Devoted

Almost every Saturday morning a group of 5 men meet for breakfast, conversation and Bible study. They meet at one of the men's shops of business. The morning I met with them we ate meat, cheese, bread, honey, tea(always tea), olives and tomatoes. The business owner led us in a Bible study in Romans 6.

I sat and listened. While I didn't know what they were saying I sensed an excitement in them as they studied and wrestled with this powerful passage from Romans 6:12 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life...."

They spent a good deal of time sharing and discussing experiences with how to offer yourselves to God. The Bible study leader shared that he did not make time to read the Scriptures for an entire week. He shared how he had felt empty and weak.

As I watched and listened in I was reminded of the passage in the book of Acts which describes the first disciples as "devoted to the apostles teaching." (Acts 2:42) I had a vision that some day in this area of the world there would be hundreds and thousands of similar groups with new believers in Jesus gathered together, devoted to each other, studying the Scriptures and following Jesus.