Category: Daily Devotions

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Godly Community!  (WATCH HERE)

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A poll taken in 2022 indicated that only 20% (1 in 5) individuals in our country attend church on a weekly basis.  Over 50% in the same poll do not attend at all or very regularly.  Over the last 20 plus years church membership has been on the decline and the number of practicing Christians is now just over 60%.

So the question is becoming more common, “Why should I attend church, let alone belong to a church?”

Good question.  One could make arguments that one doesn’t have to go to church to be a Christian.  Or some might leverage that there are hypocrites in the church and that turns them off.  Some would cite examples of impropriety in church leaders that led to a distrust of the church.  Some might balk against the authority and institutionalism of the church.

All real reasons.  All worthy of a conversation.

So why be part of a church?  Why have a godly community (notice I didn’t say “perfect” community…that will be in heaven!) around you?  What blessings come from being part of a local church that you wouldn’t receive elsewhere?  This week is the opportunity to reflect on these questions and the value of godly community in the church.

Let’s start with a fundamental reality: The Church is God’s doing and design.

When we are connected to Christ, he connects us to his Church.

Ephesians 2:19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

These truths are important to remember, even when we are talking about a visible, Christian church.  The gathering of God’s people is the work of God.  

Why is this important to remember?

We all have had some bad experiences with a visible church.  Let me apologize on behalf of the church that gave you a bad experience.  Every visible church is made up of sinful human beings, including the pastors.  So every church has the opportunity to sin against you or in some way to present something that is not godly.  That is not indicative of the church, it is indicative of sin that lurks in the heart of church goers.

So, let’s not be disillusioned to think that every visible church is perfect.  It’s not.

However, that leads us to this reality.  Everything that God creates is for the blessing of his people.  So God has created the church for you and made you for his church.  So, when we are kept away from the church, that is often Satan working to keep us disconnected from a place where God desires us to be blessed and us to be a blessing to others.

We must remember what makes up God’s church and should be the reality for every visible manifestation of it:

1. Christ Jesus is the cornerstone.  Everything and everyone is to be aligned to him.
2. The foundation is the Scripture.  Everything the Apostles and Prophets taught forms the teaching of the church.  The Bible is the authority, nothing more, nothing less.
3. The bricks of the church are the people God has saved by his grace and brought together as his church.  The gathering of the church is God’s doing, not man’s.

So why be active in a visible church?  We will explore four reasons this week…but to begin with simply this compelling reason.  God made the church for you and made you for the church…and when God does something for you, he desires for you to be blessed by it.

 

Apply: What has been your perspective of the church?  Good? Bad? In between?  What changes when I begin with the premise that God designed and gathers the church to be a blessing to all in the church?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for doing all to be a blessing to me…including giving me a visible church that is centered on Christ, founded on the Scriptures, and gathering with others who also believe in Jesus as Savior. AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Godly Habits!  (WATCH HERE)

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Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves…to prayer”

 

Communication is key in any relationship.

I recently started rereading a leadership book by John Maxwell called, “Everyone communicates, few connect.” The premise of the book is that one can use words to communicate ideas and thoughts, but if they do not take an interest in the person, there is no connection and thus the communication is ineffective.  Ideally one does both – communicate AND connect.

I was musing on this thought in regard to my prayer life and perhaps what it meant that the early Christians were devoted to the habit of prayer. 

One can find numerous examples in the book of Acts of the early Christians praying about people, praying for the advancement of the Gospel, praying for the safety of the Apostles, praying for God to open doors and more.  Their devotion to prayer makes it evident that prayer was habitual and a first resort when dealing with challenges in life, but especially the challenges that came as a result of being a follower of Christ.

But one also senses that the prayer life of the first century Christian was not just a “Hey, we better pray about it” but rather a habit based on a deep connection to the One to whom they prayed.  It was only natural in the context of that relationship and connection to pray, to communicate to the One who had a deep and sincere connection with them and they with him.

Habitual prayer is good, but perhaps dangerous when it turns into empty words without any or little awareness of the relationship with the one to whom we pray.

Jesus taught: Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Many prayers and many words do not make a connection in prayer.  Words that come from a heart of love and trust in the Father who hears our prayer because we are his children are the prayers that are heard.

