Faith & Life Connections

Transcription

1 A Daily Devotion & Resource Guide for Your Spiritual Journey From the Sermon-Teaching Ministry of Fairhope UMC Reset Series #7 Help Others Reset - Week of October 16, 2011 Acts 8:26-40 Reflections on this week s message: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. II Timothy 4:2-5 Preach the word! Paul admonished Timothy to be prepared at all times to share Christ. Why? Because Paul knew that everywhere we go whatever we do, we will encounter people who need Jesus in their lives. Although Paul s words were offered to Timothy, a young pastor, they are words for all Christians. If your life has been touched and changed by Jesus, part of your response to Him should be a desire to introduce others to the life changing grace of God in and through Jesus Christ. Right about now you may be thinking, That s all fine and good, but I m not a preacher. Well, thank God that not everyone is a preacher or a pastor, but just because you aren t a preacher it doesn t mean you can t preach the word. One of my favorite quotes, often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, is this; "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." Another quote from St. Francis is this; It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching. I like these quotes because it says that everything about our lives should be a witness to our faith in Jesus Christ. In the text for this week s sermon we find Philip sharing the Good News about Jesus as the Spirit leads him. In this case he is led by the Spirit to approach an Ethiopian official and share the Gospel. God knew that this man was seeking truth and trying to understand scripture, so Philip was sent to witness. The result of Philip s obedience was that this man came to faith in Christ and was baptized. Philip was then miraculously taken to another place where he continued to travel and share the Gospel. It is important to note that Philip was filled with the Spirit and that he knew the Word. Those are the essential elements of a life that witnesses to faith in Christ; be filled with the Spirit and know the Word. If these things are true in your life you can lead others to be reset for Jesus. Love, Pastor Joe This Week s Challenge: "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. Listen to this week s sermon teaching by clicking the Online Sermons link at

2 Begin with Prayer: Getting Started: Grab your bible & find a quiet, comfortable spot to begin your daily Bible reading. Light a candle & spend a few minutes relaxing, quieting your mind. Keep a notebook nearby to jot down distractions that interfere with your focus to put them out of your mind to deal with later. You may want to play your favorite hymns or praise music softly in the background. To quiet your mind & prepare to focus on God & His Word try one of the prayer exercises found under Spiritual Growth Resources. Then pray the suggested prayer starter personalizing it to your needs & desire for God s guidance. This Week's Prayer Starter: Almighty God, Thank you for your promise to renew me & make me a new creation. Pour out your Spirit upon me as I read & study your word today. Create a teachable spirit within me. Thank you, Lord, for touching me & changing me. Without you, my life is meaningless. Thank you for filling me with your Spirit & changing me by your loving grace through Christ Jesus. Take my life, Lord, & grow my desire to introduce others to your life-changing grace. Help me to be an instrument of your love in the world so that others might come to know & love you as I do. Ignite my faith by helping me grow in my knowledge & understanding of your Word & your ways so that I might be an effective witness in the world so others can reset their lives by your grace. Show me also how you want me to help my church reset. My finger is on the reset button, Lord. Give me the faith to push it and let you continue to change my heart & life. In Jesus name I pray. AMEN. day 1 week of October 16 Read Acts 8:26-40, 1 Peter 3:15 Have you had a life saving/changing encounter with Jesus Christ? Do you have a desire to introduce others to the life changing love & grace of God in & through Jesus Christ? What do you learn about Philip from his obedience to the Spirit s direction? What did the Ethiopian need in order for him to understand what he was reading? How did Philip help the Ethiopian connect the passage he was reading (Isaiah 53:7-8) to the good news about Jesus? How did Philip s understanding of Scripture enable him to meet this man where he was and lead him to Jesus? How does the Ethiopian respond to his encounter with Philip & his new understanding of Scripture? What does Philip do next? Think about the past few days. Were there opportunities when you could have shared about your faith? Did you overlook someone s pain or offer polite sympathy rather than words of hope & love? When might you have invited someone to worship or Bible study? Read 1 Peter 3:15. Would you know the Bible well enough to answer the Ethiopian s questions? Are you willing to do what Philip did & get to know God s Word? How can you grow in faith so you will be prepared for similar opportunities? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Are you willing to go where the Spirit leads? Ask God to give you the vision to see opportunities to witness about your faith & the courage to act on those opportunities.

