Many people would love to know how to relate to God. But the church hasn’t always been helpful. That was true when Jesus entered the scene. Instead of upholding a complicated approach to God, his message was profoundly simple. And to those who were the most distant from God, he extended the personal invitation “Follow me.”

People who aren’t Christians have good reasons for not becoming one. However, faith in God doesn’t begin with having all of our questions answered or objections addressed (even though there are compelling answers to people’s objections). Faith in God begins when God becomes personal. Faith is built on a relational dynamic, not a logical construct. In this sermon we’ll hear about a person who couldn’t get past her logical construct, until she saw the big picture relationship.  

There’s a common misconception about church. Namely, that it’s for people that have their life pulled together and enjoy following rules. But something that was surprising about Jesus is that he welcomed people who were outsiders when it came to God. But it’s not that surprising when we consider the messages he preached. He didn’t invite us to believe right and behave right. Instead, he invited the most unlikely people to follow.

After the disciples began to follow Jesus, something began to slowly happen within them. They began to believe. They began to believe that he was from God. They began to believe that he was the Messiah. They put their faith in him as the forgiver of sin. And that’s the pattern. People follow Jesus until they reach a conclusion. They conclude that there is a way to be justified before God, but it doesn’t come through doing. It comes by trusting.

Many people assume that Christianity is primarily about rule following (part 1), and about judging the people who don’t follow the rules very well. But Jesus didn’t invite us into rule-following. He invited us into flourishing. Since he loves us, he wasn’t just content to take care of what happens when you die. He wants you to flourish in your life right now. That’s why he gives us commands. The commands of God lead to life, they lead to flourishing, and they align us with our design. We’ll wrap up the series by talking about the importance of obeying God.