Every believer was faithfully devoted to following the teachings of the apostles. Their hearts were mutually linked to one another, sharing communion, and coming together regularly for prayer. (Acts 2:42, TPT)
·
Following the
teachings of the apostles (Reading and studying the Bible)-I study your teachings very carefully so that I will not sin against
you. (Psalm 119:11, ERV)
·
Their hearts were
mutually linked to one another (Community fellowship)-For when two or three gather
together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20, VOICE)
·
Sharing communion (the Lord’s Supper) - Then he took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke off some pieces,
gave them to the apostles and said, “This bread is my body that I am giving for
you. Eat this to remember me.” In the same way, after supper,
Jesus took the cup of wine and said, “This wine represents the new agreement
from God to his people. It will begin when my blood is poured out for you.”
(Luke 22:19-20, ERV)
·
Coming
together regularly for prayer (Talking to God) -Do
all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the
Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all
God's people. (Ephesians 6:18, GNT)
Isolation from others hurts
you. Connection keeps you healthy, and spiritually connected to Jesus.
God is interested in what we
are doing with what we read and study in the Bible.
When a need arises, talk to Jesus (first in
prayer) about the challenge before talking to anyone else because He always has
the right answer you need. This is known as “an attitude of prayer.”
Communion…
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Is a way to look back, and remember the sacrifice Jesus made for His
children on the cross
·
Helps His children to look up, and experience Him as the answer that will
fulfill our every question
·
Allows us to look ahead when Jesus will return to Earth to take His
children home to Heaven
Being devoted to prayer means that your
requests should be aligned with (and centered on) what God wants. Your motives
should be right as you pray in faith knowing that prayer to God has the power
to make real change in someone’s life.
“Don't worry about having the right
words. Worry more about having the right heart. It's not eloquence He seeks
just honesty.”
(Max Lucado) [i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Staying Connected to
Christ: Staying Together” (installment one) Sunday August 2, 2020,
CenterPoint pastors: Pastor Dave Jansen (Gahanna), Pastor Jon Fulton
(Westerville), Pastor Josh Boyer (Lewis Center), and Pastor J.R. Zarate
(Hilliard) All CenterPoint churches are closed due to the Coronavirus, and are
meeting online at 10am at the CenterPoint Church Main Page on Facebook.)
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