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Monday
Matthew 16:16-18; Ephesians 4:15-16; Revelation 19:7-8
Jesus is the reason for church.
“I am building My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” —Jesus (Matt. 16:18)
Paul said that Jesus’ Church is His Body with different members having different functions, working together to accomplish His purposes in the world (Ephesians 4:15-16). Because the church is people, it will let us down and disappoint us. We too will disappoint and let others down. That’s why forgiveness is all important. At the same time, because of God’s grace working among us, God uses each of us to help shape and form us more perfectly into His image. And we help each other to know Jesus better. Jesus does this through brothers and sisters in Him, pastors, teachers, books, songs, worship gatherings, small groups, joint projects and, of course, through the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures.
“The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord. She is His new creation, by water and the Word. From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride, And with His blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
“Elect from every nation, yet one over all the earth. Her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth; One holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses, with every grace endued.”
John records in his book of Revelation how the Church is Jesus’ bride, readying herself for their/our wedding (Revelation 19:7-8).
Questions
How can we Christians help each other to know Jesus better?
Prayers for Christina Hack, Chi-Alpha, SDSU
Christina Hack serves with Chi Alpha student Ministries at San Diego State University. COVID adds difficulties and changes to doing ministry on campus, and the staff all miss being able to be in person as much
as they want. Please pray for the mental, emotional, and physical health of Christina and the rest of the staff.
Tuesday
2 Chronicles 20:21-22; Colossians 3:16
Church is for worshipping Jesus.
God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). This truth is illustrated in the Old Testament by (1) Joshua leading the people to march around Jericho and by (2) King David composing and singing hymns at the center of our Bibles. God’s presence in our praises is in (3) the answer to King Jehoshaphat’s prayer for help when facing a much larger enemy. God’s reply through His prophet was Jehoshaphat’s directive to put the choir in front of the army. Worship won the day.
In the New Testament, we find Jesus leading his disciples in song at the Last Supper (Mark 14:26) and Paul commanding us to sing the truths of Scripture (Colossians 3:16).
Throughout Church history, choirs, organs and hymns have filled churches with music. Martin Luther wrote “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” Many of our hymns were written by John Wesley’s brother Charles.
Our own church is rich in music with Eric Shouse leading the worship band. How thankful we are for Robert Watson who plays the keyboard and organ so masterfully, and for our choir who sings regularly.
Hymnals are a treasure trove of scriptural truths. When my wife was a student at Pasadena Christian School, she had an assignment in the sixth grade to memorize the words to all the verses of a hymn each month. When church people grow old and lose their memory and speech, they can often follow along when hymns are sung, singing word for word with the melody.
Today our household has gotten into a pattern of singing church songs every evening before getting ready for bed, with our daughter-in-law leading us on the keyboard. Our grandkids join in, playing the table drum and guitar, making a truly joyful noise to the Lord.
Questions
What hymns or choruses are your favorites?
Prayers for Christina Hack, Chi-Alpha, SDSU
Depression and anxiety are big health problems in college, and COVID has added to that a lot. In addition, some of our students have been sick or had scares at different points, and that could increase as things open up. Please pray for the mental, emotional, and physical health of our students.
Wednesday
Psalm 23; Ephesians 4:11-16; John 21:15-17; John 10:1-16
Pastors are gifts to the church.
“Pastors are for the building up of the saints for the work of the ministry.” (Ephesians 4:12)
Because my wife and I grew up in the same church, our “church path” has been identical, with membership in 8 churches and 12 lead pastors. All have been gifts to us, and, hopefully, we have been (and are) gifts to them.
Jesus is building His Church. One way He does this is through pastors. Our pastors lead us and teach us. They are “undershepherds” of Jesus, the Chief Shepherd. “Line upon line; precept upon precept,” they teach and we learn.
Already in his first 100 sermons, our Pastor Tim Peck has taught us as Jesus has taught him (and is teaching him). Let us review the past 2 ½ years. There have been 11 series with 5 or more sermons: Philippians, Lessons in Exile, John 14-16, Colossians, Reflecting God’s Image, Rhythms. Here are 15 nuggets:
- Today we begin to join our stories together. 10/29/18
- With Jesus we will love each other well. 12/23/18
- We find joy even in affliction when our perspective is detached enough to be free of other people’s judgments. 1/13/19
- Our common discipleship requires intentionality. 7/14/19
- God trusts us to manage His resources to advance His priorities. 8/11/19
- I am closer to God and others when I am honest about myself. 9/15/19
- God’s power to save is always much greater than the devil’s power to do harm. 11/3/19
- God’s love enables us to take risks in love. 11/10/19
- In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us into His own prayer life. 3/1/20
- In disputable matters, loving each other is more important than what we know. 6/2/20
- We abide in the Vine when asking prayer becomes integral to our life. 6/13/20
- We thrive in an upside-down world by learning to speak with grace. 11/16/20
- Our love relationship with God can change the world. 12/20/20
- Jesus does not disappoint. 1/10/21
- All of life is a gift. Every circumstance is an invitation (to give thanks). 3/21/21
Questions
Recall a favorite sermon by Pastor Peck and share it with someone.
