Easter 5: Abide

The Neighborhood Church

What difference does the resurrection make in my life today? We understand the grand victory over sin and death theologically but how do we experience this victory practically? For one answer, we go back in time to Jesus' final message to his disciples called the "Farewell Discourse." Jesus invites his friends to "Abide" in him as he abides in the them. Now that Christ is raised and reigning, we discover how to draw upon his life and love to bear fruit in a hurting and hungry world. NOTES -- // SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- John 15.1-8 // The degree to which we experience God's love or grow in God's way is the degree to which we are consciously connected to Christ. // BIG IDEA 1 -- "Make your home in who I am and what I am doing so that you have what you need to stay rooted in who you are and what we are doing together." // RESOURCES -- Pray as you go - Pray as you go (pray-as-you-go.org) Lectio 365 - 24-7 Prayer International Sacred Space - Your daily prayer online d365 Daily Devotionals - devotions 365 days a year // BIG IDEA 2 -- Branches can't live without the vine. But the vine bears its fruit on the branches. We make God's love visible by the fruit of our lives.