Our journey to become followers of "the Way" continues as we explore the third mark of discipleship: living to make it better. We unpack what it means to be spiritual contributors rather than consumers, fighting for unity, and using our God-given gifts to serve others.

• Making it better means living as a spiritual contributor, not a consumer
• Approaching service as an act of worship honors God with our very best
• Unity requires intentional effort as we naturally drift toward isolation
• Jesus provided specific steps for reconciliation in Matthew 18
• Every believer has received spiritual gifts designed to serve others
• We'll never accomplish as much separately as we can together
• Simple acts of kindness can become someone's miracle
• Everyday faithfulness matters more than dramatic heroics

If you want to know how you can make it better in your life, both inside our church and in our community, scan the QR code in your message notes. We want to help you make a difference because that's what God has called all of us to do.

The way of a disciple is living with all of Christ in all of life, demonstrated through how we see and serve people around us. When we love God first, we're empowered to see people through kingdom eyes rather than through the lens of our own needs.

• Looking at the parable of the Good Samaritan to understand what it means to be a neighbor
• Understanding that hurting people hurt people, but healed people bring healing
• Recognizing that people who seem "inconvenient" are part of our mission, not interruptions
• Learning from Jesus' example of stopping for the woman who touched his robe while on an urgent mission
• Discovering that true neighborly love is seeing opportunities to serve rather than waiting to be served
• Finding balance in how we help others: doing what we can, using what we have, and providing next steps
• Realizing that when we serve others, Jesus receives it as if we're serving him directly

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. God has not called any one of us to change the world, but each of us to walk into our world looking to make a difference.

We're beginning a brand new series called "The Way" about what it means to make disciples the Jesus way—exploring how followers of Christ are identified by their characteristics. The way of a disciple is defined by having all of Christ in all aspects of life, recognizable to others as being citizens of God's Kingdom.

• Before Christians were called "Christians," they were known as "followers of the Way"
• Jesus identified loving God as the greatest commandment, referencing Deuteronomy's guidance
• God's "love languages" include four specific ways we show Him love
• Loving God with complete allegiance means 100% commitment, not a halfway relationship
• Our primary identity as God's children should organize all other roles in our lives
• The third expression of love is through our decisions—representing God well to others
• Worship as the fourth love language means reorienting ourselves to God's goodness regularly
• People should be able to tell where we're from by how we express love for God
• Like finding a pearl of great value, discovering the Kingdom makes everything else secondary

The RLC Conference is coming up on August 23rd. Join us for a full day of digging deeper into God's word with many different topics about family, cultural issues, and discipleship. Register today at the Welcome Center!