Passage for this week: 1 Corinthians 3:8-11
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.Paul is continuing the theme of builders of faith in the lives of others. How has this chapter so far been about spiritual growth in the lives of christians? Re-reading verses 1-11 will be helpful.
(Potential answers: This question simply gets us to observe what Paul’s point has been about thus far. we want to be able to highlight important and key themes and the emphasis in biblical texts, and it is clea that Paul has been talking about spiritual growth. this is a main theme from here on our in this letter as Paul will begin to get into why he is writing to this church – on the topic of THEIR spiritual growth or lack thereof. So, for them as well as for us, Paul lays the groundwork for how we are to understand rightly spiritual growth – this is ALL happening because of Christ, the foundation and God giving the growth!)
3. How can others continue to build up believers in their faith, either as co-laborers who are encouraging one another, or as a discipler / disciplee? Why are those important in the maturity/maturation process of a Christian?
(Potential answers: The commitment to Jesus Christ first, then to one another as brothers and sisters is foremost in how a church will grow and how believers will grow in their foundation on Christ. This commitment, as we will see later on in this letter, is what will be helpful in combatting sin, preventing divisions in the church, and ultimately growing in maturity and likeness to Jesus Christ with the help of one another (as Paul explained with the example of those who have been faithful in discipleship in verse 6) it is important to remember that the true christian and the true church will always be continually set on the building up of the body into maturity and likeness to Jesus Christ our Lord. this occurs and is pushed forward by continual feeding by God through His Church and the Word. any other pursuits or endeavors that do NOT benefit this cause are worthless in view of the kingdom of God!)
Prayer Prompts For This Week:
– Pray that God would continue strengthening the foundation of your faith in Jesus Christ alone. pray that no one else’s lives would be a distraction to what Jesus Christ has accomplished in your life as a believer, especially those who have fallen from grace.
– Pray again for people in your lives similar to you whom you can either encourage and begin questioning if they would like to meet once a week or month either for accountability, scripture memorization, or just readings Gods Word together in fellowship.
– 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.