And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God. Luke 24:53 [Sunrise photo Jan 5 2013, today was another cloudy day.]

And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God. Luke 24:53 [Sunrise photo from January 5 2013, today April 28, was a cloudy day.]

Day 28  We Gather Together

53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
53 And they were continually in the temple celebrating with praises and blessing and extolling God. Amen (so be it). Luke 24:53 (NIV , AMP)

Today marks the the 4th Sunday of Easter. Believers in the resurrection will gather in places of worship all over the globe, as they have for over two thousand years. They will do this in remembrance of Him.

We will tell the story, God’s story. Followers will share testimonies of God’s grace in their lives.

Everywhere they went, followers of The Way insisted that God had done something unique in their generation; he had raised a man from the dead. Andy Stanley

The fact that the church exists is one of the greatest witnesses of the power of Jesus resurrection.

But the story of the church is not just unexplainable, it’s undeniable. Today over a third of the world’s population claims some kind of faith in Jesus. The Roman Empire is long gone. Ancient Judaism died with the destruction of the Jewish temple in AD 70. But today one third of the world’s population claims Jesus as the centerpiece of their religious experience. He taught for three years, and twenty centuries later, he is worshiped on every continent on the planet. That’s an amazing story. It’s a story every Christian and church attendee should know. And as church leaders, it’s a story in which we have the privilege of participating. Actually, it’s a story we are responsible for shaping. Like it or not, we are the stewards of the church for our generation. More daunting than that is the fact that we determine what comes to mind for the next generation when they hear the term church. Stanley, Andy (2012-09-25). Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend (Kindle Locations 532-539). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

 In our generation, let us rediscover the heart of God as we live and move and breath as his people, the church.

The Lord be with you this Lord’s day!

Let’s Pray:

I invite you to pray with me today.

“Lord today we pray for your church. We ask for unity, for the knowledge of Your will, for your Holy Spirit to move, and for fruitfulness. Bless your leaders, bless their congregations.  May your kingdom come, and Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.  In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.”

About This Devotional Series

According to the historical church calendar, the Easter season is the 50 day period from Resurrection Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.  I’ll post a fresh devotional thought with my sunrise photo of that morning, everyday through Pentecost, commenting as the Spirit inspires. Check out the rest of the series here.

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If this series is helpful to you,  please forward and share with your friends through e-mail, Twitter, Facebook – whatever, just click the share buttons on this page.  Join us on the journey from Easter to Pentecost! 

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