Is There A Doctor in the House?
Is There A Doctor in the House?
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Acts 2:42
It’s the prescription for new followers of Christ as prescribed by the doctor himself - Luke.
A simple four part diagnosis, treatment and recovery program; follow the doctrine, fellowship with other believers, receive the communion or body of Christ and pray.
As a new believer, baby Christian, sheep or whatever you want to call it - there is so much to learn. So much information. Where do you start? And wait, if you think this devotions isn’t for you, pride is your obstacle. Maybe this will help you get back on track or maybe you need to share this with someone. Don’t walk away just yet. Keep reading.
I’m going to give you my suggestion on how to get started and then I’m going to break it down. Here we go.
Get in Church
Read the Bible
Get around other Believers
Pray
Get around other Christians. Real Christians and believers. How? You ask. Go. To. Church. The body of Christ is the church.
Find a Bible-preaching church. Church shouldn’t be comfortable all the time. But it should be friendly. Find one that the people are friendly. It is so important to fellowship with people, build relationships and develop trust.
When Ashley and I started looking for a new church it was awkward. We would go to churches and it wouldn’t feel like the place we should be at. My brother actually found the church we are at now (Victory Springs Independent Baptist in High Springs ) and we wouldn’t leave it if you paid us. It was super uncomfortable at first. But we made a commitment as we left that Sunday to give it thirty days. When we walked in, I’ll never forget how friendly everyone was. It was the place we needed and it’s the place we now call home. They are our family. Fellowship with other believers is so important. You have to talk God. You have to talk religion. You have to get around people that will keep you accountable. You will get your doctrine as prescribed by the Bible at the right church. Find a church you will make your home.
Get a Bible and more importantly, start reading it. You can do this as you are looking for a church. The New Testament, specifically the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), is a great place to start. Read it every day.
In the beginning I poured on the information, and it was overkill. Too much. I did three devotions, read from the Old Testament and New Testament, looked up videos to watch and sermons to listen to - I was flooding myself. Don’t do that.
The Bible is the guidebook to all things Christian, don’t make it something you don’t want to turn to.
From there, get discipled by someone genuine, knowledgeable and willing. You might have to ask someone, so don’t be afraid. Don’t wait on someone to come to you. Expect some hard truths and some changes to happen in your life. Expect accountability. They have to know their stuff, the right stuff, and they have to be willing to take their time with you. For me that was my Pastor, my brother and my friend Greg. Now it mostly includes my brother, my friend Allen and Greg and my Pastor and Associate Pastor. It will include those people whose biblical knowledge and spiritual guidance you can trust. Don’t leave it up to yourself, find a way to validate what they tell you - the Bible is the best place to start. That’s why I say to start there. It will help you understand what’s being said and get you familiar with what everyone is talking about.
Start praying. This was super hard for me. I didn’t know what I was doing. Praying at supper was awkward for me then and it still is. But praying is equally as important as reading your Bible, maybe a tad bit more. It will absolutely build your relationship with God. Doesn’t matter how you pray, where you pray or what you say. Just pray. Talk to God.
Here is my simple prayer outline. Give thanks, praise God, talk about your sin and ask forgiveness, make your requests known to God and finally make a commitment to God. You don’t have to do this specifically. The key is to start somewhere. And start a prayer journal. A place to list out everything you pray for - and watch the prayers get answered.
And lastly, and this is probably one of the most important - give your life to God. Serve Him. Don’t look for what God can do for you. Wake up every day and try to find a way to bring glory to God. People can spend a lifetime living for themselves only to feel empty and dissatisfied. Make God the priority over everything in your life and watch your life change!
My brother told me this and probably doesn’t remember - find a way to do something for God. For me, it’s writing these devotions, sharing certain skills with my church and being there for anybody that needs me. That definitely wasn’t me two years ago.
Don’t be afraid. I know what it’s like to be devastated, broken and afraid. Most of us do. But it’s what we do at the time of diagnosis and what kind of treatment we receive that will make the entire difference in how we recover.
When you’ve been diagnosed with being away from God, get the proper treatment (read your Bible, go to church, get around other believers and pray!). Your road to recovery might be hard, but God will be by your side all the way. Share what you learn with someone else - spread the word!
“And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Acts 2:43-47