The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
1 Timothy 1-6
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 4: Christ’s Church: God’s People Advance the Kingdom
Background Information: 1 Timothy 1-6
Paul’s protege Timothy was sent to Ephesus to confront some folks who had hijacked the church through their bad beliefs, breeding bad behavior. A heart that has veered off course from the gospel is drawn to the weird, the unusual, and the controversial. A heart that is being shaped by Christ more and more loves the plain old truth of the gospel. Does worship, prayer, simple truth, humility, and unity bore you? Then you don’t need something new and interesting; you need to stop being bored by what ought to be capturing your full attention and affection. If it’s new, it’s not true. We don’t need some new truth, we need new passion for old truth. It has always been a temptation for people to follow the flashy flakes who teach with a charismatic flair. This is true for people both outside and inside the church. The leaders in Christ’s church are not to be about flash, and they are certainly not to be flaky. Their authority is not based on personality; it flows from true charisma, which is spiritual gifting and the fullness of the Spirit. Leaders in the church are to be known for their character and their faith, not their flair. Timothy was not to be impressed or intimidated by anyone, whether they be powerful, wealthy, famous, or silver-tongued. He was not to be shy or passive because of his youth; he was to be bold because God had called him to this work. He was not to disrespect the older men, but he was not to shrink back from challenging them either. Christian, you must not chase the unusual. You must not allow your heart to grow indifferent to the ordinary means of grace. If your heart grows bored by what is eternally meaningful or if your heart becomes impressed by what ought to be unimpressive, you must shake yourself from the stupor. You must cry out to God to restore your heart to the place where you are captivated by him and his ways. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Yes! Set your heart on this, set your mind on this, let this truth shape your life. The good fight of the faith begins in our own hearts and minds. When Christ is continually crowned King there, he will be our King everywhere.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Ask God to speak to us tomorrow as we gather to worship him and here from his word. Pray for guest who might come to be welcomed and for non-believer to repent and put their trust in Christ.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.