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GREATERTHINGS FOR THE NEXT 100 DEVOTIONAL GUIDE

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Hello, church family! Dirt is moving, the foundation is

being poured, church planting teams are being trained, and lives

are being changed for God’s glory! These are exciting days God

has allowed us to be a part of. We can only imagine all the lives

and family trees which will be transformed by God’s grace as our

church continues to shine the light here in Melbourne and beyond.

Join us as we continue our journey together, with “Greater

Things: For the Next 100.”

In John 15:5, Jesus says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If

a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart

from me you can do nothing.” This devotional will provide an

opportunity for your family to learn more about what it means

to depend on God for everything in life, and to be a part of His

mission in the world.

We believe our great God wants to do even “greater things” (John

14:12) for the glory of His great Name! In the pages that follow,

we’ll take a journey together as a church, as we all seek to ask God

what He wants our role to be, as we “grow,” “go,” and “give”

for the next 100.

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Eternity/Glory of God Day 1

by Dr. Scott Wilson

By God’s grace our church will celebrate its 100th birthday this December. Our church was planted in, at that time, the “small town” of Melbourne, back in 1921, when the estimated population of the town was less than 600 people.

Things were a little different back in 1921…you could buy a house for $6500, a car for $525, and bread was only 6 cents a loaf. In 1921 they could not have dreamed of the internet, cell phones, and traveling to the other side of the world in less than a day. My how things have changed!

Looking back, I know we are all so grateful for those who stepped out in faith in 1921 and were used by God to start our church. It’s exciting now, in 2021, that we have the opportunity to build on that foundation and invest in the next 100 years of ministry, if the Lord tarries.

But it is important to remember those who came before us and what they have done in Melbourne, and the ministry we are doing now, is only a small part of the work our great, eternal God has been doing from eternity past! 100 years may seem like a long time to us, but it’s a short time for our God, about whom the Psalmist writes, “A thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4).

Take a moment and read Psalm 90:1-6, 12 and discuss with your family the truth that God is eternal. How does thinking more about His eternality change the way we think about our own lives and the time we have here on earth to serve Him? If time permits, read Psalm 145 also. Take turns calling out the attributes (characteristics) of God that this Psalm speaks about and what they mean to you.

Our God is an awesome God! He alone is worthy of all the praise for what He has done and for what He will do, here in Melbourne, and all over the world

Let’s PrayPray that God would receive all the glory for what He will do in and through our church in the years to come.

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God Redeeming a People for Himself Day 2

by Nancy Smith

Genesis 12:1-3 ESV Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

How old is too old? I tend to think about this lately. My sons affectionately remind me from time to time that I’m old and need to be careful. It’s not my favorite thing to hear from them.

However, many significant events in the Bible happened to people of many years. The phrase used often was “old and advanced in age.” Abraham was 75 when he got the call from God to move to a new country and there God would bless him and his descendants after him (Genesis 12:1-3). Moses was 80 when God met him in the burning bush to give him his assignment to deliver his people out of bondage in Egypt. Joshua was “old and advanced in age” (Joshua 23:1-2) when God gave him the assignment to enter the Promised land of Canaan and to remind the people to “hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.” (Joshua 23:8)

These and many others, then and today, have been given the call to be faithful and obedient to the plans of the Lord. As his people, descendants of Abraham, we too, have an assignment. With “Greater Things”, one part of that assignment is to build a worship center and plant new churches. But the greater assignment is to go into ALL the world (as scary for us at times as it was for Abraham, Moses, and Joshua) and fulfill God’s purposes (to redeem a people for Himself) through the sharing of the gospel truth as we live among the people and share life with them.

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And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

The end result of our faithfulness and obedience will be God’s glory.

“For my name’s sake I defer my anger; for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” Isaiah 48: 9-11 ESV

“I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” Isaiah 42:8 ESV

He will be exalted among the nations; he will be exalted in the earth (See Psalm 46:10). No matter our age, it’s not about us. It’s all about God, his plans and purposes, and his glory. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Psalm 33:11.

What is God’s assignment for you today? What obstacles are keeping you from being His instrument of peace and reconciliation? Be faithful and obedient and bring honor, fame, and glory to God!

Let’s PrayConfess ways in which you may be limiting God’s call on your life.

Ask Him to give you a willing heart for obedience, whatever it may look like. Ask Him to help you believe in His many promises to be faithful in your obedience.

