Christian Community Devotion Time

Christian Community Devotion Time

Monday, February 14

Prayer FOR TODAY’S DT

May my cry come before you, O Lord;give me understanding according to your word.(Psalm 119:169)

INTRODUCTION

Love is the dominant characteristic that distinguishes the Christian community. Today’s text pulls together a small sampling of passages in the New Testament on this central quality of all Christian relationships.

BIBLE TEXT

John 13:1; 34 -35

John 15:12, 17

Romans 13:8-10

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

1 John 3:18

1 John 4:7-8

1 John 4:11-12

ANALYSIS

There are rich lessons in these passages about love. Read each passage carefully and write what each passage teaches about love, and how a Christian should regard his life, and how we are to treat “one another.”

APPLICATION

How does today’s text apply to you?

Tuesday, February 15

Prayer FOR TODAY’S DT

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.(James 1:22)

INTRODUCTION

These “each other” passages paint a rich picture of people relating to one another in ways very different from the power-seeking, fearful and pride-fueled ways of the children of Cain. Reflect on God’s vision for the church revealed in these passages

BIBLE TEXT

Ephesians 4:32

Colossians 3:13

1 Peter 4:8

Galatians 5:13

Ephesians 4:2

1 Peter 4:9

James 4:11

James 5:9

Matthew 5:23–24

ANALYSIS

How does the gospel make possible the essential shift away from self to others envisioned in these passages?
Read each passage carefully and write what the passages teach about how each member is to be toward the others in the church, making personal applications as appropriate.

APPLICATION

How does today’s text apply to you?

Wednesday, February 16

Prayer FOR TODAY’S DT

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.(Matthew 24:35)

INTRODUCTION

Essential to the call for Christians to love one another is the responsibility we bear for each another before God. Today’s textscover some of the specific ways in which such loving responsibility is to be exercised.

BIBLE TEXT

Romans 14:13

Colossians 3:16

1 Thessalonians 5:11, 14-15

James 5:16

Hebrews 3:12–13

Hebrews 10:24-25

ANALYSIS

Read each passage carefully and write what the passages teach about how each member is to be toward the others in the church, making personal applications as appropriate.

Hebrews 3:12-15
“The believers should ‘take care’ or ‘beware’ … because within any Christian community there may be those whose outward association does not reflect the inward condition of the heart.”[1]

“Faithfulness grows from an encouraging association with the community of faith. In 3:13 the author prompts us to ‘encourage one another daily.’ In other words, the give and take of positive encouragement from others in the body of Christ provides a safeguard against heart-hardening sin and spiritual bankruptcy. […] but life lived with the people of faith is an indispensable ingredient in a faithful walk.”[2]

What picture of the church, and relationships within the church, emerges from the two Hebrews texts?
What are some negative realities assumed by these texts, and how relevant is this today?

APPLICATION

How does today’s text apply to you?

Thursday, February 17

Prayer FOR TODAY’S DT

He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belnng to the Father who sent me.

(John 14:24)

INTRODUCTION

Christians live in tension: we are called to be God’s set-apart people, but we are also sinners living in a sinful world. How God’s people are to manage this tension involves some clear teachings regarding the church’s responsibility to confront sin, and treat unrepentant sinners.

BIBLE TEXT

Matthew 18:15-17

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

ANALYSIS

Matthew 18:15-20

What responsibility does each Christian have towards the sins of his brother/sister? What responsibility does the church have?
What picture of the church emerges from the process that a person is advised to take in leading a brother to repentance?

Matthew 18:15; 1 Corinthians 5:5

What is the goal of the disciplinary actions envisioned in these passages?

1 Corinthians 5:6

Reflect on the analogy of the “batch of dough.” What sort of thing is the church according to this analogy, and what vulnerabilities are suggested by this picture?

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Note the distinction made in this passage between “people of this world” and the one “who calls himself a brother.” What is the responsibility of Christian leaders with respect to someone who calls himself a Christian but is “sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler?”

Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5

In both of these passages, a brother can potentially end up being relationally severed from the rest of the Christian community (Matt 18:17; 1 Cor 5:2, 11-13). Cold, harsh words appear in these texts: “treat him as you would a pagan”; “put out of your fellowship the man who did this.”; “with such man do not even eat”; and “expel the immoral brother.”

What, then, is the nature of Christian brotherhood/sisterhood that such potential severing of relationships is envisioned?
What is being upheld as Christians live out such a code of conduct in relationships?
Human relationships break up all the time. What causes these breakdowns, and what are the typical values that govern such situations?

APPLICATION

How does today’s text apply to you?

Friday, February 18

Prayer FOR TODAY’S DT

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”(John 6:68)

INTRODUCTION

All Christians do not have the same level of spiritual maturity. Today’s texts introduce the idea that some in the church are spiritual infants, and that a church must have wiser and more mature believers.

BIBLE TEXT

Hebrews 5:11-14

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

1 Corinthians 6:1-8

ANALYSIS

Hebrews 5:11-14; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

What two categories of Christians do these passage mention? What characterizes each?

1 Corinthians 6:1-8

How does having lawsuits among believers represent “complete defeat?”
What does vs. 5 reveal about the Corinthian church, and Apostle Paul’s expectation of them?
We get a glimpse into the picture of what the church should be from Apostle Paul’s astonished response to lawsuits among believers at Corinth. Describe this picture.

APPLICATION

How does today’s text apply to you?

SATURDAY, February 19

1) Reread the passages from this week, and review your DTs.

2) Write a reflection based on the following prompt:

What is the picture of the church from this week's passages?
In what ways do I need to struggle with the picture of the church presented in this week’s passages? Which aspect am I having a hard time internalizing?

appendix

Here are some additional questions to consider if you want to do further personal application or reflection over the text.

John 13:1, 34-35

What is the significance of this final commandment Jesus gives to his remaining eleven disciples before his crucifixion? How does this clarify what the purpose of my life should be?

Romans 13:8-10

Reflect on the truth that all of the commandments are summed up in the command to love my neighbor, and the truth that, when I sin, I am doing “harm to [my] neighbor.” How does this motivate me to become a person of greater love and greater obedience to God’s commandments?

1 John 4:7-8

“[John] is not saying that “God is loving” (though this is true). Nor is he saying that one of God’s activities is “to love” us (though this is true as well). John is saying that God is love, that “all of his activity is loving.” Love is the essence of his being.”[3]

What is the true source of love?
Reflect on the inadequate sources from which the people of the world seek love. To what extent do I draw from my relationship with God, and my assurance of his grace and acceptance, as a source of love toward others?
Based on v. 8, what is one way in which I can come to know God better?

1 John 4:11-12

Given that ‘no one has ever seen God,’ according to the text, how is it that we can show that “God lives in us?”
Why is it that God’s love is “made complete in us” only as we love one another?

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

What can I learn from the fact that Apostle Paul uses different words—“warn,” “encourage,” and “help”--in advising the Thessalonians on how to minister to those who are “idle,” ‘timid,” or “weak”?

1 Peter 4:8

Why would it be impossible to love without this fact that “love covers over a multitude of sins”? How have others “covered over” my sins in order to love me? Who are the people whose sins I need to “cover over”?

Galatians 5:13-15

How is the use of freedom for Christians radically different from the way of the world?
Reflect on how I’ve been using my God-given freedom. In what ways can I increase in loving my neighbor as myself? How will this lead to greater freedom?

1 Peter 4:9

Why would any one offer hospitality with “grumbling?”

Hebrews 3:12-15

How do I respond to encouragement from other believers to not harden my heart or be led away by sin’s deceitfulness?

Hebrews 10:23-25

How can I “spur one another on toward love and good deeds”? How can I open up my life to receive such encouragement?

James 5:16-20

Why may it be the case that confession brings healing?
How have I experienced healing through the prayers of “righteous” people, as I confessed my sins to them, in the past?

Hebrews 5:11-14

What are some things in my life that keep me spiritually immature, and what can I do (or am doing) to change this?

[1]Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary – Hebrews. (Zondervan 2000) 129.

[2]Ibid, 146.