Bible
Study Jesus, b.l.e.s.s., 27 January 2013
28 January 2013 Filed in: Sermons | b.l.e.s.s.
Study Jesus
Big Idea: Study Jesus
Scriptures: Psalm 119
Introduction
Three weeks ago we began our new year with our new series and annual theme, b.l.e.s.s. We said that we have been blessed to be a blessing. This is a theme throughout history, most prominently in God’s covenant with Abram (Genesis 12:1-3)
Our first week’s challenge was to bless one person.
Week two’s challenge was to spend one hour listening to God.
Last week’s challenge was to eat with a lost person.
These are not one-time challenge, but new rhythms, patterns for the new year, every week. Some would call them spiritual practices or disciplines.
Today’s letter is “S” and it stands for study...study Jesus.
Do you like to study?
When I think of study, my mind jumps back to finals weeks in college, cramming facts and data moments before heading to class, hoping to remember the right formula, date, translation, or concept in order to pass the class. While striving for an “A” was something of a game, the whole thing was rather stressful and usually not meaningful to me. I’ve long ago forgotten the periodic table of the elements, the capital city of every nation in Africa, how to say “administrator” in Spanish, or our ninth vice-president.
For many, Bible study is done similarly. The pastor says to read a chapter a day, so we do it. The goal is to finish. It’s all about the destination.
The challenge this week is not to merely study or even study the Bible, but study Jesus. Study a Person.
Perhaps you remember the story of Steve Jobs’ biography. When Jobs asked Walter Isaacson to write a biography of his life, he said to tell everything—good and bad—so that his children could know their dad. That makes me so sad—that they would need a book to get to know their dad—yet it would be even more tragic if his kids had no interest in reading it!
We have God’s Word to help us know about God, but also to know God. We can study the life and teachings of Jesus in order to ultimately know Him, His heart, and become like Him...because unlike Jobs, Jesus is alive!
The Word of God
We’re going to look at a few verses in Psalm 119. There are two things unique about this chapter. First, it is the longest chapter of the Bible, 176 verses! Second, it is divided up into sections, each beginning with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, from aleph to taw. It begins
[Aleph] Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. (Psalm 119:1-8)
Have you ever read passages like today’s scripture reading and wondered what all the fuss was about? Consider this passage:
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. (Psalm 119:97-104)
King David loved the Scriptures. He didn’t have a leather-bound copy of the Old and New Testament—obviously since he lived centuries before the advent of Jesus and the New Testament—but he recognized the wisdom of God and was desperate to know it. Oh that all of our political and military leaders—and business and entertainment and education and...you get the idea—would have such a desire to know not only the information contained in the Bible, but its main character, Jesus Christ.
One of the great distinctions between Christianity and most other religions is that we pursue a living person, not merely the teachings of a dead man—or woman. Truth is a Person. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The word “Christian” means “little Christ,” so in order to authentically call yourself a Christian, you must be like Jesus, and in order to be like Jesus you must act like Jesus, and in order to act like Jesus you must know how Jesus acted, and in order to know how Jesus acted you must know the Bible and in order to know the Bible you must study it...not merely read it.
As much as I love the attitude between the old W.W.J.D. bracelets—What Would Jesus Do?—it’s often too late to ask the question. Our lives are filled with split-second decisions and actions that don’t allow time to prepare. If someone cuts me off on the expressway, I don’t have time to pause and reflect upon what Jesus would do (perhaps He would wave!).
The key to living like Jesus is to know Jesus—not just about Him, but actually know Him. The Bible is our primary source—as I mentioned two weeks ago when we talked about listening to God—but we can’t stop there. Many have read the Bible and remained skeptics. There are atheists that have read and even memorized much of the Bible! There is a difference between just reading the Bible and studying Jesus.
Love Letter
I have saved every letter and card that my wife has given me since I met her more than 27 years ago. Every one! Why? They are valuable to me because she is valuable to me. I never read a single word in order to fill my head with facts about her. I read them to know her, her heart, her essence. Her letters and cards were not written like a dictionary or encyclopedia. They are all communication vehicles to enhance our relationship. The same can be said of the Scriptures.
Psalm 119:9-16
[Beth] How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. (Psalm 119:9-16)
How did David study the heart of God? The goal of David’s study was not information, but transformation.
