The Walk

Last week we kicked off a sermon series called "The Walk," in which we're studying Ephesians 4-5. Paul uses the word "walk" several times as he gives instruction on how to pursue spiritual maturity both corporately and individually. 

Since there is a corporate and individual aspect to being spiritually mature, we decided to do something a little  different than normal, and put together a book for the study that contains personal devotions for every day of the week that are taken directly from the passages we'll be studying the next Sunday. Those devotionals are written by people from within our church, which is a really neat touch. It's neat to be able to read how others are applying the passages we're studying. 

The book also contains questions for our small groups. We don't always do sermon-based studies (some of our small groups do, though some choose to study other things), but we asked all of our small groups to participate in this particular sermon series. Those seem to be going well also. 

One of the major challenges facing preachers is the lack of retention. We're hoping that through small group questions, personal devotions, and sermons on Sunday, the church will be able to get an even more firm grasp on Ephesians 4-5, and be able to apply it in a lasting way.