Matthew 23:1-12

As Christians, it can be easy for us to tell others how they should live their lives - but it is important from time to time to examine our own lives. Are we walking out the faith we claim to have or are we just trying to make ourselves look righteous? Jesus’s warning against hypocrisy should cause us to look at our own lives to see if we live a life where we practice what we preach. Jesus gives us an opportunity to look in the mirror to see if we are living out our faith with humility or self-righteousness.

Acts 28:1-9

While Luke was not recorded preaching or evangelizing, his faithful account of what Paul did made an enormous difference. Luke kept track of what God had done through the ministry of Paul and made sure others knew about it. Luke significantly increased Paul’s impact by simply sharing what God had done through him. Likewise, we are to keep an account of what God has done and be ready to share it with others.

Acts 18:18-28

As invested missionary partners of Paul, something that stood out about Priscilla and Aquila was that they also invested in people who had the potential to make a big impact on other people. A big part of discipleship is investing in people that will continue investing in people. They saw the potential in Apollos and his gifting for ministry, so they took him under their wing and gave him a complete understanding of the Gospel. As Priscilla and Aquila followed Paul, and he invested in them, they made sure they were investing in someone else. It is a beautiful picture of what discipleship is supposed to look like.

2 Timothy 1:1-9

Paul took Timothy under his wing when Timothy was young, and they were partners in mission for the entire time they knew each other. Their faith in Christ created a deep relational bond between them. We see this same dynamic in the life of Jesus and His disciples. Likewise, the more we do life, faith, and mission together, the deeper our relationships form.

Acts 16: 22-33

Silas was a significant leader in the church, and he accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey. In Philippi they encountered an evil spirit, were slandered, arrested, flogged and imprisoned. But even through all of that, Silas and Paul help the jailer and his household come to faith. Silas went on to be listed as a co-author of some of the epistles as well as the bishop of the Corinthian church.

Acts 15:36-41

John Mark was relationally connected to key members of the early church, but his first attempt to participate in the spread of the gospel ended in failure. This led to such a sharp dispute between Paul and Barnabas that they went separate ways. However, when Barnabas gave Mark a second chance, he became a faithful partner in the ministry to the point of writing one of the Gospels.

Acts 9:26-30

Barnabas was someone who believed in and encouraged Paul, even when others doubted him. Barnabas sought Paul out, advocated for him, and believed in him. But as Paul’s ministry continued, Barnabas was willing to let him take the lead. In our own lives we all have people like Barnabas that believe in us and encourage us as we try to live our lives for Jesus. But who are we called to do that for in our lives - what sidekick role are we called to take in someone's faith journey? Where are we called to believe in someone that others don’t and walk with them? Are we willing to follow when it's their time to lead?

1 Samuel 28:5-20

As Saul continues to rely on himself rather than God, he allows fear to lead him astray. When the Philistine army set up camp at Shumen, Saul was filled with a fear that distorted his perspective and tempted him to compromise. When we give into fear rather than putting our hope in God and relying on him we too can be led astray by our fear..

1 Samuel 22:9-19

As King Saul’s obsession with killing David grew, it drove him further away from God. Upon learning that the priests of Nob had helped David - not knowing that the King was after him - King Saul was ruthless in killing the priests and all the residents of Nob. Unchecked anger only grows and becomes more violent.

Matthew 13:44-47

Brandon Craig from Operation Mobilization explores the parables of the hidden treasure, the priceless pearl, and the net and how they apply to global mission field.