Goal of 100%
Memory Verse:
'If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. '
Galatians 5:25
'If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. '
Galatians 5:25
Day 1
Read 2 Timothy 3:10-17
When you build anything, there has to be a foundation. There has to be a base and a solid ground that everything is stable on. There is no difference for the church. Not the building, obviously that is true, but the church is more than a building. The foundation that the church has to be settled on is God’s word. If that is the source, than we are all under the same teachings and considerations.
Here, Paul is doing the work of settling that to Timothy, one of the young pastors that he was raising up. For Paul, the only teachings worth being given so much credibility is that which came from God’s breathed words. They are good for many things and you should spend some time looking at those things and thinking through them. It would do us all good to refresh our minds on the teachings that we have, as it talked about in Acts 2, “devoted ourselves to.”
What does verses 16 and 17 tell us God’s words are good for?
What do you think Paul was referring to when he talked about the “sacred writings”? How do you know this and why is that important?
What do you think it means to be “breathed by God?”
How does this become part of your prayer today?
When you build anything, there has to be a foundation. There has to be a base and a solid ground that everything is stable on. There is no difference for the church. Not the building, obviously that is true, but the church is more than a building. The foundation that the church has to be settled on is God’s word. If that is the source, than we are all under the same teachings and considerations.
Here, Paul is doing the work of settling that to Timothy, one of the young pastors that he was raising up. For Paul, the only teachings worth being given so much credibility is that which came from God’s breathed words. They are good for many things and you should spend some time looking at those things and thinking through them. It would do us all good to refresh our minds on the teachings that we have, as it talked about in Acts 2, “devoted ourselves to.”
What does verses 16 and 17 tell us God’s words are good for?
What do you think Paul was referring to when he talked about the “sacred writings”? How do you know this and why is that important?
What do you think it means to be “breathed by God?”
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 2
Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
This section has always read weird to me. When I think of the Lord’s Supper, I am thinking about the juice and the bread that we get in super small portions, as part of the worship service. The point is not really a meal. The point is more of a symbol that reminds me of Jesus sacrifice for me. That is the same thing here, it just doesn’t have all of the elements that are present in my mind. In fact, it seems like maybe there is more here than what is in my mind. That is where the confusion sets in. Is this about the Lord’s Supper, or not? Well it is. The church at Corinth just did things in a bit of a different method than we do. The Lord’s Supper to them was an actual supper. It still had the elements that we think of, but Paul is talking about a fellowship dinner that has seemed to get out of control in this church. People were eating more than their fair share and some were being sent home without. Maybe this was done out of convenience because of the times that everyone arrived, or maybe there was another idea here.
The real point of this text is to explain the work of the church, the fellowship of the church, but through the lens of a supper. Paul is explaining how many different people from many different walks of life can share a table. That was unheard of in this day and age. But it was a Christian staple. The Jesus people did that. And the reason that they did it, was because of the very idea that Jesus brought into their midst through their salvation.
What do you think was happening in this church that was causing this issue?
How does the gospel help address the problems they had at this supper?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
This section has always read weird to me. When I think of the Lord’s Supper, I am thinking about the juice and the bread that we get in super small portions, as part of the worship service. The point is not really a meal. The point is more of a symbol that reminds me of Jesus sacrifice for me. That is the same thing here, it just doesn’t have all of the elements that are present in my mind. In fact, it seems like maybe there is more here than what is in my mind. That is where the confusion sets in. Is this about the Lord’s Supper, or not? Well it is. The church at Corinth just did things in a bit of a different method than we do. The Lord’s Supper to them was an actual supper. It still had the elements that we think of, but Paul is talking about a fellowship dinner that has seemed to get out of control in this church. People were eating more than their fair share and some were being sent home without. Maybe this was done out of convenience because of the times that everyone arrived, or maybe there was another idea here.
The real point of this text is to explain the work of the church, the fellowship of the church, but through the lens of a supper. Paul is explaining how many different people from many different walks of life can share a table. That was unheard of in this day and age. But it was a Christian staple. The Jesus people did that. And the reason that they did it, was because of the very idea that Jesus brought into their midst through their salvation.
What do you think was happening in this church that was causing this issue?
How does the gospel help address the problems they had at this supper?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 3
Read Acts 4:23-37
One of the core values we should hold in the church is that of prayer. This story shows us a great picture of how the early church prayed. This prayer appears to be a corporate prayer, or one that was prayed in a group of people and showed that they were united in their hearts by calling out for the same thing. When we pray corporately like this, we are sharing the desires of our hearts and also calling out before God what we desire as a collection of people.
