SHIFT 08 - Devotional 1

Devotionals

Let?s think about that for a minute. You see, Jesus was starting a brand new thing. It was such a dramatic departure from the religion that his followers had previously been practicing that they adopted the habit of calling it ?a new covenant.? In other words, it felt to them like Jesus was ushering them into a whole new kind of relationship with God. And he, in turn, wanted those first followers to know how to usher other people into that same kind of relationship. Actually, if we stay true to his analogy it would be better to say that he wanted his first followers to know how to catch people and draw them into the kind of relationship with God that they themselves were discovering. He wanted those first followers to catch others in the net of the new covenant the way they had been caught.

So what does that look like? What did he teach them? How do you fish for people?

I will post five devotionals over the next five days which are meant to give us some things to get us started toward answering those questions. We?re going to use the acronym ?SHIFT? as a guide.

Each letter will represent an important aspect of how we draw others into the net of a new relationship with God. And taken as a whole, the word ?SHIFT? reminds us that to be effective ?fishermen? we may have to think and act in a whole new way.

Before we shift into our week of devotions, I want to make sure we understand just how important this topic is. We heard how he announced his ministry in Mark 1:17. Now let?s take a quick look at the end of Jesus? life as recorded in Acts 1.

If you are familiar with this part of Jesus? story, you may know that after he was resurrected, he spent forty days with his disciples. (That must have been an intense time!) At the very end of that month, he gave them a critical final lesson. Luke introduces the lesson by giving the setting. The disciples asked Jesus what was essentially a political question. Jesus responds with an affirmation of that very first word to them about teaching them how to be fishers of men. Except in this new setting he uses a different word-picture. Jesus tells them that they will be his ?witnesses.? As you read this, think about the fact that Jesus began and ended his ministry with the same theme of drawing others into a relationship with God!

1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." {Acts 1:1-8 NIV}

TO THINK ABOUT:

  1. If you want to know more about the ?baptism with the Holy Spirit? that Jesus talks about read chapter 2 of Acts. How did the actions of the disciples change after their experience with the Holy Spirit? Have you ever experienced anything like this?
  2. Given verses 7 and 8, what should we not concentrate on and what should we concentrate on?
  3. The word ?witness? used here is roughly a synonym for what Jesus meant by ?fishing for people.? At the beginning of his ministry, he told them he would show them how to fish for people. Now he tells them that they will do it. But first they will be empowered by God. What is the significance of this empowering being a prerequisite to the witnessing?
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