I often struggle in studying the Bible. For me, it’s almost too familiar. I am tempted to skim through it like I would a children’s book that I’ve read to my kids one hundred times. The reality is, there are new things to glean from the Bible each time I open it. Reading it for knowledge is one thing, but asking the Holy Spirit to speak through it—and for me to be still and listen to it—is something entirely different. Our attitude and approach are critical. Oh that we could all be like David, who wrote
[Gimel] Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes. Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. (Psalm 119:17-24)
What was the result of David’s pursuit of God? Twice he is called a man after God’s heart. He got it! As he got to know the heart of God, he became more like God. I can tell you three things that are on God’s heart: widows, orphans and strangers.
Many have memorized parts of the Bible, gone to church for decades, pray before every meal, and put a check in the offering, but that doesn’t mean we know the heart of God, much less have the heart of God. When we study Jesus, we discover the heart of God. John wrote
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. (John 1:18)
Jesus, in the incarnation and crucifixion, makes the heart of God known to us.
Scriptures
One of the most beautiful passages about God’s Word is found in the book of Joshua. Moses has just died, the baton has been passed to Joshua, and God gives him leadership instructions including the following:
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)
What is God saying here?
Big Idea: Study Jesus
Scriptures: Psalm 119
Introduction
Three weeks ago we began our new year with our new series and annual theme, b.l.e.s.s. We said that we have been blessed to be a blessing. This is a theme throughout history, most prominently in God’s covenant with Abram (Genesis 12:1-3)
Our first week’s challenge was to bless one person.
Week two’s challenge was to spend one hour listening to God.
Last week’s challenge was to eat with a lost person.
These are not one-time challenge, but new rhythms, patterns for the new year, every week. Some would call them spiritual practices or disciplines.
Today’s letter is “S” and it stands for study...study Jesus.
Do you like to study?
When I think of study, my mind jumps back to finals weeks in college, cramming facts and data moments before heading to class, hoping to remember the right formula, date, translation, or concept in order to pass the class. While striving for an “A” was something of a game, the whole thing was rather stressful and usually not meaningful to me. I’ve long ago forgotten the periodic table of the elements, the capital city of every nation in Africa, how to say “administrator” in Spanish, or our ninth vice-president.
For many, Bible study is done similarly. The pastor says to read a chapter a day, so we do it. The goal is to finish. It’s all about the destination.
The challenge this week is not to merely study or even study the Bible, but study Jesus. Study a Person.
Perhaps you remember the story of Steve Jobs’ biography. When Jobs asked Walter Isaacson to write a biography of his life, he said to tell everything—good and bad—so that his children could know their dad. That makes me so sad—that they would need a book to get to know their dad—yet it would be even more tragic if his kids had no interest in reading it!
We have God’s Word to help us know about God, but also to know God. We can study the life and teachings of Jesus in order to ultimately know Him, His heart, and become like Him...because unlike Jobs, Jesus is alive!
The Word of God
We’re going to look at a few verses in Psalm 119. There are two things unique about this chapter. First, it is the longest chapter of the Bible, 176 verses! Second, it is divided up into sections, each beginning with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, from aleph to taw. It begins
[Aleph] Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. (Psalm 119:1-8)
Have you ever read passages like today’s scripture reading and wondered what all the fuss was about? Consider this passage:
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. (Psalm 119:97-104)
King David loved the Scriptures. He didn’t have a leather-bound copy of the Old and New Testament—obviously since he lived centuries before the advent of Jesus and the New Testament—but he recognized the wisdom of God and was desperate to know it. Oh that all of our political and military leaders—and business and entertainment and education and...you get the idea—would have such a desire to know not only the information contained in the Bible, but its main character, Jesus Christ.
One of the great distinctions between Christianity and most other religions is that we pursue a living person, not merely the teachings of a dead man—or woman. Truth is a Person. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The word “Christian” means “little Christ,” so in order to authentically call yourself a Christian, you must be like Jesus, and in order to be like Jesus you must act like Jesus, and in order to act like Jesus you must know how Jesus acted, and in order to know how Jesus acted you must know the Bible and in order to know the Bible you must study it...not merely read it.
As much as I love the attitude between the old W.W.J.D. bracelets—What Would Jesus Do?—it’s often too late to ask the question. Our lives are filled with split-second decisions and actions that don’t allow time to prepare. If someone cuts me off on the expressway, I don’t have time to pause and reflect upon what Jesus would do (perhaps He would wave!).
