4 weeks introducing students to the basics of following Jesus. Since the path forward in their faith journey isn’t always clear, some students would probably benefit from a spiritual roadmap—an overview of how to get from where they are in their faith to where they want to be. So over the course of this series, they’ll discover what it means to follow Jesus: Know, Grow, and Go.

Video Messages Included

Week 1 (1 John 2:1-6, 15-17 NLT)

Intro: Before GPS, it wasn’t too uncommon for people to drive around in circles on long road trips pretending like they knew where they were going. Sometimes it feels like, when it comes to our faith, we’re doing the same thing.

Truth: John didn’t mince words when he told believers that claiming to know God without actually following God’s commandments makes that person a liar. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. So maybe part of the reason some of us struggle to go anywhere in our faith journey is because we’ve only ever taken the step to believe. We rarely make the choice to actually follow. You’ll never go anywhere until you begin to follow the way laid out for you.

The Point: Faith means to follow

Week 2 (John 8:31-32 ESV)

Intro: What if part of the reason we so easily get lost in our faith journey is because we don’t have a clear vision for what God wants to do in us?

Truth: When Jesus gave a series of “if/then” statements to a crowd one day, He essentially laid out the vision of where their faith journey would take them. Abiding leads to experientially knowing the truth. Experientially knowing the truth leads to freedom. So when reading the Bible feels like a chore, just remember that freedom is the dream. Freedom is the destination. Freedom is the vision.

The Point: Knowing the truth is the key to be free

Week 3 (John 15:1-5 ESV)

Intro: We produce fruit whether we’re healthy or not. The question is, how do we get to that healthy place where we’re producing more good fruit and less bad fruit?

Truth: Jesus’ analogy of the vine and branches is so helpful. Branches don’t operate independently from the vine. They don’t act like a branch some days and not on others. They don’t hide parts of themselves from the vine. Branches abide. They are known by the vine. They are fed by the vine. The way they identify is intricately tied to and unable to be distanced from the vine. And that’s us in Christ. At least…it’s supposed to be. That’s how we produce good fruit.

The Point: You need to redefine as part of the vine

Week 4 (John 15:7-8 ESV)

Intro: For a lot of us, Christianity feels like a whole lot of sitting and not a whole lot of action. And when we sit for too long, it’s easy to get lethargic, lazy, and bored.

Truth: When Jesus continues His talk with the disciples on abiding, He makes the statement that when we abide, we bear much fruit and prove to be His disciples. The bearing fruit part is the action part. That’s where we do stuff. But it comes from the overflow of the abiding. So if you’re feeling lazy, lethargic, and bored, there’s probably something missing in the abiding part of your faith journey. Because abiding leads to fruit.

The Point: The go is the overflow of the know and the grow