3 day 2 week of October 16 Read 2 Timothy 3:14-4:8 What does Paul state about the origin & purpose of Scripture? What does this mean to you? Paul s words to Timothy include specific instructions for Timothy s ministry. List the orders Paul charges Timothy to fulfill: How do Paul s words (charge to Timothy) challenge your life? How does this Scripture challenge your ministry? Are you prepared to share Christ wherever you go, in whatever you do, & with whomever you encounter? Reread verses 3-4. Have you witnessed examples of this happening today? How can Paul s instructions to Timothy help you to face similar situations today? Can you see the need for other lives to be reset? In what ways is the Spirit leading you to share your faith? How does Paul sum up his life & ministry? Do you share Paul s hope for the future? How does this hope motivate you today? Memorize Philippians 2:3-5. Pray, asking God to reset your attitude, heart & life according to His will. day 3 week of October 16 Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 When Philip encounters the Ethiopian in this week s reading from Acts 8, he is reading from this passage in Isaiah. Can you understand why he asked Philip, Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else? When have you had similar questions in your reading of Scripture? What is significant about Philip beginning with this passage of Scripture to share the good news of Jesus with the Ethiopian? In what ways does the Old Testament help you connect to the Gospel? What was the purpose of the Servant s suffering (53:4-6)? What benefits come to others because of His suffering & death? How would you use this passage to explain to someone else the meaning & significance of Jesus death & resurrection? How does it bring you reassurance of God s forgiveness & love? How does this passage motivate you to want to share God s saving love & grace with others who need Jesus to reset their lives? Reread today s passage slowly & meditatively. Let the words or phrases that capture your heart bring you face to face with Jesus, who alone can heal you & bring you peace. Rest in silence before him & let him surround you with his gracious & redeeming love. Adapted from The Meeting God Bible, p. 966

4 day 4 week of October 16 Read Psalm 119:7-18, 72-74, , , Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible & probably the most eloquent description of God s Living Word. Today s readings give you a sample of this rich passage. What touches your heart & grabs your attention as you read today s Scriptures? What impresses you most about Psalm 119? What does the psalmist call God s Word in these passages? What does this tell you about the importance of knowing God s Word? What practical steps can you take to pattern your life after God s Word? What affect does God s Word have on us when we do the following: Know & memorize the Word (v. 98)? Meditate on it (v. 99)? Obey it (v. 100)? Follow it (v. 105)? What does the Word give us (v. 130)? In what ways has God s Word changed you? Do others recognize God s Spirit living in you? What might you need to do to position yourself to have your eyes opened by God? What does it mean to delight in God s Word? What kind of world would we have if everyone acted in love & mercy? How does your love for God & His Word motivate you to want to share your faith with others? How does your striving to grow in your understanding of God s Word help you to feel confident in telling others about Jesus? Listen to the song Ancient Words, reflecting on the power of God s Word to reset your life so God can use you to help others reset their lives. day 5 week of October 16 Read Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 17:10-33, Romans 10:13-15 In what ways did Paul, Silas, & Timothy fulfill the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28? What motivated & empowered them to be obedient to Jesus? How did the Bereans receive the Gospel message? How did they determine if what Paul said was true? What was the result? How does Paul use the culture & ideas of the people of Athens to help them see the weaknesses in their faith? Was this an effective strategy for sharing the Gospel message in Athens? What was the result of Paul s preaching? How might this strategy of meeting people where they are help you to share your faith with others? Do you know anyone who needs to hear the Gospel? How might you present the Gospel to that individual within the context of the culture he or she understands? How important is it for you to have a basic understanding of God s Word to do this effectively? How will the Spirit help you? In what ways might you follow the advice attributed to St. Francis of Assisi; Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.? Reread the Romans passage. How will those whose lives need to be reset know that Jesus is the answer if no one tells them? In what ways is God calling you to share the good news of Jesus? Are you fulfilling the Great Commission? Do you have beautiful feet? "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

