Devoted
As each of us try to live out our faith, it can be hard to know what to focus on. So many pressures from so many sources try to tell us how to live and how to be a Christian. Every now and then, it helps to take a step back to truly analyze whether or not we are doing things the way we should. We want to do that as a congregation this year!
Acts 2:42-47 says this:
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
These early Christians devoted themselves to many things, but Luke is specific in pointing out several trademark qualities these believers possessed. Our eldership is asking us to harken back to these things in order that we, too, may exhibit these defining attributes. We have four that we are going to focus on being devoted to in 2022: teach (or teachings), fellowship, worship, and serve (or serving). Let’s look at each of these.
Teach (Teachings)
Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 4:12
In the Old Testament, the Israelites held tightly to the 10 commandments, along with the rest of the Law. In the New Testament, we see this same zeal displayed by Christians holding to the teachings of the apostles. Though we don’t find an explicit list of commands to start us on our journey like Moses received on Sinai, we do find many instructions on living out our faith. If we want to be the people that God calls to be, we need to be devoted to all of the teachings we find encapsulated in the New Testament.
Fellowship
Acts 2:42; Rom. 12:9-10
This one is pretty straight forward. The entire Bible is littered with references to and commands for God’s people to come together regularly. People that say that they don’t need to “go to church” because they study the Bible, clearly do not study the Bible. Notice in our passage above how they met together DAILY. Early Christians understood the value of being with like-minded people. God’s people have always been active in taking care of each other, and that is impossible to do when we don’t come together. We have seen this first hand over the past couple of years. Satan wants us to feel isolated. God designed the Church to be a family that meets frequently.
Worship
Acts 2:42; Heb.10:24-25
This year, we all need to strive to make worshipping God a priority in our lives. Unfortunately, Christians today have become more reliant on our citizenship on earth. As individuals, we have to put our lives back into proper order! Christ literally died for us, and we come up with all kinds of reasons why we can’t come to services. Worshipping God is not something we fit into the rest of our week, but something that the rest of our week should revolve around. Engaging in meaningful worship is the most uplifting thing one can do! Let us all strive to be devoted to worship this year.
Serve (Serving)
Acts 2:44-45; Matt. 5:13-16
Jesus gave the apostles the best lesson on service when He washed their feet. He took on the role of a servant. Christians, the people carrying the name of Christ, should be servants as well! In Ephesians 5:1-2, Paul tells us that we are to imitate God and imitate Christ. How can we do that while lacking service in our lives? Our world desperately needs us to be the hands and feet of Jesus! If we go about our lives displaying sacrificial service, the world will notice and want what we have.
This year has the potential to be one of the most explosive years for Ashville Road, if we hold to and live out these goals! It is going to take every single one of us doing our part, but if we do, somebody will think back to this time at Ashville Road and say, “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
In Christian Love,
Hunter