Prayers for Christina Hack, Chi-Alpha, SDSU
Transitioning to C0VID life was difficult, and transitioning back to normal will be difficult as well. Prayers for wisdom in navigating a return back to personal life and ministry life.
Thursday
Acts 13:2-3
Church is for making disciples/followers of Jesus.
World evangelization began in the book of Acts and continues today. The church in Antioch of Syria fasted and prayed and sent out Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. Glenkirk Church does its share of world evangelization.
Our church is not only a sending church; it’s a discipling church as well—through Awana, Women’s Bible Studies, iMoms, small groups, and Sunday zoom teaching sessions. A book presently helping us in this regard is Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. The idea of the book is that if we become “emotionally healthy spiritual” people, we will be better disciples of Jesus and thereby better advertisements of His kingdom to those around us.
Our church has a number of ministries it supports: counseling ministries, tutoring, feeding ministries, orphanages, a refugee ministry, a church-planting and occupational ministry, student support ministries. You may currently be supporting some of these or others. For a complete listing of international and home missions and ministries, check: www.glenkirkchurch.org/outreach/, which has four sections: Missions & Outreach, Missionaries, Global Missions, Local Missions.
“Missions & Outreach” currently has a 32-minute video on the 2018 Chinle Arizona Navajo trip, along with other opportunities. “Missionaries” includes Bryant & Anne Wilhelmsen with Global Grace Fellowship ministering to Middle East refugees in southern Germany. “Global Missions” includes GTiHope in India (literacy programs, self-empowerment, schools, clean water wells, and village development). “Local Missions” include Neighborhood Homework House, Shepherd’s Pantry, and other local ministries.
Questions
Why not do some research this week and find out if there is not yet another way Jesus will expand your heart and your “giving portfolio.”
Prayers for Christina Hack, Chi-Alpha, SDSU
The ministry is wrapping up the Foundations of Faith class, which leads into student leadership for next year! It’s super exciting. Please pray for the students who are praying about joining the leadership team, and pray for wisdom in discipling them.
Friday
Philippians 3:20; Ephesians 5:21
Churches are to be outposts of heaven and of the kingdom of God.
Churches are not only places where we learn to know Jesus; they are places where the world gets to know Him, too. After all, according to Paul, just as Philippi was a Roman colony where citizens of Rome lived on foreign soil, so churches are outposts of heaven, where citizens of heaven live on foreign soil, as it were. (Tim Peck)
Philippi, a Roman garrison, was different from the surrounding Greek towns, living by different laws, customs, privileges, and protections. Colonies of heaven (churches), outposts of God’s kingdom, ought to be characterized by heaven’s culture: righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17) and, above all, love for one another (John 13:34-35). This is not only how they will know we are Christians; this is how they will know Jesus and be drawn to Him.
One significant feature of church life in loving community is mutual submission to one another (Ephesians 5:21). This requires trust, humility, a spirit of obedience (to leaders as onto God), and loving forgiveness. God is leading us and our leaders to be a community that reflects God’s character to each other and to the world. If we follow Him in this, He will draw people to Himself. Let us lean into God and into mutual submission.
Together we are learning how to live in the kingdom of God. Choosing solidarity over superiority (Brian McLaren), is not my natural inclination, but it will take me where I want to go and where God wants me/us to go. Such a community flows from our worship, and from our community flows the evangelization of our world (S. David Moore).
Questions
How will you lean into our church community at this season?
Prayers for Christina Hack, Chi-Alpha, SDSU
Please pray for continued momentum and growth in Christina and other staff members, as well as their relationships with current students, new students, the university, and other student organizations.
Sources:
- Hymn in Monday’s devo: “The Church’s One Foundation,” words by Samuel John Stone [based on 1 Corinthians 3:11), 1866.
- Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2017, Updated Edition).
- Tim Peck, “The Joy of Belonging,” Sermon delivered February 17, 2019, based on Philippians 3:15-21, regarding the idea of Glenkirk (or any church) being a heavenly colony or outpost (https://www.glenkirkchurch.org/sermon/february-17-2019-the-joy-of-belonging-joy-pt-7/).
- Brian McLaren, Faith After Doubt (New York: St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 2021).
- S. David Moore, Pastor Jack: The Authorized Biography of Jack Hayford (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2020), 126, 145.
