Church Devotions: Teaching the Faith - Acts 13:12

Acts 13:12       When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

I like to teach the Faith. It’s an important part of my calling. I enjoy discussions about Christ and Christianity and the sharing of questions, ideas, and thoughts at my regular Sunday School class. It keeps me on my toes and refreshes my faith each time I enter and exit the classroom. Preaching is meant for the big moment of the week in worship; teaching is an entirely different method of sharing the faith.

The class that I teach is an inter-generational one. People bring their cultural backgrounds, life experiences, and personal questions into the melting pot which, in turn, adds to the whole collective discussion about a Bible passage, faith point, or church issue. Each Sunday that we meet, we add to the theological tapestry that we’re weaving. Faith, hope, and love are shared; encouragement, friendship, and inspiration are experienced.

Teaching about the Lord in philosophical or practical ways always has the potential of strengthening our beliefs and Christian convictions. In today’s passage (Acts 13:6-12), the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus is deeply impressed not just by what Barnabas and Saul say, but what they actually do. Their faith is amazing and fearless in the face of evil and deception. The proconsul becomes a believer because he sees for himself the authenticity and authority of the Christian faith.

Today, we will all be given opportunities to share our faith and be authentic witnesses for Christ. Let’s hope that we are both ready and real about being Christians.

Questions for personal reflection

Where do I go to be constantly taught about the Christian faith? What lessons of faith do I express to others with my words and deeds?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, help us to positively express our faith in You to others this day. Let our witness of Your power and presence in our lives be authentic and sincere. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. If you would like to comment on today’s passage or ask a question about it, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings. It’s called “Heaven Sent” and features the Holy Spirit as a dove descending to Earth. If you would like to view a larger version of the image, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8536/8683999979_5ab8742e51_b.jpg

Daily Devotion: The Gift of Teachers - Mark 1:22

Mark 1:22       The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 

I love teaching the Faith and I am proud to be called a ‘teaching elder.’ I’m told that it’s one of my strengths and I appreciate the people who are willing to allow me to lead Sunday school classes, Bible studies, and retreats both in and outside the congregation. I am also humbled by the many people around the world who use my studies online, read these devotions, and buy my books. Teaching the Faith is a privilege and I thank God for each opportunity that He gives me to do this.

I also admire teachers in our schools and colleges. They are often overworked and underpaid for what they do. For each generation to be successful, it needs dedicated teachers. For each profession to progress, it relies upon the research and imagination, hard work and determination of its teachers. To me, there is no greater profession in the world than that of teaching, because all that we accomplish depends upon who teaches us and what we are taught.

Jesus was an amazing teacher. His theological insights and grasp of God made Him exceptional in the eyes of His community. He taught with absolute authority because He was absolutely confident about who He was and what God wanted Him to accomplish. I would love to have sat at His feet to listen to Him tell stories, give lessons, and answer questions. It must have been astounding.

Christ’s teaching has survived two thousand years and His insights are still relevant to our lives today. Billions of people on Earth are affected by His life, His ministry, and His teaching. We have been blessed with an amazing Teacher in our lives and His words will lead us back to God’s kingdom. The challenge that we have today is this: how can we share what we have been taught by Christ?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we thank You for the teachers and professors, lecturers and speakers who have taught us many things and through whose wisdom and dedication, we can accomplish much with our lives. We thank You also for the teaching of the Church which carries on Your ministry and mission in the world today. And we praise You for being the Greatest Teacher in our lives and that one day we will get to thank You personally, face to face. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the teaching elder at Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s drawing is one of John’s Lent Cards for the Church kids at Erin. It’s a depiction of Christ carrying the cross, with the words “Take up your cross and follow Me” at the bottom. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6950845059_375b3a1ca5_b.jpg

4 Minute Devotion - Passing It On - 2 Timothy 1:14

2 Timothy 1:14           Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

In the midst of the present theological wars, it’s very easy to become weary with Church World. We never seem to have any peace because someone or some group somewhere wants things to be different, relevant, and post-modern instead of keeping things sacred, divine, and eternal. I know that I am struggling with this and so are many in the congregation that I serve. Christianity is a hard faith to truly practice and live by in today’s society.

I also find it intriguing that when Paul is writing to Timothy, he is urging him to guard the faith. This is only about 30 years after Christ was crucified and resurrected. With a faith so freshly born and the gospel so newly written, you would think people would be more secure with what they believed. However, it seems that the New Testament Church was also divided and so, to sustain Christ’s Peace, second generation Christians like Timothy had to maintain guardianship over the essential tenets of the new faith.

I heard a pastor once preach that if no one in the present generation shared the faith or spread the gospel, then within four generations Christianity would die. I don’t know if that’s true because it’s never been truly tested, but it does lay an onus on every Christian to pass on the faith to the next generation. What makes it all the harder is that we have to do this on Christ’s terms, and not our own.

So today the challenge is this: to whom, in the next generation, have we shared our Faith?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, sometimes we forget that the Christian faith is not a private or personal matter. You called upon Your followers everywhere and in every time to go out into the world to share the Gospel. Forgive us if we have failed to live up to that challenge. Help us, in the life time that we have left, to faithfully share Your Good News with the upcoming generations. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions of today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Psalm drawings. It depicts a verse of Psalm 102. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please visit the following link:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5292/5519117740_cf1a7fa46f_b.jpg

4 Minute Daily Devotions: Cold Water

Matthew 10:42 “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

In my opinion, Scottish faucet water is the best drinking water in the world. As I’m writing this, I can still remember hot summer days of my Glasgow childhood, with me running into my house and slaking my thirst with a cold glass of clear water from the kitchen tap. It had its own particular taste, almost like a cold mountain river, and was very refreshing. The water also made great tea, which I have never been able to make here in the United States.

These days, I drink my water from a refrigerated filtered Brita jug, which is about as close to Scottish water as I can get. It meets my needs, especially during the very hot summer months that we experience here in East Tennessee. The filter needs to be replaced about every two months, otherwise the water doesn’t taste as good. It makes me sometimes wish that I had a pipeline all the way beneath the Atlantic to my hometown in Scotland, so that I could drink the fresh water of Loch Katrine, from where Glasgow gets its wonderful water.

When Jesus mentions giving fresh water to the little ones around Him, He’s talking about the future disciples of the church. He’s stating that those who will support and encourage them, in a future time of persecution, will be blessed because of the help they give to these upcoming followers of Christ. These days, I think this is the equivalent of teaching the faith to our kids in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and any other church program that helps children to learn about God and come closer to Christ.

Christianity is facing many challenges right now, so the faith that our children and grandchildren possess will be tested and perhaps sorely tried by the society that they are growing up into. This makes it very important for older generations to do as much as they can to support church children, as well as the teachers and leaders of these programs. The future of our faith depends upon the dedicated discipleship of those who teach the truths of Christianity to our children. They are the cold water cup bearers of our kids.

So let’s stop and think about those who are called and charged to teach faith to the church of tomorrow today. Let’s thank God for their commitment and honor them for their work.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, the little ones of our churches and communities need to hear and experience the stories of God and about Your Life. As they grow up into a world which may become hostile to our faith, we pray that the focus, dedication, and commitment of our present day teachers may inspire, encourage, and strengthen our children’s faith. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.