So what does this habit look like?  It’s interesting that it’s last in this brief list, but the first items foster the connection with the Lord (devoted to the Apostles’ teaching and the breaking of bread) and the relationship with God’s people (devoted to the fellowship).  With these meaningful relationships in place, the habit of prayer flows from these connections.  We want to pray to the God who reveals himself in the pages of Scripture and his work of grace.  We want to pray for the people of God with whom we share life and ministry with.  We want to pray for ourselves and share the joys and concerns in our heart.

Why? Because we have a connection with the One to whom we communicate.

 

Apply: Evaluate: Does your connection in prayer or your communication in prayer need nurture to develop a deeper habit of prayer?  If it’s connection, devote yourself to the Scriptures and let prayer flow from what you read.  If it’s communication, devote yourself to time in your day which is spent in prayer.

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for establishing a connection with us through the faith you have given and the relationship you have nurtured.  Lead me to never lose the joy and privilege of prayer you have given and encouraged to strengthen our connection and allow me to communicate with you.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Godly Habits!  (WATCH HERE)

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“They devoted themselves to the…breaking of bread…”

Perhaps at face value, devotion to “breaking of bread” seems like something insignificant and perhaps puzzling.  Why would the early believers be devoted to the breaking of bread?  Were they interested in the first potlucks and eating together?  Did they not want to miss a meal?  Perhaps.  In fact just a few verses later in Acts 2:46 it says, “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,…” This seems to be the potlucks and second Sunday lunches.

So what about in verse 42?  What is meant by the breaking of bread?  Perhaps this quote from a blog article is helpful:

The phrase “breaking bread” is a figure of speech called a synecdoche where a “part stands for the whole.” In other words, the phrase “breaking bread” includes both the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine. It is simply a reference to the “Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20), the “Lord’s table” (1 Corinthians 10:21), the “communion” (1 Corinthians 10:16), and “to break bread” (Acts 20:7). (https://www.thegospelofchrist.com/knowledge-base/tgoc-kb–skckd)

In the context of the devotion of the early believers to the Apostles’ teaching, the fellowship and prayer, it makes complete sense that there was a regular habit of celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

Should the same devotion exist today?

Absolutely!

Is it?  Maybe?

Devotion to the Lord’s Supper wanes when we think, “Hmm, going to be a long service today…we have the Lord’s Supper.”  We perhaps need to examine our hearts a bit deeper when we stay away from worship on a regular basis and thus the Lord’s Supper as well.

The early believers were devoted to celebrating the Lord’s Supper. But why?

They needed the forgiveness Jesus gave in his supper.

They wanted the presence of Jesus in their lives.

They were eager to proclaim boldly the death and resurrection of Jesus.

They desired to express a unity of belief and purpose as they communed with the Lord and each other.

The same is true today.  Make it a habit to ensure you are in worship when the Lord’s Supper is celebrated (At Crosspoint it is the first and third Sunday of the month.) Why?

It’s what our souls need for the assurance of forgiveness.

It’s what our faith needs to commune personally with the real presence of our Savior Jesus.

It’s what our witness needs to boldly and clearly profess faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

It’s what our relationships need as we express a close and intimate unity with the others who commune (This practice of close communion, i.e. communing only with those of the same faith, is the way this close communion is expressed and preserved.).

The “Breaking of Bread,” the Lord’s Supper, is what devoted Christians do.  It’s a regular part of our spiritual rhythms to ensure we commune regularly with the Lord at his table.

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

A habit that reinforces our devotion to communing with the Lord keeps our souls at peace and our hearts at one with our Savior and our community of believers.

Apply: What is your attitude toward the Lord’s Supper?  What changes when you agree to be devoted to the breaking of bread?
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for giving of yourself in your Holy Supper.  Lead me to treasure it and be devoted to it so I receive the regular blessing from it!  AMEN

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Godly Habits!  (WATCH HERE)

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Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves…to the fellowship…

Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

What does it mean to be devoted to something?

You invest time.

You invest your person.

You invest your finances

You invest your life.

Why? Because it’s important…even when what you are devoted to doesn’t always give you the return you are looking for (insert parenting in this thought )

But you stay devoted.  You stay committed.  You stay engaged.

Why? Because it’s important.