The key to living like Jesus is to know Jesus—not just about Him, but actually know Him. The Bible is our primary source—as I mentioned two weeks ago when we talked about listening to God—but we can’t stop there. Many have read the Bible and remained skeptics. There are atheists that have read and even memorized much of the Bible! There is a difference between just reading the Bible and studying Jesus.
Love Letter
I have saved every letter and card that my wife has given me since I met her more than 27 years ago. Every one! Why? They are valuable to me because she is valuable to me. I never read a single word in order to fill my head with facts about her. I read them to know her, her heart, her essence. Her letters and cards were not written like a dictionary or encyclopedia. They are all communication vehicles to enhance our relationship. The same can be said of the Scriptures.
Psalm 119:9-16
[Beth] How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. (Psalm 119:9-16)
How did David study the heart of God? The goal of David’s study was not information, but transformation.
I often struggle in studying the Bible. For me, it’s almost too familiar. I am tempted to skim through it like I would a children’s book that I’ve read to my kids one hundred times. The reality is, there are new things to glean from the Bible each time I open it. Reading it for knowledge is one thing, but asking the Holy Spirit to speak through it—and for me to be still and listen to it—is something entirely different. Our attitude and approach are critical. Oh that we could all be like David, who wrote
[Gimel] Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes. Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. (Psalm 119:17-24)
What was the result of David’s pursuit of God? Twice he is called a man after God’s heart. He got it! As he got to know the heart of God, he became more like God. I can tell you three things that are on God’s heart: widows, orphans and strangers.
Many have memorized parts of the Bible, gone to church for decades, pray before every meal, and put a check in the offering, but that doesn’t mean we know the heart of God, much less have the heart of God. When we study Jesus, we discover the heart of God. John wrote
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. (John 1:18)
Jesus, in the incarnation and crucifixion, makes the heart of God known to us.
Scriptures
One of the most beautiful passages about God’s Word is found in the book of Joshua. Moses has just died, the baton has been passed to Joshua, and God gives him leadership instructions including the following:
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)
What is God saying here?
- Know it and speak it. Keep it in your mouth.
- Meditate on it day and night. Keep it in your mind.
- Do what it says. Keep it in your actions and life.
- Huddle
- For the past year, I’ve been beta-testing a discipleship tool called a Huddle with several men, including our elders. At the heart of the gathering are two simple questions:
- 1. What has God been saying to you?
- What are you going to do about it?
- It all starts with knowing Him, with reading about Him, with studying Him.
- This Week’s Challenge
- Which brings us to this week’s challenge. You already know what it is—study Jesus this week...every week! Engage in God’s Word and invite Jesus to be the center of your life.
- For some of you, Jesus is too familiar to you. You’ve spent decades with Him and you almost forget He’s with you. This happens often in marriage—we take our spouse for granted since they’re just always there.
- Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you in fresh ways. Seek first His Kingdom, not your own desires. Before your feet hit the ground, lie in bed and say, “Jesus, I want to do today with You. You lead and I will follow. You speak and I will listen and obey.” Spend time every day in God’s Word. The Scio Journal on our Facebook page makes this particularly simple as we read one chapter of the New Testament together each day and then interact. I love what Wayne Cordeiro says, that being in God’s Word each day is like receiving fresh bread. Do you like fresh bread? Jesus is the bread of life and as we sit at His feet, follow His example, and participate in His mission to seek and save the lost and care for the widow, orphan and stranger we will know Him more daily.
- Most of you have no problem eating food each day. Make sure there is spiritual food in your daily diet, too. Jesus wants to know you and be known by you. Study Jesus.
- Your Word
- [Nun] Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)
- Credits: some materials borrowed from Charles Kiser (Storylinecommunity.com)
The Radical Experiment, 6 November 2011
Big Idea: the conclusion of our Radical series offers five next-steps for knowing Jesus more deeply.
Opening Video
We are concluding our series Radical based somewhat on the book of the same name by David Platt.
This plan takes the material of the Bible and organizes it to flow in chronological order. Since exact dating of some materials or events is not possible, the chronology simply represents an attempt to give you the reader the general flow and development of the Bible's grand story. Some passages are placed according to topic (e.g., John 1:1–3 in Week 1, Day 2; and many of the psalms). There are six readings for each week to give you space for catching up when needed.
