Monday, April 30, 2012
>LAST GENERATION< "Good News" EARLY MORNING FEATURED DEVOTIONAL #3 Monday April 30 2012 Iyar 8, 5772
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>LAST GENERATION< "Good News" EARLY MORNING FEATURED DEVOTIONAL #2 Monday April 30 2012 Iyar 8, 5772
Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - April 30, 2012
A Priority of the Early Church
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. - (Acts 2:42)
Luke could have brought a lot of things to our attention about the early church as he recorded its history in the book of Acts. After all, the early church was vibrant, joyful, and rapidly expanding. But Luke made a point of reminding us that the first-century Christians studied the Scriptures together.
It could have been a temptation for these believers to look back with great fondness on Pentecost and say, “Why can’t every service be like Pentecost? Remember the Holy Spirit coming upon us and the divided flames of fire? Remember all of the languages we spoke?” But Pentecost was like the explosion that started the engine. And instead of reminiscing, the church was reveling in the Word of God.
A trend in the church today, however, is to disregard the study of Scripture. Some pastors will say things like, “Questions are the new answers. Let’s not have a sermon. Let’s have a discussion. Let’s talk about the latest film or share our doubts and struggles. Besides, it is arrogant for us to say we know what the Bible teaches, because God is too big for us to understand, and His truth is too mysterious for us to know with certainty.”
Another trend is to marginalize the Word of God. A church may have their videos, their drama, their film clips, their testimonies, and even their dance sometimes. Then, at the end, they might have a little sermonette, a short talk by the pastor. The problem with this is that sermonettes produce Christianettes.
The Bible is alive and powerful. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. . . .”
The early church loved, reveled in, and studied the Word of God. And so should we.
Summary sentence: Do you love, revel in, and study the Word of God like the early church?
Tags: Church, Word of God
Copyright © 2012 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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>LAST GENERATION< "Good News" EARLY MORNING FEATURED DEVOTIONAL #1 Monday April 30 2012 Iyar 8, 5772
Always Be Vigilant
APRIL 30, 2012
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
–1 Peter 5:8
When I was in the hospital in Hawaii, I read again of the shocking events which led up to the destruction of the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor. On that fateful day of December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked. We know now that that attack was invited by our failure to be always vigilant. The result was the destruction of our fleet—the cause was tragic indifference. When comfort and ease and pleasure are put ahead of duty and conviction, progress is always set back.
What makes us Christians shrug our shoulders when we ought to be flexing our muscles? What makes us apathetic in a day when there are loads to lift, a world to be won, and captives to be set free? Why are so many bored, when the times demand action? Christ told us that in the last days there would be an insipid attitude toward life.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Take away the apathy, Father, that so often blinds my vision.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
SUNDAY EDITION (18): The Blaze WEEK-IN-REVIEW April 29, 2012 Iyyar 7, 5772
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