Faith Community Devotional Week 1

Jesus’ Ministry Begins

Tuesday, March 15

Matthew 4:1-11

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' " 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and
worship me." 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' " 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Thoughts for Children:

· What does it mean to be tempted?

· Are you ever tempted to do something that you shouldn’t?

Thoughts for Adults:

· Jesus was obviously vulnerable when Satan came to Him.  During what times are you more vulnerable (tired, burned out) and need to be on guard for an attack?

· Jesus leaned heavily on the Scriptures in responding to Satan,
beginning each response with “it is written.”  Do you use specific Scriptures to respond to temptations in your life?

You Are the Salt and Light

Wednesday, March 16

 Matthew 5:11-16

11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 "Rejoice and be
exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they
persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 " You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a
basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Thoughts for Children:

· What does it mean to be the “light of the world?”

· Should you tell others about Jesus? Do you?

Thoughts for Adults:

· As adults it is difficult to walk the line of evangelism.  We don’t want to offend and drive away, but we need to share the eternal message of Christ.  How do you navigate this in your own life?  Do you ignore evangelism out of fear?

· What actions and attitudes in your life would you say “shine a light” to others that you are a Christian? 

Dealing with Anger

Thursday, March 17

Matthew 5:21-24

21 " You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' 22 "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has
something against you, 24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Thoughts for Children:

· How should you respond when someone makes you angry?

· Have you made someone angry?  Have you asked them to forgive you?

Thoughts for Adults:

· Are you upset or angry with anyone right now?  Have you prayed for them today?  If not, stop and do so right now.  Ask God how to make the situation right, or if you need to just forgive and move on.

· Why do you think Jesus said for us to reconcile with other people before we come to worship God?

Say What You Mean

Friday, March 18

Matthew 5:33-37

33 " Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34 "But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 "nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 "Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Thoughts for Children:

· Has someone ever broken a promise to you?  If so, how did it make you feel?

· If you say you are going to do something, like clean your room, do you do it?

Thoughts for Adults:

· What does it mean to you to have “integrity?”

· Do you make promises that you don’t keep, even unintentionally?  If so, how do you think you should change based on this
Scripture?

Do Unto the Lord, Not Unto Men

Saturday, March 19

Matthew 6:1-6

1 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 "Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 "But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 "that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 5 " And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Thoughts for Children:

· Should we follow God’s rules only when others are looking?

· Do you ever pray by yourself or only when someone tells you to pray?

Thoughts for Adults:

· These verses talk a lot about a “secret” life with God.  What is your secret life with God like right now?

· What is one thing you could do to improve your “secret” life with God?  (private prayer, anonymous kind act, etc.)

Current Community Groups ~ February 21, 2011

Current Groups: (All groups Wednesday @ 7pm unless noted)

3D Youth  ~ Jeff and Kelli Robinette, Youth Pastor

  Church Office 1509 S Kanawha St, Beckley, WV 25801

   304-573-4141

  (Open from 6:30 to 8:30 pm to accommodate travel time)

The Blessing of Fellowship ~ Jason Lowe, Lead Pastor
  117 Cajun St, Beckley- 304-237-7934

Crazy Love by Francis Chan ~ Mark Dawes
  205 Granville Ave, Beckley, WV 25801—304-255-0442

Monvee ~ Sam Peterson, Executive Pastor

  100 Bishop St, Beckley, WV 25801—304-255-5044

Five Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith ~ Angie Harding

  (Ladies Group) 231 Market Rd., Beckley, WV 25801 - 304-253-1466

Fellowship, Food, and the Word ~ Debbie Marks / Cindi Atkins

  (Monday morning) 214 Price Lane in Daniels, WV 25832 - 304-255-5606

Ladies Bible Study ~ Dee Peterson
(Every other Monday evening @ 6:30pm ~ check calendar on back)

  Church Office 1509 S Kanawha St, Beckley, WV 25801 - 304-255-5044

Transformed Vessels (Widow’s Ministry) ~ Debbie Neal

(Every other Monday evening @ 6:00pm ~ check calendar on back)

  Church Office 1509 S Kanawha St, Beckley, WV 25801 - 304-573-8591

Couples Group ~ Keith and Tara Webb

 1210 Old Grandview Rd. in Beaver, WV 25813 - 304-763-0271

Tuesday Group ~ Sharon Toney

February 15-March 15 from 2:00-3:00pm

Church Office 1509 S Kanawha St, Beckley, WV 25801 - 304-860-1940

This Too Shall Pass

As I wrote the title above I couldn't help but think of the line from Lord of Rings when Gandalf says, "Yoooou, shalll nottt passs!" to the Balrog.  My boys, especially Ben, love those movies, and I like them too - great allegories.

Unlike the Balrog, however, who did not pass if you haven't seen the movie, the various seasons of our lives do pass.  I have been a little mentally and physically exhausted this week, and things always look more difficult when you are worn out.  I am generally very optimistic (some might say foolishly optimistic; a dreamer), but it has been harder this week to see everything as possible.  There are thoughts that creep in attempting to discourage, but I've been around the block enough times by now to know what is going on internally.  I need rest.

