Discover Devotion

When I was a younger man, I was “sold out” for Jesus.

That’s what we called it in the early 2000s

The summer I graduated High School, I went to a youth retreat and the fire was ignited.

From the time I 18 until at least 25 or 26 years old, Jesus was it for me.

Nothing mattered to me but knowing Jesus more, loving Jesus deeply, building up Jesus body, and representing Jesus well in the world.

I was at everything at church.

I hosted bible studies in my apartment and attending bible studies in other people’s homes.

I did open air preaching on the red line.

When Aziza and I got married,

We had people live with us just to cared for and discipled in the way of Jesus.

We hosted a Summer Youth Camp at the church.

We launched the Chicago Peace Campaign which among other things saw us occupying street corners in Englewood from 10pm to 1am on Friday nights with praise and prayer.

Aziza even turned our honeymoon into a missions trip smuggling food to the edge of our resort and feeding the underpaid workers and local folks from the community.

But as I grew older, things were added to that list of important things.

I picked up new responsibilities

Husband

Father

Business owner

Eventually a pastor

I got new personal and professional opportunities

I got promoted on my job

People wanted to pay me to write and to speak and to develop strategy

I was invited to partner on several excited ventures

I was exposed to new realities

I buried my father

Got laid off from a job

Walked through many experienced that showed my life is not all good times and lemonade.

And as became more experienced, and more sophisticated, and more important…I found that I had less of that thing that I had as a very young man…less of that feeling in my soul.

You probably know the feeling I’m talking about.

Call it zeal or passion…maybe love.

When something takes over your thoughts.

You can’t sleep because of the excitement, and when you do sleep that thing or that person is in your dreams.

For some of us, we had this thing for Jesus and the Gospel…and some us had it for something else.

Social movement…(Women’s Rights, Black Lives Matter, Black Power, or Civil Rights)

A business or an idea

A guy or girl who just won your affection.

But in most cases, over time, that feeling begins to wane.

In Acts Chapter 2, Verse 42, Luke (the writer of Acts) gives us a good word to describe that THING.

The book of Acts is telling the story of the early church…

how it got started in the small province of Judea and how it spread throughout the Roman empire.

In Acts Chapter 2 (as we looked at last week), the Holy Spirit comes and lights a fire in the hearts of 120 of Jesus disciples. And they form the first church.

Then we read this description of that first church in Acts 2:42

Acts 2:42 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Luke calls that feeling…that all consuming zeal in the soul…DEVOTION.

Luke, as far as we know, was not there on the day of Pentecost, when all this happened

He’s gathering these stories from people who were there…and as he listens to them tell their view of the story, he’s writing down the things that consistent and the things that seem important.

And every time he talks to somebody…from the old lady who was in her middle ages when it all happened…to the young man who has his own family now, but back then he was a little kid…they all say the some thing.

MAN WE WERE DEVOTED…WE WERE SOLD OUT…WE WERE ABOUT THAT LIFE

This word “devoted” means

“to continue to do something with intense effort, despite any difficulty;

to maintain one’s position and not be moved by reasoning, force or coercion.

To be devoted means to be totally locked in.

What is super important to remember, though, is that Luke is not writing for historical purposes. He is writing for diplomatic purposes.

Luke does not record this reflection about how devoted the early Christians were in order to reminisce about it and remember the old times.

Luke is writing so that his audience can know HOW this faith work and WHY this faith works and WHAT can be expected of the people who are practicing this faith.

Luke is not trying to paint a picture of people who were devoted back in the day. He’s trying to suggestion that wherever there is a group of true Christians, the will have a radical devotion to the way of Jesus NO MATTER WHAT THE VALUES OF THEIR NATIVE CULTURE MAY BE.

The new testament writing are filled with exhortations to Christian renew the spirit of their devotion.

In 2 Timothy, Paul reminds his spiritual son to fan the gift of God until goes from a flicker to a flame.

In 2 Peter, the Apostle urges to church to make great efforts to build upon their faith.

In the Revelation, John calls the church remember her first love.

And it all begins with Jesus’ teaching on the first and greatest commandment…to love the Lord with all you heart, and all your mind, and all your strength.

Beloved, Luke’s message is not just for Theopholis (the Roman official who initially recieved this letter). Luke’s message if for you…and it is for me.

If we want to be the church, then we have to allow the Holy Spirit and the gospel of Jesus Christ to touch our hearts in fresh ways until we become deeply devoted to the cause of Christ.

Devoted to learning and living the truth Jesus taught…We just have to get to bible study because just have to live the text.

Devoted to sharing life with other people Jesus has saved…I grow concerned if I haven’t check in on somebody or prayed with somebody in few days.

Devoted to sharing meal where we invite Jesus to the table…my week is not complete if I haven’t had an intentional meal with other people and Christ at the center.

Devoted to praying prayers for Jesus to move in our world…I’m not made that the church schedules prayer on a Saturday morning…but I am a little frustrated that its only one time a month.

This small community of deeply devoted disciples of Jesus, in an overlooked middle eastern province, started a movement that transformed the Roman Empire and indeed the whole world.

Image what might happen if we discovered this kind of devotion?

Imagine how our lives would change if we were locked in on Jesus.

What if we said no to all the things that our culture teaches us to prioritize:

Money

Career

Status

Personal Legacy

AND WENT ALL OUT FOR CHRIST AND HIS KINGDOM.

What might God do through us in Chicagoland…in our nation…in the world?

I think God would do amazing things.

Can I pray for us?

MINISTER STEVE COMES BACK

TWO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What are some practical ways that you can to stir a deeper devotion to Jesus in your own heart and life?

What would it look like if we all discover deep devotion together?