Week One: Starting To Follow Jesus
How do you get to know someone? Most of us get to know a new friend by asking questions, spending time together, and sharing meaningful stories from our lives.
But interacting with God can feel a little different than getting tacos and talking with your friends.
So how do we get to know God?
1. We spend time with God through prayer.
Prayer is a great way to share experiences, conversations, excitement, needs, and trust-building moments with God.
How do you pray? Prayer is communicating with God. You might thank Him for who He is, ask for support, or simply be silent in God’s presence. Prayer isn’t a performance, so you don’t need to worry about saying the “wrong” things. Instead, it’s a way to relate to God, who loves you. So be honest. If it matters to you, then share it with God.
Finally, God’s Spirit lives in you, so pay attention to ways God may be trying to get your attention as you pray and throughout your day.
2. We read the Bible.
The Bible is a collection of books written by people thousands of years ago. So, why should we read it today?
We’ll talk more about the Bible later, but here are some basics. The Bible helps us to see what God is like and how people like us have come to know Him. Its authors, guided by the Holy Spirit, tell stories of God’s goodness, ask relatable questions, and engage with the hardest parts of life.
Throughout the Bible, we get to see God’s qualities, like His kindness, forgiveness, and justice. And we get to see those qualities lived through the life of Jesus.
3. We gather with other Jesus followers.
Getting to know God is about “Jesus and me” and “Jesus and we.” The Bible reminds us very practically how to follow Jesus and get to know God together.
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together ...
— Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT
We get to know Him better by hearing stories of God’s faithfulness, listening to wisdom from the Bible, and singing songs about God’s love.
A very doable way to build a habit of meeting with Jesus followers is to regularly attend church. It’s an opportunity to make friends, share how God’s working in your life, and practice serving and encouraging others.
If you haven’t yet, make a plan to meet others at church this week. Consider inviting a friend, family member, or neighbor so they can experience the life-changing way of Jesus.