So many times, however, I have seen people get lost in certain seasons of their lives and allow temporary circumstances or feelings to swallow them and do permanent damage.  It is so easy from the outside looking in to see that everything is not as bad as they perceive it to be.  Maybe they just need a break, maybe they need to stop being so hard on themselves, maybe they need to stop expecting perfection from others, but whatever it is, it is smaller than they think, and will pass soon if they let it.

Nobody is "UP" all the time, so don't beat yourself up with that lie.  If you are going through a rough stretch right now, just close your eyes, breath in, breath out; turn your heart to God, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how small today is in the scope of eternity.

Save Your Life

In our time together yesterday we talked about two things that are so important.  Recognizing the parrallel tracks in our lives of "Spiritual" and "Non-spiritual," and crying out to God.

I am in a position where I get to hear a lot of stories of people blowing up their lives, and it is sad and avoidable.  The solution is so simple that I feel like an idiot saying it, "Live a godly life."  Sure the "advice" takes different forms in different situations, but it boils down to "live a godly life," "God's way really is the best way," or "that may feel good, or right, now, but it isn't godly and it won't feel that way later."

By the grace of God choose to save your own life.  Prevent situations by taking time to think about areas of your life that aren't "integrated."  That is to say, "Are there areas of your life where God is absent, or you know that, if you really thought about it, are wrong?"  Those things might seem managable now, but they are entry points for things that will destroy your life.

Crying out to God means calling on Him with the realization that He is your only hope.  We like to think that we are strong enough, smart enough, savy enough, or attractive enough to make our lives into what we want them to be.  The truth is we are not.  We need God, and any area not plugged into Him is eventually going to be unfulfilling or a destructive force.

May the Holy Spirit lead us on this journey!

Psalm 15 "LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?  Who may dwell in Your holy hill?  . . . He who swears to his own hurt and does not change . . . He who does these things shall never be moved."

The Purpose of the Church

The passion of my heart is discipleship, which I see as helping Jesus followers live like Jesus.  This has always contrasted with my evangelistic side which is that part that wants to see people coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus; entering into a relationship with Him and making Him Lord of their life.

As we think about the purpose of the church it is easy to say that we should do both equally.  However the reality is that you are going to lean one way or the other.  You can't offer an infinite number of programs in the local church, so do you offer more discipleship or more outreach?  You can't share two messages on Sunday, so is this Sunday going to be discipleship or outreach? (What was last Sunday? What is next Sunday?)

It is obviously a great church growth strategy to trend toward non-believers because there are more of them out there to reach.  But, for me, I think that in over emphasizing that aspect you end up with a room full of shallow believers (inch deep, mile wide).  However, an overemphasis on discipling people who already believe leads to a group of people that are so inwardly focused that non-believers are made to feel like outsiders walking into a conversation that they are not a part of mid-stream.

As in everything we have to find a balance and avoid letting the pros on one side swing the pendulum too far.

What do you identify as the greatest responsibility of the church?

Avoid Relationship Emergencies

It is human nature to avoid things until they are broken.  We don't often times think about the oil in our car until the light comes on, or eating right until the doctor or scale give us a warning.

Relationships are the same way.  We often neglect them until there is an emergency or reason for alarm.  In our society and culture that is so inundated with relationships (read Facebook/Twitter) it makes even more difficult to keep track of our more valuable relationships.  It is helpful to think in terms of there being three levels of relationships with: 1 - being those closest and most important to us; 2 - important friends and co-workers/classmates; and 3 - acquaintances/people who you know their names but not their story.

As you categorize the people that you know, clarify if you are giving your best energy to people in group one, or if 2 and 3 have hi-jacked your thoughts and calendar.  Think of a way to systematically "check-in" with those people in group 2.  I have a list of names that I try to cycle through monthly to make sure that I keep my relationships connected with the goal of knowing what is currently going on in their lives.  My group 3 is primarily maintained through random social media contact, and an attempt to contact people on their birthdays for a once a year "check in."

You may think it is crazy to try to come up with a system of maintaining relationships, but the truth is that it is easy to disconnect from people through the busyness of life and those connections are important!  I can think back now to relationships that I wish I had better maintained and not lost in the flow of life.

Checking in regularly and giving your best energy to group 1 also helps to avoid relational emergencies.  You never want to be the person whose marriage train wrecks, or relationship with their children vanishes, and you are caught saying, "I didn't know there was anything wrong!"

As Christians we should allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us as well!  When is the last time you sat down in your prayer time and said, "Holy Spirit, you know everything!  Can you tell me what I can do to make my important relationships better?"  I know from experience that God will bring things to your mind and heart that you need to know to strengthen your relationships!

Be Healed, Be a Healer

I have been reminded lately of the healing power of the things of God.  There is healing power in reading the Bible - just reading and taking in the Word of God will heal you mentally, emotionally, and physically.  This is also true of prayer and fellowship with godly people. 

Above all there is NO DOUBT that there is healing power in our words.  Jesus says it this way in Matthew 15:11, "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  He pointed to the fulfillment of all the Old Testament dietary laws as being the realization that our words are powerful!  If you read through Leviticus (which I know is on the top of your list), then you will see there are a lot of dietary laws and this is truly a powerful statement!

Proverbs 18:21 cannot be underestimated!  "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..."  We need to take seriously the exhortation to speak life and not speak death.  You have the power to speak life over yourself and those around you.  Be a healer!