Every Moment Matters: Following Jesus in Real Life, Not Just in Theory
What you do with a moment matters more than you think.
Paul says it plainly in Ephesians 5:16: “Make the most of every opportunity.”
This is our 2026 vision at The Bridge Church. It’s simple but weighty: Every Moment Matters. Because time isn’t neutral. Moments don’t just pass. They form us.
Over the past year, we’ve talked about Sozo life: healing, wholeness, and freedom that Jesus brings. Now comes the next step.
This year is about learning how to live out what God has healed, how to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit, and how to move with Him in everyday life. We’re going from personal discipleship to evangelistic impact.
Following Jesus Starts with Imitation
Paul doesn’t tell us to admire God. He tells us to imitate Him.
“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1, NKJV)
That word imitators literally means to mimic, to pattern your life after someone else.
Jesus said in John 5:19 that He only did what He saw the Father doing. The Son modeled what it looks like to live in total dependence on God. Then He turned around and invited ordinary people to do the same.
Fishermen.
A tax collector.
People with no religious credentials.
“Follow Me.”
And He still says it today.
What “Follow Me” Really Means
When Jesus says, “Follow Me,” He’s not offering self-improvement. He’s calling us to discipleship.
“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)
To follow Jesus is to be shaped by His life: how He loved, how He obeyed, how He surrendered. That’s why following Jesus often clashes with cultural norms. The gospel doesn’t adjust to our lifestyle; it reshapes it.
As Jesus puts it bluntly in Luke 14:33 (The Message): “If you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you…and kiss it goodbye, you can’t be my disciple.”
That’s not harsh. It’s honest.
Faith That Reaches Everyday Life
Paul moves the conversation out of big ideas and into real life. After talking about identity, light, and transformation, he boils it down to a daily practice. He says in Ephesians 5:2: “Walk in love.”
That word walk refers to how you live your everyday life. Live in a way that actively puts others first. Let love shape your choices, your reactions, and your relationships, the same way Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. God’s Word is meant to touch your relationships, your thinking, your words, and your actions.
Following Jesus affects every part of your world - what you do with your body, your money, your influence, and your voice.
Who’s Driving the Gift?
Here’s a sobering truth: every God-given gift can be distorted if the flesh is in control.
Love can turn into lust when we’re desperate to be loved.
Care can turn into control when we need order or validation.
Truth can turn into self-promotion when we crave honor.
The issue is never whether you’re gifted. The issue is who’s driving the gift: flesh or Spirit.
Transformation Starts in the Mind
Paul goes after more than behavior. He goes after thinking and speaking.
“Thanksgiving is our dialect.” (Ephesians 5:4, The Message)
Scripture aligns with what neuroscience now confirms. Repeated thoughts shape the brain. That’s why Romans 12:1–2 calls us to renew our minds, not just modify our actions.
When our thinking changes, our speaking changes. When our speaking changes, our living follows. This is how we overcome. Not by managing sin, but by living from a renewed identity.
Jesus Is Lord, Not a Life Coach
Jesus was never meant to be a philosophy, a set of principles, or a motivational guide. He is Lord. When He’s Lord, everything changes. We stop living for ourselves and come alive in Him. We stop reacting in darkness and start walking as children of light.
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8)
That’s the power of faith lived out daily.
The Invitation for 2026
This year isn’t about perfection. It’s about intention. Paying attention to the Spirit. Choosing obedience in small moments. Living awake.
As children of light, loving what’s right becomes an expression of following Jesus. We learn to think differently, speak differently, and live with intention in every moment.
Because every moment matters, and God is still at work in all of them.
Paul says it plainly in Ephesians 5:16: “Make the most of every opportunity.”
This is our 2026 vision at The Bridge Church. It’s simple but weighty: Every Moment Matters. Because time isn’t neutral. Moments don’t just pass. They form us.
Over the past year, we’ve talked about Sozo life: healing, wholeness, and freedom that Jesus brings. Now comes the next step.
