To Move From Here To There | The Time Is Now | Pastor Adam Bishop

Devotional

Day 1: The time is now, move from here to there

A new year can feel like a fresh page, and that longing you sense to make progress is a good gift. God meets you right where you are and is able to move you forward, even beyond what you can picture right now. Many of us believe that, yet we still feel stuck, and that gap can be discouraging. Take heart—God’s path into “there” often begins with naming where “here” truly is and daring to hope again. Today is an invitation to trust that real change is possible with Him. [03:58]

Ephesians 3:20-21: God can do far more than anything we ask for or even imagine. His power is already working inside His people, and through this, Jesus is honored in His church in every generation.

Reflection: Where do you most feel the tension between believing God can move you forward and actually experiencing movement, and how would you describe your “from here to there” in one clear sentence today?

Day 2: Embrace dependence on God and His people

Quiet moments with God matter deeply, and gathering on Sundays is vital—but you were also made to grow through relationships. It’s normal, not weak, to need others to listen, encourage, and steady your faith when you waver. Throughout history, God has used ordinary people to strengthen and guide others at just the right time. You belong to a spiritual family designed to help you move from here to there. Let today be the day you admit you need both God and the people He provides. [04:45]

Romans 12:4-5: Just like one body has many parts with different jobs, so those who are in Christ form one body together. We are joined to each other, and each person matters to the rest.

Reflection: Who are two specific people you can invite into one area where you want to grow, and what is one concrete way you will ask them for help this week?

Day 3: Beware pseudo-healthy connections; choose true friends

Some relationships look fine on the surface but quietly pull you back to the same old patterns when you start to change. When you step toward health, complacent companions often tug you back to “here” so they don’t have to move with you. Real friends cheer, challenge, and lift you when you wobble. You don’t have to cut people off, but you may need wise limits and fresh voices who call you upward. Guard your steps—the slow drift is real, and so is God’s invitation to better company. [05:12]

1 Corinthians 15:33-34: Don’t kid yourselves—those closest to you shape who you’re becoming. Unhealthy company erodes good habits, bit by bit. Wake up to what is right and live toward God.

Reflection: Which relationship tends to nudge you toward complacency when you try to grow, and what loving boundary or invitation could you set this week to protect your next step?

Day 4: Practice honest assessment, then adjust with others

We often grade ourselves by our intentions instead of our track record, but growth begins with clear-eyed honesty. Name where you actually are—numbers, habits, results—and ask trusted people what would move you toward a “10.” Even the most gifted learn to lean on teammates; greatness matures when it becomes shared. God regularly connects people before He fulfills their purpose—think David and Jonathan, Paul and Barnabas, Jesus and the twelve. Don’t be surprised when your assessment leads you to a person as part of God’s solution. [04:07]

Galatians 6:3-4: If someone thinks they’re beyond correction, they’re only fooling themselves. Look closely at what you’re really doing and take ownership of your steps, rather than measuring yourself by others.

Reflection: Choose one specific area (marriage, finances, health, or work), rate yourself 1–10, then ask a trusted person what two changes would raise that number—and commit to one change this week.

Day 5: Choose the church as your growth environment

Where you root yourself shapes who you become. Technology can be leveraged for wisdom, but nothing replaces the living web of relationships God gives through His people. Groups and serving teams create pathways to learn Scripture, grow in faith, and meet those who will gladly help you move from here to there. In Christ’s body, everyone has a part, and together we mature as each person shows up and serves. Step off the sidelines—connection is the doorway God often uses to bring the change you’ve been praying for. [03:33]

Ephesians 4:15-16: As we speak truth to one another with love, we grow up into Christ, our Head. From Him, the whole community is joined and held together, and when each person plays their part, the body builds itself up in love.

Reflection: What specific step will you take this month to connect (join a group, start serving, or set a meeting with a mentor), and when will you take it—and who will you tell for encouragement?

Sermon Summary

Everyone longs to move from here to there—forward in faith, family, finances, health, calling. Most believe God can do immeasurably more, yet many remain stuck, believing in movement but not experiencing it. The central insight is simple and disruptive: real growth is not the path of independence but the practice of interdependence. Spiritual maturity is not isolation; it is learning when to depend on others and when others can depend on us. God designed the body of Christ so that progress often arrives through people.

Four simple, practical steps bring this into focus. First, acknowledge the need for God and others. Private devotions and Sunday gatherings matter deeply, but they are not the whole plan. God routinely sends people as part of his answer. Even a spiritual giant like Billy Graham needed Henrietta Mears to listen, steady him, and point him back to confidence in Scripture. Scripture itself insists that in Christ we belong to one another, and belonging is how we move.

