Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

We want to be the kind of church that our communities would miss if we were gone. We want to be a church known for generosity and open-handedness where we live, work, and play. To do that, we ought to have a prayerful, listening posture (BLESS) with eyes towards meeting the real needs of people around us.

Everyone has the ability to change the world right where they are; be willing to learn, value others, and collaborate to make gospel-centered change.   Jesus calls us to be a light to the rest of the world, so let’s be a church that is continually growing, moving, and giving. Let’s offer hands of help to our neighbors, near and far, and share the love of Jesus with them. We’re told to be a city on a hill that cannot be hidden: it’s time to let our lights shine as we serve, share, and give, being the hands

The Easter story starts all the way in the beginning. God created a beautiful world. But while there beauty in the world, there is also pain, destruction, and devastation—so much so that we not only feel far from beauty, but far from the God who created it. And just when it feels like we are left condemned with the broken pieces of life in our hands, Jesus masterfully recreates and brings dead things to life. 

As we listen to the stories and the needs of people, how are we intentionally serving them to meet their needs? And as we build relationships, get to know stories, and serve people, we begin to gain the credibility to share the hope we have in Jesus.  Jesus modeled this by changing the world from the bottom, up.  Jesus said, “I’m not going to change the world on a power trip.  I’m not going to take over the government and change lives from the top down.  That’s how the world operates.  That’s what the world thinks greatness is.  I’m going to change the world from the bottom up.”

Jesus communicated a LOT by the seemingly mundane act of eating at Matthew’s house with him and his socially outcast friends. Something powerful happens when we come across tables from one another and share nourishment. The first thing Jesus did after Matthew said “yes” to “follow Me” was share a meal with him. He didn’t have him take a class on how to be a disciple.  He didn’t get Matthew started studying the bible and memorizing Scripture. He went to Matthews house to eat.

 Jesus is the one we follow. His whole life was a blessing to the world. Every place that he went, every person he encountered experienced a “God moment” in his presence. Jesus lived out the BLESS practices in his daily life on earth, and he did that by beginning with prayer. If we are going to help people take next steps with God, we have to begin with prayer.  But we have to also listen. Get to know people. Listen to their stories, genuinely get to know people: their struggles, their pains, in the places God sent you.Jesus models this by showing us that He didn’t assume He knew what people needed. So He asked questions. He listened. The best way to accomplish the Jesus mission of reaching  and restoring is to be a “blesser,” not a “converter.”

At the heart of the Gospel is reconciliation. Jesus’ prayer was that His church would be one. During this message, Dave Dummitt will preach about the ethos of reconciliation, Jesus’ vision for His church, and how that starts at the individual level. Are we pursuing peace and reconciliation in the relationships around us? Dave will address reconciliation at Willow; sharing about ways the Elder Board and senior leadership team have been pursuing reconciliation with those hurt and broken from Willow’s recent history. Dave will teach towards ways we can link arms with the “Big C” church and go farther together. Dave will also teach towards racial, political, socioeconomic, and other needs for reconciliation.

Jesus understood exponential growth. By taking 12 ragtag, misfit men and training them, discipling them...the world turned upside down. We can live lives of exponential impact by following the ways of Jesus to be and make disciples. We also believe that the church is the hope of the world. New churches baptize many more people than older churches or churches that are not involved in church multiplication. Willow wants to be actively engaged in multiplying at every level---disciples, groups, teams, campuses of Willow Creek, and launching independent church plants domestically and globally.

 As a church, we’ve spoken heavily about getting connected into small groups, but we are going to double-down. Part of our NEXT vision is becoming a church OF small groups, not just a church WITH small groups. We want to make “big church...small” with everyone in a group and every group on mission.

As Christ-followers, we have a unique opportunity to break down barriers and go where the people are, offering real and lasting hope.