Living Faithfully: 167 Hours Beyond Church Walls

Devotional

Day 1: Living Out Faith Beyond Church Walls

The concept of "167 is greater than 1" emphasizes the importance of living out our faith during the 167 hours we spend outside of church each week, compared to the one hour we typically spend inside. This idea challenges us to shift our focus from merely performing religious activities within the church walls to embodying Christ-like behavior in our daily lives. Our faith should be evident in our daily actions, reflecting Christ's teachings in every aspect of our lives. This consistent living out of our faith is what truly defines us as disciples. [33:57]

James 1:22-24 (ESV): "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like."

Reflection: Think about your daily routine. How can you incorporate a specific act of kindness or service that reflects Christ's love in your interactions today?

Day 2: Avoiding Phariseeism

The Pharisees were criticized by Jesus for their hypocrisy, as they focused on religious rituals but failed to practice what they preached. We must avoid becoming modern-day Pharisees by ensuring our actions align with our beliefs and by living out our faith genuinely and humbly. True discipleship involves self-denial, humility, and a commitment to living out God's commands in every aspect of our lives. We must be cautious not to let the church or religious activities replace our relationship with Christ. [37:21]

Matthew 23:27-28 (ESV): "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

Reflection: Reflect on an area of your life where you might be more focused on appearances than genuine faith. How can you shift your focus to align your actions with your beliefs today?

Day 3: The Church is Not a Building

The church is a community of believers, not a physical structure. Our relationship with Christ should take precedence over our involvement in church activities. The church should facilitate our relationship with Christ, not replace it. This means that our faith should be evident in how we live outside of the church building, demonstrating justice, mercy, and faithfulness in our daily lives. [44:07]

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV): "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."

Reflection: How can you be the church in your community today? Think of one way you can show God's love to someone outside of your church circle.

Day 4: Doing, Not Just Learning

It's easy to accumulate biblical knowledge, but the real challenge lies in applying it. We must ensure that we are not just hearers of the Word but doers, living out the teachings of Christ in our daily lives. This practical application of our faith is what sets us apart as true disciples. Our actions during the 167 hours outside of church should reflect the teachings of Christ, demonstrating justice, mercy, and faithfulness. [54:13]

Luke 6:46-49 (ESV): "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built."

Reflection: Identify one teaching of Jesus that you find challenging to live out. What practical steps can you take today to begin applying this teaching in your life?

Day 5: The Importance of Obedience

God values our obedience more than our religious rituals. Sacrifices and offerings are good, but what God truly desires is our heart and our commitment to living out His commands. Our obedience is demonstrated in how we live each and every day, showing justice, mercy, and faithfulness. By living out our faith consistently, we can make a significant impact on the world around us and fulfill our calling as disciples of Christ. [48:03]

1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV): "And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.'"

Reflection: Think of a specific command of God that you have been neglecting. How can you begin to obey this command in your daily life starting today?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we explored the concept of "167 is greater than 1," which emphasizes the importance of living out our faith during the 167 hours we spend outside of church each week, compared to the one hour we typically spend inside. This idea challenges us to shift our focus from merely performing religious activities within the church walls to embodying Christ-like behavior in our daily lives. We began by discussing the Pharisees, who were meticulous in their religious observances but failed to practice what they preached in their everyday lives. Jesus criticized them for their hypocrisy, urging us to avoid becoming like them by ensuring our actions align with our beliefs.

We delved into the dangers of becoming modern-day Pharisees, or "churchmen," who excel in religious rituals but lack genuine discipleship. True discipleship involves self-denial, humility, and a commitment to living out God's commands in every aspect of our lives. We must be cautious not to let the church or religious activities replace our relationship with Christ. The church is a community of believers, not a building, and our faith should be evident in how we live outside of it.

