Jesus called out to them,
“Come, follow me.”
Matthew 4:19
We believe that the invitation that Jesus extends to each and ever person, is to follow him— to be his disciple. Accepting this invitation means re-orienting our lives around being formed into a person who increasingly resembles the life and teachings of Jesus.
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Being formed into a person who increasingly resembles Jesus doesn’t happen by accident, nor does it happen overnight. Rather, its a life-long journey that requires us to intentionally create space for the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out, by engaging in his…
How are we formed into his likeness?
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The things we believe shape the person we ultimately become. By engaging in scripture and the teachings of Jesus, we renew our minds by progressively replacing our own destructive images and ideas with the images and ideas that filled the mind of Jesus.
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The things we do play a big role in shaping the person we ultimately become. If our goal is to become like Jesus, then we need to adopt His practices into our everyday rhythms— practices based on His lifestyle, His teaching, and His ministry.
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The people we surround ourselves with play a vital role in shaping the person we ultimately become. If we are seeking to be formed into the likeness of Jesus, then surrounding ourselves by other disciples of Jesus is vital.
Formation at Northridge
As a church, we believe it’s our job to create space for people to engage in the teachings, practices, and community of Jesus. From there, we let the Holy Spirit do the rest. Below is the Northridge Formation Guide— a visual representation of the opportunties we provide for Jesus-centered formation.
We encourage you to use it as a way to find yourself within the life of our church, and as an invitation to move deeper into our family. We want it to help you take deeper steps into your relationship with Jesus and others. There is no one-size-fits-all way of following Jesus, but we do believe that a balanced and deep engagement in the discipleship opportunities of your local church is vital to healthy spiritual formation. Move at your own pace, that honours your capacity and season of life, and that you feel God calling you into.
Teaching
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Focus Groups are interactive, group-based learning opportunities for those with shared questions or needs, looking for answers or support.
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Focus Nights are one-off teaching nights where we spend time learning & discussing topics that require more time and attention than Sunday mornings can offer.
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Each January we start a year-long Bible Reading plan together through the YouVersion app.
Practice
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Giving to the church is a vital practice, not only as a way to support the work of the local church, but also as a way to loosen the grip that money and greed can often have on the human heart.
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We become more like Jesus as we willing participate in the work he is doing, through the local church. At Northridge, we provide a number of ways that people can serve through our church.
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Prayer is a vital and growing part of our church. We provide a number of ways in which you can pray alongside us.
Learn more here!
Community
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Life Groups are groups of 8-15 people who gather regularly in homes around York Region, who seek to support each other in their effort to inhabiting Jesus’ way of life.
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Throughout the year we offer a number of events for us to connect as a church family.
Learn more here!
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Sunday morning is our biggest gathering of the week, where we get a small taste of all three— teaching, practice & community.
A Rule of Life
While we attempt to create space for people to experience the tranformative power of the Holy Spirit, by no means are we able to provide everything a follower of Jesus needs for a life-long, fruitful journey of following Jesus. This is why we encourage people to craft their own Rule of Life— an ancient practice that followers of Jesus have used to make sure their life is fully oriented around Him and His desire to tranform us into His likeness.
Helpful Resources
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Book Recommendations
There are so many books out there…which ones do we suggest?
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YouVersion | Bible Plan
Join us as we read through the New Testament in a year.
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RightNow Media
The Netflix for bible studies.
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From the Ridge | Podcast
A podcast that invites listeners to tune in and see how God is at work both at Northridge Community Church, the Aurora Community, and his broader Kingdom!
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Past Teachings
You can find all of our past teachings on our podcast platform or on our Youtube page.
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Bible Project Classroom
Interested in taking a free bible course? Check out the Bible Project Classroom.
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Spiritual Disciplines
Want some help on how to practice the spiritual disciplines?
