Devotedنموونە

The Devotions of the Early Church, written by Aaron Halvorson

The early church lived in times that were very different from ours, yet also contained some of the same challenges we face today. In the first years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, none of the New Testament writings were yet available. Still, they did have the valued eyewitness testimonies of the very first apostles. To have someone say, ‘Remember when Jesus did this and said that…’ would have been hugely inspiring, as well as instructional, to the way the early church was to live devoted lives!

The strong challenge they would have faced, though, was that the surrounding culture in Jerusalem and Judea was so anchored in the knowledge, tradition, and worship prescribed in the Old Testament. The Church was called to live by a new revelation of Jesus Christ, the redeeming Son of God, that went against so much of what they already knew by habit and custom. They had to practice a new faith soon to be described in Hebrews 8:6 (NKJV) as ‘…a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.' Jesus had better things that they needed to step into! Jesus' instruction to the founding fathers of the church to continually ‘remember’ Him in taking communion was a reminder to go beyond the old and embrace what God had for each new day.

One devotional habit Jesus lived out as an example to the coming church was to take and use the promises of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. The very first recorded words to come out of Jesus Christ’s mouth after he was baptised and having the Holy Spirit fall on Him were Matthew 4:4 (NKJV).'But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” In Jesus Christ, every promise of the Bible is made available to us. Like the early church, we need to step out of the old and into the new that God promises.

Later, in Paul’s instruction to the church, he follows his famous words to not get drunk on wine – an old behaviour - with a new and better behaviour: to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:19). Again, we, the Church, are instructed to leave behind the old and step into the new by taking what we know to be true in Jesus Christ and declaring it over our lives!

Like the early church, let’s encourage ourselves and others to step into the new God has!

• Are there ‘things of old’ in my life that God is leading me to leave behind?
• How can I step into the new things that God has for me?