The “I”s have it

Recently, we have been talking a lot about what it means to be God’s “viral kingdom agents” in the spaces and places around us. Or, put in our Hillspring lingo, how do we “connect with the people God puts in our lives, develop meaningful relationships, and change the world for good?”

We wanted to explain this to our youth in a way they could easily understand, remember, and implement.

We began by asking the question, how do we do this?!

The answer, simply put, was that if we wanted to be God’s agents in the world, we needed to follow the best agent who ever lived—we needed to follow Jesus and do what Jesus did!

Thus, we asked, what did Jesus do?! And we made a list. It was a really long list.

Then we asked, "How in the world did Jesus accomplish so much in such a short time?” and we made another list.

But this list was different. It contained attributes Jesus had that allowed Him to “connect, develop, and change the world”—to free people to experience life as God intended! As we looked at this list, we realized most of the attributes had something in common. Almost all of them started with the letter “I.”

And our fall series, “The I’s Have It,” was born. Each week, we focus on a different “I” or attribute of Jesus, allowing us to better live out our call to be God’s viral kingdom agents. I wanted to share some of these (and their key components) with the hope that they will help you as well.

 So, without further ado, here are some of our “I”s:

Impression

Key Question: How do others see you?!

Big Idea: How you look, act, talk, and care for yourself and others. SHAPE how others see you!!!

Tagline: Followers of Jesus make a good impression!

Integrity

Key Question: Do your words and actions line up?!

Big Idea: If your actions don’t line up with what you say, NO ONE will trust you!

Tagline: Followers of Jesus have integrity!

Influence

Key Question: Do others trust and follow you?!

Big Idea: How you live will either increase or decrease your power over others!

Tagline: Followers of Jesus have great influence with others!

Industrious

Key Question: Are you a hard worker?!

Big Idea: Hard work and follow-through leads to growth, progress, and increased health!

Tagline: Followers of Jesus are industrious (hard-working)!

Initiative

Key Question: Do you wait for others or “just do it?!”

Big Idea: People who take the initiative get ahead and have more opportunities!

Tagline: Followers of Jesus take the initiative!

Intention

Key Question: Where is your focus?!

Big Idea: Where you focus determines where you go and who you become!

Tagline: Followers of Jesus intentionally ask, “What does Jesus want me to do?!”

These are the “I”s we have covered so far, with many more to come. Hopefully, they have given you something to think about as you “connect, develop, and change.” And, if you have a middle school or high school student who isn’t involved, now is the perfect time for them to get connected! We explore a new “I” each week on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM in the Teen Center after eating dinner together in the Hillspring restaurant!

May our lives be filled with the “I”s Jesus modeled for us!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Justin Porter