What Are We Doing Here?
Memory Verse:
'I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. '
John 10:9
Sermon Sentence: The disciples of Jesus share the heart and urgency of the work that Jesus did.
'I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. '
John 10:9
Sermon Sentence: The disciples of Jesus share the heart and urgency of the work that Jesus did.
Day 1
Read Matthew 9:35-38
Today’s devotion written by Pastor Len Scott.
Jesus Felt.
I write this while sitting at the airport. Airline can be wonderful or a nightmare, and I've experienced both. When Jesus saw the multitudes He noticed they were “weary”. That word means “to be tired from a long journey”. Many times I've thought to myself “I just want to be home” when a trip isn't going as planned.
When Jesus saw the crowds He was moved with compassion for them. He entered into their pain and He did something about it.
But there's another, underlying and unspoken emotion that Jesus expresses. It's a combination of anger, frustration, bewilderment, sadness, and so much more. With a broken heart Jesus says that the problem is not the size of the task. It's not that the hurts and pains are too great. The problem is that there are not enough workers.
A Christian song from decades ago lamented that “I'm so tired of being stirred but not being changed.” Make no mistake, feelings are right and good, but if they don't lead to change then they are worthless.
Get out of your comfort zone, go to the places where people are hurting. See what Jesus sees, feel what Jesus feels…..but don't stop there. Do something about the problems you see. Far too many Christians shed some tears and feel like they've done something. True followers of Jesus feel the emotions and do something. And when the emotions are gone, they still show up and do what Jesus would do.
Lord, stir us and change us.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Today’s devotion written by Pastor Len Scott.
Jesus Felt.
I write this while sitting at the airport. Airline can be wonderful or a nightmare, and I've experienced both. When Jesus saw the multitudes He noticed they were “weary”. That word means “to be tired from a long journey”. Many times I've thought to myself “I just want to be home” when a trip isn't going as planned.
When Jesus saw the crowds He was moved with compassion for them. He entered into their pain and He did something about it.
But there's another, underlying and unspoken emotion that Jesus expresses. It's a combination of anger, frustration, bewilderment, sadness, and so much more. With a broken heart Jesus says that the problem is not the size of the task. It's not that the hurts and pains are too great. The problem is that there are not enough workers.
A Christian song from decades ago lamented that “I'm so tired of being stirred but not being changed.” Make no mistake, feelings are right and good, but if they don't lead to change then they are worthless.
Get out of your comfort zone, go to the places where people are hurting. See what Jesus sees, feel what Jesus feels…..but don't stop there. Do something about the problems you see. Far too many Christians shed some tears and feel like they've done something. True followers of Jesus feel the emotions and do something. And when the emotions are gone, they still show up and do what Jesus would do.
Lord, stir us and change us.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 2
Read Matthew 9:35-38
Today’s devotion written by Pastor Len Scott.
Jesus Felt.
I write this while sitting at the airport. Airline can be wonderful or a nightmare, and I've experienced both. When Jesus saw the multitudes He noticed they were “weary”. That word means “to be tired from a long journey”. Many times I've thought to myself “I just want to be home” when a trip isn't going as planned.
When Jesus saw the crowds He was moved with compassion for them. He entered into their pain and He did something about it.
But there's another, underlying and unspoken emotion that Jesus expresses. It's a combination of anger, frustration, bewilderment, sadness, and so much more. With a broken heart Jesus says that the problem is not the size of the task. It's not that the hurts and pains are too great. The problem is that there are not enough workers.
A Christian song from decades ago lamented that “I'm so tired of being stirred but not being changed.” Make no mistake, feelings are right and good, but if they don't lead to change then they are worthless.
Get out of your comfort zone, go to the places where people are hurting. See what Jesus sees, feel what Jesus feels…..but don't stop there. Do something about the problems you see. Far too many Christians shed some tears and feel like they've done something. True followers of Jesus feel the emotions and do something. And when the emotions are gone, they still show up and do what Jesus would do.
Lord, stir us and change us.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Today’s devotion written by Pastor Len Scott.
Jesus Felt.
I write this while sitting at the airport. Airline can be wonderful or a nightmare, and I've experienced both. When Jesus saw the multitudes He noticed they were “weary”. That word means “to be tired from a long journey”. Many times I've thought to myself “I just want to be home” when a trip isn't going as planned.
