Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for June 7

HOW THE EARLY CHURCH GATHERED

From: June 7, 2026

“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus” (Acts 5:42 ESV).

Luke recorded this summary statement after the apostles had been arrested, flogged, and ordered by the Sanhedrin to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. Rather than yielding to fear, they continued obeying God. Luke described how the early church gathered in two primary settings. They met publicly in the temple courts, where large crowds could hear the gospel proclaimed. They also met from house to house, where believers could experience fellowship, encouragement, and discipleship in a more personal setting. Luke emphasized that their ministry involved both teaching and preaching. Teaching instructed believers in the truths of the faith, while preaching proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ to believers and unbelievers alike. For believers always need to be reminded of the gospel and unbelievers cannot believe without first hearing. The apostles remained committed to both gatherings and both ministries, and God used their faithfulness to fuel the remarkable growth of the early church.

We can learn much from the pattern of the first century church. God designed His people to gather regularly for worship, proclamation, fellowship, and discipleship. When we meet together on Sundays to worship and hear God’s Word preached, we follow the example of the early believers. When we gather in homes during the week for Bible study, prayer, and encouragement, we continue that same biblical rhythm. Both large gatherings and small gatherings are important for spiritual growth. We need public worship that lifts our eyes to Christ and personal fellowship that helps us grow in obedience. As we faithfully participate in both settings, God continues to strengthen His church and expand His kingdom. This is how the early church gathered, and it remains a healthy model for us today.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for giving us the church. Strengthen us to gather faithfully with one another in the name of Jesus. Give us courage to proclaim Christ publicly and faithfulness to encourage one another personally. May our commitment to gathering together honor You and help others come to know You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

GOD’S WORD IS ALWAYS FULFILLED

From: June 7, 2025

“So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.” (1 Kings 2:27 ESV)

This verse marked the end of an era. Abiathar, a descendant of Eli, was removed from the priesthood by Solomon after supporting Adonijah’s claim to the throne. This action fulfilled a word of judgment God had spoken generations earlier against the house of Eli for failing to restrain his wicked sons. Though the prophecy had been given long before—during the time of Samuel—it still came to pass just as the Lord said. Eli’s line was replaced by Zadok, from the line of Eleazar, reestablishing a more faithful priesthood. In a greater and more glorious way, the entire Levitical priesthood, including both Eli’s and Zadok’s lines, has now been superseded by Jesus, our Great High Priest, who offered Himself once for all and ever lives to intercede for us.

We can be confident that God’s Word always comes to pass. It may not happen when we expect or in the way we imagine, but He is faithful to every promise and every warning. The removal of Abiathar reminds us that delayed judgment is not forgotten judgment. And the exaltation of Jesus as our eternal High Priest reminds us that God’s plans are always moving forward toward fulfillment in Christ. As we trust God’s Word, we should remember that both His mercy and His justice are sure. Let us hold fast to the One who now intercedes for us, knowing that every word of God proves true.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we praise You for the certainty of Your Word. Nothing You have spoken will fail, and every promise You have made finds its fulfillment in Christ. Help us to trust Your timing, even when we cannot see how Your purposes will unfold. Strengthen our faith in Your justice and Your mercy. Thank You for giving us Jesus as our eternal High Priest. May we draw near to You through Him with full assurance of faith. In His name we pray. Amen.

OBEYING GOD ABOVE MAN

From: June 7, 2024

‘But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men”‘ (Acts 5:29 ESV).

When the Jewish council again brought the apostles before them for preaching in Jesus’ name, ordering them to stop, Peter replied that their ultimate obedience was to God. In other words, the ruling that the council gave went contrary to the command of Christ, therefore the apostles had chosen to obey Him instead.

In all other regards, the apostles and the early Christians were model citizens, obeying the human authorities over them. But when man’s law went against God’s, they chose to obey God, even when it might mean imprisonment, torture, or death.

After their response, the council ordered that Peter and the apostles be beaten and again warned them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. Yet when they were released after the beating, they went out rejoicing that they had been “counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” of Jesus.

Over the next years, every one of the apostles, except for John, would die a martyr’s death. And even John, was tortured by being boiled in oil and exiled to live in a grotto on the Isle of Patmos. Yet neither the Jerusalem Council, nor the emperors of Rome would be able to stop the spread of the Church of Jesus. So much so that Tertullian, one of the Early Church Fathers of the second century, coined the phrase “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

PRAYER: Dear Father, help us to obey You above all others. Strengthen us to not live in the fear of man, but to seek Your approval in all things. For we want to rejoice in the name of Jesus. For it’s in His name we pray, amen.

SUFFERING SHAME FOR THE NAME

From: June 7, 2023

“The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” (Acts 5:41 NLT).

Peter and some of the apostles were imprisoned by the high priest for continuing to preach in the name of Jesus. That night, an angel set them free from the prison and instructed them to go and preach in the Temple courts. When the high priest brought the council together that morning, he sent to the prison for the apostles. But the officers returned with word that the prison doors were locked and the guards still in place, but the apostles were gone. Then, another came exclaiming, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

So they arrested them again and brought them before the council to command them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. When Peter again insisted that they “ought to obey God rather than men,” they plotted to kill the apostles. However, the highly respected Rabbi Gamaliel intervened, convincing the council that if these apostles were of men, the movement would soon die out. And if it were of God, they could not stop it anyway. So, the council again warned the disciples and after having them flogged, they were released.