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Jesus and the Coming Kingdom of God Day 3

by Dr. Bruce Snavely

Mark 1:14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

When we read about and encounter Jesus in Scripture, we recognize that His physical appearances in our world are seen in two comings or advents. We know already that He has come and fulfilled His first coming or advent and that He promised His followers that He would come a second time to establish His Kingdom on earth as it has historically been in Heaven. That is the main idea of the Lord’s prayer which states, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

When Jesus appears for the second coming it will be to fulfill those very words He gave His first disciples. However, we also know that as Jesus’ followers, the establishment of His earthly reign is not the beginning of His kingdom on earth. He has been preparing people for His kingdom since His first coming when His forerunner John the Baptist began to prepare for Him by preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” (Luke 1:17b, Matt 3:2-3) (At hand means that the kingdom had actually arrived in the person of Jesus).

Later, after Jesus had overcome the temptation by Satan in the wilderness, He exclaimed similarly, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This repentance and believing in the message of Jesus from both John and Jesus Himself spiritually prepared his first disciples and continues to prepare people today for the coming Kingdom. Jesus confirmed this to the Jewish leader Nicodemus when He declared to him, “Except a man be born again He cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) The new birth is our spiritual entrance into that coming physical reality. We must know the King before we can gain admission to His Kingdom! Paul later told the Colossian believers that

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on account of their salvation, “He has delivered us (that includes all Christ followers) from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)

This is why Jesus came the first time! He began establishing His rule by coming to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10). Now that we know the King, our prayer requests should involve some key elements as we grow in God’s wonderful grace and prepare for His coming Kingdom!

Let’s PrayFirst, let’s pray that we will learn to walk obediently now so that we can experience His fullness and presence in our lives. This should include introducing as many as we can to the King for salvation.

Secondly, let’s pray that our personal obedience will help us find a useful place to serve our church so that we may glorify God together with others in the body of Christ here at FBC.

Finally, let’s pray that by personally serving our church through our time, our talents, and our treasure, we would ultimately prepare ourselves and others for our place in Christ’s coming kingdom!

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God at Work Through His Church Day 4

by Aaron Copeland

Matthew 16:15-18 (NKJV) He [Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

With less than a year left in His earthly ministry, Jesus gets down to brass tacks with His twelve disciples. In making disciples, He had patiently taught them to follow Him through serving and caring for them, teaching them, correcting them, and modelling life for them. Yet there was so much for them to learn before Jesus would leave them and ascend back into Heaven. They still needed to learn how to trust Jesus more fully in order to become more like Him.

It was time for Jesus to gauge their understanding of who He really was, and it would be Peter who would rise to the occasion and confess what the other disciples were possibly only thinking as well. In his response to Jesus’s question, Peter confessed to Jesus’s deity as God and to His identity and work as the prophesied Messiah. With this correct understanding at the core of their belief, Jesus would shortly thereafter affirm their confession by transfiguring Himself into His glory before Peter, James, and John.

But after Peter’s confession, Jesus mentioned His future, addressing church for the very first time. Jesus said, “on this rock,” meaning on this true confessor of my identity and work, “I will build My church.” It is upon confessors of this truth that all the spiritual enemies of this world would not be able to defend themselves against.

After Jesus defeated death in the gospel work of His own death, burial, and resurrection, the Father gave him all authority to commission the church to

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go on mission. He promised to empower them by the Holy Spirit, to make disciples of all nations through local churches, teaching disciples to obey all Jesus has commanded them (Matt 28:18-20). Local churches (assembled believers) are the embodiment of the future universal Church, in a geographic location, that have been given the right to proclaim true confessors as citizens of Jesus’s kingdom (Matthew 18:18-20).

As a member of First Baptist Church of Melbourne, are you fully trusting in the identity and work of Jesus in your life in order to serve Him and others in our church? Trusting in Jesus means to commit to the other believers in our church—to share life with each other, to carry each other’s burdens, to edify and correct each other with the Word of God, and to intercede for each other in prayer. Are you loving others in the church to the degree that Jesus has loved you? The world can only be reached if it can recognize the distinction of a true disciple of Jesus (John 13:34-35).

God is at work through our local church. No matter what stage of life you are in, how will you, or your children, be at work through our church? Who will you share your desire of service with, in the church, in order to be accountable and receive wisdom in order to be a more effective minister in our church? You can talk to any of our pastors, teachers, or group leaders if you don’t already have anyone to share with.

Let’s PrayReflect on the beauty of the Savior, the Son of the Living God, and thank Him for making the way to include you in His body, the Church.

Ask Him to show you how you can be at work in and through our local church.

Ask God to give victory in living a life that honors Him, and boldness to confess His Name to others.

