JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Persons of Integrity from the Bible is the early church.
Acts 2:42 to 47 describes the patterns of the early church. Here is an abbreviated description: “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer….They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Here was a community of believers who really loved God and enjoyed being together. They were teachable, sincere, and generous toward those with financial needs. They were committed to prayer and intentional worship. Their witness for Jesus was bearing fruit. This description of the early church shows how we can contribute to a healthier church by the way we live our lives.
The faithfulness of the early church to meet regularly for times of worship inspires us to be connected to a local church and to live a life of integrity.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK -Today’s Relationship-Building Principle comes from Acts 2:46 and 47.
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
You can imagine how exciting that would be to wake up every day and wonder, “Who is going to join the Christian community today?” New converts were coming to Christ every day in the early church. Rich fellowship was also building up the strength of the church. As believers met together daily in worship and sharing food together, a strong bond was forming among believers with each other and with God. A devoted heart to God will affect how we treat other people. One of those differences will be sharing the joy of the Lord with others. The grace of Jesus compels us to live with an honest ambition to glorify God and share His love in various ways.
Being Intentional about Worship and Fellowship is a vital relationship-building principle to take to heart in the Year of Connection.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Relationship Building Principle comes from Acts 2:42.
Speaking of the early church, “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
These are some of the qualities that made the early church a dynamic force. The Lord desires for His people to be connected with the local church. In the devotional “Moments Together”, Dennis and Barbara Rainey offer some questions to consider when searching for a church to attend: Here are a few of them:
Is it anchored in the Scriptures?
Does it have a sense of community?
Is it characterized by worship?
Is there opportunity for involvement?
If we are established in the local church already, these questions can be useful to consider how we might assist the church in growing in these areas. Jesus is building His church through the participation of His followers.
Participating in the ministry of the local church is a vital relationship-building principle to take to heart in the Year of Connection.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – 2015 will be designated as the Year of Connection at WJTL. The Junction Center is the home of WJTL, and that word Junction is more than just the name of the road that we are on. The meaning of that word is closely associated with the vision of WJTL. Junction means “a point of connection.” And we really do sense that the Lord has brought us to this place to be a place of connection for people-A place where people can connect with the Lord in a meaningful relationship; a place where people can connect with each other, with the staff, and sometimes to connect with the artists through our Live From the Junction Center events.
The focus of making connections implies the building of relationships, and that is what the focus of 2015 is going to be about-focusing on cultivating life’s most important relationship with God, and developing thriving relationships with the people that God has placed in our lives. So, we invite you to join us in that journey throughout 2015, in our devotional thoughts and in the events that are held at the Junction Center.
Here is a good focus point for all of us in 2015, from Second Corinthians 5:9, echoing the words of Paul the Apostle, when he said, “So we make it our goal to please the Lord.” Let’s pursue that noble purpose together in 2015.