In addition to the website and book, free apps are available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch and it is fully compatible with the YouVersion website and apps. You can listen to the audio, read the book, visit online, or view the app. However you do it, we want to read through the entire Bible...together.
Imagine what it would be like if you told a friend about what you read that morning and they said, “Hey, I read that, too!” As a church family, we will all be able to read the same chapters each day and grow together. We’ll even build some of our Sunday morning texts from the reading plan.
In addition to the verses, ReadTheBibleForLife.com offers podcasts and videos with Michael Card and others that will help you read, understand, and apply God’s Word.
Sacrifice our money for a specific purpose
Everything that we have belongs to God—not 10%, not 50%, but 100%. As we have noted, every person in this room is financially rich compared to the other 7 billion people on the planet. What would happen if we committed to free up resources for urgent spiritual and physical needs around the world? Do you think God would honor our generosity if we take what is from Him and sacrificially use it for His purposes?
Instead of asking how much we can spare, what if we asked, “What will it take?”
The needs of our world are so overwhelming. Bob Pierce, the former president of World Vision said,
"Don't fail to do something just because you can't do everything."
Each of us can do something, whether it is to skip a meal, cancel cable, increase the percentage of our giving, sponsor a child with Compassion International, or even make a micro-finance loan through Kiva.org.
It has been said that Christians spend more money on dog food than missions! Seriously?
Everything we have belongs to God; we are His stewards. (1 Chronicles 29:14)
The world is not our home. Let’s stop living like it is.
Give our time in another context
I challenge you—and myself—to spend 2% of your time—or one week—in another context. This could be a missions trip to Africa or a week next summer in Detroit. We’ll be presenting opportunities in the coming days for youth, individuals, and families or you can create your own.
Lost people matter to God. He wants them found. (Luke 19:10)
Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully-devoted disciple. (Matthew 28:19)
That means you!
Commit our lives to a multiplying community
Be a committed member of a local church, here or elsewhere.
Following Jesus is a team sport. We need each other. God created us to be interdependent. Just as the Father, Son and Spirit exist in community so we are to, also.
In 2012 we are going to pray for the world together, read the Word together, give together, and serve together.
The point is not to follow Christ but to follow Him together.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Do you see it?
They were radically committed to the Word of God and the apostle’s teaching.
Concluding Video
Opening Video
We are concluding our series Radical based somewhat on the book of the same name by David Platt.
- Last week I issued two cautions. One was that we would not take Jesus’ hard teaching seriously, rationalizing them away. The other is that we turn them into a legalistic to-do list that will get us to heaven or make God love us more.
- Nothing you can do can make God love you more. Nothing you can do can make God love you less.
- What I’m about to share with you has an additional caution—apathy. Jesus’ brother said simply...
- Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. – James 1:22
- It’s easy to hear challenging teachings and nod our head or even compliment the preacher at the end, but what matters is not merely what we know but how we respond. Jesus was not merely a good teacher, He came to be LORD. Action is a natural response to love.
- We have celebrated communion together, remembering all that Jesus has done for us. Anything that we do in obedience to Him is nothing more than a response, a privilege! The amazing thing is that when we obey Jesus, we are blessed. We experience what it means to be fully human. We encounter a depth in our relationship with our Creator that we can discover no other way. We are filled with joy and peace and satisfaction found nowhere else.
- Today I want to invite you to The Radical Experiment. There are five parts to the Radical Experiment and they are just that, an experiment. These are five things that I believe will draw you closer to Jesus. They reflect His heart, His passion, and His commands. These five things are not magic, but I believe they can change your life, our church, and ultimately our world.
- Pray for the entire world
- This week the 7 billionth person entered our world. Billions have never even heard of Jesus. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, Jesus said in Luke 10:2. “Ask the LORD of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field.”
- We can join God in His mission on our knees. Our denomination, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, states in its Core Values
- Prayer is the primary work of God’s people. (Philippians 4:6-7)
- OperationWorld.org will be our main tool for praying for the entire world. They have a book, a website, and other resources where you can learn about a different nation each day and pray for them.
- We want God to bless America, but also all of the nations of the world. John 3:16 says that God so loved the...world! The first step in being a blessing to the nations is to pray for them.
- Read through the entire Word
- This relates to another value of the Christian & Missionary Alliance:
- Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success. (Joshua 1:8)
- We can’t know it if we haven’t read it. Spiritual warfare is real. We need to know the Truth of God’s Word. The purpose, again, is not to perform a task but to know our Father.
