Crossover - GROW

We Can Grow Together

John 15:4

When you look at a fruit tree, do you see the fruit or the roots? You only see the fruit. You can’t see the roots.

 That’s how our lives are too. I can’t by looking at you, see how close you are to Jesus. And you can’t tell how close I am by looking at me.

 We can see the fruit, we can see how people live their lives, how they spend their time and money, how they talk and treat others. And often, those things are a good indicator of how much someone knows Jesus. But they are a symptom, not the cause.

Good fruit is a sign of good roots, but bad roots will produce bad fruit.

To Grow Close to Jesus We Need to:

1. Want to.
2. Do things.

How do you become friends with someone? Well first you must want to, and then you do stuff together. Relationships are built on shared experiences.

 You must want to grow close to God. I can’t make you, your parents can’t, no one can. It’s a decision you must make.

• Who knows you best?
• Who would you like to know?
• What makes you feel close to God?
  • Why?
• What are some things we can do everyday to grow closer to God?
  • Help students think of practical answers they can do every day.
• READ: Colossians 2:7 “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
  • How do we build our lives on Jesus?
  • What does “strong faith” look like?
  • Why is thankfulness important?

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: This week, read at least one Bible chapter a day. If you do not know where to start, the gospel of John is a great choice. We will talk about what we read next week.