9/22-9/28 Matthew’s Gospel Reading Plan

Introduction

How did you become a Christian? Who introduced you to Christ? Who is a Christian because you introduced them to the God revealed through Jesus? For many of us, we were born into a Christian family and raised as a follower of Christ. If you are a parent or grandparent, you probably helped, or are currently helping, to introduce your children, and grandchildren, to Jesus. What if the earliest followers of Jesus did not seek to fulfill the mission Jesus gave us, to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19 NLT)? We probably would not be Christians today here in America if those earliest followers of Christ had not sought to live their faith as Jesus commanded and commissioned them.

 

Jesus’ commission is our mission. We too are sent by Christ Jesus to go and make disciples within our families, among our friends, in our neighborhoods and community, in our workplaces, throughout Greater Hendricks County, and to the ends of the earth. In the prayer Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, he instructed his followers to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NRSV). God’s kingdom come and will done was revealed in and through Jesus while he was here on the earth nearly 2,000 years ago. Today, Jesus’ church represents Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to be a people seeking Gods will on earth, while being citizens of the kingdom of heaven. We should encounter the kingdom in and among one another within the church, and the people of the world should encounter God’s kingdom in and through us. Matthew’s Gospel provides assistance for us in regard to living as the commissioned apprentices of Christ. This week we will conclude our journey through the Gospel According to Matthew by reading the resurrection account of our Savior and Lord, as well as going through some of Jesus’ key teachings recorded by Matthew as we seek to live into the kingdom of heaven here on earth now and until Christ returns.

 

Below are some suggestions and questions to help you as you read scripture each day:

1. Approach scripture with humility. Seek to receive what the Bible reveals without trying to make it say what you want it to say.

2. Invite the Holy Spirit to speak a message to you through the verses you read.

3. What do these verses reveal about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit?

4. What do these verses reveal about humanity?

5. What do these verses teach me about myself?

6. How do you see yourself in the story when reading biblical narratives?

Which of these characters would I be?

In what ways is their story similar to my story?

7. Read, study, and discuss the verses with another person or small group.

8. Use a Study Bible. The NIV, NRSV, ESV, and NLT Study Bibles are worth considering if you do not own one. There are a few available from the AUMC Library in the back of the chapel.

You can also purchase a Study Bible from ChristianBook.com, Cokesbury.com, or Amazon.com.

 

*If you do not have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App or Bible Gateway App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.Bible.com or www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online.

 

 

WATCH: If you did not watch them, you are invited to watch the Bible Project Overview videos about Matthew’s Gospel before you read the chapters for this week. The videos are available on YouTube and the Bible Project website:

 

Overview Matthew: 1-13 by the Bible Project

 

Overview Matthew: 14-28 by the Bible Project

 

 

READ the Memory Verses daily as you seek to memorize them and be reminded of our commission from Christ:

 

Jesus commissioned his followers to, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

 

 

OPENING PRAYER – Pray the following words as a response to Jesus after reading his Great Commission that is shared within the Memory Verses: “Here I am. Send me.” – Isaiah 6:8b NLT

 

 

SILENCE and SOLITUDE: You are encouraged to spend at least a few minutes or more alone with Jesus seeking to rest in the peace that can only be found in and from the Lord. Let the words of Jesus’ Great Commission roll wound in your heart and mind. If you struggle to stop and be silent with God, consider laying down, kneeling, sitting on a very comfortable chair or seat, or going for a walk.

 

 

Sunday – Matthew 7:6-29 (Living into the Kingdom)

PRAY, praising the Lord and letting the words of the verses guide you, then conclude with the Lord’s Prayer as you have memorized it, or as it is written in Matthew 6:9-13.

 

 

Monday – Matthew 28:1-20 (The Resurrection of Jesus & Commissioning the Disciples)

PRAY, praising the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let the words of the verses guide you. Pray for all of Jesus’ followers throughout the world who have been commissioned by Christ to go make disciples, as well as for the people locally and globally who are not yet followers of Jesus.

 

 

Tuesday – Matthew 10:1-16 (the Twelve Sent Out in Pairs)

PRAY, praising the Lord and letting the words of the verses guide you. If the Holy Spirit guide you to do so, pray for the concerns you have for the world, people you know, and yourself.

 

 

Wednesday – Matthew 22:37-40 (The Greatest Commandments)

PRAY, praising God and letting the words of the commandments guide you. You may also want to pray through your day and week.

 

 

Thursday – Matthew 25:31-46 (the Sheep and the Goats)

PRAY, letting the words of the verses guide you, while also offering thanks to God for the many blessings you have received and continue receiving. Remember that you are blessed to be a blessing to others.

 

 

Friday – Matthew 5:1-7:29 (the entire Sermon on the Mount)

PRAY, letting the words of the sermon guide you. Conclude with Jesus’ prayer as it is written in Matthew 6:9-13.

 

 

Saturday Verses: Psalm 37:3-4 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Pray: Let the Bible verses guide you.

*Sabbath theme: DELIGHT

 

How are you going to remember and observe the Sabbath this weekend? The Sabbath is a day each week that is set apart from the others to stop, rest, worship, and delight in the Lord and what he has given us. You may need to incrementally observe the Sabbath by setting aside an increasing portion of a day each week beginning with an hour, then increasing it to multiple hours or part of a day the next weekend, and eventually designating an entire day for remembering and observing the Sabbath.