We glorify God by making followers of Jesus who love God, love people, and go into the world.
Yesterday’s message comes from Acts 2:42-47, a passage that describes what the early church looked like.
From this passage, we learn that being devoted to God’s Word means we must preach and teach the Bible. This is the most important thing your pastor can do for the church. And we must learn and obey the Bible. We have to submit our opinions and preferences and traditions to the Bible.
The Bible is the very words of God, and therefore has God’s authority. Jesus Christ healed and performed other miracles that drew large crowds, but his first priority was preaching and teaching (spiritual healing vs. physical healing). Some estimates suggest there were 20,000 believers by the time the events in Acts took place. As such, a few problems had developed in the early church. For example, some of the widows were not being adequately cared for. This prompted the apostles to appoint deacons to care for the widows so they could continue to preach and teach.
We are called to be devoted to the Bible. We don’t ever leave the Bible. More importantly, we must put the Bible into practice.
There are five practical ways to devote oneself to God’s Word in the Bible:
1. Read the Bible.
2. Study the Bible.
3. Memorize the Bible.
4. Meditate on the Bible.
5. Prepare to hear the Bible.
In closing, let the Bible guide your prayers. Pray Scripture back to God.