This year is about learning how to live out what God has healed, how to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit, and how to move with Him in everyday life. We’re going from personal discipleship to evangelistic impact.
Following Jesus Starts with Imitation
Paul doesn’t tell us to admire God. He tells us to imitate Him.
“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1, NKJV)
That word imitators literally means to mimic, to pattern your life after someone else.
Jesus said in John 5:19 that He only did what He saw the Father doing. The Son modeled what it looks like to live in total dependence on God. Then He turned around and invited ordinary people to do the same.
Fishermen.
A tax collector.
People with no religious credentials.
“Follow Me.”
And He still says it today.
What “Follow Me” Really Means
When Jesus says, “Follow Me,” He’s not offering self-improvement. He’s calling us to discipleship.
“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)
To follow Jesus is to be shaped by His life: how He loved, how He obeyed, how He surrendered. That’s why following Jesus often clashes with cultural norms. The gospel doesn’t adjust to our lifestyle; it reshapes it.
As Jesus puts it bluntly in Luke 14:33 (The Message): “If you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you…and kiss it goodbye, you can’t be my disciple.”
That’s not harsh. It’s honest.
Faith That Reaches Everyday Life
Paul moves the conversation out of big ideas and into real life. After talking about identity, light, and transformation, he boils it down to a daily practice. He says in Ephesians 5:2: “Walk in love.”
That word walk refers to how you live your everyday life. Live in a way that actively puts others first. Let love shape your choices, your reactions, and your relationships, the same way Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. God’s Word is meant to touch your relationships, your thinking, your words, and your actions.
Following Jesus affects every part of your world - what you do with your body, your money, your influence, and your voice.
Who’s Driving the Gift?
Here’s a sobering truth: every God-given gift can be distorted if the flesh is in control.
Love can turn into lust when we’re desperate to be loved.
Care can turn into control when we need order or validation.
Truth can turn into self-promotion when we crave honor.
The issue is never whether you’re gifted. The issue is who’s driving the gift: flesh or Spirit.
Transformation Starts in the Mind
Paul goes after more than behavior. He goes after thinking and speaking.
“Thanksgiving is our dialect.” (Ephesians 5:4, The Message)
Scripture aligns with what neuroscience now confirms. Repeated thoughts shape the brain. That’s why Romans 12:1–2 calls us to renew our minds, not just modify our actions.
When our thinking changes, our speaking changes. When our speaking changes, our living follows. This is how we overcome. Not by managing sin, but by living from a renewed identity.
Jesus Is Lord, Not a Life Coach
Jesus was never meant to be a philosophy, a set of principles, or a motivational guide. He is Lord. When He’s Lord, everything changes. We stop living for ourselves and come alive in Him. We stop reacting in darkness and start walking as children of light.
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8)
That’s the power of faith lived out daily.
The Invitation for 2026
This year isn’t about perfection. It’s about intention. Paying attention to the Spirit. Choosing obedience in small moments. Living awake.
As children of light, loving what’s right becomes an expression of following Jesus. We learn to think differently, speak differently, and live with intention in every moment.
Because every moment matters, and God is still at work in all of them.
Posted in Christian Living
Posted in Every Moment Matters, Vision Sunday, Following Jesus, Discipleship, Ephesians 5, #SozoLife
Posted in Every Moment Matters, Vision Sunday, Following Jesus, Discipleship, Ephesians 5, #SozoLife
Recent
Every Moment Matters: Following Jesus in Real Life, Not Just in Theory
January 13th, 2026
God’s Best vs. Almost Right: When Discernment Protects Your Breakthrough
January 7th, 2026
Dead to Sin. Alive to God: The Power of Baptism
December 30th, 2025
Peace Has a Plan: How to Trust God’s Promises
December 23rd, 2025
When God Changes the Plan: Choosing Your Response
December 16th, 2025
Archive
2026
2025
January
March
June
July
August
September
October
November