30 for 30 RESET – Day 29

Gatheringplace   -   September 29, 2024

“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:46-47 NKJ

As I said in yesterday’s post, Christianity is not a solo sport. Jesus designed the Church as a Body, and without you, the Body will not function properly.

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12 NLT

Did you know that there are at least thirty commands in the New Testament that you cannot obey if you are not in a Christian community?

Simply put, how can you show love to others if you are alone? Showing love, and receiving love, encouraging and being encouraged, giving and receiving, cannot be done alone. And you need more than just your spouse, or a couple of friends. Just as a human body has many parts, and all necessary, so does the Body of Christ.

When Jesus saved you, He placed you in His Body. Now, can you imagine if the parts of your body were strewn all over the place and not attached?  You couldn’t function. It is the same with the Body of Christ. When you are not attached, it cannot function the way Jesus designed it to.

You are an important part of the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is important to you. We are weaker without you, and you are weaker without us.

Jesus said that He is “building His Church” (Matthew 16) and that means placing one stone on top of the other. In fact, Peter says this about us:

“You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.”  1 Peter 2:4-5a NLT

You belong in the Body of Christ, the Church. This is where you will realize your true, full spiritual potential and purpose. Jesus started the Church, died for the Church, is praying for the Church, and is going to return for His Church.

Maybe you have decided what “Church” is for you. But is that Jesus’ definition of the Church, or is that just what you are comfortable with? As a true disciple of Christ, which I’m sure you are, or you wouldn’t have hung in for these 30 for 30s to this point, I want to encourage you to ask Jesus what He would say about your involvement in His Church. Once you hear from Him, RESET your commitment to His Body, according to His direction, and partner with Him in building His Church.

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT

John

QUICK TIP ON HOW TO SPEND 30 MINUTES WITH GOD (REMEMBER: This 30 for 30 is a tool to help you, not a rule to shame you. Just do your best and let God do the rest.)

“Upward, Inward, and Outward”

  1. Upward: Get quiet. Settle down. Begin to thank God for Who He is – patient, kind, merciful. A God Who forgives sins – Who has forgiven your sins. A God Who cares, Who listens to your prayers, a miracle-working God. (There are many other attributes you can thank Him for. Go HERE for a prayer guide as well as a list of God’s names that will help you thank Him for Who He is)
  2. Inward: Read a chapter in the Bible. I would suggest one Psalm per day. Start with Psalm 1 and go from there. Or read one chapter of Proverbs per day. Start with Proverbs 1 and go from there. And as you read, stop, and think about what it is saying. Take your time (even if you do not get through an entire chapter – it is okay!). Ask God to speak to you through it.

A deeper dive: For those of you who would like to read the Bible in a year, here is a fantastic way to do it. It will take more than 30 minutes per day, but it will be well worth it. It not only gives you a reading plan but each day there is a short, very well-produced video explaining what you are about to read. Go HERE for your one year through the Bible reading plan.

  1. Outward: Ask God to show you how He can use you to reach those around you. Then begin to pray specifically for individuals. Pray for your family members, your boss, co-workers, classmates, friends, your church, its members, its mission, and its leadership. Pray for our city and our nation – that God would rule and reign in every mountain of influence, raising up leaders who fear Him: Church, Family, Government, Education, Media, Entertainment/Arts, and Business. You will not be able to get to everything in 30 minutes, but that is okay, just pick an area or two per day.

PRAYER POINTS

Personal:

  • Closeness with God
  • Deeper devotion to Christ
  • Renewed vision
  • Renewed passion
  • Strength
  • Joy
  • A profound commitment to act as Jesus would during this election year.

Church:

  • And increase of God’s manifest presence.
  • To see more CHANGED LIVES!
  • An increase in Miracles
  • Salvation for those far from God (make a list and pray for them every day)
  • More young people joining the vision at GPC.
  • New building for GPC

World:

  • A mighty harvest in our city and nation.
  • That godly men and women will fill the seats of government at local, city, state, and national levels.
  • For our missionaries (Use the bookmark handed out at church, or go to our website and check out our Missions page HERE)