Summary
Spiritual formation through service
- Pastor Jonathan continued the church’s series on spiritual formation, focusing on the practice of service. The goal of these practices is to make room for the Holy Spirit to shape us as we spend time with Jesus, become like him, and do what he did.
- Spiritual maturity does not happen simply because we get older or have been Christians for a long time. Pastor Jonathan compared it to compound interest: as we keep returning to Jesus, small acts of faithfulness can lead to deep change over time.
Recognizing spiritual fruit
- Practices like prayer and reading Scripture matter, but their effect should also show up in how we respond to people. Pastor Jonathan suggested that our reaction to an interruption can reveal more about our growth than a streak of completed devotions.
- Jesus teaches us to recognize fruit in people’s lives. Pastor Jonathan encouraged the church to look for the fruit of the Spirit, rather than treating wealth, popularity, or the size of a ministry as proof of spiritual maturity.
Why we serve
- In John 15, Jesus describes himself as the vine and his followers as the branches. As we remain connected to him, God shapes and restores us so that our lives bear fruit.
- That fruit is meant to be shared. We serve so others can experience God’s goodness, and through serving, God continues to form us. Pastor Jonathan closed by inviting people to follow Jesus and praying that the church would grow in fruitfulness and love.
