One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
REFERENCES: MARK 3:1-6, DEUTERONOMY 23:25, MATTHEW 11:28-30
“What’s the point?” Have you ever been at a meeting at work, family reunion, or school only to leave the meeting wondering what it was about? If we aren’t careful we can do the same when coming to church. We can sing, shout, clap at the preacher, only to leave and not truly know why we were there to begin with. Jesus came to save us. He has the power to change our lives for the good when we surrender. He shared his perfect viewpoint of salvation with the Pharisees in the grainfield and they missed it. Remember, he doesn’t just want us to talk about living a great life through him, he wants us to actually live it out. The point of change is to live the life God intended for us. It’s not a perfect life, but a life of progress.
The point of change is not to merely look different, it’s to be different.
How we see things is important. Jesus was trying to call out the point of the Sabbath, whereas, the Pharisees were looking for a reason to trap Jesus, so they used the Sabbath as their snare. Because they were more focused on keeping the Sabbath than reaping the point of it, they missed out on what Jesus was doing with it. The point of the Sabbath is rest for our souls, which is ultimately found in Jesus himself.
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” —Mark 2:27-28
Then he went back in the meeting place where he found a man with a crippled hand. The Pharisees had their eyes on Jesus to see if he would heal him, hoping to catch him in a Sabbath violation. He said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand here where we can see you.” —Mark 3:1-3
Jesus asked the man to stand up in front of everyone, knowing that he was asking the man to obey him despite the fact that many thought his actions were breaking the law. All throughout the centuries Jesus is calling generations to stand up and stand out with actions, not just words.
Oftentimes what we look for, we will find. How we see things determines how we do things and why we do them. When we have a “why” the “how” becomes easy. If we don’t understand the point of change, we can find that much of what God has left in his word to be a blessing for our lives has turned into a burden. We can choose today to change our perspective and take a stand for what truly matters. Our viewpoint will determine our standpoint. And our standpoint will lead to our boiling point. Our boiling point determines our actions and what we are passionate about. The point of changing is to love God and love people. May righteousness be what we are all about. May we not miss the point of change, but may our change be the point.
Do a soul check. Is there a spiritual discipline that has become a burden to you? Recommit it to God, seek out the point of the habit so you don't miss it.
If someone in your Crew needs care, we want to come alongside you. Our Care Response Team is designed to equip you to walk with people in different seasons of their life.Our team is committed to celebrating life’s best moments with you and offering support through its hardest ones.We would love to come around you for the following life events:
+ Marriages
+ Births
+ Deaths
+ Hospitalizations/Illness
Please submit a request at vouschurch.com/requestcare
Saying yes to Jesus marks a brand new beginning. Baptism is your next step. It's how you go public with your faith and celebrate the new life God has given you. The past is behind you, and a fresh future is ahead. This is your moment. We are having baptisms this Sunday, July 27th, across all of our locations, and on the beach.
To sign up for baptisms, please click here.
This back-to-school season, we have the opportunity to show up for our city in a meaningful way. On Saturday, August 2, we’re hosting a Back to School Bash at the Samuel K. Johnson Youth Center, located inside Charles Hadley Park. It’s a chance to serve local families by distributing backpacks filled with school supplies and making sure every student feels seen, supported, and ready to start the year with confidence.
Donate - Fill backpacks for families in need for the school year. You can purchase supplies locally and bring to a VOUS Location or donate online.
Serve - Help host our annual Back To School Bash for families in our community — distribute backpacks, check-in guests, and serve our city during a morning of fun and games.
When: Saturday, August 2nd
Where: Samuel K. Johnson Youth Center
Address: 4900 NW 12th Ave, Miami, FL 33127
Team Rally: 10:20AM
Starting Sunday, August 3rd, we will be moving to brand new service times at all of our locations!
VOUS SoMi
10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM
VOUS Design District
8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM
The countdown is on! If you're ready to take your next step in ministry, leadership, or higher education, now is the time to apply. VOUS College application deadline is July 31st for both our degree-seeking and leadership programs. Don’t miss your chance to be part of a life-changing semester. Start your journey at vouscollege.com/apply.
VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM
VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM
Church Online
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 5PM Español
Growth Track
After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack