Today’s Key Verses:

Acts 11:25-26
25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Growing up, people always said I looked just like my dad. Having the last name Arnold had given him the name “Pig” by many of his hometown friends because of the pig on Green Acres. So naturally, often times I ended up being called “Little Pig” by many of those same people.

Thankfully that wore off!

One thing that never did wear off, however, was how much people say I look like my dad. That’s all I ever heard growing up and it seems the older I get, the more people say it. Even my wife from time to time will tell me that a face I make or the way I say a word is just like my dad.

Just like many of us look just like our parents, there’s somebody else we should look like. The word “Christian” literally means “little Christ” or “Christ like.” In other words, Christians are those who look just like Christ. They act like Him, talk like Him, think like Him, and more.

Today’s key verses tell us about the first time that people were called Christians. It was at a time when the church in this city – Antioch – is growing to “great numbers of people.” In fact, looking at Jesus’ life and the early days of the first churches, they are often times characterized by people being so excited about their faith that their church grows like crazy. And in this case, they are so much like the man we are named after they were called “little Christs.”

If someone were writing a story about your life, would they call you a little Christ? Do you act like Him, talk like Him, or think like Him? Is your life centered around what He would lead you to do?

Today’s Prayer:
Thank God that you get the opportunity to be a follower of His son and identified as someone who is like Him. Ask God to show you areas of your life where you may not be looking much like Him. Ask Him to help you align those areas to where you can be the person He wants you to be and to be a true reflection of Him.

If you have learned something you never knew or realized before by participating in NewThru30, please reply and let us know!

Rodney Arnold
OneLife Church
www.facebook.com/OneLifeChurch
www.twitter.com/onelifeknox
www.onelifeknox.com

Today’s Key Verses:

Acts 2:42-47
Today’s Key Verses:

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Amazing things happen when there’s momentum. And when that momentum is centered around Christ – look out!

Today’s key verses come from the very first church. Jesus has recently ascended in to heaven when Peter begins preaching to a huge crowd in Jerusalem. And in one fail swoop, the church grows from 120 to 3,120 in one day! But fortunately for us, they didn’t stop there.

That’s where our verses pick up the story. Focused on the one mission of spreading the life changing message of Christ, this new church came together in a big way. They studied the Bible and spent time together. They sold their possessions so the poor would have basic necessities. They worshipped together in big groups at church and in small groups at home. Everything they did centered around their new found relationship with Christ. The momentum was unbelievable. It was as if they were riding a bucking bronco and holding on for dear life – in a very good way!

Reading the last verse, we find the result of this synergy and momentum. “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” That’s what it’s all about!

OneLife Church exists so that you can “discover God and how your one life can make a difference.” Based on today’s key verses, the best way to do that is to be part of something bigger than yourself so that you can see even more lives changed for eternity.

As you think about that, evaluate your part in the momentum of what God is doing through His local church.

Today’s Prayer:
Thank God for bringing you to the place you are today as a follower of His. Ask Him to help you be part of the momentum that His church has both locally and around the world. Ask God to show you how you can play a part at seeing even more people come to Him as a result of the local church. Then commit to him how you are going to step up to the plate and get involved with seeing lives changed.

If you have learned something you never knew or realized before by participating in NewThru30, please reply and let us know!

Rodney Arnold
OneLife Church
www.facebook.com/OneLifeChurch
www.twitter.com/onelifeknox
www.onelifeknox.com

Today’s Key Verses:

Matthew 28:18-20
18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There are two words that our society doesn’t care much for. Authority and obey. But yet Jesus makes a huge statement in today’s key verses including both.

First, he says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. This statement sums up what got Jesus in trouble. It basically means that he was claiming to be God. And from that we can learn a great deal.

Worshipping and following God means giving up all authority to him. Authority in our family, careers, marriage, finances, time, talents, and every aspect of our lives. But it doesn’t stop there. Jesus goes on to say that we should be teaching the world to obey everything he has commanded. And if we are going to teach the world to obey, we must also be willing to do the same.

This is one of the toughest aspects of being a Christian but it is pivotal. In fact, it is impossible to be a Christ follower but yet not be giving up all authority and obedience to Him. Are there areas of your life that God might be exposing to you that you haven’t given over to his authority? Are you making excuses to not obey in everything that makes up your life?

It might sound hard to do that. But Jesus ends with a huge promise to those of us that do. He says “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” What a promise and what hope!