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A Legacy of Faithfulness Day 5

by Cody Chester

2 Timothy 1:5-7 “…when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Maya Angelou once said, “If you are going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that cannot be erased.” Many strive to leave a legacy of good memories, happiness, money, and countless other things. But, perhaps the only indelible legacy is that of a life offered in service to the Lord, faithfully seeking Him and passing down the faith from generation to generation. Lois and Eunice certainly passed on an enduring legacy in Timothy. These two ladies understood the importance in investing in others and passing down the faith. Because of their determination, these unassuming women left an undeniable mark on the world through Timothy. God used them to foster within him a deeply rooted faith in the Lord and a desire to pass that faith on to the generations that would follow. Timothy’s story is still impacting lives some 2,000 years later.

It is amazing to think that because of the faithfulness of others, each one of us can trace our spiritual lineage directly back to Jesus Himself. Beginning with His calling of the 12, there have been those in the mold of Lois and Eunice in every generation that have sacrificially given and tirelessly worked to advance the gospel. Over the course of two millennia, that same gospel was passed down through the generations, eventually making its way from Jerusalem to Melbourne. Today we are blessed to be the inheritors of a spiritual legacy that has been passed down for the last 100 years through FBCMel. For the last century, there have been men and women who have lived on mission with the express purpose of reaching their community and the generations to come. They gave of their finances, time, and talents. They fearlessly and tirelessly engaged their culture and the world around them with the gospel. Men and women, dating all the way back to 1921, have given of themselves to progressively equip us with the tools that we have to reach people in 2021.

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While it can be very easy to reap the many blessings that we have received from their labor in the Lord, we must challenge ourselves to live with the same fervency and passion; a fervency to reach the 200,000 lost people within a 10-mile radius of our church (and beyond) and a passion to see the gospel message spread from generation to generation. God has done amazing things in the last 100 years, and we can be confident that He has even greater things in store. Now is the time for us to sacrifice of ourselves to build upon their work and leave a legacy for the next 100 years.

The task ahead is a daunting one. But, take heart! God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. So, step forward in boldness and find your Timothy! Find that person to pour your life into in an effort to build upon our shared spiritual legacy. Seek the Lord and His direction in how He would have you join your church family in pursuing greater things to reach the world around us for the next 100 years. In 100 years, should the Lord tarry, let those to come look back and find us faithful to build upon the legacy passed down to us.

Let’s PrayThank God for some specific people you know who have impacted you and those you love for the Gospel!

Ask the Father to help you stay focused on leaving a legacy of things that truly matter – to set our minds on things above, and not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:2)

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A Wide Open Door of Ministry Before Us Day 6

by Aaron Still

1 Corinthians 16:5-9Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits. But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

Several years ago, my family took a vacation to Washington DC. We did and saw so much there, but one of the best experiences we had was attending a Washington Nationals baseball game. The game was a make-up game from one canceled due to weather earlier that week. Because it was made up during the middle of the day, tickets were cheap, like $3 a person cheap. The only catch was that our seats were up so high we had to take a helicopter to get there. It was still a fabulous experience. After the 1st inning, an usher came up to us and told us that there were tons of open seats available and invited us to sit anywhere we would like. We booked it down and sat right by 1st base about 10 rows up. After we moved seats, I caught a t-shirt from the cannon, the kids got to dance on the Jumbotron, and a player tossed them a baseball after infield warm ups. We were happy to just be in the stadium, but a door opened up with an opportunity to have an unbelievable experience…and we rushed right through!

1 Corinthians was a letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth while staying in Ephesus. While this is a letter to the Corinthian church, the interesting bit of this passage is Paul’s time in Ephesus. In Acts 19, we read that Paul journeyed to Ephesus, found disciples, and proceeded to stay and teach them for about three years in total. His ministry is described in a magnificent way in Acts 19:10: “This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” What an amazing ministry Paul had here!

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In 1 Corinthians 16:9, Paul describes this time “…a wide door for effective work has opened to me…” Beginning this missionary journey, Paul had different plans than what was ultimately undertaken. The Spirit led him along the way. The Spirit shut certain doors and opened up others. When Paul got to Ephesus, the Lord was clearly working. Paul could have easily tried to stick to his plans. In doing so, he would have missed the wide open door of ministry that was providentially before his path.

What doors has God opened up in your life? People are moving here to Brevard County every day who don’t know Christ. He’s blessed us with the land and resources to be able to make room for them to hear, and with the people to send to start new churches so that others can hear. Open doors are opportunities. They don’t often fit our schedules, but are invitations for us to rearrange our lives to work where God is working.

Let’s PrayAsk God to help you see the open doors He puts along your path throughout the day.

Pray for the confidence to trust Him with the outcome and wisdom in the journey.

