This post is based on Scott’s talk Going Deeper – if you would prefer to listen to it in full, please visit the SJB Podcast.
In Acts 19:1-10, we see Paul arrive in Ephesus, and he meets with some believers.
He asks about the Holy Spirit, he asks about which baptism they received, and he walks them through who Jesus is/was and leads them deeper. This is Paul’s heart – to lead them deeper. This year, we’re thinking about what it means for us to go deeper as a group of believers too, and there is a lot to learn from this passage in Acts.
Paul enters the synagogue and “speaks boldly… arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God,” but after three months it becomes clear that people were not receiving, so he instead finds the Hall of Tyrannus. A place that is fit for purpose, where he could continue to take people deeper and who, as a result, go out into the local community to share the Good News. Eventually after 2 years we see a move of God that has impacted a whole region.
Ephesus was a church that owned a deep faith, it was a place of healing, and it impacted a region. The Bible shows us that this deep faith leads to a wide faith that takes us out into the community to share the love of God with our people. It is this deep faith that we want to pursue as SJB Church in 2025.
From the church in Ephesus, to Minster Churches back in the 7th century, to modern day resourcing churches within the Church of England, God’s method of working has always been to take hold of a group of people (or sometimes individuals) to bring about massive Kingdom expansion.
MAKING DISCIPLES | BUILDING A NETWORK | CHANGING A CITY
We believe that God is calling us to learn from Acts 19, to learn from Minster Churches and to truly live out our call as a Resource Church. We want to go DEEPER and there are 4 areas we are going to bring particular focus on in 2025...
DEEPER IN DISCIPLESHIP
1. Being Rooted in the love of God
2. Becoming like Jesus and allowing the fruit of Spirit to grow
3. Obeying Gods call
DEEPER INTO EMERGING GENERATIONS
1. Investing in leaders and supporting parents
2. Deepening the faith of our children and young people
3. Engaging more deeply with the school
DEEPER INTO NETWORK
Building a network where new churches are planted and existing ones are revitalised. Including thinking about whether you may be called to join St Peter’s Oadby temporarily or permanently. More on this at 25:50 on the podcast.
DEEPER INVESTEMENT IN OUR BUILDING
As we look at all that God is calling us to do, it’s obvious that our building isn’t fit for purpose, so we have engaged an architect to put together some ideas and we will have a consultation later this year. Adam Simmonds explains more at 30 mins on the podcast.
Response
So, what will your response be? We believe that 2025 is a year to go deeper, to build in such a way that over many years we will see and continue to see ongoing Kingdom impact.