Second, beware “pseudo-healthy” connections—relationships that look fine on the surface but quietly hold you back. When you decide to change, some will try to drag you back to “here” because your movement exposes their complacency. Real friends cheer, challenge, and lift. Bad company rarely corrupts overnight; it slowly dulls desire, then direction.

Third, trade intentions for honest assessment. Intentions feel like progress; they’re not. Data, feedback, and specific next steps are friends. Ask for concrete input (even in marriage), and be ready to receive it without defensiveness. Greatness still needs guidance: Michael Jordan became a champion only when he embraced a new offense and trusted teammates; God often connects people before he unveils purpose. That’s how David needed Jonathan, Paul needed Barnabas, and Timothy needed Paul. Even Jesus chose community.

Finally, choose wise sources for healthy connection. Don’t demonize technology; curate it. Use it to feed growth, not distraction. And step into the unique ecosystem of the church—life groups and serving teams. Groups guarantee biblical learning, unexpected growth, and practical connections. Serving puts you shoulder-to-shoulder with people who will become mentors across different areas. This is how the body builds itself up in love: as each part does its work. Repent of self-reliance, step into interdependence, and watch God move you from here to there.

Key Takeaways

1. Spiritual maturity requires interdependence, not isolation. Spiritual growth is not graduating into solitude; it is learning to need and be needed. Scripture presents maturity as belonging to a body where gifts flow both directions. Movement comes as humility opens space for others to strengthen what is weak and refine what is strong. [29:41]
2. Identify and avoid pseudo-healthy connections. Some relationships seem fine but quietly keep you complacent. When you choose growth, the “pack” may pull you back to protect its comfort. Curate access without contempt; love everyone, but prioritize voices that call you higher and rejoice when you advance. [38:33]
3. Trade intentions for honest assessment. Intentions don’t transform; feedback and evidence do. Get your numbers, ask for specific counsel, and resist the urge to defend. Truth creates traction, and humility primes the heart for God’s direction and others’ help. [40:02]
4. God advances purpose through people. Often the next step is a person, not a technique. Like Jordan with Phil Jackson—and like David, Paul, Timothy, and even Jesus’ community—destiny unfolds in consecrated relationships. Look for the coach, peer, or friend God is already sending. [46:40]
5. Choose church-centered pathways to grow. Life groups and serving are not add-ons; they are God’s design for mutual strengthening. Groups bring Scripture, stretched faith, and practical networks; serving places you in the flow of grace as each part does its work. That is how the body builds itself up in love. [57:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:29] - From Here to There Begins
[27:40] - Why We Stay Stuck
[28:22] - Big Idea: Dependence Not Independence
[31:00] - When Quiet Time Isn’t Enough
[31:19] - Billy Graham And Henrietta Mears
[34:30] - One Body, Many Members
[35:28] - Spotting Pseudo-Healthy Connections
[39:10] - Honest Assessment Over Intentions
[41:27] - A Marriage Check-In Tool
[44:35] - Jordan Learns Team Dependence
[46:40] - God Connects People Before Purpose
[49:15] - Life Groups And Real Growth
[55:40] - Serving As Community On-Ramp
[57:32] - The Body Builds Itself In Love

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Romans 12:4-5

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

- 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.

- Ephesians 4:15-16

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Observation questions

In Romans 12:4-5, what picture does Paul use to describe the church, and what strong phrase does he use to describe how believers relate to one another?
In 1 Corinthians 15:33-34, what misleads people, and what gradual effect does Paul warn will follow?
In Ephesians 4:15-16, who is the head of the body, and by what two actions does the body grow?
Beyond Sunday gatherings and private devotions, what third connection was named as part of God’s plan for growth? [31:00]

Interpretation questions

If believers “belong to one another” (Romans 12:4-5), what does that say about how God intends someone to move from “here” to “there”? Where might dependence actually be a mark of maturity?
How might “pseudo-healthy” relationships fit Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 when nothing obviously sinful is happening—what subtle signs might show up over time? [38:33]
Ephesians 4:15-16 says growth happens “as each part does its work.” What kinds of “work” are most often left undone in a small group or church, and how could that stall the whole body’s growth?
Testing one’s own actions (Galatians 6:3-4 alluded to) was framed as trading intentions for honest assessment. What does that look like in practical discipleship—numbers, feedback, and clear next steps? [47:08]

Application questions

Name one area where you sense God inviting movement from “here” to “there” this year. Who are two people you will invite into that process this month, and what will you ask them for? [31:00]
Take stock of your circle. Is there one relationship that might be “pseudo-healthy”—friendly but quietly holding you back? Without contempt, what boundary or access change will you try for 30 days? [38:33]
Replace intentions with truth. What single piece of data will you collect this week (budget, health number, schedule, prayer record, GPA, work review), and who will you share it with for specific feedback? [40:37]
If married, schedule the 1–10 dinner check-in and ask, “What would move me to a 10?” If single, ask a trusted friend, “What would move me to a 10 as a friend/roommate/coworker?” When and where will you do this, and what one action will you take from what you hear? [42:24]
Think coach and teammates. Who might be a “Phil Jackson/Jonathan/Barnabas” for this goal, and what is one clear ask you will make of them this week? [46:40]
Curate your feed. What three accounts/podcasts will you follow (and three you will mute) to feed growth instead of distraction? Set it up before next Sunday. [47:57]
Choose a church pathway into interdependence. Will you join a life group or a serving team as your next step? Which one, and when will you sign up? [49:15]