- Steve Jobs asked Walter Isaacson to write a biography of his life so that his children could know their dad. That makes me so sad, yet it would be even more tragic if his kids had no interest in reading it!
- Our Father has given us not only information about Himself, but also wisdom for living, exciting stories, history, poetry, prophecy, and so much more. I want to challenge you to read through the Bible in 2012.
- You may be saying, “2012? It’s not even December 2011!” You can use the next several weeks to practice or get a head start. We have a tool for this, too.
- Dr. George Guthrie (www.readthebibleforlife.com) developed the Chronological Bible Reading Plan.
This plan takes the material of the Bible and organizes it to flow in chronological order. Since exact dating of some materials or events is not possible, the chronology simply represents an attempt to give you the reader the general flow and development of the Bible's grand story. Some passages are placed according to topic (e.g., John 1:1–3 in Week 1, Day 2; and many of the psalms). There are six readings for each week to give you space for catching up when needed.
In addition to the website and book, free apps are available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch and it is fully compatible with the YouVersion website and apps. You can listen to the audio, read the book, visit online, or view the app. However you do it, we want to read through the entire Bible...together.
Imagine what it would be like if you told a friend about what you read that morning and they said, “Hey, I read that, too!” As a church family, we will all be able to read the same chapters each day and grow together. We’ll even build some of our Sunday morning texts from the reading plan.
In addition to the verses, ReadTheBibleForLife.com offers podcasts and videos with Michael Card and others that will help you read, understand, and apply God’s Word.
Sacrifice our money for a specific purpose
Everything that we have belongs to God—not 10%, not 50%, but 100%. As we have noted, every person in this room is financially rich compared to the other 7 billion people on the planet. What would happen if we committed to free up resources for urgent spiritual and physical needs around the world? Do you think God would honor our generosity if we take what is from Him and sacrificially use it for His purposes?
Instead of asking how much we can spare, what if we asked, “What will it take?”
The needs of our world are so overwhelming. Bob Pierce, the former president of World Vision said,
"Don't fail to do something just because you can't do everything."
Each of us can do something, whether it is to skip a meal, cancel cable, increase the percentage of our giving, sponsor a child with Compassion International, or even make a micro-finance loan through Kiva.org.
It has been said that Christians spend more money on dog food than missions! Seriously?
Everything we have belongs to God; we are His stewards. (1 Chronicles 29:14)
The world is not our home. Let’s stop living like it is.
Give our time in another context
I challenge you—and myself—to spend 2% of your time—or one week—in another context. This could be a missions trip to Africa or a week next summer in Detroit. We’ll be presenting opportunities in the coming days for youth, individuals, and families or you can create your own.
Lost people matter to God. He wants them found. (Luke 19:10)
Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully-devoted disciple. (Matthew 28:19)
That means you!
Commit our lives to a multiplying community
Be a committed member of a local church, here or elsewhere.
Following Jesus is a team sport. We need each other. God created us to be interdependent. Just as the Father, Son and Spirit exist in community so we are to, also.
In 2012 we are going to pray for the world together, read the Word together, give together, and serve together.
The point is not to follow Christ but to follow Him together.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Do you see it?
They were radically committed to the Word of God and the apostle’s teaching.
- They were radically committed to fellowship together, in public and in homes.
- They were radically committed to prayer, experiencing miracles.
- They were radically generous, giving to anyone as he had need.
- They were radically committed to one another, meeting together daily.
- This was not a perfect church, but it was a radical one. I cannot imagine a more compelling vision for Scio—a group of normal but radical people, passionately committed to loving Jesus, one another, and their neighbors.
- It doesn’t just happen, though. We can’t wish it into reality. It requires total surrender, but it’s worth it.
- You might ask why we’re talking about 2012 in November of 2011. As I said with the Bible reading, this will give you some time to experiment. I urge you to prayerfully consider the challenge, especially as we head into the crazy holidays.
- Finally, let me say once more that we must avoid legalism, thinking we need to follow man-made rules or even God-given commands in order to earn salvation or approval before God. Nothing you can do can make God love your more/less. God’s favor in your life is not based on your performance but on Jesus Christ and what He did for you. That’s what we celebrated earlier with communion. That’s also why do serve Him. We love and serve Him because He first loved and served us. This is our response.
Concluding Video
- You can listen to the podcast here.