What We Teach Devo

May 29th, 2016  

Devotional

“Living Our Beliefs: What are We Teaching” - Romans 12: 6-7, Matthew 10: 24

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Growing as a Disciple” -Phil. 3: 8-11

The Apostle Paul writes in today’s scripture passage that all that he once considered to be important means nothing compared to sharing in the power of the resurrection of Christ. In fact, he disregards the things that prevented him from suffering of Christ. Paul put aside the things that distracted him and picked up the mantle of discipleship.

Discipleship, or following Jesus Christ, is hard work. It is not necessarily something that comes naturally or even easily to us. Instead, it is something that is taught and learned. We need to be able to look back and see who taught us to be a disciple in order to look forward to how we will teach others to follow Christ. The methods of teaching may change, but the heart of the material stays the same - Jesus Christ resurrected. 

What in your life could younger followers in the faith learn from you?

Where are the places you still need to grow as a disciple?

What is one way you can seek to grow as a disciple this week?

Prayer: God, you call us to learn and to teach. To learn how to always be growing deeper in our faith and discipleship to you. To teach others what it means to be a disciple. Be with us this week, giving us opportunities to both learn and teach, all for the sake of the Kingdom. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Modeling Discipleship” - 1 Cor 10: 23-33

While writing to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul gave sage advice that still applies today -  while all things may be lawful, they may not be the best things to be building disciples. While in seminary I had to study multiple intelligence theory as part of my Christian Education class which boils down to this - different people learn different ways - there isn’t simply one way to teach everyone so you need to present the material different ways to reach different learning types.

One of those learning types is by watching or observing. In other words, some people learn what it means to follow Jesus by watching you, whether you notice them watching or not. Therefore, we need to lead a godly example in order to model what it means to love and follow Christ. Who is watching you this day and what are you teaching them?

How can imitating other’s good example be a good teaching tool for discipleship?

How does knowing others are imitating your faith walk impact your day to day life?

What are some steps you can take this week to remind yourself to be a godly model for others new to the faith?

Prayer: Lord, we need a little help in being good models for others. We confess that we do not always live into our faith in a way that benefits others or in a way that truly teaches them what it means to love and follow you. Forgive us, O Lord. Use us to teach others what it means to have our lives changed by you. Amen.

Wednesday: “ Instruct One Another” - Romans 15: 14-16

One of the first steps in instructing another person about anything is to know what you are doing and why. What do you want to ultimately teach them and how are you going to get there? Sometimes I fear that too many Christians don’t know what they are ultimately striving to teach others about what it means to be a Christian. Perhaps thats because there just seems like there is so much to cover. For the Apostle Paul the most important thing to teach was the grace of God - that he was once a sinner but he is now saved by God’s grace. Everything he presented and taught was to reach that one point, to stress that one message given to him.

Paul didn’t expect just one or two people to instruct everyone else in the faith - instead he wanted all Christians in the body to instruct one another in order to help one another grow closer to God and each other. We cannot pass the buck on to someone else to instruct us in the faith, we need others to instruct us and we need to instruct others. 

What are some ways others in the church have instructed you in the faith?

What are some ways you can instruct others in the faith? What is the ultimate message you want to teach others?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we seem to focus on the wrong thing. We get overwhelmed by the message of your grace so we start to instruct people on things that don’t really matter to you or your Kingdom because they seem easier. Give us space this week, O Lord, to truly consider what we are ultimately teaching and how we are to get there. Set aside anything that may distract us from this message and path. Amen.

Thursday: “Personal and Social Holiness” - Matthew 25: 31-46

For John Wesley, the point of scripture was to show us the way to love  God with all our heart and to love our neighbors as ourselves. You cannot separate one from the other. It is one of the reasons I truly believe that we need a community of believers to be a part of and worship with - because our path to growing in holiness is both personal and social. The end goal of our faith journey is to have our hearts so filled with love for God and neighbor that there isn’t room for anything else. This is more than just having a relationship with Christ, its have a relationship with Christ that deeply transforms you from the inside out.

However, we know that this isn’t always easy, which is perhaps what Jesus is pointing out in the parable of the sheet and the goats. It may be easy to appear that you love God or appear that you love your neighbor, but appearances are difference than transformative love. Part of what we teach as United Methodists is that we need to be people who are changed by Christ so that we can be agents of Christ in transforming the world. 

In what ways is our congregation good at teaching personal and social holiness? Where are our growing edges?

How can a deeper understanding of personal and social holiness help our church be involved in transformative ministry?

Prayer: Lord, we are people who you call to both have a relationship with you and then use that relationship in positive ways so that others may come to know you are their Lord and Savior. Help us move beyond ourselves and our personal preferences so that others may be blessed by your love and gift of salvation. Amen. 

Friday: “Not Above the Teacher” - Matthew 10: 24

Sometimes it is easier to not learn something because than we can claim ignorance or go about teaching what we want to teach instead of what the Church proclaims through the instruction and teaching of Jesus Christ. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus reminds his disciples that its not about what they want to proclaim or what they want to teach - its about what he has instructed them in.

One of the most frustrating parts of being a pastor is when people tell you what they think the Bible says or what the think the Church believes when it is not true. It is simply their assumption or what they have been mis-taught in the past. Let us not be people who mis-teach others or lead them away from what matters most, distracting them with arguments about petty things. Instead let us teach what Jesus has taught us. For that is what matters most.

What are some ways we can be distracted into thinking we as disciples have a message better than our Teacher? How can we prevent ourselves from giving in to these distractions?

Prayer: Lord, we sometimes like our false beliefs more than what you taught. We find some much comfort in what we think your word says that we do not seek out the truth. Teach us your ways, O Lord. And remind us that we are simply the disciples, following your teaching, for it is all about you. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Simple Spirituality: Humility” - James 4:10, John 21: 4-7

Family Activity: Talk to your kids about school. What classes do they like the best? What excites them about learning? How can these conversations inform how you teach them about the faith?