This past Sunday we started a new series that looks at what it means to follow Jesus. We began by trying to clear up some of the misunderstanding surrounding this thing the church calls discipleship by removing some of the religious baggage.

First we revised some of the language and decided to use the term apprenticeship instead. It’s easier to visualize us becoming students rather than religious zealots, which is the image the old language conjured up for most of us. An apprentice is a student that learns to do what his or her master is good at. In Jesus case, he was good at living the life of the kingdom here on earth. So as his students we’re with him, learning from him, how to get good at living the kingdom life. Read more ›

I know this sounds almost sacrilegious but the Jesus I read about in the gospels was a happy person who really enjoyed life. He was fun to be around. You get the impression he was a life of the party-type.

That’s probably why he got so many dinner invitations and why kids climbed all over him. This Jesus is no sober sourpuss like the one portrayed in medieval paintings. No, he’s worry-free and full of joy. It seems that where he was joy was and his joy stood out. It apparently characterized and energized him, setting him apart from all other human beings.

His foundation

His joy wasn’t simply a strong feeling of happiness. It was a state of mind. A deep abiding sense of well being that comes from being safe, secure, and at home. It was this at-home-ness that formed the foundation of Jesus’ life and was the source of his joy.

Read more ›

The Apprentices: What it means to follow Jesus is running through September!

For my morning devotions I’ve been reading through the Psalms using the Message, a version of the Bible that reads like the morning newspaper.

This has helped me read what are essentially poems that were put to music and sung in worship services, with fresh eyes. And in doing so I’ve been shocked by how much complaining and gripping is going on. The psalmists were real grousers!

This raises a couple of questions: Can complaining ever be good and how can gripping be worship? Read more ›

Here are the groups that will be meeting from June through August 2011. You’re welcome to check out any of these groups.

Most groups are a combination of building friendships, some Bible or book study & prayer, although different groups might focus on different things. Contact the group leader for more information about a specific group.

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swearan oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

On Sundays here at the NBV we’ve been going through Jesus’ teachings in his Sermon on the Mount. I skipped over this passage on swearing and giving oaths because of scheduling and time constraints. But it doesn’t mean its less important than any of the other things he had to say about living good and wise lives. So I thought I’d write a few words about it here. Read more ›

“41 Jesus went over to the collection box in the Temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies. 43 He called his disciples to him and said, “I assure you, this poor widow has given more than all the others have given. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

A lesson from the Sermon

Here at the NBV we’ve been going through the Sermon on the Mount. We’ve come across a startling yet very helpful truth. Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom.” A goodness “beyond” that of the religious experts? What could Jesus possibly mean? Well simply this: You can’t keep the law by keeping the law. You have to aim at something better, something beyond merely keeping the rules. Read more ›

Starting in May we will be examining the Sermon on the Mount and what Jesus had to say about living our lives wisely or as we like to say, “living the good life”.

One way we are learning to connect well with our world the NBV is caring for a group of women who do not have a voice and are largely ignored in our neighborhood. For more information contact: info@northbrooklynvineyard.org

Moat conscious

If you been around our church over the past seven weeks and participated in this year’s 40 days of prayer, by now you should, at the very least, be uneasily “cross the moat conscious”. Up to now you thought you were doing pretty good keeping it together on your island – staying out of trouble and on God’s good side, showing up to church more often than not, working at being a fairly decent person, keeping your house in order, staying off the employment line, paying your bills, all the while seeking out a social life. Read more ›