I Will: SHARE MY FAITH
I WIll- Week 4: I Will Share My Faith
People matter to God—and they should matter to us. Jesus didn't avoid broken people; He stepped into their world with mercy and truth. This week we'll discover what it means to love people enough to enter the smoke, extend compassion, and courageously share the hope that changes eternity.
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coming soon
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Week 3 BLOG
I Will… Grow My Faith
Healthy Things Grow
Have you ever noticed how we measure almost everything by growth?
Parents mark a child's height on a doorframe. Investors watch retirement accounts and hope the numbers continue to rise. Businesses celebrate growth. Farmers anticipate harvest. Gardeners walk outside every morning looking for the first signs that something they planted is finally pushing through the soil.
Growth excites us because growth is evidence of life.
When something stops growing, we pay attention.
A doctor notices when a child stops developing. A gardener becomes concerned when a once-thriving plant begins to wilt. A business owner starts asking questions when growth stalls.
Growth matters because healthy things naturally grow.
Yet when it comes to our spiritual lives, many of us expect growth without giving much thought to what actually produces it.
We want deeper faith.
We want stronger marriages.
We want more peace.
We want greater wisdom.
We want to hear God's voice more clearly.
We want to become more like Jesus.
But somewhere along the way, we've convinced ourselves those things simply happen with time.
They don't.
Time doesn't produce maturity.
Intentionality does.
I've met people who have attended church for forty years but remain spiritually immature because they stopped growing decades ago. I've also met believers who have followed Jesus for only a few years, yet their lives radiate wisdom, humility, and compassion because they have intentionally pursued Christ every single day.
The difference isn't how long they've believed.
The difference is whether they've continued to grow.
That's the invitation Jude gives us in one of the most hope-filled passages in his letter.
After warning believers about drifting and deception, Jude shifts his attention toward something beautifully practical.
Instead of focusing on those who have wandered away, he turns to those who want to remain faithful.
He says, "Build yourselves up in your most holy faith."
I love that phrase because it reminds us that faith isn't static.
It's alive.
It's meant to be strengthened.
Developed.
Built.
The picture Jude paints is that of constructing a house. Brick by brick. Beam by beam. Day after day.
Nobody drives past a construction site and expects to see a completed building overnight. Progress takes time. There are foundations to pour before walls can be raised. There are seasons when it looks like nothing is happening above ground because all the important work is taking place underneath.
Spiritual growth often feels the same way.
There are seasons when God is doing His deepest work in places no one else can see.
He's strengthening your character.
Teaching you patience.
Deepening your trust.
Growing your dependence on Him.
Those seasons may not feel exciting, but they are absolutely essential.
Because God is always more interested in who you're becoming than simply what you're accomplishing.
So how do we build our faith?
Jude gives us two simple rhythms that have shaped followers of Jesus for centuries: God's Word and prayer.
Neither one is flashy.
Neither one is complicated.
Neither one is new.
Yet nothing has formed disciples more consistently throughout history than opening God's Word and talking with God through prayer.
The problem isn't that we don't know these things matter.
The problem is that familiarity often breeds complacency.
Many of us own multiple Bibles.
We have Bible apps, podcasts, devotionals, and endless resources available with the tap of a screen.
Yet access has never been the same as engagement.
Reading Scripture isn't about checking a box or completing another item on today's to-do list. It's about sitting before the God of the universe and allowing Him to shape the way we think, live, and love.
Scripture doesn't simply give us information.
It gives us formation.
It reveals the heart of God.
It exposes the condition of our own hearts.
It reminds us who we are.
It teaches us who He's calling us to become.
That's why this fall, as we prepare for The Naked Truth, our church is introducing the READ Method. It's not because we've discovered a new way to study the Bible. It's because we want to slow down enough to let God's Word actually transform us.
Read the passage.
Reflect on what it reveals about God.
Examine what it exposes in your own life.
Apply it through obedience.
Discuss it with someone else.
Growth rarely happens by information alone.
Growth happens when truth moves from our heads into our hearts and eventually into our everyday lives.
The same is true of prayer.
For many people, prayer feels intimidating because we've reduced it to saying the right words.
But prayer has never been about saying the perfect thing.
Prayer is relationship.
Think about the healthiest relationships in your life. They aren't built through carefully crafted speeches. They're built through conversation. Listening. Laughing. Asking questions. Sharing burdens. Spending time together.
Prayer is simply learning to live that kind of relationship with God.
Sometimes your prayers are filled with gratitude.
Sometimes they're full of questions.
Sometimes they sound like worship.
Sometimes they're nothing more than tears because words won't come.
Paul reminds us in Romans that the Holy Spirit even prays for us when we don't know what to say.
What incredible grace.
God isn't looking for polished prayers.
He's inviting us into His presence.
As those two rhythms—God's Word and prayer—begin shaping our lives, something remarkable happens.
We start changing.
Not overnight.
Not perfectly.
But genuinely.
Our reactions begin looking more like Jesus.
Our priorities shift.
Our desires change.
Forgiveness comes easier.
Trust grows deeper.
Fear loses its grip.
Hope becomes stronger.
This is what healthy spiritual growth looks like.
It's often slow enough that we hardly notice it ourselves.
But one day someone else notices.
They see more peace where anxiety once ruled.
More gentleness where frustration used to live.
More generosity where selfishness once thrived.
They can't always explain what changed.
They simply know something is different.
That's the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of Jude's challenge comes in his final words: "...waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Growing in our faith isn't ultimately about becoming impressive Christians.
It's about becoming people who eagerly anticipate seeing Jesus.
Every chapter of our lives is moving toward that moment.
Every prayer.
Every act of obedience.
Every difficult season.
Every page of Scripture.
God is preparing us to become more like His Son.
One day, faith will become sight.
Until then...
We keep building.
We keep praying.
We keep growing.
Not because we've arrived.
But because healthy things grow.
And those who belong to Jesus never stop becoming more like Him.
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Small Group Curriculum – I Will