Look, no one ever gets involved in a faith they think is wrong.

We’re passionate about growing spiritually and specifically becoming more devoted followers of the teaching and life of Jesus. We think being part of a community of faith helps us in this pursuit and we invite others to join us on this journey. However, most of our friends in San Jose have negative reactions to the words ‘church’ and ‘Christian’ so we have made it clear ‘no church experience’ is required to come and explore faith with us.

At The Journey, we give each other the space to have ideas about God that not only differ from each other but which also grow and change over the seasons of life.

God

We think God is the being who created the universe speaking it into existence with the power of his Word. We think that God is a personal and specific being who has unlimited power and ability to interact in the universe and our lives, and that he is present in every place.

The Bible

Though we can’t always explain the hows and whys of the Bible, we believe God inspired what is written. We read the Bible with curiosity, to ask questions of it because in those questions, we learn how to know God and each other better. We also read it with humility and without much dogmatism. We realize there’s room for discussion. Reading the Bible with humility also means we put our most vigorous energy into applying it to our own lives and rarely using it to expose faults in the lives of others. Ultimately, we see the Bible as God’s unchanging word which we use as a compass for our lives and foundation for our faith.

Our World

Oh, and here’s something that seems pretty obvious: life is seriously messed up in our world.

There’s a lot of things wrong in the world and part of being human involves trying to come to terms with the disconnect between how life actually is and how we intuitively know it should be. We know we hurt the ones we most care about and are inconsiderate to strangers we cut off on the freeway. We also see the limitless capacity of people around the world to bring suffering on other people, creatures, and the earth. The word “sin” pretty much sums that up. The Bible is clear about the reality of sin, the death and destruction caused by sin, and the inability of humans to save ourselves from sin.

God’s Plan

God’s plan of redemption surfaced in the first pages of the Bible but progressed mysteriously until the first Christmas. God enters the human race and becomes a human boy who grows up into a man! Jesus came telling stories about his kingdom, which is very different from the kingdoms of men. He heals people and feeds them while teaching them. He raises people from the dead. He builds into the lives of 12 working class guys and calls them to follow his example. A religious life is no longer an option, now it’s about a relationship, now it’s personal, now it’s a calling.

Jesus’ teachings challenged the religious status quo. Which eventually led to a brutal death on a cross. And by the way, that whole crucifixion thing was part of God’s plan too. It wasn’t Plan B or Plan C. Try wrapping your mind around that one.

The death and resurrection of Jesus did something that subverted the messed up systems of the world and specifically broke the grip that sin had on human souls. Jesus took the capital punishment for the sin of the world. For each and every human. Now every human has an opportunity to receive that forgiveness, that life, that gift only God could bring.

Jesus’ command to his followers launched a worldwide movement.
His followers have gathered together in groups for centuries doing our best to live by day the life of faith. We learn s…l…o…w…l…y how to forgive each other. We learn what it means to love, to suffer the injustices of life, to have passion and joy, to fail, to have hope in a bigger story…God’s story. The Journey is one of those communities in that movement. We are journeying together to become more and more fully devoted followers of Christ.

Trinity
Just to prove how limited our human minds are, we see in the pages of scripture the evidence of something we are unable to comprehend. The Biblical doctrine of the Trinity is well beyond the scope of human understanding, but it central to our belief in God. The Father, God Almighty. Jesus Christ, God who created and sustains the universe and became fully human. The Holy Spirit, God who is with us and guides us in all truth. Three distinct persons yet one God.

How Does It End?
Since day one, God created the earth to be our ‘home’ and He said it was good! Sin has inhibited that, but not destroyed it. As Jesus promised at the ascension, He is coming back here. Resurrection, a new (re-newed) earth, and eternal life with Him is what we long for and live for. His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven is what we pray for. The adventure and journey of faith begins in this life, but comes to fulfillment in the next.