If You Teach It, They Will Listen

My fourth grader has been sitting in service with us since he aged out of Children’s Church. I knew he had the ability to sit that long, but I wondered how well he would listen to the teaching. I found out Sunday afternoon.

After hearing a sermon on the four chairs and the new Like Jesus app, he was moved to come home and download it on to his device. My husband and I looked at each other with a shocked expression. He was listening.

He then proceeded to take the four chairs survey on the app. He said he did not know every word, but that he could generally figure out what they were asking. Then, from the other room, we heard him watching the video that corresponded with the survey. Wow.

What a great lesson for me as a parent. My fourth grader was ready and willing to engage with the teaching at church. I see it as my job not to get in his way, but to facilitate whatever learning I can.

Lindsey Ungs
Connection & Communication Architect

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Like Jesus

When we hang out with my grandson Mikah we play lots of games to keep him entertained. Many of the games go something like this: “What does a cow say?” If he does not moo then we all moo. Repeat until Mikah says, “Moo.”

We moo, cluck, oink, baa, and growl (with claws up!), then we branch out to truck and tractor sounds. We seek unusual sounds to make. What does a golf cart say? What does a giraffe say? What does a rhinoceros say?

Our journey to grow like Jesus is not a game, but it works like this toddler game. What does Jesus say? What does Jesus do? What does Jesus think? What does Jesus value? Once we figure it out we keep at it until we sound and look and live like Jesus.

“Whoever claims to live in Jesus must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6).

The Apostle Paul talked about it this way in Galatians 3:27, “And all who have been united with Jesus in baptism have put on Jesus, like putting on new clothes.”

I’m certain that those who watch us make animal noises for Mikah can tell which animal we are imitating. I wonder if, as the world watches us, they can tell when we sound and look and live like Jesus?

I think they can!

Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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LITTLE LIGHTS

The more I get into Scripture the more the fake versions of Jesus I have held in my head slowly get melted away.

I just finished up another journey through the Bible and the last thing that caught my attention was in the final scenes of John’s revelation where we are told there is no longer a need for the sun, moon, or stars because Jesus is our light. We sing songs about this!

“No need for the sunshine in heaven we’re told —the light of the world is Jesus.” 

I’ve gone my whole life understanding that Jesus would be the light in heaven. Then I read this in Revelation 22:5: “Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

Isn’t that beautiful? Not only is Jesus the light, but we are each given light and reign with it forever.  Someone said to me, “Oh, like how the moon reflects the sun!” and I had the thought, “Yes, it must be something like that!” Jesus is the light and the source of our light that we are each given is Jesus.

Imagine a place where each walks around glowing in the glory of the son, and in the glory of the son’s light enveloping them as well.

Does that change your view of heaven?

The more I get into scripture the more I discover these little details that I had gotten “wrong” or maybe just “not quite right.” But these details matter!

I want to be LIKE JESUS—but I want that view, that Truth, that understanding to be completely and fully true. As we press in to know Him more and more may He continue to show us more of His Truth!

Leah Carolan
Director of Worship & Media

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