So what does it mean to do the will of our father in heaven, as a family of followers of Jesus?  How do our values impact our routines and traditions as we develop into a church family?

One example that will guide us for the rest of this series comes from this description in the book of Acts, which tells the story of the first followers of Jesus organizing their extended family after Jesus died, rose and left the earth.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[e] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Five main elements devoted to:

  • Growth in Discipleship – They shared some teaching and belief in common with each other, and those who knew Jesus, the apostles.
  • Groups in Community –They were together regularly.
  • Grace in Lifestyle – They gained favour with all the people through their changed hearts
  • Generosity  of Resources – They were selling and sharing their possessions to ensure no one was in need.
  • God in Worship – They regularly attended temple worship, and were breaking bread in homes in keeping with Jesus’ instructions from the night before he died

We’ll explore each of these things in depth these next few weeks, because these are the same things our church community will be devoted to.  We will try to keep it well rounded, and not just focus on one thing or another.

Challenge: Rank these from easiest to hardest for you.

 

Ryan Sim - July 9, 2013

Tuesday - Study It - Foundations

This week, we're looking at foundatinos in life. Jesus spoke to this in his conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount which we've been exploring. This is our second last week on this theme! “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27 ESV) Truth 1: We all build on something in life, and that makes all the difference. Both guys in this story want the same thing – a house. And they build one. What’s different is location, location, location. Just for fun, I recently toured an open house that’s double the price of my own. The house has some premium finishes, sure, but not enough marble and granite to double the price. The price difference was because of the location…the land is what’s most valuable. Are you happy with where you're building life? We build on all kinds of things: Career, Kids, Sexuality, Power, Control, etc. We can build some beautiful homes on those foundations, but it's all for nothing if the foundation crumbles and all that beauty falls down. The foundation in life is the number one decision, upon which all other decisions are dependent. If your foundation decision is about debt reduction, then you'll sacrifice other things to pay down a loan. If it's your kids, then you'll sacrifice travel and independence. These are just examples, of how the foundation impacts other areas of life. Question: What do you think is the difference between a sand and rock foundation in life? Give some examples.

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From Series: "Sermon on the Mount"

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