Christians are devoted first and foremost to the Lord, but the Lord desires that we are devoted also to the gathering together of other Christians…the fellowship…the church.

It’s easy to see church as someone or something that needs to be devoted to me.  It’s easy to view church from the standpoint of “what’s in it for me?”  It’s even easy to buy into the thought, “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.” (CoVid tended to reinforce this thought.)

Perhaps…but none of these thoughts and mindsets are an expression of devotion to the fellowship.  In fact, they are a selfish, self-centered approach to being involved in a community of believers.

Sure, you GET something out of being around other Christians, but when you are devoted to the gathering of fellow Christians your focus changes.

You realize you are in a fellowship of believers to GIVE something to them.

You have encouragement others need to hear. (Hebrews 10:25)

You have gifts that others don’t. (1 Corinthians 12)

You have resources to support the work the fellowship does. (2 Corinthians 9)

You have a love for the success of the mission God has given his church. (Matthew 28:18-20)

You have a story others need to hear. (Acts 1:8)

And the list goes on.

When I’m devoted to something I do it when I’m tired.  I do it when I don’t feel like it.  I make it a priority in the middle of a busy schedule.  I sacrifice to ensure the success of the mission. I go even when I want to stay home.  I engage because I know others are counting on me. 

Perhaps for too long we have considered church and a fellowship of believers something to be a “member” of and an organization in which I get to enjoy “rights and privileges.”  What changes when all who attend a church see themselves as “partners” in the Gospel ministry and are devoted to the fellowship of believers who gather at that church?

Perhaps we just look at what happened when the group of believers in Acts 2 were devoted to each other…:

Acts 2:44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

God works blessing for you and his church when you are devoted to it!

 

Apply:  What changes with your involvement with a local church and fellowship of believers when you realize the importance and blessing of being devoted to it?  What is one habit you can begin or enhance that increases your devotion to a local church, a fellowship of believers?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for gathering your people together in the fellowship of the church.  Forgive me for being more of a consumer than a contributor.  Empower me by your Spirit to see the tremendous blessing to me, to others, and to your church when everyone, including me, is devoted to the fellowship of believers! AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Godly Habits!  (WATCH HERE)

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Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

The Holy Spirit had just worked faith in 3000 people, leading them to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and believe in his saving work for their eternal life.  These individuals recognized the sin of their rejection of Jesus and believed the promise of forgiveness in baptism and they and their children were baptized.

Now what?

What would this new group of believers do to stay connected to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and nurture the new faith that they had been given?

Acts 2:42 relates exactly what they did.  They made a strong commitment to the things that would nurture, strengthen and develop their faith – the Word of God, the Community of God, the Supper of God and prayer to God.

Do these things matter today?  What would happen in your life if you, by God’s power, rededicate yourself to these things as well?  Do you think anything would change?  I believe it would.

Remember the quote from yesterday:

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. 

Do you, like these Pentecost believers, want to grow in your identity as a forgiven, loved, child of God whose hope in life and death is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus?

Let me assume that you do.

Then we need habits that move us incrementally to the identity God has given to us.

First habit: Connect regularly to the Word of God.

The fact you are reading this devotion tells me this habit is important to you.  Perhaps this devotion is your daily infusion in the Word of God.  That’s great…maybe you have another habit for the Word of God…a daily verse…a reading plan…etc.

But why?  Why take the time and energy to ensure regular time with the Word of God.  Why be “devoted” to it?

Perhaps the same reason that the Apostle Paul told Timothy to stay in the word of God:

2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Scriptures keep us grounded in Jesus and the wisdom and truth that communicates grace and salvation to our hearts.  We don’t just need this once, we need it often!  The Scriptures are the very Words of God!  Want to hear God speak to you daily?  Open the Word of God and listen to his voice!  Want wisdom and guidance for life and the decisions you have to make?  God’s Word is useful for the practical realities of life as we use it to teach, rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness.  Want to feel adequate for living a God-honoring life?  The Scriptures are there to thoroughly equip you for every good work God has planned for you!

Regularly connect to the Word of God…and see what God does in your heart and life!

 

Apply: What might you do to start or strengthen your habit of being in God’s Word on a daily basis?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for preserving your word for my soul to benefit from today.  Guide me into all truth that I might live each moment to your glory! AMEN.