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Living on Mission Daily Day 7

by Kate Carter

John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Jonathan Edwards, preacher, theologian, and missionary to the Native American Indians, prayed “Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs.” Edwards longed to live with an eternal mindset, and this should be the prayer of our hearts as well.

We serve a missional God who sent Jesus to rescue and redeem fallen humanity from the curse of sin. Jesus, who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, made Himself into the form of a servant. He humbly descended and took on human flesh, lived a perfect life and willingly went to the cross for our sake. Yet death could not hold Jesus. He rose victorious over the grave and the enemy and ascended into heaven where He is seated at God’s right hand.

The story does not end there. God sent His Holy Spirit to indwell us as believers. His Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. In John 20:21, Jesus tells His disciples “Peace be with you.” His Holy Spirit comforts us and gives us peace. But His Holy Spirit also empowers us in the mission to which He has called us. We are commissioned and equipped.

He has redeemed us and reconciled us to himself and now, he sends us out as His ambassadors. What an incredible and high calling, to be ambassadors for the King! We get to represent Him and be a part of evangelizing the lost. There is salvation through no other name than Jesus Christ. He loved us first and now love compels us to go and plead with others to be reconciled to God through the saving power of the gospel. We have been bought with a price and our lives are not our own but are meant to be lived for the glory of Him who redeemed us.

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Our passage tells us that just as God sent Jesus, Jesus sent His disciples out into the nations. He sends us out too. In His good and sovereign plan, He scatters us and sends us all out to different places. He calls some to the mission field to reach the lost and hurting around the world. He calls others to schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, even, to the children and family in our own homes.

As His ambassadors, we build relationships and friendships to share not only the gospel but our lives as well. We invite neighbors into our homes to eat with us imploring them on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. We play sports together to intentionally share with another mom or dad in the bleachers about how they can come to a saving knowledge of Him. This takes intentionality and sacrifice, but it’s worth it. We live out the gospel with our actions and we open our mouths to share this wonderful news — that “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5: 21).

A pandemic fell upon the globe in 2020, and the world is still searching for a cure. Long ago, a spiritual pandemic fell upon the globe when sin entered the world. It’s all around us, and His ambassadors have the cure. The Holy Spirit is empowering us and is at work in the hearts of those who will come to know Jesus as Lord. We leave the saving to the One who can change hearts, but we must be obedient to share.

What a glorious picture, eternity, where we will all gather around the throne room together to worship the one who is worthy of all worship and praise. Just imagine, people from every nation, tribe, people and language worshiping the Lamb of God. How beautiful this day will be. May we long for this together and labor to this end. Lord, we pray, stamp eternity on our eyeballs.

Let’s PrayTeach us to fix our eyes on Jesus and have an eternal mindset that lets us see others with souls that will spend eternity in one of two places.

Fill us with boldness to share the good news.

Equip us to make the most of opportunities that you give us to share the gospel.

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Two Eggs – Eight Buses Day 8

by Ted and Donna Badger

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

It was our third mission journey and the first of several to the continent of Africa. Working with the Baptist Convention of Kenya, our team of 12 was tasked with sharing the gospel hut-to-hut in a rural area in Western Kenya adjacent to Lake Victoria. The ultimate goal was the starting of new churches. It was an amazing experience as each new church began under a specific tree in a certain field off of an unnamed road at a selected time, and sure enough people showed up. Our team, and teams that followed, were able to start 11 new churches. At the end of our first week, I (Ted) was asked to preach at one of the more established churches that met under a lean-to and offered attendees a few rustic benches upon which to sit. As we neared the time for the service to begin, men, women, and children of all ages arrived, and all joyfully participated in worship. Through an interpreter, I shared the message the Lord gave me. The local pastor then prayed for the offering and the collection began. A simple basket was passed from row-to-row until it made its way back to the front where I was standing, and it was then handed to me. As I looked at the basket my eyes focused on the sacrificial offering represented by two eggs among the coins. Whoever placed those eggs in the basket chose to do so early that morning; they collected them from their henhouse, they carefully packed them for the journey to the church and then placed them in the basket knowing that doing so may mean a missed meal or lost revenue. Those two eggs were the best this person could offer God and I believe He was pleased.

I (Donna) remember that day in Cuba. We had arrived in another small city and were in preparation for a 2 ½ day “Freedom in Christ” Conference which

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had been advertised by the hosting church in advance of our arrival. This church’s expectation was that people would come from neighboring towns, villages and smaller churches in the area. But God had his own plan. Early that morning as we set up tables and materials, in walked an older woman with her Bible clutched to her chest. “Is this the place?”, she inquired. After assuring her it was, asking her name and having several moments of sharing, she casually told me she had left her home (a long distance away) traveling many hours and changing buses 7 times. It took eight buses to get her to us. “I believe in Jesus and just want to know more about Him,” she said. And Jesus drew her near.

