Weekly Theme January 5 through January 11

By a Different Road

““On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And

having been warned in a dream not to go back to

Herod, they returned to their country by another route.“

-Matthew 2:11-12

Have you ever had an experience that changed the way you look at the world? If you haven’t I guarantee that you will at some point. The truth is that this is the whole point of being on a journey. We learn things as we go. Our worldview is shaped and changed by our experience of God in our lives because God did not bring us this far just to leave us now. Last week we talked about how the journey is an important part of our lives. But many times on this journey, we have to turn and continue in a different direction. These moments that change us little by little are like course corrections in our lives. They take us into the world by a different road than we came in on. This is not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination because with every confrontation God changes us little by little. This last month we have all been on a journey together. We started with a call, a call to transformation. Then we were confronted with the importance that Christ came because we needed him. We were then reminded that we should be encouraged by the real reason for the season. Hopefully this journey has not all been for naught. We are not left asking ourselves, “Okay we made it down this trail so what’s next?” Christmas changes us. The birth of the Christ child changed everything and that should transform us.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Acts 16:6-15

⁶ Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. ⁷ When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. ⁸ So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. ⁹ During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.¹¹ From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. ¹² From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.¹³ On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.¹⁴ One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. ¹⁵ When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Reflection

This is a story of Paul’s second missionary journey. The missionary journeys of Paul are often found on Biblical maps in the backs of most Bibles. From these maps some people might conclude that Paul’s journeys were un-organized or spontaneous but from what we see in the book of Acts this is not the truth. God is at work the whole time guiding Paul to where God’s transformative love is already at work. Because God is already at work, Paul gets involved with people like Lydia. God opens her heart to Paul’s message and Lydia becomes a great help to the mission of Jesus Christ.  The key is to stay in contact with where God is calling us so that we can join God in His transformational work. How do you seek God’s heart to know God’s will for your ministry?

Friday, January 3, 2014

Acts 14:21-28

²¹ They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, ²² strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. ²³ Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.²⁴ After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, ²⁵ and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. ²⁷ On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Reflection

Today our scripture tells us what Paul and Barnabas did upon arriving back after their first mission. They went to the church and told them what marvelous things God had done through them. As a missionary minded and transformational church, how awesome it would be to share the marvelous things God is doing through us. It would be amazing to have verse 27 be a report of our worship. “They gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to (the unchurched).” How could this transform our lives, Southport, Indiana, and the world?

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Acts 14:8-19

⁸ In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked.  ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ¹⁰ and called out, “Stand up on your feet!”  At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

¹¹ When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 

¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 

¹⁵ “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. ¹⁶ In the past, he let all nations go their own way. ¹⁷ Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” ¹⁸ Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.¹⁹ Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. ²⁰ But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe

Reflection

This is a story of one of the miracles that God does through the ministry of Paul. We often times want to stray away from miracles. Especially when it might be a miracle that God accomplishes through us. We can struggle and think that we do not want to get our hopes up or we think that miracles should only happen on our terms. But if we are aligned with the heart of God and joined with the transformative power of God, God will perform miracles through our ministries. Miracles are at the heart of the transformation of the world. How do you feel about God doing miracles through you? Share it with God.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Acts 13:6-15, 38-44

¹³ From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ From Perga they went on to

Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”¹⁶ Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! ³⁸ “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain

under the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: ⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”⁴² As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.

 ⁴³ When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. ⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

 Reflection

This is the story of Paul’s work in Antioch (pronounced Ant-E-Awk.) The importance  of this scripture to our missionary mentality is the need to share our faith. Many people think that they are ill equipped to share the gospel. They say that they have had no training and that this should be the job of a pastor who has gone to school for this. The truth is that we have a very simple faith. It can all be brought down to the fact that Jesus died so that we may have life and have it abundantly. This is the basis of what Paul tells the people in Antioch and the results speak for themselves. Do you worry about sharing your faith? Why? 

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Acts 13:1-12
¹ Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers:

Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off ⁴ The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. ⁶ They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,⁷ who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ⁹ Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰ “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun. ”Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Reflection

This  is the start of Paul’s first missionary excursion. The key element to this story is found in verses 4 and 5. Paul and Barnabas are not going out on their own. They are called by God and sent with the Holy Spirit into the world to make new disciples. This is why Connect Grow Serve is so important.  We need to be connected to God and growing closer in our intimacy with Him to be able to hear God call us and to be sent out into service. We are sustained in our service through that connection with the Holy Spirit.  How are you connecting with God through Jesus Christ? How are you growing in Jesus Christ  to hear God’s call in your life to serve in the world for Jesus Christ?

Monday, December 30, 2013

Acts 9:1-9,17-18
¹Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. ¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 

Reflection

Saul (later to be called Paul) is converted and called by Jesus  to preach and proclaim the gospel. The problem is the fact that  he has to do this with people he had once persecuted and to people he had seen as second class citizens (or worse.) We have the same call in our lives to serve with people we may not like at times and to serve people who at one time we would have seen as inferior or lacking. We have to do this without judgment.  As the church we are in the people business and that is what makes mission so hard. Do you have trouble working with other people and or sharing the gospel with people who are not like you? Be honest. Share your concerns with God.