Where do you see yourself?

Have you ever done a self-evaluation?  Maybe you clicked on a link on Facebook that told you what type of friend you are, maybe your boss had you do a self-evaluation as part of your performance review, or maybe you have done a self-evaluation related to your health.  Self-evaluations are useful tools that help us identify the actions we need to take.

Last week in this email I asked you to consider the following question: “What am I doing, and what is my family doing this fall to intentionally grow closer to God?”  This week I want to help you consider this question by doing a self-evaluation. (If you missed that email you can read what I wrote here)

When it comes to following Jesus, there are typically four groups of people. At Living Hope we identify them as Exploring, Discovering, Growing, and Surrendering.  Knowing where you fit within these four groups can help you figure out what your next step could be in your relationship with God.

Exploring — If you are in the Exploring group, you are likely newer to Living Hope. You may have joined us because you want to explore what faith is.  You think there may be a God, but you aren’t sure who he is and who Jesus is.  Questions you may be asking are:  Who is God? Who is Jesus? What is the meaning of life? Is there something beyond this life?  Do all roads lead to God?  Why do bad things happen to good people?  

Discovering — If you are in the Discovering group, you have discovered who Jesus is and are discovering that faith in Jesus has relevancy to your everyday life.  You believe that Jesus is God, he lived on earth, died, and was resurrected in order to forgive your sins and restore your relationship with God.  Questions you may be asking are:  Who am I in relation to Jesus?  What does it mean to be a follower or disciple of Jesus?  How can I know God/Jesus more?  Is the Bible true? Is the Bible relevant today? What is prayer all about?  

Growing — If you are in the Growing group, you have discovered what it means to grow in your relationship with Jesus. You are actively pursuing and engaging in opportunities and practices that help you grow in your relationship with Jesus. Questions you may wrestle with are:  Who is the Holy Spirit?  Am I filled with the Holy Spirit – how would I know?  How do I hear God?  Why did God create me?  Where do I fit in what God is doing?  What are spiritual gifts? What are my spiritual gifts?  

Surrendering — If you are in the Surrendering group, you consider your relationship with God more important than any other relationship. As a Surrendering disciple you love God more than anything. You have discovered that prayer is a constant two-way conversation with God. Serving others both inside and outside the church is a way of life for you.  Questions you may be considering are:  Who can I help to grow in their relationship with Jesus?  What are the physical and spiritual roadblocks that keep me from knowing Holy Spirit more, and how can I be free of them?  How can I be a part of the Father’s plan and mission to redeem and restore the world?  

Where do you see yourself?  In what group do you see yourself?  Maybe you see yourself fitting into more than one group. This week, talk with God about where you see yourself. Ask Him to reveal to you where he sees you.

Each group has specific behaviours and actions that you can take that will help you grow in your relationship with God.  In the weeks ahead I will drill down into each group and identify the catalytic actions you can take to grow in your relationship with God.

This weekend, as we continue our Songs of Summer series, we’ll be looking at my favourite Psalm, Psalm 139. I hope you’ll join us this weekend as we discover through Psalm 139 that God is for you, and that He wants something for you.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Kirk

Family Worship Experience
Join us this summer for a family worship experience.  We have redesigned our worship service for the summer months to be shorter and to be an active learning and worship experience.  Each week kids in kindergarten to grade six will be invited to participate in the sermon through experiential learning experiences.  There will also be activity boxes each week for kids who just want to stay in their seats.

Hope Kids (K-Gr 6) will resume after the summer break. Wonder Years preschool for ages 2-4 and First Steps nursery continues throughout the summer.

Coming Events