Student Devotion Week 41: One In Christ: Letter to the Ephesians (Part 1 of 2)

Key Verse: Ephesians 2:19, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household."

Have yo ever wondered how you ended up in your family? I've wondered that about my family. I'm completely different from my parents, and I'm also fairly different from my brother. So how did we all get thrown together? We do have one major thing in common: Our last name. Whether we like it or not, we're all in the same family. And as different as we are, we have the same blood linking us.

The same is true for the Church. The New Testament church was made up of an assortment of very different kinds of people who had previously lived separate lives. What could possibly connect all these people? They now had the same bloodline-the blood of Jesus. Because of Jesus' sacrificial death, everyone who places their faith in Christ-regardless of their race, gender, or cultural background-is a part of the Church.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he began to build his family-the Church. And it was composed of people he loved and who love him. But the members of his family would also love each other. While imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus to help them understand their common lineage in Christ. Through this letter Paul tried to help the Ephesians see that all people are welcomed into the church family regardless of their differences.

Student Devotion Week 40: Faithfulness at Great Cost: Paul's Parting Message To The Ephesians

Key Verse: 1 Timothy 4:7, "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly."

I know of a youth group in which the students were in the habit of becoming very emotional during their Wednesday night service. Being emotional isn't wrong, but they seemed to get emotional for no reason. The youth minister decided to test them. So he preached an impassioned talk and then asked if any of them wanted to come forward and accept Christ. The altar area was full of students! Suddenly he stopped the service and informed the teenagers that everything he'd just told them was wrong. Not a bit of it was supported by Scripture. They'd become emotional about something that was completely fake.

This danger isn't new. At the end of his third missionary journey, Paul was headed back to Jerusalem. On the way he stopped and met with the elders of the Ephesians church. He gave a farewell speech and warned the Ephesians to beware those who preach false teachings about God. Paul wouldn't be around to protect them anymore, so they had to learn to protect themselves.

We must also be on guard against false teaching. As you continue to mature in your Christian faith, you'll probably encounter false teachers. Unless you test the teaching against Scripture, you'll find you're like that youth group: Looking spiritual but having no substance.

Student Devotion Week 39: Spiritual Opposition: The Riot In Ephesus And Paul's Third Missionary Journey

Key Verse: 1 Peter 5:8, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Whenever I think of demons, those stone gargoyles found on old buildings come to mind. They have big fangs and ugly faces, but they're definitely stone. It's kind of hard to think of something like that as being a real threat in my life. Isn't a belief in demons about as outdated as the buildings where those gargoyles sit? Surprisingly, no. Demons are real, and they take every opportunity to stand in your way spiritually.

In Acts 19:21-41 Paul and his fellow travelers faced some pretty significant opposition. But look closer. The real reason behind the opposition was spiritual; these people were worshipers of a false god. They wanted nothing more than to be rid of Paul and his companions-by any means necessary.

You may not have to deal with physical opposition, but you'll definitely have to deal with spiritual warfare. You're in for it whether you like it or not. But how do you fight an invisible enemy, and what do spiritual battles feel like?

This week we're going to look at the invisible war Christians fight and hopefully find answers to some of your questions. Try to see beyond the visible this week and recognize what's really happening in the spiritual realm.

Student Devotional Week 38: Giving: Paul's Instructions To The Corinthian Church

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 9:7, "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Bono, lead singer of the band U2, once said during a song, "The God I believe in isn't short of cash." He was criticizing phony TV preachers for stealing money from unsuspecting people. Lots of people have the same feeling. I meet people all the time who assume the only thing the church is after is their money. But Bono brings up a good point: If God can bless everyone, then why do we have to give-to God or to anyone else for that matter? Can't God just bless people? The answer is that it's not about the money.

We've received so much from God, it's only right that we honor him by giving some of it back. And as we give our resources away, it reminds us that the God who gave them to us in the first place will provide what we need. From cover to cover, the Bible records how people honored God by giving back to him. And we can still do this today through our local churches.

The early churches exemplified this concept of giving back to God by giving their money to help other churches that were in trouble. Paul not only taught his churches about giving, but he also gave them an opportunity to give an offering that he personally delivered to the Jerusalem church.

The generosity of the early churches is an example we follow today. This week we're going to look at why we need to give God our time, energy, and money.

Student Devotional Week 37: Spiritual Gifts: First Letter To The Corinthians (Part 4 of 4)

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 12:11, "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."

Maybe it's been a while since you put a puzzle together, but have you ever really studied a puzzle's pieces? They look like something out of a Picasso painting with their multiple legs, odd-shaped curves, and no hard edges (except for those blessed border pieces). No pieces seem identical. They all have a unique place to fill in the big picture, and the portrait won't be complete until every last one of them is in place.

God's Church is made in much the same way-as a puzzle. When you become a part of the Church, you receive a spiritual gift of some kind. One person may be given the ability to lead, another the ability to encourage, and still another the ability to make people feel welcome. No matter who you are, everyone gets a gift.

The Church functions like it's supposed to when all of us, like puzzle pieces, fit together and do our parts. Leave a piece out, and it's just not the same. Because you have this gift, you're a very important-even indispensable-part of the Church. Paul made this a top concern when he was teaching his churches so they'd understand that no one can walk alone. Churches aren't filled with spectators but with unique Christians, each with a role to play in the spiritual masterpiece of the Church.

This week we're going to look at what spiritual gifts are and how to determine which gifts you have.