We also discussed the importance of not just learning but doing what the Bible teaches. It's easy to accumulate knowledge, but the real challenge lies in applying it. Our actions during the 167 hours outside of church should reflect the teachings of Christ, demonstrating justice, mercy, and faithfulness. This way, we can counter the world's perception of Christians as hypocrites and show them the true nature of Christ through our lives.

In conclusion, the 167 hours we spend outside of church are crucial for our spiritual growth and witness. By living out our faith consistently, we can make a significant impact on the world around us and fulfill our calling as disciples of Christ.

###

Key Takeaways

1. day Pharisees by ensuring our actions align with our beliefs and by living out our faith genuinely and humbly. [37:21]
3. The Church is Not a Building: The church is a community of believers, not a physical structure. Our relationship with Christ should take precedence over our involvement in church activities. The church should facilitate our relationship with Christ, not replace it.

4. Doing, Not Just Learning: It's easy to accumulate biblical knowledge, but the real challenge lies in applying it. We must ensure that we are not just hearers of the Word but doers, living out the teachings of Christ in our daily lives. This practical application of our faith is what sets us apart as true disciples.

5. The Importance of Obedience: God values our obedience more than our religious rituals. Sacrifices and offerings are good, but what God truly desires is our heart and our commitment to living out His commands. Our obedience is demonstrated in how we live each and every day, showing justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

### [37:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:32] - Announcements
[07:56] - Annual Business Meeting
[08:52] - Opening Prayer
[10:09] - Minute for Mission: Colton's Journey
[11:55] - Colton's Mission Details
[12:41] - Congregational Prayer for Colton
[31:03] - Introduction to "167 is Greater than 1"
[33:09] - The Concept Explained
[33:57] - Importance of Living Out Faith
[35:40] - Jesus' Critique of the Pharisees
[37:21] - Spiritual Danger Analysis
[39:15] - Modern-Day Pharisees
[42:38] - Weightier Matters of the Law
[44:07] - The Church is Not a Building
[48:03] - Obedience Over Sacrifice
[49:26] - Discipleship as the Cure
[51:00] - The World's Greatest Complaint
[54:13] - Learning and Doing
[57:01] - Practical Application of Faith
[59:10] - The Challenge of Following Christ
[60:33] - Conclusion and Encouragement

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What specific behaviors did Jesus criticize in the Pharisees according to Matthew 23:1-12?
In Micah 6:6-8, what does the Lord require from us instead of mere religious rituals?
According to Matthew 16:24-25, what does Jesus say is necessary to follow Him?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus emphasize the importance of practicing what we preach in Matthew 23:1-12? How does this relate to the concept of "167 is greater than 1"? [35:40]
How does Micah 6:6-8 challenge the idea that religious rituals alone are sufficient for a faithful life? What does this passage suggest about the nature of true worship?
What does self-denial look like in practical terms according to Matthew 16:24-25? How does this concept counter the behavior of the Pharisees described in Matthew 23? [49:26]

Application Questions

Reflect on your daily life outside of church. How can you ensure that your actions during the 167 hours reflect your faith and the teachings of Christ? [33:57]
Have you ever found yourself focusing more on religious activities than on your relationship with Christ? How can you shift your focus to ensure that your faith is genuine and not just ritualistic? [44:07]
Think about a time when you learned something from the Bible but struggled to apply it. What steps can you take to become a doer of the Word and not just a hearer? [54:13]
Jesus criticized the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Are there areas in your life where your actions do not align with your beliefs? How can you address these inconsistencies? [37:21]
The sermon emphasized the importance of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Identify one specific way you can demonstrate these qualities in your community this week. [42:38]
How can you cultivate a heart of obedience to God in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to ensure that your actions reflect your commitment to His commands? [48:03]
Consider the idea that the church is a community of believers and not just a building. How can you contribute to building a stronger, more Christ-centered community both inside and outside the church walls? [44:07]

