Parting Words

I love Acts 20! As a shepherd entrusted with the care of a local church, I get a lot of mileage out of these farewell words of the Apostle Paul to the church leaders in Ephesus.  Paul spent three years shepherding and building the church in Ephesus – longer than he spent with any other church. He poured out his life as he invested in theirs. As he prepared to depart from them, Paul left the elders with important words for all who would shepherd God’s people.

What motivates us to invest our lives in the lives of others? Check out this week's devotional to reflect with me on those things that inspire and encourage our ministries to others.

(From the archives. I wrote this when my children were much younger, but I believe the key ideas are still helpful. I know those regular times together blessed us as a family. As my children have gotten older, our family discipling now looks a bit different, but what we did together around the table laid a solid foundation - spiritually and relationally. Perhaps later this week or next I'll do a little video on some of the resources we used that were "fan favorites" with our kids. Enjoy.)

Character Then Influence

In his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, John Stott reminds his readers that if Matthew 5:3-12 (the Beatitudes) is about a Christian’s character, then Matthew 5:13-16 is about a Christian’s influence in this world. I have always loved the words of Matthew 5:13-16, which describe Christian influence as salt and light. These words of Jesus point us toward the right balance of inward piety and outward action.

A core curriculum for new disciples