When Jesus saw the crowds He was moved with compassion for them. He entered into their pain and He did something about it.
But there's another, underlying and unspoken emotion that Jesus expresses. It's a combination of anger, frustration, bewilderment, sadness, and so much more. With a broken heart Jesus says that the problem is not the size of the task. It's not that the hurts and pains are too great. The problem is that there are not enough workers.
A Christian song from decades ago lamented that “I'm so tired of being stirred but not being changed.” Make no mistake, feelings are right and good, but if they don't lead to change then they are worthless.
Get out of your comfort zone, go to the places where people are hurting. See what Jesus sees, feel what Jesus feels…..but don't stop there. Do something about the problems you see. Far too many Christians shed some tears and feel like they've done something. True followers of Jesus feel the emotions and do something. And when the emotions are gone, they still show up and do what Jesus would do.
Lord, stir us and change us.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 3
Read Matthew 9:35-38
Today’s devotion written by Michael Brittenham.
Jesus Spoke.
If you've ever been hurt by someone's words, you know how powerful words can be. The children's rhyme about "sticks and stones" couldn't be more untrue. Our words can do more harm and be more destructive than any physical blow. One of the greatest examples is that Jesus is himself called "The Word" as one of His many names. This seems unusual to us but John 1:14 says "The Word became flesh". He is the same Word that created everything that was then called by God, "very good". In Matthew 9 when Jesus sees the crowd we know He has the power to feed them, to heal them, and even raise the dead. Instead, he invites His disciples into the moment and tells them to pray. To use their words to access the very Power of God so that he would send laborers to the harvest. We are familiar with prayer, and many of us have seen the power of prayer firsthand. I think though, that we often underestimate the power that prayer commands and at the same time look for answers from the outside. When Jesus told the disciples to prey, they probably didn't realize that many of them would also be the answer to that prayer. There is a lesson here about the power of prayer to change lives, about having faith in the Lord of the harvest to hear us, but also about looking for answers in unexpected places.
Have you had compassion like Jesus that drove you to your knees in prayer for others?
When you pray, what are you expecting to happen?
Are you prepared to be the answer to the prayer you pray?
How does this become your prayer today?
Today’s devotion written by Michael Brittenham.
Jesus Spoke.
If you've ever been hurt by someone's words, you know how powerful words can be. The children's rhyme about "sticks and stones" couldn't be more untrue. Our words can do more harm and be more destructive than any physical blow. One of the greatest examples is that Jesus is himself called "The Word" as one of His many names. This seems unusual to us but John 1:14 says "The Word became flesh". He is the same Word that created everything that was then called by God, "very good". In Matthew 9 when Jesus sees the crowd we know He has the power to feed them, to heal them, and even raise the dead. Instead, he invites His disciples into the moment and tells them to pray. To use their words to access the very Power of God so that he would send laborers to the harvest. We are familiar with prayer, and many of us have seen the power of prayer firsthand. I think though, that we often underestimate the power that prayer commands and at the same time look for answers from the outside. When Jesus told the disciples to prey, they probably didn't realize that many of them would also be the answer to that prayer. There is a lesson here about the power of prayer to change lives, about having faith in the Lord of the harvest to hear us, but also about looking for answers in unexpected places.
Have you had compassion like Jesus that drove you to your knees in prayer for others?
When you pray, what are you expecting to happen?
Are you prepared to be the answer to the prayer you pray?
How does this become your prayer today?
Day 4
Read John 17:1-22
Jesus went.
While reading along with the D-Groups through the book of John, I was hung up for a little while on Jesus’ words in verse 6. Clearly, Jesus is seen unanimously as a successful life. I do not really think there would be too much argument there. If you did argue against a point such as that, you would probably not find yourself reading this devotion, therefore we can assume the room is on the same page. Back at our point though, in the grand scheme of time and the world, Jesus did not really move around too much. I am certain back then it seemed like it was quite a bit, but technology has added to the perspective. The world feels really big and those feelings seem to be backed up by the fact that the world is really big. There also seems to be a lot of people. Which is why the Great Commission can feel like a daunting task to be given.
