“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:19 NKJV
Welcome to the 46th Weekly Devotional Recap of the year. We thoroughly emphasized fellowship and spiritual growth through the Church, in all of this week’s articles.
Monday’s article taught us that the Church is God’s design for fellowship and discipleship (Hebrews 10:24-25). We were instructed to grow in faith and in participation in our local Churches. We are also to count it all joy when the Church faces opposition, staying grounded and holding firmly to our convictions (James 1:2).
On Tuesday, we learnt that God does not want us to know Him in isolation, the Church is His idea for how we should experience progress and joy in the faith (Philippians 1:25). We must be committed to our individual growth and the collective growth of our local Churches.
We were taught on Wednesday to be accountable to one another. It is our Christian duty to correct an erring brother or sister in love (Matthew 18:15-17), to pray for our siblings in Christ and to show true concern for other believers who may be struggling with inconsistencies, like Samuel who mourned over God’s rejection of Saul as the King of Israel (1 Samuel 15:11), and Paul who confronted Peter when he pretended not to eat with the Gentiles in order to please the Jews (Galatians 2:11-13). As we hold others accountable, we must also learn to keep ourselves accountable to others.
Thursday’s article emphasized spiritual growth as an outcome of fellowshipping with the brethren (Hebrews 10:24). The Church is where we are groomed, built up and edified, to continue steadfastly in our walk with God (Ephesians 2:20-22). You must be committed to your local Church and take advantage of the community to keep yourself accountable in upholding moral excellence and in building a fervent devotional life.
We ended the week with a lesson on the Church as God’s family. We must reckon God as our father and other believers as our siblings in Christ. Our faith in Christ and love for the brethren are inseparable (Ephesians 1:15, Philemon 1:4), such that we cannot claim to truly love God if we do not love our siblings in Christ.
PRAYER: I determine that I will play my part in my local assembly. I am committed and I experience progress and joy in my faith with my siblings in Christ.
Bible Reading Plan: Ezekiel 1-4