Come Alive In 25 Part 2

Come Alive In 25 Part 2

01/12/25

Last week I shared the

what we did as a church in 2024

” So Much More In 24”

We shared on what the Lord has done and Is doing through us here at CFFC. If you were not here, I would encourage you to check out the message online.

Our vision for 2025 is

“Come Alive In 25”

I brought out that this year I am believing God for a year to get the Fire (passion back) in our lives.

So many times in our Christian walk and being in this world, we can get dry, weary and we need a refueling and I believe that’s we’re church, Bible reading, devotional time and prayer come in.

In 2 Tim 1:6 Paul is encouraging young Timothy to stir up what God has placed within him.

2 Timothy 1:6 (NKJV) 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

This life has a way of coming against our spiritual lives and if we don’t take time to re-connect or as we’re saying here, bring the fire back, we can go backwards in our faith.

I want 2025 to be a year that we “Come Alive In 25”. A year to grow, to get the Passion for the things of God going in our lives.

I brought out that even King David had to pray for that fire to stay hot. When he backslide with Bathsheba, he had to get going with God again and in his prayer of Repentance, one of the verses says:

No Matter where we might be, more what we have done, we can always come back to God.

Psalm 51:12: (NKJV) "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit."

And he did it and became the greatest king of Israel and I believe that can be for us also.

We brought out a plan to help us stay on fire in this coming year.

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#1. Read through the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs together with the You Version app

#2. Join us on You-Tube, Facebook or instagram for a short time of prayer: CFFCNJ.

#3. And now we’ve put together a daily online growth time called Daily Discipleship, were we are going to put out 5 days a week a short video about the Sunday service and a short devotion with Application questions to go along with the message so we can keep growing all week.

I hope this short time of going over the Sunday service 5 days a week will make the word come more alive in us.

I want us to Come More Alive in 2025 and we can do it with a daily time of Prayer and the Word.

Let’s “Come Alive In 25”

When we look at the Early Church and see what they did to keep the freshness of the things of God in their lives, you see 4 main points and I want us to visit them in these few weeks.

Acts 2:42 (NKJV) And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Acts 2:42 (NLT) 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

#1. The Apostle’s doctrine, or the teaching of the scripture.

The early church understood the importance of daily Bible reading.

Let’s see what the Bible has to say about the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NKJV) 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Think about this, The 66 books of the Bible was written by approximately 40 authors over a span of about 1,500 years. These authors came from various backgrounds, including kings, prophets, priests, shepherds, fishermen, and even a physician.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Old Testament: Written by prophets, priests, and leaders like Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others (around 30+ authors).

New Testament: Written by apostles and disciples, such as Matthew, John, Paul, Peter, James, and Luke (around 8-10 authors).

Think of what the Bible has been through:

AD 303 Dio-clet-ian determined to destroy the Scriptures. Over 1,000 people were martyred because they would not throw away their copy. 2 years later Diocletian said the Bible is now extinct.

20 years later Emperor Constantine proclaimed the Bible the Infallible Judge of all truth and it came back to life.

The French philosopher, Voltaire (1694-1778) was a vocal critic of the church and religion, particularly institutional Christianity.

He is famously attributed with saying, “In 100 years, the Bible will be a forgotten book,”

After Voltaire’s death, his home (in Geneva) became a site for Bible publication, particularly through the work of the British and Foreign Bible Society.

Hitler tried, Stalin tried and on and on and I said last week,

In the US alone:

50 are sold every minute

72,000 sold every day

26,000,000 sold every year

Remember this, We Read Other Books, But The Bible Reads Us.

Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Psalm 119:130 (NKJV) 130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

1 Peter 2:2 NKJV as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

When we become like children,

(I don’t know anything Father and you know everything) that's when God can speak to us.

In other words, staying humble.

When we put God’s Word the Bible as our #1 in our lives or give it first place, it will give you health and help you to succeed in life.

Joshua was probably one of the busiest people we could think of and yet look at God’s instruction to him.

Joshua 1:8 (NKJV) 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

He told Joshua, hey I know your busy, but if you want to succeed, then take time to Meditate in my word day and night.

I like how other translation’s put’s it, You will deal wisely in the affairs of life.

What is Biblical meditation? It’s filling yourself deep within with the word of God. It is where we get the word rumination, or what a cow does when he eats grass.

A cow has 1 stomach divided into 4 compartments.

A cow will eat the grass, then swallow it and then bring up the cud, over and over and that’s exactly what we can do with the Word Of God.

Why? because God’s word is Life to us. GOOD SUCCESS.

Please don’t let the word meditation throw you off, with all of the New Age meditation.

Biblical meditation is not emptying yourself but filling yourself up with His Words to us.

IT IS POWERFUL

Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

How Come? Because the Word Of God is Alive.

Hebrews 4:12–13 (NKJV) 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

13And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

I like how the old Moffatt translation bring this out:

Hebrews 4:12–13 (Moffatt’s NT)

12 For the Logos of God is a living thing, active and more cutting than any sword with double edge, penetrating to the very division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow—scrutinizing the very thoughts and conceptions of the heart.

13 And no created thing is hidden from him; all things lie open and exposed Before the eyes of him with whom we have to reckon.

Can God’s Word bring health to us.

Proverbs 4:20–23 (NKJV) 20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.

21Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;

22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

The very first Psalm bring out how important getting the word within us is.

Psalm 1:1–6 (NKJV) 1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

There are many ways of doing this. 3 by 5 cards, wallpaper on your phone, You-Version send out a daily scripture. etc.

Here is a Devotional Study form you can use.

https://www.biblegateway.com/biblestudymethods/pdf/The%20Devotional%20Method.pdf

DEVOTIONAL STUDY FORM

DATE:

PASSAGE:

1. PRAYER (check when done)

2. MEDITATION: What is the Lord showing you in this verse.

3. APPLICATION: How can I apply this to my life.

4. MEMORIZATION: What verse or even part of the verse do you want and need to memorize.

5. CROSS REFERENCE: What other verses go along with this verse.

Let’s put God Word as the #1 thing in 2025 and watch and see a changed life this year.