Vida Church Santa Maria

In John 8, Jesus deals with "religious" leaders who exploited a woman in order to trap him. This story reveals—maybe more than any other—God’s heart toward those who have been used or tormented by others. And it points to the Ways of Jesus being rooted in a new reality—one marked by grace, love, and the possibility of permanent reconciliation with God! 

In John 7:17, Jesus says, “If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” There is a direct link between our doing and our knowing. When we choose to do God’s will, something is unlocked in our thinking and we come to understand the words and ways of Jesus. But the opposite is also true: If we choose not to do God’s will, the words and ways of Jesus will always remain a mystery to us. 

In John 6 we read two of Jesus' most well-remembered miracles: when he fed the 5,000 and walked on water. But the crowds didn't get it. While they enjoyed the "natural" benefits of Jesus' miracles, they missed the bigger picture of the "supernatural" work he was doing. This conflict helps us understand the contrast between OUR ways and HIS ways.  

What happens if we keep our eyes shut tight, unwilling to see the ways of Jesus? In John 5 we meet a fool — a man Jesus heals after decades of brokenness — but the healing doesn't cure his foolishness. Might we see ourselves reflected in the story of this foolish man?

In this bilingual message, Pastor Joel shares about Jesus — the missionary God — who goes beyond ethnic, gender, religious and social boundaries to have a conversation with a Samaritan woman. This conversation transformed her life, and could transform ours as well. 

In John 4, Jesus tells his followers to open their eyes to see beyond the natural. Then a story follows of desperate man seeking Jesus' help — a man who opened his eyes beyond the natural and received a supernatural miracle. These stories urge us to open our eyes to see the ways of Jesus.

John 3 captures an amazing conversation between Jesus and a religious leader, Nicodemus. In this dialog we find why we, just like Nicodemus, can be blinded to the ways of Jesus — but how Jesus offers us a way to see clearly. And it's a way that leads to life eternal!

In John 2 there are back-to-back stories that couldn't be more different. The first — when Jesus turned water into wine — illustrates how things work when people are beautifully surrendered to His ways. The second — when Jesus cleared the temple — shows the conflict that errupts when we're in opposition to His ways. Have you ever heard the crack of Jesus' whip?

From the very first words of John's gospel, we begin to understand the Ways of Jesus. He came to bring light into a dark world—and life into our dead hearts. Join in as we discover how to join with Jesus in His plan to share His "logos"message throughout the world!

Pastor Tim brings an overview of the Ways of Jesus as seen in the Gospel of John. While we'll be looking at many of Jesus' ways in our series, there are five specific categories in which they fall.

The Ways of Jesus are: 

1. Illuminated by God
2. Accessed through faith
3. In conflict with our ways
4. Marked by clear boundaries
5. Leading to eternal life

CLICK HERE to download a copy of this message's handout. 

We often think about the words and works of Jesus, but rarely about His ways. But as we learn His ways, we discover the very heart of God. And while His ways are always good, they are nothing like our ways; while they lead to a hope-filled future, they are often filled with challenges we wouldn't choose on our own.

These good-but-challenging ways of Jesus are now being seen in the lives of our associate pastors, Joel and Veronica Arreola. Listen to their story, allow their faith to stretch your own, and join with us in partnering with them in their next seasons of ministry. 

We are constantly faced with making choices — but do we just slip into habits, fears and the ruts of past decisions when a choice needs to be made? Or is there a better way? Pastor Tim talks about five important concepts as we wrestle with decisions as followers of Jesus. "Every decision we make declares what we truly believe about God." 

Pastor Joel brings a word on a topic that causes some people fear: what it means to obey God! But as Peter discovered, as he learned to trust Jesus, and simply do what He said, beautiful things followed. 

In this final message in our series, Ron Brown shares about God's Tabernacle — the special "tent of meeting" where God visited His people as they traveled through the wildreness. 

When God took His finger and wrote out the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone, He wasn't just giving "rules and regulations" for His people, He was revealing something for all generations that is for our liberation! Discover what God was showing us through the Law given long ago. 

In the days just after God's intervention that set His people free from the Egyptians, they faced trouble. They were out of water. But instead of calling out to God, they complained. What do we do when we face trouble, and what can we learn about choosing a different path?

When Moses showed up in Egypt to set God's people free, their liberation didn't happen immediately. The Israelites had to learn to trust God for their freedom as they watched Him work on their behalf. In this story we find encouragement for our own struggles and learn the power of taking our families with us into freedom. 

The story of Exodus is one of God's intervention to bring freedom to those trapped in captivity and oppression. And as Moses learned, God's revelation is always intended to bring our liberation. But before he could lead others to freedom, he needed to become free himself. And it all happened at a bush on fire. 

When God asked Jacob, "Who are you?" it's not because God forgot! He was asking Jacob about his identity. Pastor Robby Booth deals with this issue as he discusses Jacob's wrestling match with God. 

Guest speaker, Jojo Murdock, talks from her own life — from foster child, to mom, to advocate — about those who poured into her with "mothering moments" and revolutionized her life. "Moms are ordinary people who do extraordinary things!"