As we head into another season, we have our upcoming fall/winter sermon and Verse-By-Verse cards. This fall we will be preaching through the book of Hebrews, Titus, and passages in the Old Testament that are quoted in the book of Hebrews. During our Verse-By-Verse bible study, we will continue through 1 Peter and Matthew’s Sermon On The Mount.
We encourage you to take a physical copy of these cards home with you (you can find them at the connection center, or nearby the basket of programs on Sunday mornings). Consider using these cards in the following ways:
- Personally prepare to receive or reflect on the proclaimed Word. Consider reading through the passage that will be preached (or taught at Verse By Verse) ahead of the time it will be exposited. What elements of the passage stand out? What meaning does it have? What is it calling God’s people to? You can also consider going back to a passage that was just explained the week following to reflect on the recent exhortations that were given.
- Pray for the teachers and preachers. It is good not only to see what texts are upcoming, but also plan to pray for those who will be preaching and teaching. Pray that they will prepare well, proclaim the Word faithfully, and that God would use their labors to build up the church. We can also pray for ourselves, that we’d receive the Word without distraction, that it would take deep root in our hearts, and bear lasting fruits in our lives.
- Use the cards as a guide for evangelism or discipleship. Whether you are meeting with unbelievers or other members of the church, the cards are a good resource for you to discuss God’s Word with others. They point to a natural text for you to read and study with others to help share, meditate, and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ. Meet up leading up to the sermon to prepare for receiving God’s Word together, or meet after the sermon to share ways it was meaningful or illuminated the person and work of Christ.
It is a privilege to receive God’s revelation, and it is a privilege to be built up through the proclamation of his Word. These cards may seem routine and mundane, but even in their very “normal” character they remind us of a profound truth: that God does supernatural things through very ordinary, regular, ongoing means, namely the regular preaching and teaching of God’s Word. This is the food and sustenance of the church, and it is good for his people to prepare to receive it.
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