Today’s Prayer:
Ask God to show you where you may be holding on to authority and not fully obeying. Ask him to forgive you of that so that you can live completely surrendered to him. Then thank God that you have the promise of an eternal relationship with him.

If you have learned something you never knew or realized before by participating in NewThru30, please reply and let us know!

Rodney Arnold
OneLife Church
www.facebook.com/OneLifeChurch
www.twitter.com/onelifeknox
www.onelifeknox.com

Today’s Key Verses:

Matthew 27:37-40
37Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

There is one little word in this passage that stands out in a big way.

If.

As Jesus hung on the cross – naked, beaten, struggling to breath, agonizing – the torture continued beyond the physical. Those crucifying him made a big joke out of his claim to be the King of the Jews by writing that phrase above his head on the cross that would kill him. He’s being treated worse than common criminals, one of which hung on both sides of him. On top of all that, insults kept coming his way as hundreds, maybe thousands, of people ridiculed everything Jesus had taught and stood for. And in the midst of their insults came the word.

If.

“If you are the Son of God, save yourself!” “If you are the Son of God, come down off the cross!” “If you are the Son of God, call for angels to come save you!”

These people had seen the miracles, heard the great sermons, and watched a movement spread like wildfire because of this man. But yet they didn’t understand. They challenged who Jesus was.

People still challenge who Jesus is. When they do, how do we respond? I think we should respond like Jesus. He didn’t picket. He didn’t argue. He didn’t even respond, other than to eventually say “Father, forgive them.” And when it was all said and done, we know of at least one nay sayer who stood at the bottom of the cross and finally understood “this truly was the Son of God.”

Not everyone in your life will understand Jesus. At least not yet. All we can do is stand firm like Jesus did and pray for their eventual salvation.

Today’s Prayer:
Think about the people you know who don’t understand who Jesus is. Ask God to help you stand firm in the face of their doubt, skepticism, and even ridicule. Ask God to help you stand firm and resist the urge to argue, fight, and defend when those times come but to simply love them and pray for their eventual salvation – just as Jesus did. And finally, take a moment now to pray specifically for those who don’t know Christ and ask God to use you to lead them closer to Him.

I hope your reading is going well! Praying for you.
Rodney Arnold
OneLife Church
www.facebook.com/OneLifeChurch
www.twitter.com/onelifeknox
www.onelifeknox.com

Today is the kick-off of our NewThru30 reading! I hope you have set a goal for yourself and have a plan to be successful at that goal. Remember to take advantage of the resources on our website.

Today’s key verses come from Matthew 11:4-6.

4Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

This part of the story happens after John the Baptist – Jesus’ cousin who prepared the way for Jesus by preaching that the Messiah was coming – is now in jail. He sends two of his followers to make sure that Jesus really is the Christ because he is apparently beginning to have doubts.

Jesus’ response is huge for us even today: erase doubt by remembering all that he has done.

First, Jesus tells these guys to go back and report what they hear and see. He didn’t tell them to rely on his words alone, but in their own experiences. The same is true for us. When we come in contact with Christ and have a relationship with Him, we should also go and tell others all that we have seen happen in our own lives. That is the best proof we can give to unbelievers who doubt! Jesus points to changed lives as his proof. Each example he gives (blind-sight, dead-raised, etc.) shows stark contrast. Our relationship with Him will also lead to our lives being radically different than they were before we became Christians or than we would be if we weren’t. And when your friends and family see that in your own life, that is exactly what an unbelieving world will find believable.

And if you yourself begin to doubt – which will inevitably happen at some point – remind yourself of Jesus’ message to even John the Baptist as he experienced the same thing. Erase your doubt by remembering all that He has done in your life.

Take a minute or two to answer these questions to yourself and spend a moment in prayer.

What is different in your life because of your relationship with Christ?
What has He saved you from as a result?
Do other people see a difference in your life because you have a relationship with Christ?
Who can you tell all that you have seen God do in your own life as a witness to them?

Prayer: Go through your answer to each of the questions above and pray it back to God.
Thank Him for what is different in your life because of Him.
Thank Him for what you have been saved from.
Ask God to help you live your life in a way that points people to Him because of the difference He’s made for you.
Finally, pray specifically – by name – for people you want an opportunity to tell them about what God has done in your life so that they, too, might believe.

I hope you are having a great Monday. Thanks for an awesome day at OneLife yesterday!
Rodney Arnold
OneLife Church
www.facebook.com/OneLifeChurch
www.twitter.com/onelifeknox
www.onelifeknox.com