Sermon Clips

You ever had somebody not listen to you when you try to experience a crisis with them? You ever had somebody tell you that you just need to pray more or have more faith? That doesn't really help anyone at all. Can you imagine being Billy Graham and having a crisis of faith? And she listened, and she encouraged him, and she helped him once more discover how he could find his security and his certainty in God's word. And Billy Graham said many years later that Henrietta Mears had the greatest impact on his life more so than anyone else. [00:33:17] (29 seconds) #ListenToHeal

I just love saying that word. Pseudo. It's just a fun word. In fact, let's just all say it together. Join me, shall you? Pseudo. Just a fun word. Say, what does that word even mean? Not sure. I just like it. No. I'm kidding. I know what it means. Right? It's not as strong as fake. So if I say be aware of fake connections with other people, we all kind of understand what that means. But pseudo connections, pseudo healthy connections, they're they're not as easy to identify. [00:35:01] (30 seconds) #SpotPseudoConnections

I think the enemy will just surround you with people who will make you complacent, who will keep you from moving forward, who will keep you from experiencing all that God has for you. And you'll keep living with that angst of wanting to get to where you deep down inside know God wants you to be. It might after a moment suggest the people in your life could be what's holding you back. So you stop, you kinda recognize that, you you have a little bit of an awareness. And then the third thing kinda ties to the to the second point, but but it's a different way of looking at it. We then honestly assess, where do I need help? [00:39:05] (32 seconds) #WatchYourCircle

What was your, assessment in your career this past year? Did you get, like, good marks on your annual review? It's it's helpful sometimes to just be honest about where am I at and where do I need to go. You can't go where you need to go until you know where you're starting from. That's all I'm trying to say. So just honestly assess, how am I doing? Is there an area of your life where you keep telling yourself you're gonna do something, but the track record shows you're not doing it? [00:40:40] (26 seconds) #KnowYourStartingPoint

And then I I don't get to defend myself. Like, I don't get to ask her to explain why such a low number. Like, I don't get to ask that. Right? I I I don't get to try to, like, stand up for myself. All of those things. Like, she gives the number and then here's the follow-up question. And this is where it's super helpful. I look at her and I say, okay. In your mind or from your perspective, what would I need to do to move from that number to a 10? I'm telling you all some of the greatest breakthroughs in our marriage have come from these simple conversations. [00:42:25] (33 seconds) #AskHowToGrow

That God oftentimes connects people before they fulfill their purpose. Some of you are wondering why you're not experiencing what it feels like to fulfill the purposes God's created you for. Might I suggest? It's because you're not yet connected with the right people. That all of our destinies are tied to the relationships that we build along the way. And when you look in God's word, it's how he does it every single time. I mean, David needed Jonathan. I mean, Paul needed Barnabas. Timothy then later needed Paul. [00:46:32] (36 seconds) #ConnectionsBeforeCalling

You're gonna grow in your faith. Now, it may not be how you're expecting to grow. You may sign up for a life group hoping that you're gonna grow in one area, and you may find in the midst of the experience that God shows you other areas that you need to grow in. And that's okay. That's perfectly normal. So you're gonna learn more about the Bible. You're gonna grow in your faith. And then the third thing is you're going to get connected with people who can actually help you move from here to there. [00:50:26] (25 seconds) #LifeGroupGrowth

And for some of you, if I can just lovingly say this, you've been on the sideline for too long. You've just kinda been showing up. And I've and and that's great. And I love that you're here, but you're the one that's missing out. Like, you'll begin to take these steps that I'm talking about today, I'm telling you, God will show you the people in your life to let 2026 be a year like no other for you where you can move from here to there. And this is actually how God set it up. Let's wrap up our time today by looking at this verse from Ephesians chapter four verses fifteen and sixteen. [00:56:36] (32 seconds) #StepOffTheSidelines

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To Move From Here To There | The Time Is Now | Pastor Adam Bishop

Devotional

Day 1: The time is now, move from here to there

Day 2: Embrace dependence on God and His people

Day 3: Beware pseudo-healthy connections; choose true friends

Day 4: Practice honest assessment, then adjust with others

Day 5: Choose the church as your growth environment

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

To Move From Here To There | The Time Is Now | Pastor Adam Bishop

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