Welcome
to Orange Friends Church weekly Devotions. As believers in Christ we are
devoted to discipleship. That is to say, we wish to be growing in our
relationship with God and to see others come to know Christ and to grow as they
follow Him. Being followers of Jesus Christ means we want to know where He is
going, what His heartbeat is, and how we can serve Him more and better. Time
spent with God is essential for this growth to occur. Devotional time has been
practiced by followers of Jesus for 2000 years. This is the discipline of
taking just a few moments throughout your week to read, reflect, and pray. I
hope that we can provide a road map for you for these times with God so that
you may experience Him in a deeper way.
Each week we will provide four days to set aside for your
devotional time. If this is a new practice for you or if you have not done
devotions in awhile let me make some suggestions. First, set a time and place.
This sounds simple but it is essential for success. Devotions take focus. Find
a time and place where you have few interruptions and when you will not be
hurried or thinking about your next task. Most devotions can be done in 15 to
20 minutes, although some find that they spend a much longer time. No matter
how much time you have, the important thing is to seek a meaningful connection
with God.
These devotions will be based on the sermons that will be
coming up each Sunday. Take a few minutes at the beginning of your time to ask
the Holy Spirit to speak to your spirit. I hope that your time spent with the
Lord will prepare you for the Word being preached on Sunday morning.
Finally, relax and enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit.
I hope that this is the beginning of a life-long habit or the encouragement for
an existing habit as your heart seeks after the heart of the One who loves you
beyond measure! Enjoy His presence!
Enjoy His Grace!
In His Grip,
Pastor David
P.S.
Some of you are gifted in writing and preparing devotional material like this.
If you believe that you may enjoy this, consider joining our writing team.
Shoot me an e-mail at david@orangefriendschurch.org.
Just Go: Acts Chapter 1-2 (May 27-June 2)
This week we will begin the
exploration of the book of Acts which was likely written by the same Luke who
also authored the Gospel of Luke.
Chapters one and two highlight Jesus’ time with his disciples after his
resurrection and his ascension into heaven. The crux of Acts occurs in chapter
two when the disciples receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Day One:
For those of you who worked through
the Romans sermon series devotions last summer, you will notice that I am doing
things slightly different this time around.
Each week, I want to start off by setting the stage for the week’s
coming scripture. I desire to be personal and share a piece of my heart with
you each week in hopes that it sets your thoughts and mind right to receive
God’s Word.
This week I want to start off by
speaking about faith and how we as followers of Christ should read the
Bible. The good news is that as
believers we are not required to have directly witnessed Christ’s crucifixion
and resurrection to have faith. Hebrews 11:1 says that, “faith is the assurance
of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (ESV). This is not to say however, that our faith as
Christians is to be blind. Though the
object of our faith may be invisible (Jesus Christ), God has presented us with
tangible evidence of that object through resources such as the eyewitness
testimony of the Bible and through the resurrected lives of those with faith
living all around us.
Perhaps the most striking evidence of
Jesus’ death and resurrection is contained in Acts 1:3. It says that Jesus appeared to His disciples during
40 days after His resurrection. That’s
right I said 40 days! Paul even
recounted how Jesus appeared to over 500 people at one time during this
period. I was reading an article by
Christian apologist Josh McDowell and he pointed out that if these people
testified for a mere six minutes each, we would have over 50 hours of recorded
evidence! No faith outside of Christianity comes remotely close to providing
this kind of proof.
Now, if we as Christians actually
believe what we attest to, should that not change the way that we read the
Bible? I hope that I am not alone in admitting that there have been many
occasions when I have sat down to read the Bible and found myself on autopilot,
as if what I was reading was the world’s worst novel. Not only is the Bible not boring but it is
also not a fictitious novel written for our amusement. As Christ followers we must awaken our minds
and our hearts to the amazing truth of God’s interaction with humanity every
time we read the Bible. When we
understand the gravity of this, it completely changes everything! Stop reading the Bible like it’s your daily
obligation to God! Rather, read it like the amazing history it is and let it
breathe life into your heart and soul!
I urge you to start this week of
devotions with just a few moments of prayer.
Ask the Holy Spirit to awaken you to the amazing reality of His
Word. Also, ask Him to give you the desire
to faithfully read His Word as we go through these 14 weeks together. Hopefully this will change your study of Acts
and forever impact your approach to the Bible. Go with God and be at peace.
- Kyle Bogner
To Memorize:
Now faith is the assurance of things
hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
Day Two:
Read: Acts1:1-26
Reflect:
1) In verse 4 Jesus tells the disciples
to stay in Jerusalem to…
a.
Wait
for Him
b.
Attack
the Romans there
c.
Preach
d.
Wait
for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
2)
I
find it interesting that the disciples did not receive the Holy Spirit
instantaneously after Jesus ascended into heaven. Clearly Jesus’ command to wait in Jerusalem
was a call for discipline. Why is
waiting on the Lord important and how have you struggled with this in your
life?
3)
In
chapter one a new disciple is chosen to replace Judas after he hung
himself. How does the disciples’ obedience
to God in asking for His choice in replacement provide a model for how we as
servants of Christ are supposed to make decisions?
To
Memorize:
“But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”.
Acts 1:8 (ESV)
Day Three:
Read Acts
2:1-13
Reflect:
1) On what Jewish holiday did the Holy Spirit
descend on believers?
a. Passover
b. Feast of Booths
c. Pentecost
d. Yom Kippur
2) In
verse two the Bible says that the Holy Spirit came from heaven like a
mighty wind. What does this illustration attest to about
the Holy Spirit?
3) What does the speaking of tongues in
chapter two say about spiritual gifts in general?
a. They are for our own benefit
b. They are given to us by the Holy Spirit
c. They are for the edification of others
d. They are for us to show off to others
e. They are to bring glory to God
To
Memorize:
Suddenly there came from heaven a
sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they
were sitting.
Acts 2:2 (ESV)
Day Four:
Read
Acts 2:14-47
Reflect:
1) At the end of verse 13, many people were
saying that those who were being filled with the Holy Spirit were just
drunk. Peter rebukes them in verse
15. I think this says something
interesting about how God thinks and how he wants us to act out in faith for
Him. Often times we are call to do
things that look funny to “the world” but have true heavenly consequences. Are you willing to look foolish for God? When
have you experienced looking foolish for God?
2) Decide the validity of the following
statements about the death/resurrection of Christ
T/F It
was known by God long before it ever happened
T/F Jesus
was given up freely and was God’s plan for salvation for all of time
T/F Jesus
was made both our savior and our king and lord
3) The following behaviors/attitudes are
appropriate demonstrations of the Holy Spirit working in us.
a. Fellowship with all believers
b. Helping those in need
c. Desire to worship and praise God
d. A glad and generous heart
e. Bitter resentment
To
Memorize:
“Let all the house of Israel
therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this
Jesus whom you crucified.”
Acts 2:36 (ESV)