Sermon Clips

1. "As you're well aware, we are continuing our 3D journey of, of developing disciples who display God's love as we deploy into God's world. And we've been working on this idea of deployment. Last week we saw how God's people going out into the world to let the world know about Him has really been God's kind of plan A from the beginning. This isn't something new. It's not a New Testament concept of going into the world. This has always been part of what we're doing, whether it's going like Colton around the world, or if it's like many of us who need to go across the street, or through the backyard, or to our workplace, or wherever it is that God wants us to go." [31:03] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "The challenge is, or the challenge or the action step for the development, you may remember for the 1st D, was to get involved in a cord or group that can really help you develop as a disciple. To find a band of two or three other believers, four at least, and kind of somebody you can share intimate thoughts with, intimate questions with, have a strong kind of open prayer life with, that some of our best discipleship development will happen in these small cords." [32:07] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The action step for the display, the 2nd D for display, was kind of being engaged in our community, and this thought of showing God's love to our community as often and as bright as we can, engaging with the people around us, whether that's on a personal level of doing good deeds with our neighbors and our friends so that they will see God and glorify God, or doing it on our community as large." [32:07] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "The idea is what we have, Christians have focused on, and what churches have focused on, and the church has focused on for a very, very long time is they put all their energy, all their resources, all their preparation, all their thinking, all their eggs into the 1, 2, 3 hours that people are here in the church building. And then the rest of the week, well, there's not so much focus on that. And we've concentrated on those, and the truth of the matter is that the 167 hours we spend, outside of this church, is really more important than the 1 hour we spend in the church." [33:57] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "One of the things I think it's really wise for us to often do when we're considering our spiritual life is to do a spiritual danger analysis. Like when we look at our lives as disciples, kind of look at ourselves and say, what danger do I face? What things am I going to come up against in my spiritual life that could harm me or mistakes I could make? And I've come convinced a long time ago that one of the greatest dangers we as disciples face is becoming a Pharisee." [37:21] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "One of the problems of Phariseeism, Pharisee-itis in our day, and for us as the church, it's been the problem for a long time. It's where our greatest danger meets the world's greatest complaint. Right? How many of you have ever talked to someone? Our greatest danger is becoming Pharisees. The greatest complaint, or becoming hypocrites or Pharisees, and the greatest complaint of the world outside the church is, I don't want to go to that church because there's just a bunch of hypocrites down there." [51:00] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "We need a Bible study on this, and we need a Bible study on that, and we need a Bible study on this, and we just want to have Bible studies and Bible studies and Bible studies and Bible studies. And we have classes, and that's good and well. But we need Bible doing classes, right? And that if we keep learning, every time we learn some new requirement, some new idea, some new concept from the Bible, we have just made ourselves one step more accountable to God. Right? And so we need to make sure we live up to what we learn." [54:54] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "Being a Christian's easy. All you've got to do is say, I'm a Christian. People are doing that every day. They take that name. They claim to be Christ or are a Christian. They claim to love Christ. They claim to believe in Christ. But being a disciple, is not. Because when Jesus called his disciples, the call was, come follow me. In other words, come do what I do. Right? That's where it gets challenging. When it hurts, when we have to face the hard parts of life, when we have to do the things that the Bible says, when we have to live outside the walls of the church the same way we live inside the walls of the church." [59:10] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "Here's the encouragement. I'm sure it's worth it. I'm sure it's worth it to do it God's way. This is what we've been called. And so as we start to think about, I live a life. Over the next few weeks, we're going to look at all the different ways God kind of paints a picture for us being deployed into the world. How we're supposed to view ourselves and our role inside the world. That every moment of our life is a deployment. That you've been sent out by God. Deployed to this world. To live not just in this place for one hour. This is an important time. I hope it encourages. I hope it challenges us. I hope it corrects us. I hope it lifts us up. I hope we enjoy singing and one another's fellowship. This is an important time. But the 167 out here, that's your deployment time. And that might be more important. What you do in the world. Than what you do in this place. That's what it means to deploy as a disciple." [01:00:33] (67 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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