From the Mind to the Soul
Eric Marvin, Pastor
In Week 3 of Becoming Future Ready, Pastor Eric Marvin challenges Journey Church to consider how we share our faith in a changing culture without ever changing the truth of the gospel. Younger generations are increasingly approaching questions about God, faith, suffering, and purpose from a very different starting point, which means the Church must learn to understand not only the questions people are asking, but what they are truly searching for.
In John 4, Jesus models this through His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Rather than approaching her the same way He approached everyone else, Jesus enters her world, listens to her, receives from her, gives to her, and faithfully shares truth with her. Through His example we see four important parts of engaging people: receiving deeds, sharing deeds, receiving words, and sharing words.
Sharing the gospel is about more than having the right intellectual answers ready. It means participating in people's lives, listening to their stories, serving them, building relationships, and caring about the whole person. Our methods and strategies can change, but the message of the gospel cannot.
What if Journey Church became known throughout North Peoria as a church that cares about people's souls? Becoming future ready means learning to listen, receive, serve, share, and speak truth while faithfully carrying the unchanging gospel into a changing world.
