United As One: Devoted To The Apostles

And they were continually devoting themselves…

Acts 2:42 LSB

SIX DEVOTIONS THAT CAN UNITE THE ENTIRE CONGREGATION

Devotion 1 – I must be devoted to the resurrected Christ.

Devotion 2 – I must be devoted to the mission Christ gave me.

Devotion 3 – I must be devoted to the apostle’s teaching.

Devotion 4 – I must be devoted to fellowship, that is “sharing in common.”

Devotion 5 – I must be devoted to prayer.

Devotion 6 – I must be devoted to our God-ordained leadership.

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teachings…

Acts 2:42 LSB

“When he ascended to the heights, he led a group of captives free and gave gifts to his people.” Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:8b, 11-12 NLT

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM THE LEADERS GOD GIFTS ME WITH?

1. I SHOULD EXPECT MY LEADERSHIP TO BE FORGIVEN.

• “Forgiven” conveys the idea that leaders are imperfect.

Jesus told the followers, "Tonight you will lose your faith in me. Scriptures says, 'I will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will run away.'

Matthew 26:31 ERV

• “Forgiven” conveys the idea that leaders are penitent.

“I have prayed that you will not lose your faith! Help your brothers be stronger when you come back to me.”

Luke 22:32 ERV

2. I SHOULD EXPECT MY LEADERSHIP TO BE FAITHFUL.

• “Faithful” is a commitment to love and obey God.

“Whether it is right in the eyes of God for us to listen to what you say rather than to what he says, you must decide; for we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard!

Acts 4:19-20 Phillips

…I must… go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there. I know only that in every city the Holy Spirit tells me that troubles and jail wait for me. I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission. I want to finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.

Acts 20:22-24 ICB

I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. Obviously I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Galatians 1:9-10 NLT

• “Faithful” is a commitment to love and serve His Church.

I want you to remember my way of life. From the first day I arrived in Asia, I served the Lord with humility and tears, patiently enduring the many trials that came my way through the plots of my Jewish opponents. I did everything I could to help you; I held nothing back. I taught you publicly, and I taught you in your homes.

Acts 20:18b-20 VOICE

WHAT SHOULD MY LEADERS RIGHTFULLY EXPECT FROM ME?

1. THEY SHOULD EXPECT ME TO LISTEN TO THEM.

So the Twelve gathered the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word” This proposal pleased the whole group.

Acts 6:2-5a NIV

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.

Ephesians 4:11 NLT

• What one thing does each of these God given “gifts” share in common?

Their value comes from their speaking and our listening.

Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel.

Hebrews 13:17a MP

2. THEY SHOULD EXPECT ME TO BE LOYAL TO THEM.

With these words he knelt down with them all and prayed. All of them were in tears and throwing their arms round Paul’s neck they kissed him affectionately. What saddened them most of all was his saying that they would never see his face again. And they went with him down to the ship.

Acts 20:36-38 Phillips

It was more than we could have hoped for! First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God's will they gave themselves to us as well.

2 Corinthians 8:5 GNT

Don’t forget the example of your spiritual leaders who have spoken God’s messages to you, take a close look at how their lives ended, and then follow their walk of faith.

Hebrews 13:7 TPT