Jesus Vibes

In one paragraph

Pastor Brian opened 1 John 1:1 and let one word pull the whole evening forward: the Greek word behind "touched," which carries the meaning of rubbing a worry stone smooth and of plucking or bowing a string. From that single word, he built a case that we were made to be in physical, tangible, resonant contact with Jesus, not to admire him from behind a museum rope. The starting point was the word...

Read together

1. 1 John 1:1 central text of the sermon, read from the NLT, used to ground the discussion of seeing, hearing, and touching Jesus
2. John 1 paraphrased from the Message translation, 'the word moved into the neighborhood', used to illustrate Jesus becoming flesh and dwelling among us
3. John 10:27 quoted to illustrate the concept of harmonic resonance, sheep listening to and following Jesus's voice
4. Galatians 5:25 quoted to connect living by the Spirit with the idea of being tuned to resonate with the Holy Spirit
5. 2 Corinthians 3:18 quoted to illustrate being changed into the Lord's glorious image, connected to the concept of harmonic resonance
6. Luke 24:32 quoted to illustrate harmonic resonance, the disciples' hearts burning within them as Jesus walked and talked with them on the road
7. Genesis 1:1 referenced briefly to connect God speaking creation into existence with the concepts of frequency and vibration

What was said

• Spend time in your Bible this week and let the Holy Spirit draw your attention to a single word or verse, the way Brian did when this message started.
• If you feel out of sorts or have some static in your life, bring it to Jesus specifically and ask Him to tune your heart back into alignment with His frequency.
• Raise your hands like a tuning fork during your personal prayer time this week as a physical reminder that you are opening yourself to resonate with Jesus.
• Come to the worship night at Gateway on Wednesday at 6:30 PM in Raptor J and spend time in corporate worship with the Gateway family.
• If you are not already on the Tribe text blast, fill out a connect card with your phone number so you can stay in the loop on what is coming up.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about how John described being able to see, hear, and physically touch Jesus, and said that many Christians have made Jesus so untouchable that he becomes more like a museum exhibit than someone you can actually handle and examine. Where do you think that distance comes from, and have you felt it in your own faith?
2. The Greek word for 'touch' in that verse carries the idea of rubbing a worry stone repeatedly and also of plucking or bowing a string. What do you make of the connection between something worn smooth by constant contact and the way we are meant to relate to Jesus?
3. Brian walked through sympathetic resonance and harmonic resonance and then landed on the idea that when two tuning forks share the same frequency, one struck fork will cause the other to vibrate on its own. How does that picture change the way you think about spending time with other believers or with Jesus himself?
4. CJ said he feels like he is somewhere between the stool and the cello, and nearly everyone in the room raised a hand to say they could relate. Where would you honestly place yourself on that spectrum right now, and what do you think is the biggest thing keeping you closer to the stool end?
5. The disciples on the road described their experience with the risen Jesus as their hearts burning within them, and Brian said that was harmonic resonance. Can you point to a moment in your own life when you felt something like that, and what were the conditions around it?