I can’t help but wonder how many American Christians “thirst” for a deeper knowledge of our Savior enough to sacrifice their time and resources to “go” wherever God leads.

FURTHER STUDY“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (I Timothy 6:17-19)

For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:9)

THINK AND ANSWER:1. What does Paul teach us about the attitude we should haveconcerning our giving to the work of the Lord?

2. What are the benefits of living a life of generosity?

Let’s PrayHeavenly Father, help me to envision the future you have for me and the people of our community through FBC Melbourne. We, as a congregation, have the opportunity through our Greater Things vision to reach those who so desperately need a relationship with Jesus Christ, and each church member can participate through our sacrificial giving. Guide me, Lord. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

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Willingness to Go and Be Sent Day 9

by Juan Parra-Newton

Acts 13:1-3 In the church that was at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.” Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.

Today, you will be digging deeper into this passage. There are times that it is good for someone to write a full devotional for you to read and reflect, but there are other times where you are guided to find the riches hidden within God’s word. Let’s do this today!

We will be using a tool I learned in college called OIA. It is also called Inductive Bible study. This tool helped me a lot to dig deeper into God’s word and discover things I didn’t know before, though I have heard them many times. This tool has helped me not to jump so much on what I think, but instead it shaped my thinking according to what was written in God’s word.

So, let’s dive into it!

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First Step: Have your bible and pen or pencil. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal what He has in store in his Word, and read the passage one time.

Second Step: Read the Passage again. This time you will be doing OBSERVATION (O). Here you will take the time to become a detective asking the question, “What’s there?” Imagine yourself in the story. What do you see, hear, and smell? For example, did you notice that Barnabas and Saul are prophets and teachers?

Take some 5-7 minutes to highlight your OBSERVATIONS. Write them in the open space.

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Third Step: Once you have observed you will jump into INTERPRETATION (I). The question here is, “What does this mean?” This is where you develop some questions. Tried to answer your questions from the text and the context surrounding it. For example, why did they fast before sending Saul and Paul? When you are done, develop a one sentence summary.

Take 5-7 minutes to write your questions and answers from the text. You might not be able to answer all of them, and that’s okay.

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Fourth Step: Last but not least, APPLICATION (A). Here we will ask, “How does this passage challenge how I see God, myself or the world? How is the Lord calling us to respond?”

Take some time and write on this page your next step.

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Let’s PrayAsk the Lord to help you in the next step and keep seeking him day by day.

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Greater Things-Commitment Night Day 10

by Dr. Larry Bazer

John 12:1-8 Therefore, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made Him a dinner there, and Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who intended to betray Him, said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the proceeds given to poor people?” Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he kept the money box, he used to steal from what was put into it. Therefore Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

One of my favorite stories in the life of Jesus was this scene of Mary anointing the feet of Jesus shortly before His death on the cross. Several important lessons are revealed in her actions that day.

First, Mary gave what she had. What she had was different from what we have. But all of us have something we can give to the Lord. I am reminded of an elderly widow who lived across our church in downtown Melbourne during one of our early building fund drives. She came to me all excited one day because she had found a $20 bill hidden in one of her purses in a closet. She gladly gave this to the Lord. I knew this was a sacrificial gift that she could probably use just to get by in her present situation. But she was thrilled that she could give it to the Lord.

Second, Mary gave her gift in a timely manner. Had she waited another week it would have been too late. In fact Jesus even commented to the

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disciples that Mary’s gift had “been kept for the day of My burial.” Now is the time of commitment to Greater Things. Our church stands at a unique time to move forward in reaching out to our community and to start new churches wherever God opens the door. I don’t want to miss the open door God has placed before me to enter into His greater things!

Third, what Mary gave cost her a great deal. Her gift of perfume was estimated at 300 denarii, the amount of a regular man’s annual salary. David once refused a free gift for an offering to the Lord with the words: “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” Mary was criticized by some of the disciples for her costly gift. But Jesus commended Mary and immortalized her for all time.

Everyone of us can contribute something of value that costs us something. And we can do it now when it counts. God will honor that gift just as Jesus honored Mary.

Let’s PrayFirst, take a moment to remember all the ways that God has shown Himself worthy in your life.

Thank Him for giving us as His children the privilege of being a part of His work and sharing in His joy.

Ask Him to show you what you can give back to Him.

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