Westwood Church Online

The journey of a follower of God takes each of us down two paths at the same time: one path takes us toward full devotion to God, and the other path leads us toward influencing the lives of others. And the beauty of the Christian life is that we travel down both paths at the same time! To get direction along our journeys of spiritual growth, there are at least six helpful self-diagnostic questions that we can ask ourselves, that flow out of Jesus’ words spoken 2,000 years ago (Mark 12:28-34 and Matthew 28:16-20):

1. Am I longing to more authentically connect with God?
2. Do I feel a need to be with other travellers on the same spiritual journey?
3. Do I want to thoughtfully connect more deeply with God’s written word, the Bible?
4. Am I giving myself and my resources away to God and others?
5. Am I willing to let go of secondary things so I can give myself fully to God?
6. Do I need to put others ahead of myself, and serve their needs rather than my own?

To progress down both paths to Biblical spiritual growth and maturity, we usually need to be involved in different areas at different times. Sometimes we need to be taught, sometimes we need relationships, and sometimes we need to serve others. At Westwood, we have carefully provided opportunities for your spiritual growth.

When you look at your own spiritual journey, where do you think you are? Are you just beginning your exploration? Have you been walking down a path of spiritual discovery for a long time?

A great way of wrestling with the life question of “Where am I?” is to look at the continuum below, and put a check mark beside your current experience and understanding of your own “spiritual story”:

• I don't need God in my story,
• I need God in my story,
• I need God to write my story, or
• I need God to write his story in and through me.

Once you have identified your place in your story, the next step is to ask, “How do I move ahead in my Christian journey?”. Here are a few ideas to help you start answering the question, and to determine what your next step might be:

1. Get a Bible that you can easily understand (if you are unsure of what a “good Bible” is, ask one of the pastors for advice), and slowly read through the Gospel of Mark. As you read, ask yourself the question, “Who do I believe Jesus is?”. That is one of the repeated questions in Mark, and it is a great question for each of us to work through.
2. Join one of our many Life Groups. Traveling on the Christian journey is much more encouraging (and occasionally challenging!) if we travel together. In a Life Group, you can explore the Bible, what it means to follow Jesus, and how God himself can transform our character, our attitudes and even our view of the world.
3. Participate in one or more of the Life Learning opportunities that we offer throughout the year. Part of trusting and allowing God to write his story through you is to have your thinking and perspectives to be influenced by the truths of God. As such, carefully and interactively studying (and then applying) the Bible can breathe fresh air into your journey like nothing else!
4. Be part of one of the Westwood 101 seminars that we offer each year. In this four week Sunday-morning course, you will discover what Westwood is all about, who the Mennonite Brethren are (the “MB” in our church name), and how God is calling you to following him in a more meaningful way.