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From the DCE Desk. . . . .
The summer is officially over and the new school year is
beginning. I can honestly say that this was one of the best
times of the year for me growing up. I used to love getting
back to school for a variety of reasons; new clothes,
getting back into a routine, seeing your friends, and new
school supplies. I actually even really enjoyed class too. I
love to learn! This month I want to take us to the Early
Church. The apostles were charged with the Great Commission
(Matthew 28) and were commanded by Christ to go to all the
lands and make disciples of everyone. That had to have felt
like an impossible task. Here was a group of sinful, broken,
messed-up people who were responsible for spreading Christ’s
love to all. So did they throw in the towel because it
seemed too hard? No, with the help of the Holy Spirit the
Early Church blossomed. One of the reasons it thrived was
because of what we see in Acts 2:42 and 46. "They devoted
themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer… Every day they
continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke
bread in their homes and ate together." They devoted
themselves daily to Jesus Christ and learning about their
Savior. This devotion changed their lives forever. It
changed their work schedules, money management, and
relationships. It changed everything. An interesting part
about this is that they were in the Word learning and
worshiping daily. We need to be constantly learning and in
the Word for our faith to grow. If we are content with
Sunday morning worship and nothing else, our faith becomes
stagnant and plateaus. When we are learning, our faith can
become a consuming fire and take over our lives. This is
what we see with the people involved in the early church.
They knew that they didn’t need to be school age or be
coming just because they were new members to be learning
about Jesus throughout the day/week. They understood the
importance of a Christian discipleship that extended past
Sunday mornings and reached every day of their lives.
Throughout the school year, there are going to be many
opportunities for adults to learn and get into the Word.
I would encourage all adults to
participate in a class so that we can become like the
Early Church, consumed by the power and love of Jesus so
much that it overtakes our whole lives and that we are
changed forever because of it!
Shelly Mc Mullen
Director of Christian Education
September 2010
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