John 17:6 gives me a perspective of Jesus’ success in light of these realizations. He claims that he has manifested, or made known, God’s name to all of those that were entrusted to Him. I am under the impression that Jesus came to save the world, and it seems like the same weight given to us in the Great Commission rests on that reality. That leaves a lot to do. But Jesus' assessment at the end of His life was that He was successful in what He accomplished. He made God known to the ones that God placed on His specific plate and therefore He was successful in reaching out to the world with the Gospel as well. I want that as a testimony when it is all said and done. I want to be able to say that I was faithful with the very task that I was given to reach the world with the Gospel. That is why my success will not be measured on how large the church is, how big my following on social media or anything like that, was, or how famous I got. My success will be measured in the specific sphere that I was given to be faithful to the relationships by sharing the Gospel to those in front of me this moment.
How are you doing with making God known to those that He has entrusted you with?
What do you notice in Jesus' prayer about this very thing in our text?
How do you make today your best attempt at making God known to those around you?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Jesus went.
While reading along with the D-Groups through the book of John, I was hung up for a little while on Jesus’ words in verse 6. Clearly, Jesus is seen unanimously as a successful life. I do not really think there would be too much argument there. If you did argue against a point such as that, you would probably not find yourself reading this devotion, therefore we can assume the room is on the same page. Back at our point though, in the grand scheme of time and the world, Jesus did not really move around too much. I am certain back then it seemed like it was quite a bit, but technology has added to the perspective. The world feels really big and those feelings seem to be backed up by the fact that the world is really big. There also seems to be a lot of people. Which is why the Great Commission can feel like a daunting task to be given.
John 17:6 gives me a perspective of Jesus’ success in light of these realizations. He claims that he has manifested, or made known, God’s name to all of those that were entrusted to Him. I am under the impression that Jesus came to save the world, and it seems like the same weight given to us in the Great Commission rests on that reality. That leaves a lot to do. But Jesus' assessment at the end of His life was that He was successful in what He accomplished. He made God known to the ones that God placed on His specific plate and therefore He was successful in reaching out to the world with the Gospel as well. I want that as a testimony when it is all said and done. I want to be able to say that I was faithful with the very task that I was given to reach the world with the Gospel. That is why my success will not be measured on how large the church is, how big my following on social media or anything like that, was, or how famous I got. My success will be measured in the specific sphere that I was given to be faithful to the relationships by sharing the Gospel to those in front of me this moment.
How are you doing with making God known to those that He has entrusted you with?
What do you notice in Jesus' prayer about this very thing in our text?
How do you make today your best attempt at making God known to those around you?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 5
Read John 16:1-15
Jesus Worked.
In the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, the promise that Jesus ends with is that He is with us to the end of the ages. Then He leaves. That is a tough way to say it, but it is also a true way to say it. It does not represent all of the pieces that are going on here, but, once again, it is true. As tough as it is for us to process this, we should also consider the perspective of the disciples as they were processing it.
To get the rest of the story, John 16 is a great place to rest our worries and concerns. Jesus was sending the Helper, the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit would be the guarantee that we would not have to sort through it all on our own, but rather, in our call to study and learn this complicated and higher set of ideas, there would be someone walking right with us through the whole thing, teaching us to understand and giving us the words to teach. Jesus’ life showed this pattern daily and so the promise coming from Him was surely a helpful and comforting thought.
Do you feel that you understand the work of the Holy Spirit, or is this still something that you are figuring out in learning the Bible?
What else do you see as the work of the Holy Spirit in your life?
What is a time that you are certain the Holy Spirit was working in your life?
How does this become your prayer today?
Jesus Worked.
In the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, the promise that Jesus ends with is that He is with us to the end of the ages. Then He leaves. That is a tough way to say it, but it is also a true way to say it. It does not represent all of the pieces that are going on here, but, once again, it is true. As tough as it is for us to process this, we should also consider the perspective of the disciples as they were processing it.
To get the rest of the story, John 16 is a great place to rest our worries and concerns. Jesus was sending the Helper, the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit would be the guarantee that we would not have to sort through it all on our own, but rather, in our call to study and learn this complicated and higher set of ideas, there would be someone walking right with us through the whole thing, teaching us to understand and giving us the words to teach. Jesus’ life showed this pattern daily and so the promise coming from Him was surely a helpful and comforting thought.
Do you feel that you understand the work of the Holy Spirit, or is this still something that you are figuring out in learning the Bible?
What else do you see as the work of the Holy Spirit in your life?
What is a time that you are certain the Holy Spirit was working in your life?
How does this become your prayer today?
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