This week, the particular focus of the God-lived life is a life lived for others, a life of generosity. God allows us the opportunity to serve and love one another, especially those who are part of our communities. Our challenge will focus on being a good neighbor. What makes someone a good neighbor? How can you show God’s love to others by being a good neighbor? How can our church be a good neighbor to our community? How can we be present for others?

This week, the particular focus of the God-lived life is that of being a disciple, a learner, one who grows in God’s Word. May God’s Word cause us to crave that pure spiritual milk so that by it we grow up in our salvation. Our challenge this week will focus on growing and learning in God’s Word. What’s your biggest motivation for spending time in God’s Word? What’s your biggest obstacle to spending time in God’s Word? What can help you overcome that obstacle? How can you build Bible study and prayer time into your regular routine?

What is the room capacity in heaven? How many will be there? Many of the Bible’s descriptions of heaven include some imagery of food and feasting - will heaven be an endless buffet or are those descriptions figurative? While there are many unknowns regarding heaven, Jesus would have us focus on what we do know: you’ve been invited and there is room - room for us and plenty of room for others.

There are many things we look forward to. In fact, it is often the anticipation of some future experience that excites us as much or more than the experience itself! Heaven, though, will be different. No matter how much we look forward to it, experiencing it will surpass anything we could have anticipated. Heaven is coming! Are you looking forward to it?

The Word of God works. But what do we do when others are not interested in hearing it? We apologize - defend - our faith. While reason takes a back seat to faith, that doesn’t mean the Christian faith is unreasonable. Reason can pave the way to open others up to hearing the Word. Sometimes the first step in simple evangelism is defending what you believe. #simpleevangelism

As we become better at listening to others, opportunities for us to witness will increase. However, those occasions are more likely to occur rather sporadically than they are to be scheduled ahead of time. So how do we prepare ahead of time if we don’t know when these opportunities will arise? We make sure we’re always ready. And how do we make sure we’re always ready? We acquire a taste for the Lord. #simpleevangelism

A witness providing testimony in a court of law isn’t required to be an expert. Such a witness merely testifies about what has been seen and heard. It isn’t any more complicated than that when it comes to our Christian witness: we merely testify about what we have seen and heard. When it comes to Jesus, what have you seen and heard in your life? Tell others. Witness. #simpleevangelism.

Just about everyone today has something to say. Everyone wants to be heard. Few, however, are all that interested in listening. The result? Listeners are in high demand. That means an open door for us - one that is very simple: we just have to listen. #simpleevangelism.  Evangelism - making the extraordinary news of Jesus known to others - can be intimidating for many. But sometimes that’s because we make it out to be more complicated than it really is. Through this series, “Simple Evangelism: One Word at a Time,” we pray that you will be equipped and encouraged to be the evangelist God has called you to be.

Getting out of the rut of chasing after other empty escapes is not easy on our own. The good news? We aren’t on our own. We have the power and strength at our disposal to overcome. But that power and strength do not come from us; they come from the Lord, and he equips us with everything we need to escape and find #realrest

No one would doubt that technology has provided us with many blessings. However, many of those blessings can also double as doorways by which we tune out the world. When such things serve as an escape to avoid adversity or ignore responsibility, they become part of the problem, not the solution. If entertainment becomes our escape, we’re not only missing out on the greatest invitation ever offered by tuning out; we’re also turning up the problem. #escape #realrest