5 Your physical heart requires a balanced diet to be healthy & so does your spiritual heart. Check out the Spiritual Growth Resources tab & use one of the suggestions to help you develop spiritual habits to cultivate a heart that seeks God. Download this Spiritual Growth Assessment & spend some time reflecting on your spiritual heart. After reflecting & praying through this week s readings & sermon teaching, I feel God is nudging me to take these steps: Seek first His kingdom & His righteousness Matthew 6:33 Dig Deeper: The Bible is full of examples of God using unlikely people, many with challenging pasts, to make a difference for Christ s kingdom in the world. Read about some of these Biblical characters, noting how they cooperated with God and experienced reset & a fresh start in their lives. Wouldn t it be cool of life had a reset button? Well it does: JESUS! Remember that Jesus wants to do the same in your life! Saul persecuted Christians, yet God changed him into a passionate follower of Jesus responsible for spreading Christianity in the world Acts 26 Moses killed a man, yet God still used him to free an entire nation Exodus 2 Abraham lied about his wife & endangered her safety, yet God still used Abraham to build a nation Genesis David committed adultery with Bathsheba and has her husband killed, yet God still used David in mighty ways 2 Samuel 11 Peter denied Christ, yet God still used Peter to build His church Mark 14 & Matthew 16 Barnabas was a hypocrite, yet God still used him to play a vital role in the early church Galatians 2 What other examples can you discover? Fairhope UMC s Mission Focus: We exist to love & serve God by loving & serving others, for the purpose of making & maturing disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

6 Resource Family Connection: Bible Adventures The Bible contains some of the greatest adventure stories ever told. As a family spend some time exploring some of these stories by having a Bible Story Adventure Night. Encourage each family member to select a favorite Bible story to share. See how many creative ways you can come up with to share these Bible adventures. Some suggestions include acting out the story, a puppet show, retelling the story in your own words, creating pictures or artwork to retell the story, creating a power point presentation, or even simply reading from a favorite family Bible. You may want to compare the story by reading in different Biblical translations. Try doing some research about the history surrounding the stories and share what life was like for the people portrayed in these stories. Encourage family members to imagine what it would have been like if they had been there. Talk about how God was at work in each story. Ask God to reveal to you what he wants you to learn from these stories. Pray that He will show you how to apply what you are learning to your life today. Mission in Action: Fall 2011 Pray for boldness and courage and then tell someone how Jesus has reset your life. When you notice your neighbor working in their yard, go help them finish the job. Prayerfully ask God to show you how He wants you to share your financial resources with Him. Take a friend s dog for a walk. Post information about your church on your Facebook page. Invite someone who lives alone to join you for dinner one night. When your church newsletter arrives in the mail, spend some time praying for each item mentioned. Get in the habit of praying for your church every time you receive something in the mail or through about your church. Pray for your church leaders as well. Read a Bible story to a child! Pack up a bag of lunch, school supplies, & toiletry items & give them to a family with schoolaged children. Write a letter to someone and share how you see God at work in their life. Pray for them as you write. Contact your church leaders & ask how you can be a part of your church s ministry. Find out what you can do to help spread the news of Jesus in your community. Visit a nursing home and spend some time with some of the residents. Offer to organize an activity for the residents.

7 Resource The Prayer of Examen The prayer of examen might also be called an introspective prayer. The word introspection means looking within. The prayer of examen encourages assessing one's life before God on a regular basis. Recollection is the root of the prayer in which we focus on the last twenty-four hours of our life. This prayer is about noticing God's presence in our life, noticing & thanking God for his goodness, recognizing the movement of the Holy Spirit throughout our day, & acknowledging how we have failed God. Psalm 26:2, Jeremiah 17:10, & Psalm 139:23-24 are good Biblical references asking God to test us & examine our hearts & minds. The examen begins by recognizing that we are in the presence of God, recalling the events of our day with gratitude, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and reviewing our day making ourselves aware of the ways Christ has been at work as well as ways in which we have fallen short. When we intentionally notice these areas of our lives we become more conscious of our relationship with God, & as we become more conscious, we grow. During this reflective prayer time you may want to ask yourself some of the following questions: What am I most/least grateful for? When did I feel a sense of love, peace, or joy (the fruit of the Spirit)? When did I feel exhausted, dead, drained, angry, mean? When did I notice God? Toward what actions, activities, or attributes is God drawing me? Where did I fail? Were there things I should have avoided? When did I show love? In what ways was I kind to others? Examine the habits & patterns of the day. Do my habits help me face my day with love or do they hinder me? Preparation: Begin by quieting your body, mind, & spirit before the Lord. Gratitude: Review the previous day looking for events, conversations, & experiences that provoke gratitude. Remembering that no matter how bad a day has been, God continues His work in our lives. This prayer shapes us into grateful people. Awareness of God: Review the past twenty-four hours in your mind looking for God's presence. Sometimes this is easy, other times it may be difficult. Ask God to help you become a person whose life is constantly aware of His presence. Confession of Failure: Recall the past twenty-four hours alerting to the times you have failed the Lord, not acted in love, or refused the work of the Holy Spirit. Seek the Lord in confession and repentance & ask for forgiveness. Thanksgiving: End your prayer by thanking God for his grace and love.