| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “The people here (the Bereans) were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scripture daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:11 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Let’s go deep together” The Apostle Paul had a miserable time in Thessalonica. Many of the people there were hardhearted contrarians who resisted the message of the gospel and opposed Paul’s ministry efforts – even to the point of violence. Finally, it became necessary for Paul to leave. From there he went to the town of Berea and found a very different situation. The Bereans were receptive and eager. They listened closely to everything Paul preached and taught, and then afterwards they searched the Scriptures for themselves to verify what Paul had said and to go deeper with God. The implication seems to be that they did it together, perhaps in Bible study groups. Psalm 119:105 tells us that God’s Word serves as a lamp that illuminates our path through life: “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” The more we study the Word of God, the brighter the lamp shines and the more illuminated the path forward becomes. In the previous devotional in this series, I noted the importance of having a good guide who will help us to go deeper with God. That’s what Paul was doing for the Bereans. I also noted that oftentimes God will bring that good guide to us in the form of an author of a helpful Bible study. Then, like the Bereans, we can use the study (individually and in groups) to go deeper with God. This past Sunday evening at Oak Hill Baptist Church a group of forty-one of us embarked on a three-month journey together to study Henry Blackaby’s excellent Bible study “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God.” If you ever come across one of those lists of “The 100 most important Christian books written in the last 100 years”, you will probably find “Experiencing God” high up on the list. Another excellent study that is on virtually everyone’s list is Richard Fosters “Celebration of Discipline.” This book is considered a modern classic in Christian literature. In a straight-forward and practical way it explores the basic disciplines of practicing the Christian faith. Three others that I personally have found to be very enlightening and helpful are “The Mind of Christ” by T.W. Hunt; “Disciplines of a Godly Man” by R. Kent Hughes; and “Strong Men in Tough Times” by Edwin Lewis Cole. The Christian life is an adventure, it is a journey that we make together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need fellow travelers to walk with us, and we need good guides to guide us along the way – especially if we want to go deeper with God. A good Bible study is a great tool to help us do that. Let’s go deeper with God, and let’s do it together. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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