What are the things we would pray for as a church at Keystone?
How have these things become the things that you have also prayed for?
Why would you pray for boldness in your life today?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
One of the core values we should hold in the church is that of prayer. This story shows us a great picture of how the early church prayed. This prayer appears to be a corporate prayer, or one that was prayed in a group of people and showed that they were united in their hearts by calling out for the same thing. When we pray corporately like this, we are sharing the desires of our hearts and also calling out before God what we desire as a collection of people.
What are the things we would pray for as a church at Keystone?
How have these things become the things that you have also prayed for?
Why would you pray for boldness in your life today?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 4
Read Acts 5:17-42
I think this story greatly illustrates the priority of teaching in the early church. It was even at the expense of threats against their lives that they were willing to keep doing what they were told not to do. Teaching was such a core doctrine in the early church that they did not let go of it in the face of persecution. Without the teaching of God’s word, they would not have seen the church grow, so it was a must for their ministry. It even seems to be the very thing that the church was known for, because it is what the authorities came after them about.
It makes me wonder if the church is known for that as much as it was then? Do our events and our outreaches come from the desire to get attention or be known, or do they come from the desire to be able to share the gospel through the teachings of Jesus?
Do you think that the church places the same priority on teaching?
How could we reach people with teaching God’s word today?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
I think this story greatly illustrates the priority of teaching in the early church. It was even at the expense of threats against their lives that they were willing to keep doing what they were told not to do. Teaching was such a core doctrine in the early church that they did not let go of it in the face of persecution. Without the teaching of God’s word, they would not have seen the church grow, so it was a must for their ministry. It even seems to be the very thing that the church was known for, because it is what the authorities came after them about.
It makes me wonder if the church is known for that as much as it was then? Do our events and our outreaches come from the desire to get attention or be known, or do they come from the desire to be able to share the gospel through the teachings of Jesus?
Do you think that the church places the same priority on teaching?
How could we reach people with teaching God’s word today?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 5
Read Acts 6:1-7
In the sermon from Sunday, we talked about a core value at Keystone of serving those around us. The very heart of the gospel is the idea of Jesus the great Server that gave up His life for us. This idea is summed up in the word “ministry.” It carries the idea of caring for those that need cared for. In our story here in Acts, we can see that they too saw an abundance of people that needed help. There were so many people that needed help that it appears that it started to conflict with teaching and praying. The leaders did not think this was the best way to approach the call of the church. I don’t think that the point was that there should be people that only taught and prayed and there should be people that only served. The idea was that there was a need to share the ministry to other people. The solution was that they designated certain people to focus on the ministry to other people and that allowed the teachers to be able to also do what they were called to do better. This led to the church growing.
I think it is valuable to notice that the early church, although it was built off of many people that knew and followed Jesus, it was not everyone’s goal teach the people about Jesus' teachings. There were some that needed to do that, but the majority of people, or disciples, were to serve those in need. That was the work of the greater number of people. The teachings, as it states in Ephesians 4, was for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.
How do you know of ways you can serve people through the ministry of Keystone Church?
Who do you think should serve people through the ministry of the church?
How are you involved in serving people around you?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
In the sermon from Sunday, we talked about a core value at Keystone of serving those around us. The very heart of the gospel is the idea of Jesus the great Server that gave up His life for us. This idea is summed up in the word “ministry.” It carries the idea of caring for those that need cared for. In our story here in Acts, we can see that they too saw an abundance of people that needed help. There were so many people that needed help that it appears that it started to conflict with teaching and praying. The leaders did not think this was the best way to approach the call of the church. I don’t think that the point was that there should be people that only taught and prayed and there should be people that only served. The idea was that there was a need to share the ministry to other people. The solution was that they designated certain people to focus on the ministry to other people and that allowed the teachers to be able to also do what they were called to do better. This led to the church growing.
I think it is valuable to notice that the early church, although it was built off of many people that knew and followed Jesus, it was not everyone’s goal teach the people about Jesus' teachings. There were some that needed to do that, but the majority of people, or disciples, were to serve those in need. That was the work of the greater number of people. The teachings, as it states in Ephesians 4, was for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.
How do you know of ways you can serve people through the ministry of Keystone Church?
Who do you think should serve people through the ministry of the church?
How are you involved in serving people around you?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Devotions
Archive
2025
January
February
March
May
September
October
2024
January
March
May
June
July
August
September
2023
January
February
No Comments