Passage for this week: 1 Corinthians 12:27
Resource: Pray The Word Podcast by David Platt
How to use this resource: The questions below should be read after you and your family have spent time listening to the resource, and after you have had time to read through the passage carefully and slowly. Following your family time discussion (using the questions below, or your own questions regarding this text), close in prayer and ask your kids how you can be praying for them and let them know how they can be praying for you as parents.
Family Devotional Question For This Week:
1. What stands out to you the most from reading this passage? What did you learn that is new to you from this passage? What did you learn that caused you to remember something you’ve known, or what has been reinforced from reading this passage?
2.How is it meaningful for you to understand that your involvement and interaction in the church is not only needed, but NECESARY for a healthy functioning church body?
(Potential answers: For a healthy church to operate and function as intended by Jesus christ, every part and every member are needed! There are no sidelines when it comes to ministry and the functioning of the church, and there is no such thing as a consumer mindset that we see from how God has created and intentioned His church to operate. Churches are not arenas for spectators and entertainment. Churches are to function, as this passage shows us, like a body needing the proper functioning and service of every member in order to operate as it is intended. As the Holy Spirit is within each and every true believer who has repented of their sin, confessed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and has been living their lives obediently as His disciples, there are giftings that each believer has that are necessary for the church in order to engage in the mission of spreading the Gospel and reaching hearts with the good news that Jesus is Lord and has the power to save!)
3. Do you feel right now as if you don’t matter to the church? How does this passage prove to you that you are crucial and an integral part in how the church is to operate?
(Potential answers: This is another personal reflection question, but others can be asked like it and can follow from this one: How are you engaging in the life of your church family? how are you using the giftings that the Holy Spirit has given you for the service of your church family to engage lost souls with the Gospel message? do you see yourself as an integral part of Christ’s mission as He commissioned every believer to go and be disciples bringing the gospel message to all?)
Prayer Prompts For This Week:
– Pray that we would be encouraged that our membership matters and that we have been given the ability to be integral parts of the local church and for a purpose.
– Pray that God would keep us from the thoughts and deceptions of the enemy that tries to tell us that we don’t matter or can’t be an impact-maker in God’s kingdom and for His good purposes.
– Continue to pray for one another and write down or remember the requests of each person. Either have one person pray over each request, or delegate those prayer requests so that each person prays for something or someone specific.