This week’s topic is that we need rest. We probably already know this is a physical and emotional reality, but it may surprise us to know God rests, and says we need it too. In fact, he commands rest in the first book of the Bible after God created the universe.

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:2-3 ESV)

A few weeks ago, we saw that God worked, and that we were created to work with him. Now we see God rested. We are also created to rest with him…and share that rest with others.

To help, God gave a rhythm for rest and work. Six days of work, and one day of rest. It’s not equal, as work still outweighs rest. But it’s rhythmic and balances our need for creation and recreation.

God’s rest is the model for our rest. What is God’s rest like?

First, He stops creating. Producing, accumulating, moving, operating.

Clearly his work of sustaining continued – the earth kept spinning and the plants keep growing. But his work of creating takes a pause.

Secondly, he was satisfied with his work. It’s finished. Some things are complete, good, and need to ripen.
We can see these kinds of rest in us today – we need to kick our feet up and stop creating, and we also need to rest by enjoying and appreciating things like nature, art, music and more.

We’ll look in future weeks at how that looks in our context. But we won’t be suggesting this is about a particular day or practice that creates God’s favour and blessing in our lives. It’s about God having created us, knowing what we need, and giving it to us as a gift, if only we’d take it.

Question: What kind of creating do you do? It’s not just artists – people create order, learning, art, ideas, value, research, roads, buildings and more. What do you create?

Ryan Sim - May 27, 2014

Tuesday - Study It - Pioneer Practices

Remember what we studied last week? After the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to Jesus’ followers and enabled them to do their mission, we heard about Peter preaching to crowds, and 3000 deciding to follow Jesus at once. With 3000 people joining, they shifted instantly from a handful of people to a crowd, and needed to institutionalize a bit. That’s not a bad thing, it’s necessary with large groups. Otherwise, it’s too easy to lose sight of the group’s values, stories, etc. A group that large needs some practices to help. Listen to how their first communities were described by Luke in the book of Acts: And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 ESV) The Apostle’s Teaching and Fellowship This refers to continuity with those who knew Jesus, and learned directly from him. They were devoted to learning Jesus’ original teaching, not changing it. In addition, they were not just isolated individuals, but a group…a community who spent time together around Jesus, and then in the upper room after that. These same activities spread to others who decided to follow Jesus. They had something to learn, and a community in which to learn it. Classrooms are important opportunities to discuss, refine, argue, and ultimately learn better than simply by reading alone, and a community was important here as well. Breaking of the Bread At first glance, this might just sound like they ate together. They probably did. Letters in the Bible written by one church leader, Paul, describe some feasts when Christians gathered. Many cultures gather around food, Christians are the same. But there is probably more to it than just a meal. The night before he died, Jesus gathered his disciples for a Passover meal. He took bread, broke it and said this is my body broken for you. He took a cup of wine, and said this is my blood shed for you. Whenever you do this, do it in remembrance of me. With shorthand like “the bread and wine”, it seems pretty likely Luke, the author of Acts, was referring to this practice we now know as “communion” or the Eucharist as well as or instead of a meal. They’d gathered, so it seems entirely appropriate they might have done what |Jesus told them to do whenever they gathered. Many years have passed since apostles taught and gathered, but these two practices would have helped. We’ll see two more tomorrow, but in the meantime, Question: What is our connection to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship today? In what ways is fellowship distinct from socializing?

Related Topics: Community, Discipleship, Early Church, Growth, Holy Spirit, Pioneer, Practices, Spirit | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Pioneer Story"

We read through the Book of Acts as a Pioneer Story for the church.

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