Welcome to week 11 of Weekly Word!
We pray that these weekly readings continue to stir your heart as you abide in Christ! Below, you’ll find your readings for this week, along with discussion questions and a short devotional for you to enjoy at the end of the week.
Readings:
- Acts 21-22
- Luke 17
Devotional:
Readings: Acts 21-22 | Luke 17
Acts 21 and 22 show Paul returning to Jerusalem, knowing that chains and afflictions await him. Despite the warnings, he goes because he is overwhelmed with gratitude for what Christ has done. Paul stands before the crowd and shares his testimony—his cleansing story—with a heart of fire.
In Luke 17, Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one returns to give thanks. “Where are the nine?” He asks. It’s a Good Question for us. It’s easy to desire the healing over the Healer, but the “one” who returned was the only one who truly got close to Jesus.
This week, may we not just be recipients of God’s goodness, but be worshipers of Him, because of who He is. When we return to give thanks to God—through prayer, through serving, or through sharing our story—we find a level of cleansing that goes much deeper than the skin. We find the joy of our Savior’s heart!
Discussion Questions:
- Paul was warned of trouble but went to Jerusalem anyway, full of gratitude for his calling. How does being “one of the ten” who returns to thank Jesus change how you face difficult news?
- In Acts 22, Paul shares his testimony. If you had 60 seconds to share your “cleansing” story, what would you say?
Dig Deeper
As we near the end of our reading in Acts, let’s camp out on this message from Antioch’s 2020 sermon series, “Unstoppable,” as Pastor Stephen Castleberry examines the end of the book of Acts.
Have you ever considered how Acts ends? What if the end of Acts is less about wrapping up the story of the early church and more about what our responsibility is today?
We are praying for you as you dig into God’s Word this week!