Month: July 2025

Becoming a People Who Abide, Follow, and Make Room for Jesus

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

Vision is different from mission. While mission tells us why we exist and how we operate, vision answers the question: “What do we want to see?” Vision moves us from identity to action and outcome. It’s incredibly important for churches, families, businesses, and individuals to have both mission and vision written down somewhere accessible.

What Does It Mean to Be “A People”?

To be a people means being in community with others. It’s about fellowship and inviting others into that community. Being a people means having:

  • Common allegiance
  • Shared vision
  • Similar motives
  • Movement in the same direction

Think about a sports team – everyone must execute the same play. In a family, everyone moves forward because they’re on the same page with the same desires. As the church, our desires should align with what Jesus teaches.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for neglecting “the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.” As God’s people, we don’t get to pick and choose which of Jesus’ teachings we’ll follow. We are bound to all of them.

1 Peter 2:10 reminds us: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

What Binds Us Together as God’s People?

D.A. Carson explains it perfectly: “The church itself is not made up of natural friends. It is made up of natural enemies. What binds us together is not common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything of the sort. Christians come together not because they form a natural coalition, but because they have been saved by Jesus Christ and owe him a common allegiance.”

It’s not our love for the same sports team or our similar education that brings us together. It’s Jesus Christ. He is the common factor we all share. As Peter realized in Acts 10:34-35, “God does not show favoritism, but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

How Do We Abide in Christ?

John 15:4 tells us, “Remain in me and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.”

Abiding is both an individual and corporate practice. We stay connected to Jesus so we can produce fruit and be the people He called us to be. It’s about finding our identity and desires in Him. Often, the issues we have with other people stem from not abiding in Christ – we’re trying to find our identity in something else.

What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus?

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus says, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Our job is simple: follow the risen Lord wherever He leads and trust Him for guidance.

Ruth 1:16-17 provides a beautiful example of this attitude: “Don’t plead with me to abandon you or return and not follow you, for wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”

Following When We Can’t See the Path

Hebrews 11:8 tells us, “By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out even though he did not know where he was going.”

Faith exists precisely because we can’t see everything. Faith and doubt exist simultaneously. Faith isn’t the absence of doubt – it’s trusting God enough to move forward despite our doubts. Abraham didn’t know where he was going, but he knew God said “follow me,” and he responded, “I will go.”

How Do We Make Room for Jesus?

Revelation 3:20 says, “See, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.”

Jesus is the Lord of all creation, yet He knocks because He wants you to invite Him in. Paul urges us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, “Don’t stifle the Spirit.” And Isaiah 43:19 reminds us that God is “about to do something new.”

If we are truly following Jesus, we will make room for:

  • Jesus
  • The Holy Spirit
  • People
  • The future

Making Room for God’s Unexpected Growth

Sometimes God plants things in our lives that we didn’t plan for. Like unexpected sunflowers growing in a carefully planned garden, God often does things that don’t fit into our narrative or plans.

We have a choice: we can pull out what looks like weeds, or we can wait and see what God is growing. How often do we uproot what God is trying to do and then get upset because we don’t see the beauty He intended?

How Do I Know I’m Hearing from God?

There are two primary ways to hear from God:

  1. The written Word (the Bible) – 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” If you want to hear from God, open your Bible.
  2. Learning to hear His voice – Jesus says, “My sheep know my voice.”

We often want complete illumination of our path, but God typically gives us just enough light for the next step. As Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet” – not a floodlight showing the entire journey.

The truth is, we usually only know with certainty that we heard God correctly in hindsight. That’s the faith part. But remember: God is big enough and smart enough to take our shortcomings into account. You won’t ruin His plans for the universe because you made a mistake.

A helpful analogy: Only moving ships can be steered. If we want God’s direction, we need to be in motion, trusting that He’s leading and we’re following.

Life Application

Our vision is to be a people who abide, follow, and make room for Jesus and the gospel. This week, consider these questions:

  1. Where am I finding my identity? Am I truly abiding in Christ, or am I seeking validation and purpose elsewhere?
  2. What is God asking me to follow Him into that seems uncertain or uncomfortable? Remember Abraham, who followed without knowing the destination.
  3. What “weeds” might actually be God planting something beautiful in my life? Is there something unexpected that I’ve been trying to remove that God might be using for His purposes?
  4. How can I better make room for Jesus in my daily life? Consider practical ways to invite Him into your routines, relationships, and decisions.
  5. Am I moving forward in faith, or am I stuck in the harbor waiting for complete certainty? Remember that God can only steer a moving ship.

This week, take one step of faith in an area where you’ve been hesitant. Trust that God is giving you enough light for the steps immediately ahead, and commit to being part of His people who abide, follow, and make room for Jesus.

Understanding the Trinity: A Deep Dive into God’s Three-in-One Nature

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

The concept of the Trinity is one of the most profound and challenging doctrines in Christianity. It’s not just a theological abstraction but a fundamental truth that impacts how we understand God, salvation, and our relationships with one another.

What is the Trinity and Why Does It Matter?

