Living Faith Devotional 40
11/19-11/25 Overview
This week we will read and study a letter from one of the most influential Christian leaders to ever live, Paul of Tarsus. Paul’s letter was written to his “loyal child in the faith,” a man he thoroughly mentored, taught, and trained as a follower of Jesus and church leader, named Timothy (1 Timothy 1:2 NRSV). The letter is known as The First Letter of Paul to Timothy. Some scholars believe that Paul may have written this letter after his release from house arrest in Rome, which was after the final chapter in the book of Acts. The letter reveals that Paul had sent Timothy to Ephesus, so he is instructing his mentee to, “remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people…the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:3-5 NRSV). In the letter Paul addresses false teachings among Christians in Ephesus and a need for faith in Christ Jesus to be lived in the households of believers, with life within a household as a model of life within the church. As a leader of leaders within the Christian movement, trained and mentored by the apostle, Timothy is given lists of qualifications for those who aspire to leadership within the church so that he and the Ephesians can seek out and appoint more leaders as needed (1 Timothy 3:1-13).
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Living Faith Devotional 39
11/12-11/18 Overview
This week we will read and study The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, which is similar to his letter to the Colossians. The exact time when the letter was written is unknown. It could have been written during Paul’s house arrest in Rome shortly after writing Colossians and Philemon. Some scholars believe that letter was written for the purpose of being shared with churches in various locations in addition to Ephesus. Although the letter is similar in style to those attributed to Paul, some biblical scholars believe that this New Testament letter was written by a student or followers of Paul as a way to continue sharing the teachings of the apostle either near the end of his life or after his death. Thankfully, God continues to speak through the words and messages of Ephesians nearly two thousand years after the letter was written, just as the Holy Spirit used it to speak to the people of Christ’s churches during the first century.
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Living Faith Devotional 38
11/5-11/11 Overview
At the end of the book of Acts the apostle Paul is under house arrest in the city of Rome. Luke notes that, “He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hinderance” (Acts 28:30-31 NRSV). Although the account ends there, Paul’s ministry continued. This week we will read and study The Letter of Paul to the Colossians, as well as his very short letter to Philemon. Biblical scholars believe that these letters were probably written during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome in about 60 A.D.
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Living Faith Devotional 37
10/22-10/28 Overview
This week we are concluding our read through of the book of Acts that began in April. Between the end of Acts and the beginning of the Advent season in December, we will read letters Paul wrote during his imprisonment. If you have not read the previous chapters of The Acts of the Apostles with us, you are invited to WATCH the Bible Project videos that summarize Acts. Below are the links for the summary videos available on YouTube:
A Book of Acts Summary (Part 1) by the Bible Project:
A Book of Acts Summary (Part 2) by the Bible Project:
This week we will read Acts 27 & 28, the final two chapters of the book. The chapters document Paul’s long journey to the city of Rome, as well as his ongoing ministry “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ” during the two years he spent under house arrest in the heart of the Roman empire (Acts 28:31 NRSV). The end of the book may feel like there is a lack of a conclusion, but that seems to be intentional. Luke, the traveling companion of Paul who wrote The Gospel According to Luke and The Acts of the Apostles, reminds us with the open ended conclusion to Acts that continuing to be witnesses for Christ to the ends of the earth, sharing the gospel message with those who have not yet heard it, inviting everyone to respond with us by repenting and trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, submitting to the lordship of Christ, joining other believers by doing life and ministry together as part of the church, and continuing Jesus’ work until he returns is our responsibility during this time in history.
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Living Faith Devotional 36
10/22-10/28 Overview
This week we are returning to the book of Acts. If you have not read the previous chapters with us, you are invited to WATCH the Bible Project videos that summarizes Acts. If you have been reading Acts this year, you may find it helpful to watch the Part 2 Summary video as a reminder of what you have read and where the story goes as we continue reading. Below are the links for the summary videos available on YouTube:
A Book of Acts Summary (Part 1) by the Bible Project:
A Book of Acts Summary (Part 2) by the Bible Project:
This week we will read Acts 25 & 26, the account of Paul on trial in Caesarea among the Roman leaders, his testimonial that he shared with Agrippa, the king of the region near the Sea of Galilee, and the beginning of his journey to Rome to await a trial from his accusers in the presence of Caesar.
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Living Faith Devotional 35
10/15-10/21 Overview
This week we are taking a break from reading the book of Acts to read Paul’s letter to Christians in Philippi. Our reading this past week ended with Paul as a prisoner in Caesarea for two years (Acts 24:27). Acts 16 shares the account of when the church was established in the city of Philippi as part of Paul’s second missionary journey. According to Acts 16 the first convert to Christianity in the city was a woman named Lydia. Her entire household trusted in Jesus and were baptized after hearing Paul share the gospel message. Paul and his traveling companions stayed in Lydia’s house while they were in the city. During their brief time in Philippi, Paul and Silas were put in prison. It seems fitting that years later, after completing his third missionary journey, Paul wrote a letter to thank, encourage, guide, and warn the Philippians while he was in prison yet again in another city. Biblical scholars believe that Paul wrote Philippians during one of three possible time frames. It could have been written as early as his imprisonment in Ephesus in the early to mid-50s, or during the two years he was in prison in Caesarea from about 57 to 59 AD, or while he was imprisoned in Rome for a few years between 61 and 63 AD. This week we will read Paul’s letter in the New Testament known as Philippians.
