Let's Study Together:
Based on recent sermons —
For 9/14 through 9/18
Day 1: The Church Begins With a Confession
Reading: Matthew 16:13-18 — When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus asks His disciples who people say He is, and Peter declares Him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus responds by affirming that this revelation came from the Father, not from human reasoning.
Devotional: Every believer's place in the church begins with a single, Spirit-revealed confession: Jesus is the Christ. Peter did not arrive at this truth through intellect or effort. God the Father opened his eyes. Before you were a church member, a volunteer, a deacon, or a teacher, you were a person brought to your knees by divine revelation. The church is not a club of the self-improved. It is a gathering of the confessed and the called. Ask yourself today: Is my confession of Christ still the lcenter of why I show up? Let that truth anchor everything else.
When did you first confess Christ, and how does that confession still shape your daily life?
Day 2: The Church Is Built on Changed Lives
Reading: John 1:40-42 — One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Andrew brings his brother Simon to Jesus, and Jesus looks at him and declares that he will be called Cephas, meaning rock. A new identity is spoken over an ordinary fisherman before any transformation has visibly taken place.
Devotional: Jesus did not wait for Simon to become Peter before He called him by his new name. He spoke the finished work over an unfinished man. That is what the church does at its best. It speaks identity and destiny over people who are still in process. The pastor who prays over children, the Sunday school teacher who invests in a teenager, the deacon who shows up at a hospital room — all of them are declaring over someone: you are not finished yet, and God is not done. The church is where ordinary people become something remarkable under the hand of Christ.
Who in your church community is speaking your new identity over you, and over whom are you doing the same?
Day 3: The Church Is a Place of Faithful Witness
Reading: Hebrews 10:24-25 — and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Believers are urged not to give up meeting together, as some have made a habit of doing, but to encourage one another, especially as the day of Christ's return draws near.
Devotional: Faithfulness to the church is itself a form of testimony. When you walk through those doors on a Sunday morning, on a Sunday night, or on a Wednesday, you are making a statement to your family, your neighborhood, and the watching world that Christ is worth your time and your presence.
What does your pattern of church attendance communicate to those closest to you, particularly your children or those you influence?
Day 4: The Church Is Armed for Triumph
Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18 — Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
We are called to put on the full armor of God so that they can stand against the schemes of the enemy. Each piece of armor corresponds to a spiritual reality that protects and equips the believer for daily spiritual battle.
Devotional: Jesus declared that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. That promise is not passive. It assumes the church is advancing, pressing forward, and standing firm. The armor described in Ephesians is not decorative. It is functional, and it is meant to be worn in community. You were not designed to fight alone. The church is where you learn how the armor fits, where others help you identify the gaps in your defenses, and where you are reminded after a hard week that the battle belongs to the Lord. The gates of hell are no match for a church that shows up together.
In what area of your life have you been trying to fight spiritual battles alone rather than leaning on the support of your church community?
Day 5: The Church Reflects the Grace That Found Us
Reading: Ephesians 2:19-22 — Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Devotional: The church is not made up of people who had it all together before they arrived. It is made up of people who were strangers, foreigners, and wanderers until grace found us and brought us together. You are not part of WEBC by accident. You are here because grace pursued you, and now you carry that same grace toward everyone around you.
How does remembering where grace found you change the way you see and serve the people sitting around you in church?
Day 1: The Church Begins With a Confession
Reading: Matthew 16:13-18 — When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus asks His disciples who people say He is, and Peter declares Him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus responds by affirming that this revelation came from the Father, not from human reasoning.
Devotional: Every believer's place in the church begins with a single, Spirit-revealed confession: Jesus is the Christ. Peter did not arrive at this truth through intellect or effort. God the Father opened his eyes. Before you were a church member, a volunteer, a deacon, or a teacher, you were a person brought to your knees by divine revelation. The church is not a club of the self-improved. It is a gathering of the confessed and the called. Ask yourself today: Is my confession of Christ still the lcenter of why I show up? Let that truth anchor everything else.
When did you first confess Christ, and how does that confession still shape your daily life?
Day 2: The Church Is Built on Changed Lives
Reading: John 1:40-42 — One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Andrew brings his brother Simon to Jesus, and Jesus looks at him and declares that he will be called Cephas, meaning rock. A new identity is spoken over an ordinary fisherman before any transformation has visibly taken place.
Devotional: Jesus did not wait for Simon to become Peter before He called him by his new name. He spoke the finished work over an unfinished man. That is what the church does at its best. It speaks identity and destiny over people who are still in process. The pastor who prays over children, the Sunday school teacher who invests in a teenager, the deacon who shows up at a hospital room — all of them are declaring over someone: you are not finished yet, and God is not done. The church is where ordinary people become something remarkable under the hand of Christ.
Who in your church community is speaking your new identity over you, and over whom are you doing the same?
Day 3: The Church Is a Place of Faithful Witness
Reading: Hebrews 10:24-25 — and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Believers are urged not to give up meeting together, as some have made a habit of doing, but to encourage one another, especially as the day of Christ's return draws near.
Devotional: Faithfulness to the church is itself a form of testimony. When you walk through those doors on a Sunday morning, on a Sunday night, or on a Wednesday, you are making a statement to your family, your neighborhood, and the watching world that Christ is worth your time and your presence.
What does your pattern of church attendance communicate to those closest to you, particularly your children or those you influence?
Day 4: The Church Is Armed for Triumph
Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18 — Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
We are called to put on the full armor of God so that they can stand against the schemes of the enemy. Each piece of armor corresponds to a spiritual reality that protects and equips the believer for daily spiritual battle.
Devotional: Jesus declared that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. That promise is not passive. It assumes the church is advancing, pressing forward, and standing firm. The armor described in Ephesians is not decorative. It is functional, and it is meant to be worn in community. You were not designed to fight alone. The church is where you learn how the armor fits, where others help you identify the gaps in your defenses, and where you are reminded after a hard week that the battle belongs to the Lord. The gates of hell are no match for a church that shows up together.
In what area of your life have you been trying to fight spiritual battles alone rather than leaning on the support of your church community?
Day 5: The Church Reflects the Grace That Found Us
Reading: Ephesians 2:19-22 — Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Devotional: The church is not made up of people who had it all together before they arrived. It is made up of people who were strangers, foreigners, and wanderers until grace found us and brought us together. You are not part of WEBC by accident. You are here because grace pursued you, and now you carry that same grace toward everyone around you.
How does remembering where grace found you change the way you see and serve the people sitting around you in church?