After being arrested, imprisoned, beaten and then released, the apostles rejoiced. Why? Was it because they were freed. No. It was because they had been counted worthy of suffering shame for the Name. They rejoiced because they were counted worthy of being inducted into the fellowship of suffering with Christ Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we would not choose suffering, but Lord help us not to turn from it when it involves the Name of Jesus. Empower us to speak and teach in His Name, saying the Name over all things and declaring the only Name by which people may be saved. Strengthen us to live until our last breath with Jesus in our hearts and on our lips. In His name we pray, amen.

“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” (Proverbs 16:25 NLT).

From: June 7, 2022

FOLLOW THE NARROW PATH

There are those who say that there are many paths to God. They say that all religions are essentially the same, so it doesn’t really matter what you believe as long as you have faith. Yet, God’s Word says otherwise. For there are many paths that seem right, but only one that leads to life.

Jesus talked about this. He warned, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:13-14).

So, what is the right way, where is this narrow gate? Jesus answered this question. He said, “I am the gate” (John 10:9). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

What you believe matters. Even more importantly, who you believe matters. Jesus tells us that He is the only way to having eternal life and a relationship with God.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we see the truth of this biblical proverb today. For there are many who claim to know a better way, but we trust Your word. And even more, we trust Your Son. We have decided to follow Him. For He is the way to life. Strengthen us now to be always faithful to follow Him. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonored on behalf of the Name” (Acts 5:41 HCSB).

From: June 7, 2021

CHRIST’S FELLOWSHIP OF SUFFERING

Peter and some of the apostles were put in the common prison by the high priest for continuing to preach in the name of Jesus. That night, an angel set them free from the prison and instructed them to go and preach in the Temple courts. When the high priest brought the council together that morning, he sent to the prison for the apostles. But the officers returned with word that the prison doors were locked and the guards still in place, but the apostles were gone. Then, another came exclaiming, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

So they arrested them again and brought them before the council to command them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. When Peter again insisted that they “ought to obey God rather than men,” they plotted to kill the apostles. However, the highly respected Rabbi Gamaliel intervened, convincing the council that if these apostles were of men, the movement would soon die out. And if it were of God, they could not stop it anyway. So, the council again warned the disciples and after beating them, they were released.

After being arrested, imprisoned, beaten and then released, the apostles rejoiced. Why? Was it because they were freed. No. It was because they had been counted worthy of suffering shame for the Name. They rejoiced because they were counted worthy of being inducted into the fellowship of suffering with Christ Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we would not choose suffering, but Lord help us not to turn from it when it involves the Name of Jesus. Empower us to speak and teach in His Name, saying the Name over all things and declaring the only Name by which people may be saved. Strengthen us to live until our last breath with Jesus in our hearts and on our lips. In His name we pray, amen.

“So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41 NKJV).

From: June 7, 2020

THE FELLOWSHIP OF SUFFERING FOR CHRIST’S NAME

Peter and some of the apostles were put in the common prison by the high priest for continuing to preach in the name of Jesus. That night, an angel set them free from the prison and instructed them to go and preach in the Temple courts. When the high priest brought the council together that morning, he sent to the prison for the apostles. But the officers returned with word that the prison doors were locked and the guards still in place, but the apostles were gone. Then, another came exclaiming, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

So they arrested them again and brought them before the council to command them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. When Peter again insisted that they “ought to obey God rather than men,” they plotted to kill the apostles. However, the highly respected Rabbi Gamaliel intervened, convincing the council that if these apostles were of men, the movement would soon die out. And if it were of God, they could not stop it anyway. So, the council again warned the disciples and after beating them, they were released.

After being arrested, imprisoned, beaten and then released, the apostles rejoiced. Why? Was it because they were freed. No. It was because they had been counted worthy of suffering shame for the Name. They rejoiced because they were counted worthy of being inducted into the fellowship of suffering with Christ Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we would not choose suffering, but Lord help us not to turn from it when the name of Jesus is on the line. For we will speak and teach in the Name. We will say the Name over all things and declare the only Name by which people may be saved. We are determined to live and die with Jesus in our hearts and on our lips. In His name we pray, amen.

‘Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.”‘ (1 Kings 2:1-2 NKJV).

From: June 7, 2017

David’s last words to his son, Solomon, sound somewhat generic: “Be strong and prove yourself a man.” Yet, the verses that follow show that what he meant was that Solomon should “be strong” in the Lord and in His promises. And what he meant by “prove yourself a man,” was not about being macho, but about keeping the charge of the Lord and always walking in His ways.

David understood strength and manhood differently than the world. He wanted his son, Solomon, to be strong in the Lord and to walk as God’s man in all His ways. Yet, Solomon would not prove to be the man that David had hoped for, turning away to worship false gods as he grew older.

But God did not forget His promise that David would not “lack a man on Israel’s throne.” He sent His only Son, Jesus, to be born into the line of David, and to establish His eternal kingdom. Jesus was strong in the Lord and proved Himself the Son of Man, who takes away the sins of the world.

As Pilate said, “Behold the man!” (John 19:5).

‘But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29 ESV)

From: June 7, 2016

When the Jewish council again brought the apostles before them for preaching in Jesus’ name, ordering them to stop, Peter replied that their ultimate obedience was to God. In other words, the ruling that the council gave went contrary to the command of Christ, therefore the apostles had chosen to obey Him. In all other regards, the apostles and the early Christians were taught to be model citizens, obeying the human authorities over them. But when man’s law went against God’s, they chose to obey God.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25 NKJV)

From: June 7, 2015

There are those who say that there are many ways to God. They say that all religions are essentially the same, so it doesn’t really matter what you believe as long as you have faith. Yet, God’s Word says otherwise. Jesus talked about this. He warned, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:13-14). So, what is the right way, where is this narrow gate? Jesus answered this question. He said, “I am the gate” (John 10:9). He also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). What you believe matters. There is only one right way: Jesus.