#9: Simplified! Essentials of Biblical Spirituality

During this time of home quarantine, what are 8 activities/things that you realize are essential to your life? What are 8 activities/things that you did prior to the lockdown that you now realize are not essential to your life? Count and compare how many of those on both lists have something to do with your spiritual life.

Scripture

Acts 2:40-47

Discussion Questions

1. What have you learned in these past weeks that you didn’t know before about God’s Word? Do you believe that learning more about God’s Word is essential to your spiritual life? What steps are you taking to learn and understand more of the Bible? What are some of the challenges that diminish your motivation to put in the effort to learn God’s Word?

2. Are you doing discipleship in community even in this time of quarantine? Are you discipling your family by encouraging each other towards godliness and Christlikeness? In your modified daily routine, how are you setting your focus (and that of your children) heavenward and encouraging one another spiritually?

3. How are you creatively caring for one another and others? List 5 ways that YOU can care for those in your community representing Christ and His Church. Are you joyful in your attitude as you learn God’s Word, grow in Christlikeness in discipleship, and care for others? If not, what steps can you take to cultivate this joyful attitude?

In Walk: One thing we are probably learning while in ECQ is simple living--going without a lot of things we thought we always needed. Spiritually, we do need to declutter in order to focus on essentials. In the book of Acts, we learn that the early church was persecuted and had very limited resources, but it was defined by spirituality and simplicity. The church was focused on learning of God’s Word, discipleship in community, caring for others, and cultivating the attitude of joy. Have you been learning new things from God’s Word while you have more time in your hands right now because of the ECQ? Is there a way for you to spur others toward Christ-likeness? How are you caring for others to reflect your relationship with the Lord? Do you tackle challenges with hope or hopelessness? Being joyful is based on the foundation of your faith. The early church sustained their gladness because they were grounded in the Word of God, which resulted  in church growth and evangelism as a way of life. Living today as the church scattered, think about how you can  emulate the early church in their simple yet biblical spirituality.  

In Prayer: Heavenly Father, as my world has not been back to how it used to be, please help me to really understand the essentials in life, especially in regards to my relationship with You. Thank You for what I have learned from the early church, that spiritual growth is not based on things that clutter my focus; it is based on being rooted in Your Word and living it out.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.