meant it.

Luke 5:27 CSB

27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.”

John 1:43 CSB

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.”

They actually had to leave. Jesus meant it. There were others who refused to move. We don’t know there names but we know there situaitons.

Luke 9:57–62 CSB

57 As they were traveling on the road someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 Then he said to another, “Follow me.” “Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.” 60 But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

No place to live

That likely meant live under my father’s rule until he dies, I will go later.

you can’t go back to the old humdrum life

That’s big time commitment, big time adventure.

But what does it look like today?

Two words: Showing Up

James 2:14–17 The Message

14 Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? 15 For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved 16 and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? 17 Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

Rochelle tells this amazing story of Pastor Bill

Rochelle tells this amazing story of Pastor Bill

Rochelle tells this amazing story of Pastor Bill

All I did was show up.

I surrendered to what God said, love others and you would have them love you.

When Rochelle came to church, I shared about Christ.

When Rochelle mother died we showed up

When Rochelle went to jail, we showed up

Driving to the jail, the day after her husband died.

When it comes down to it, you have to believe Jesus. You get to see God, see God’s purpose when you obey God and love others.

John 12:26 CSB

26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

So what does it take to show up?

Showing up requires Surrender

Driving up to Jackson took time

It also wasn’t always exciting.

Showing Up requires discipline

most of the time its boring

Dude’s group?

Showing Up is the hardest part of you being a part of Jesus story.

Will you?