Growing Our Church Family Part 2Sample

DEVOTED TO TEACHING

Just as it happened in the first gathering of believers, you have been born again! You have been forever changed by Jesus! But God isn’t done with you! Your salvation means you have been brought into a new way of life - a new way of thinking, a new purpose, and a new mission. However, even though you know there’s a new way, you also know that understanding that way does not come to you overnight. The first believers knew that too.

It was only natural for them to devote themselves to the apostles' teaching. What does it mean to be devoted to the apostle’s teaching? The apostles were mostly those who had been chosen and taught by Jesus. So, the apostle’s teaching would consist of the teachings of Jesus. Their teaching would also consist of the teachings of what we now call the Old Testament, as explained by Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. Today, we have the life and teaching of Jesus and the teaching of the apostles in the New Testament.

So, how do we devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching? As they did, we also devote ourselves to the teachings of the Scriptures. But not simply as individuals. The first believers had grown up in the Jewish synagogue. Jews seldom studied the Scriptures alone. Instead, it was a communal activity. So, in a place of learning the sounds of dialogue and debate would fill the air as smaller groups of people struggled to understand the meaning of each passage and discuss how it applied to the larger issues of the day and their own lives. Studying, wrestling, and seeking hard after God in the Scriptures was done communally.

Devotion to the teaching of Scripture as a group takes hunger, commitment, and time. One of the most vivid examples of that hunger and devotion is in Acts 20. This small gathering listened to the apostle Paul’s teaching for so long that a young man fell asleep and fell out of a third-story window! Does your circle need to grow in hunger and devotion of time to the teaching of the Scriptures? Oh, what amazing things might happen in the body of Christ if we were so devoted to the teaching of Scriptures that we would have to caution our circle not to sit on windowsills!

Ask Yourself:

-What evidence is there in my life that I am devoted to the teaching of the Scriptures?

-What preparation, study, or other steps could I take to contribute more in group discussions of the Scriptures?

Pause to Pray for the Church: Heavenly Father, your word is truth. I need to grow in the understanding of your ways and how to live for you. Show me how to be an active participant in the study and application of your word with other believers... Amen

Take a Next Step into Christian community: Try using a study Bible when you read the Scriptures and bring it with you to your next meeting with other believers. Share something you have learned!