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Living Faith Devotional 34
10/8-10/14 Overview
This week we are continuing to read part of the book of Acts. If you have not read the previous chapters with us, you are invited to WATCH the Bible Project videos that summarizes Acts. If you have been reading Acts this year, you may find it helpful to watch the Part 2 Summary video as a reminder of what you have read and where the story goes as we continue reading. Below are the links for the summary videos available on YouTube:
A Book of Acts Summary (Part 1) by the Bible Project:
A Book of Acts Summary (Part 2) by the Bible Project:
This week we will read the conclusion of Paul’s time in Jerusalem, as well as what led to his time in prison for two years in Caesarea.
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Living Faith Devotional 33
10/1-10/7 Overview
This week we are returning to the book of Acts after our break from it during the all-church worship series in August and September. Our journey through Acts began in April 2023. If you have not read the previous chapters with us, you are invited to WATCH the Bible Project videos that summarizes Acts. If you have been reading Acts this year, you may find it helpful to watch the Part 2 Summary video as a reminder of what you have read and where the story goes as we continue reading during the coming weeks. Below are the links for the summary videos available on YouTube:
A Book of Acts Summary (Part 1) by the Bible Project:
A Book of Acts Summary (Part 2) by the Bible Project:
The last chapter of Acts that we read before The Art of Neighboring series was chapter 20. Acts 20 is a portion of the account of Paul’s third missionary journey when he left the city of Ephesus, after spending two years there, to continue towards Jerusalem. On the way to Jerusalem Paul met with the church elders from Ephesus in Miletus sharing a farewell speech not knowing if he would ever see them again. Near the end of the chapter Luke, the gospel writer and author of Acts, writes this, “Paul knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him” goodbye, sorrowful because “they would not see his face again” (Acts 20:36-37 ESV). This week we will read the conclusion of Paul’s journey to Jerusalem, as well as what Luke shares about the apostle’s time there in Acts 21 and 22, while also reading portion’s of The Gospel According to Luke to see the parallels between Jesus’ ministry and Paul’s.
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Living Faith Devotional 32
9/24-9/30 Overview
During these next ten weeks, you are invited to join us as we continue and conclude our reading of the Acts of the Apostles and portions of the apostle Paul’s letters. We began this journey through the New Testament book of Acts in April 2023 shortly after Easter. The last chapter of Acts that we read before The Art of Neighboring series was chapter 20. Acts 20 is a portion of the account of Paul’s third missionary journey when he left the city of Ephesus, after spending two years there, to continue towards Jerusalem. On the journey to Jerusalem, Paul spent a few months in the city of Corinth. Some scholars believe that during his time in Corinth, on the way to Jerusalem, Paul wrote his letter to Christians in Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire. This week we will read portions of Romans before returning to the book of Acts the following week.
Although Paul had not yet visited the city of Rome when he wrote the letter, he was concerned about the struggles Gentile and Jewish Christians were having in the city. Their differing opinions about living their faith as the people of the church of Jesus Christ created ongoing tension. Paul wrote to them in hopes of helping the Jews and Gentiles to become united as the church of Rome. It is Paul’s longest letter within the New Testament and his most thorough explanation of the gospel message.
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Living Faith Devotional 31
9/17-9/23 Overview
Welcome to the final week of The Art of Neighboring all-church journey. The daily devotionals throughout this week will guide us to focus on the power of love, forgiveness, our ministry of reconciliation, living at peace with others if possible, loving our enemies, that we are sent with ministry partners as ambassadors of Christ, and the people who are part of our inner circles, then we’ll conclude the week with an emphasis on God’s Sabbath. The authors of the book remind us that “this is a journey that doesn’t end.” For Avon UMC, this is just the beginning of a new chapter of being more intentional about “neighboring.” In the final chapter of the book, authors Jay and Dave go on to explain that “good neighboring matters” and “it works better than any program, and it works better than any government initiative.” When the people of the Church prioritize loving God and loving our neighbors, God’s kingdom is among us and his will is done here as it is in heaven. Lives are transformed through the love of God. We have daily opportunities to share the love of God that we have received by offering it to our neighbors here in the community where God has placed us and among the people in our circles of influence. Yes, we have been entrusted by the ultimate artist, our Creator, to partner with him in this ongoing art of loving, living, and neighboring.
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