In some parts of the Midwest during a polar vortex, winter blizzards can be so fierce that you can’t see your hand in front of your face. Before the onset of modern machinery in farming, farmers learned a life-saving lesson. When a blizzard was coming, they would tie a strong rope from their back door out to the barn. That way, they could make their way to the barn and back, holding on, step by step, even when they couldn’t see the path. The rope was their guide, their lifeline. In Jesus’ farewell address in the book of John, he promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to be our Helper—our guide, our lifeline—leading us through the storms and uncertainties of life, helping us follow Jesus in faith. That passage in John and another one in Romans provide 5 ways he does that.

There is a temptation in us to try to tame Jesus. We tend to domesticate the Son of God in our minds so that he is always kind and nice and unoffensive. One pastor said that we think Jesus is like Mr. Rogers with a beard. Such a good way to put it. The thing is though…he’s not. Sure, he is gentle and compassionate, but he’s also holy and fierce. After all, would the religious establishment have had a problem with Mr. Rogers? Would the Romans have crucified Mr. Rogers? Probably not. When we read about Jesus turning over the tables in the Temple, we are confronted with an untamed Jesus. Why was he so zealous? Mark 11:15-19 has 3 insights for us about the purpose of his actions that day.

As a young girl, Maya Angelou stopped speaking for nearly five years due to childhood trauma. During this time, she was sent to live with her grandmother in Arkansas. One day, her grandma’s neighbor named Mrs. Bertha Flowers, invited Maya to her home for tea and cookies. During their visit, she gently encouraged Maya to read aloud and introduced her to the beauty of literature and the spoken word. This simple invitation—to share an afternoon and read together—helped Maya find her voice again, literally. She started to speak again. And it, thus, set her on a path to becoming one of the most influential speakers and writers of the 20th century. A simple invitation can have that sort of impact, and no invitation has more power than the one given by Jesus. John 1:35-51 describes 3 aspects of Christ’s invitation to the world.

A man who sold Christmas trees, noticed a couple on the hunt for one in his parking lot. They found a Scotch pine that was okay on one side but pretty bare on the other. Then they picked up another tree that was not much better. The salesmen agreed to sell them both cheap because he didn’t think anyone else would buy them. A few days later he noticed a beautiful tree in the couple’s apartment. They had pushed the two trees together where the branches were thin and tied the trunks together. The branches overlapped and formed one full and healthy-looking tree. That story is similar to something taught in Ephesians 4:11-16. It has 3 principles about how God puts imperfect people together in the church to form one full and healthy group.

One day, a farmer pointed out to a friend his thriving crops and healthy livestock. His companion was especially impressed with the beautiful sheep in the pasture. He had seen the same breed before, but never such attractive animals. Curious, he asked the farmer how he had managed to raise such outstanding sheep. The answer was straightforward but profound: “My friend, I just take very good care of the lambs.” There’s a lesson in that story for churches. No matter how big a church gets, it should always maintain a focus on shepherding. Further, that focus should be particularly strong towards new people, the lambs that God has led there. Acts 20:17-38 describes at least 4 characteristics of good spiritual shepherds for every church to emulate.

In 1998, Thomas Monaghan retired the founder, president, and chief executive officer of Domino’s Pizza, Inc. From 1970 to 1985, he grew it from a small debt-ridden chain to the second largest pizza company in America, with sales of over one billion dollars. When asked to account for the phenomenal growth of the company, Monaghan explained, “I programmed everything for growth.” How did he do that? He said, “Every day we develop people – the key to growth is developing people.” He didn’t focus on special cheese, a tasty crust, or fast delivery schedules, but on developing more leaders. If that is true for a pizza chain, how much more true is it for the church! 2 Timothy 2:1-7 contains 5 characteristics God wants his faith leaders to develop so that his church grows.