Weekly Practices
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.
Weekly Practice 6/22/26
Make every effort to do or reflect upon this week’s practice with others.
Scripture
1 Peter 3:8-18 MSG
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.
If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.
Practice
Witness
This week, watch or listen to this episode from Practicing the Way’s “Rule of Life” podcast: Witness 04: Share the Good News.
Peter says to be prepared to share, but preparation takes practice. So, this week, begin to 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.
Alpha
We hope to host an Alpha group at some point in the near future. You can learn more about it here.
Weekly Practice 6/15/26
Make every effort to do or reflect upon this week’s practice with others.
Scripture
1 Corinthians 14:1-4 NLT
Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy. For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.
Practice
Witness
This week, watch or listen to this episode from Practicing the Way’s “Rule of Life” podcast: Witness 03: Partner with the Holy Spirit. Then, reflect on the following questions:
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?
Also, this week, spend time with someone and just practice listening attentively to them.