#424 - THEY TOOK NOTE - (26/8/21)

During this LEARNING TO HEAR series I’m taking a different approach to these devotionals. I want to us work harder at searching the scriptures for ourselves. We will use the ‘Come to Jesus Daily’ method below to help us with this. It’s well worth the hard work involved!

TODAY’S TEXT

I’ve included my reflections on today’s text below. However, I encourage you to pray and spend time reflecting (writing can be helpful) using the 5 questions below before reading my thoughts.

i. †GOSPEL - 'Gaze on the cross'- What does this text reveal about salvation through Jesus?

ii. UP – What does this text say about God – His worth, character, attributes, will, promises…?

iii. IN – What does this say about me, the church and how we are to relate? Is there a promise to believe, command to do, attitude to have, something to avoid, is there forgiveness to seek or give?

iv. OUT – What does this say about my community and mission?

v. DO - This has two components. Firstly, list as many possible ways that you can think of that one might apply the text (actions or attitudes). Secondly, hear - Pray about how the Holy Spirit is leading you, specifically, to respond.

MY REFLECTIONS

1. †GOSPEL

This text is rich in gospel truth. Peter preaches of Jesus as crucified and raised from the dead. This is the essence of our message. ‘Salvation is found in no-one else…’ Jesus is the only way of salvation. Many did and do reject Him. But He is our ‘cornerstone’ - the foundation of our lives.

2. UP

Behind this text, we see the mercy of God in giving us His Son. We see Him allowing the authorities to put Jesus to death. We see Him looking on mankind with compassion and giving them a way of salvation.

3. IN

Jesus is to be the ‘cornerstone’ of the church. It’s in Him that we are united and shaped. The gospel is to be our overriding theme. We see that God empowers these ‘unschooled ordinary’ people. The people 'took note that they had been with Jesus'. Anyone who knows Jesus, and is devoted to being with Him will be noticed in many ways.

4. OUT

This is in the context of a great healing. Signs and wonders are to be a part of our mission. They are preaching in the streets. Surely every church should have some who preach on the streets! It says that ‘they took note’. The church should be noticed: our miracles, our message, our unity… should be noticed. May the Lord, by the Spirit, make us a noteworthy community.

5. DO? - Here are a few examples of application that I’ve come up with:

An application could be to offer to pray for more sick people.

Is God calling you to street preaching?

Are we ready and willing to share that “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”?

They noted that ‘they had been with Jesus’. Devotion to being with Jesus in prayer and devotions personally and together is a key to evangelistic courage.

HEAR - Pray about how the Holy Spirit might want you to respond.

COMMUNITY GROUP STUDY

During this LEARNING TO HEAR series we are going to take a different approach to learning from the Bible together. We will use the ‘Come to Jesus Daily Method’ together (Gospel, Up, In, Out, Do) - you will have to do all the work!

1. Icebreaker - How has God spoken to you from the Bible this week? (During this LEARNING TO HEAR series, we are seeking to develop a culture of listening to God out of His word)

2. Select a text of scripture. (You could use the text from Sunday’s message or something of your choice.)

3. Read and recall. (Read the text and ask each person in the group to put it into their own words.)

4. Please go through these questions together:

i. †GOSPEL - 'Gaze on the cross'- What does this text reveal about salvation through Jesus?

ii. UP – What does this text say about God – His worth, character, attributes, will, promises…?

iii. IN – What does this say about me, the church and how we are to relate? Is there a promise to believe, command to do, attitude to have, something to avoid, is there forgiveness to seek or give?

iv. OUT – What does this say about my community and mission?

v. DO - This has two components. Firstly, list as many possible ways that you can think of that one might apply the text (actions or attitudes). Secondly, hear - Pray and share (if it’s appropriate) about how the Holy Spirit is leading you, specifically, to respond.

5. SIV - Finally, it would be helpful to talk and pray about how we are doing in regard to Serve, Invest and Invite. Do you have any encouraging stories or any plans in this regard? How do you want to pray in regard to our mission?