8/6-8/12 Overview

Welcome to the beginning of The Art of Neighboring all-church worship and small group series! During the months of August and September our church will focus on living the second part of the greatest commandment taught by Jesus, which is “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39 NIV). To get the most out of this journey as a congregation, you are invited to:

• ATTEND Sunday morning worship services
• READ portions of the The Art of Neighboring book by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon each week

• USE this Living Faith Devotional daily
• TAKE practical steps to put love of neighbor into action during the coming weeks

• PARTICIPATE in weekly group sessions or discuss the series with a family member or friend

 

The Neighboring series will continue through the week of September 17th. We hope you will join us throughout the journey! Worship services this weekend are focused on “loving God and loving our neighbors.”

7/30-8/5 Overview

This week we will briefly return to the book of Acts to read more of the account of Paul’s third missionary journey when he left Ephesus to continue towards Jerusalem. Some scholars believe that during this time of Paul’s third missionary journey he wrote additional letters to the Christians in Corinth. After writing his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul went there for a “painful visit” to confront them in person (2 Corinthians 2:1 NIV). As a follow up to the “painful visit” Paul wrote a letter that “caused the Corinthians sorrow” (2 Corinthians 7:8 NIV). After writing and sending the letter that caused them sorrow, Paul wrote the document in the Bible known as 2 Corinthians in pursuit of reconciliation with them, to encourage the Corinthian believers to collect an offering for the Christians in need in Jerusalem, as well as challenging those within the church who rejected Paul’s authority as an apostle. This week we will read Acts 20 and portions of 2 Corinthians. The following week we will transition to devotionals that are part of The Art of Neighboring all-church series during August and September. Reading through the book of Acts and portions of Paul’s letters will continue after the neighboring series.

7/23-7/29 Overview

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Corinth to address their problems, including division among the believers. We began reading the letter last week. This week we will finish reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Next week we will briefly return to the account of Paul’s third missionary journey in the book of Acts before reading portions of another letter.

7/16-7/22 Overview

During the Apostle Paul’s third missionary journey, he spent years in the city of Ephesus (Acts 19). Some biblical scholars believe that Paul may have written the letter to the Christians in Corinth in addition to the letter to the Galatians during that time. This week we will finish reading Paul’s letter to the Galatians, then begin reading portions of 1 Corinthians.

7/9-7/15 Overview

At the beginning of the apostle Paul’s third missionary journey, he “traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples” (Acts 18:23 NIV). His journey continued westward until he arrived in the city of Ephesus. Some biblical scholars believe that Paul may have written his letter to the Christians in the region of Galatia during the three years he was in Ephesus. This week we will read more of the account in Acts when Paul was in Ephesus, as well as begin reading his letter to the Galatians.

7/2-7/8 Overview

The apostle “Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God” in Corinth (Acts 18:11 NIV). While he was there Paul probably wrote the letters to the Christians in Thessalonica. This week we will read 2 Thessalonians, and then briefly return to the book of Acts before turning to more of Paul’s letters in the New Testament in the coming weeks.

 

Below are some suggestions and questions to help you as you read scripture this week:

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?

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?

In the verses of The Acts of the Apostles that we read at the end of last week it was noted that the apostle “Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God” in Corinth (Acts 18:11 NIV). Biblical scholars believe that Paul wrote his first letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, and perhaps the second one as well, during his time in Corinth. During the next two weeks we will read 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and then briefly return to the book of Acts before turning to another one of Paul’s letters.

6/18-6/24 Overview

In the verses and chapters of The Acts of the Apostles that we are reading this week Paul and his companions visit the Christians in the towns and cities where he had gone on his first missionary journey, knew companions join the group, including Timothy and Luke, there are new conversions with more people becoming believers, refreshing hospitality is given to the missionaries by a convert named Lydia, Paul and Silas are imprisoned and miraculously set free, a jailer and his family place their trust in Jesus for salvation and convert to Christianity, as the traveling continues Paul experiences a growing opposition to the gospel message, Paul shares a powerful Spirit-led sermon to the Gentiles in Athens, and the apostle receives a special message from the Lord during the night.

6/11-6/17 Overview

In the verses and chapters of The Acts of the Apostles that we are reading this week Paul and Barnabas complete their missionary journey and return to Antioch, some believers go to Antioch teaching that to “be saved” a person must become circumcised, Paul and Barnabas dispute and debate the teachings, discernment and a decision about Gentiles and Jewish faith practices for Christians is sought out by Paul and Barnabas when then they go to Jerusalem to speak to the leaders there, clarification is provided by the Jerusalem council led by Jesus’ brother, James, Paul and Barnabas part ways because of a disagreement about John Mark, and Paul begins visiting the churches that were formed during his first missionary journey.

6/4-6/10 Overview

On May 28th we celebrated the Day of Pentecost as a church family. The celebration continues on June 4th. We are celebrating the gift of God’s presence with us through the Holy Spirit, the birth of the church in Jerusalem as described in Acts 2, the wonderful things God has done, and the ongoing transformational work of the Spirit within Christians, the Church, and the world. May the Spirit of the living God fall afresh upon us.

 

In the verses and chapters of The Acts of the Apostles that we are reading this week, Barnabas and Saul are sent off on a missionary journey by the Holy Spirit from among the believers in Antioch while they are fasting and worshiping the Lord with the church (Acts 13:2). During their journey the two go to Cyprus to speak to the Jews in the synagogues, John Mark joins them for a short period of time, Saul begins to be called “Paul” (Acts 13:9), the journey continues to various locations, Saul/Paul heals a man who had been unable to walk since birth (Acts 14:8-10), the people of Lystra believe that Paul and Barnabas are Greek gods who have come to the earth, and Jews “from Antioch and Iconium” attempt to kill Paul by stoning him (Acts 14:19), but he survives.