At its core, the Trinity teaches that God is one being in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God, yet they are not three gods but one God. This might sound like a mathematical impossibility, but it speaks to the unique nature of God who is unlike anything in creation.

The Trinity isn’t just theological trivia—it’s essential to understanding:

  • How God created the world
  • How salvation works
  • How we relate to God and each other

The Biblical Foundation: The Shema and The Name

The Shema: God’s Oneness

The foundation for understanding the Trinity begins with the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4:

“Shema Yisrael Adonoi Eloheinu Adonoi echad” (Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one)

This declaration of God’s oneness was central to Israel’s faith. They lived among polytheistic cultures that worshipped many gods, but Israel was called to worship the one true God.

When we see “one” (echad) in Scripture referring to God, it’s often making a “Shema statement” about God’s unity and uniqueness. This becomes important when Jesus says in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” He wasn’t making a casual statement—he was making a Shema statement that connected him to the divine identity.

The Hashem: God’s Name

In Jewish tradition, God’s name was considered too holy to pronounce. They referred to it as “the Hashem” (the Name). The Name represented God’s character, attributes, and presence—not just a label.

In the New Testament, we see statements like:

  • “At the name of Jesus every knee will bow” (Philippians 2:10-11)
  • “Whatever you do in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17)
  • “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13)

These passages apply “the Name” language to Jesus, indicating his divine identity. When Jesus tells us to pray in His name, He’s not just giving us a formula to end prayers—He’s inviting us to pray in His divine character and authority.

How the Trinity Works: One Being, Three Persons

The Trinity is often misunderstood because we try to find perfect analogies in our world. But God is unique—there is nothing exactly like Him in creation.

God is one being in three persons. This is different from humans, where one being equals one person. For God, the relationship is one being and three persons:

  • The Father is God
  • The Son is God
  • The Spirit is God

Yet the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. Each has distinct personhood while sharing the same divine essence.

The Trinity Throughout Scripture

While the word “Trinity” doesn’t appear in the Bible, the concept is woven throughout Scripture:

In the Old Testament:

  • Genesis 1:1-2 shows God creating while His Spirit hovers over the waters
  • The “Angel of the Lord” appears and receives worship (Joshua 5:15)
  • God speaks of himself in plural terms (Genesis 1:26)

In the New Testament:

  • All three persons of the Trinity are involved in Jesus’ resurrection
  • Jesus speaks of sending the Spirit from the Father (John 15:26)
  • At Jesus’ baptism, all three persons are present simultaneously

Common Heresies About the Trinity

Throughout history, people have tried to simplify the Trinity in ways that distort its truth:

1. Modalism

This teaches that God appears in different modes at different times—sometimes as Father, sometimes as Son, sometimes as Spirit. The problem is that Scripture shows all three persons active simultaneously. Jesus prays to the Father while promising to send the Spirit.

Why it fails: It’s like saying “I’m a father, a son, and a brother”—but those are roles, not persons. God is three persons at once, not one person playing three roles.

2. Adoptionism

This claims Jesus wasn’t eternally God but was created and later “adopted” as God’s Son. This directly contradicts Scripture:

  • “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1)
  • Jesus is described as Creator, not created (Colossians 1:16-17)

Why it fails: If Jesus isn’t fully divine, he couldn’t provide perfect atonement for our sins because He would not be perfect.

3. Partialism

This suggests each person of the Trinity is just a “part” of God—like pieces that make up a whole.

Why it fails: God cannot be divided into parts. Each person is fully God, not a fraction of God.

Why the Trinity Matters for Our Lives

The Trinity isn’t just abstract theology—it’s the blueprint for our salvation and relationships:

  1. The Father initiates the plan of salvation (Ephesians 1:3-6)
  2. The Son executes the plan through creation and redemption (Ephesians 1:7-12)
  3. The Spirit applies salvation by sealing believers (Ephesians 1:13-14)

This perfect love and unity within the Trinity becomes our model for community. Jesus prayed that we would be one as he and the Father are one (John 17:21). The Trinity shows us how different persons can be completely united in purpose and love.

Life Application

The Trinity invites us into mystery and wonder. Rather than trying to fully comprehend God, we’re called to experience His three-in-one love.

Here are some ways to apply this truth:

  1. Embrace the mystery. Don’t be frustrated by what you can’t fully understand about God. Let it draw you deeper into worship.
  2. Experience all three persons. Relate to God as Father, find salvation in the Son, and walk in the power of the Spirit. Don’t neglect any person of the Trinity in your spiritual life.
  3. Model Trinitarian love. Just as the Father, Son, and Spirit love and honor each other, we’re called to love others with that same selfless unity.
  4. Look to Jesus to see the Father. If you struggle to see God as loving, look at Jesus. As he said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Questions to Consider:

  • Which person of the Trinity do I relate to most easily? Which do I need to know better?
  • How might understanding God as Trinity change how I pray?
  • In what ways can my relationships reflect the unity and love of the Trinity?
  • How does the Trinity’s perfect love challenge my own approach to loving others?

The Trinity isn’t just something to believe—it’s someone to experience. As we grow in understanding God as Father, Son, and Spirit, we’ll discover the fullness of His love in ways that transform how we live and love.