On one of the shelves in my office, I have a picture of my family from a wonderful trip we took together a few years back. My wife and I are smiling, and my kids are laughing as they enjoy the fun of a family vacation. I often look at that photo and while I recognize that not every moment of our life as a family is that picturesque, it is a precious snapshot of the joy, unity, and love I want for my family. 

Acts 2:42-47 gives us a similar snapshot of the early church. While the book of Acts will describe all kinds of dysfunction, drama, heartbreak, and sin in the ranks of Christians, this passage gives us a snapshot of the church at its best. This week, we want to reflect on that snapshot as we dream about the kind of church God is calling us to be now and into the future. As we move toward 2030, this passage helps shape the kind of church we become!

The text begins with the devotion of the church to four habits. The first is that they listened to the apostles’ teaching. In our context, we listen to that same teaching every time we read the Word of God or listen to it preached. The church we see in the future is one energized by both a love for, and knowledge of ,God’s Word.

It is important that our Bible engagement be shaped by both knowledge and affection. If all we have is knowledge about the Bible but no deep affection for God’s Word, then we will slip into a kind of legalism where we know the Bible but not the God of the Bible. If all we have is affection for God’s Word but not knowledge, we will slip into sentimentality where we like certain verses but don’t know what they mean. For our church to thrive, we must be a place where the Bible is known, loved and above all, believed.

For today: In what way can you grow in your knowledge and affection of the Bible this fall?