Weekly Practice 6/29/26
Make every effort to do or reflect upon this week’s practice with others.
Scripture
1 Peter 2:4-12 NLT
You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say,
“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,
chosen for great honor,
and anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”
Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.”
And,
“He is the stone that makes people stumble,
the rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
“Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
Practice
Witness
This week, go back to watch or listen to any of the “Rule of Life” witness episodes you missed or would like to revisit:
What has your experience of witness/evangelism been like? Would you say it’s been motivated by love?
Does thinking of witness/evangelism as a “long relationship of love" with others encourage you? Challenge you?
How does, or could, this kind of witness/evangelism fit into your own life?
Witness 02: Practice Hospitality
How might you slow down to allow more space for spending with others?
Are you a good listener?
What might hospitality look like “in the contours of your actual life”?
Witness 03: Partner with the Holy Spirit
What do you think about the “thin line” between encouragement and prophecy?
Is “three-way listening” (listening to another person while also paying attention to God and to yourself) a new concept for you?
How might you like to grow as a listener?
Witness 04: Share the Good News
Practice articulating the gospel in your own words. You can do this by yourself, or with a friend. Practice saying, out loud, your version of the good news of Jesus.
