Devoted to sincerity.
In Luke's characterization of the early church, he describes them as having "sincere hearts"...but what does that mean? In the context of our modern culture, the definition of sincerity seems to shift depending on who you ask: is it just saying what's on your mind? Is it being "real" (whatever that means)? Does integrity have any role?
Examining the story of Ruth, we see that in God's design for how to live, you cannot separate integrity and sincerity. Our sincerity costs us something in our interpersonal relationships, in that we risk being vulnerable with our true, authentic selves. It is our true authentic selves, however, that God has made us to be and He will use who we are, wherever we are.
Looking at Naomi in the story, we also see the importance of sincerity of our worship. Naomi points us to the reality that sometimes the most honest worship we can offer God is "I'm really mad at you right now". From Ruth and Naomi's story, we know that when we bring our authentic selves before God, He will use it. So we don't need to be ashamed or embarrassed of our doubts, fears, or laments -- we just need to be honest about them and let God lead wherever He's taking us.
By Rebekah Covington
Devoted to that which brings gladness.
‘A gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms’ said William Barclay.
So where does the deep joy that the New Testament writers so regularly describe come from? It is found not in our circumstances, but in our roots. We are like trees planted by streams of water, drawing on the life of the spirit. When trouble comes, our roots go deeper - so that even when we suffer, we rejoice. This happens only when we give up pursuing happiness first, and pursue instead Jesus’ righteousness.
When we delight in the law of the Lord (his gospel, his lordship, his care for us, his rule of life), then we are blessed, then we are intrinsically, fundamentally happy!
By Ed Flint
Devoted to friendship.
In this talk, we focus on a slightly more emotionally risky aspect of devotion. The part where we share not just what we have, but who we are. It’s the intimacy reflected in a meal in a home, a conversation around a dinner table, a showing of our cards with the courage to be seen. A devotion to friendship.
Friendship can look different in different seasons of life, but some challenges get in the way no matter who or where we are. We will explore a few of these together, and look to the bible for examples of friendship we can look up to. The good news: wherever you are on your friendship journey, you can become a better friend because you have access to the source of love.
By Tavia Grubbs
Devoted to those in need.
In this talk, we discover what true devotion to those in need looks like through the example of the early church. God's heart for those in need is undeniable. Just as Jesus saw His own face in "the least of these" (Matthew 25), we're called to see Christ in those in need around us. We are invited to move from awareness to action, starting where we are with what we have.
By Noah Sanford
Devoted to signs and wonders.
Whilst the text doesn’t explicitly state that the first Christians ‘devoted’ themselves to signs and wonders, it’s clear that the miraculous was an ongoing part of their early Christian experience. This is more than enough of a challenge to us, because for most Christians, the regular experience of the miraculous is not their reality. And yet, the Christian faith is a miraculous faith from start to finish. And Jesus’ clear instruction to us who follow him is to do the things He did, and even greater ones too! So, we would do well to learn to pray for, seek out, and expect Jesus to do miraculous things.
But not for their own sake. Miracles are always signs, not ends in themselves. They signal to Jesus as God the Messiah, the one whom all humanity longs for and seeks. And, they signal that His kingdom has come. As Christians, we’re all called to be part of this signaling work - to preach the good news, heal the sick, and cast out demons. It is what makes our faith so exciting and life-giving!
By Ed Flint
Devoted to prayer.
Continuing with Acts 2’s vision of the early church as a radical, Spirit-filled community — not simply a weekly meeting or a religion of “right belief,” but a living preview of God’s kingdom on earth - this week we examine prayer.
The early believers were devoted to prayer, learning to pray from Jesus Himself, who showed them prayer is rooted in love, not effort, and meant to reorient us daily to God’s presence. Through practices like silence, honesty, and communal prayer, we resist the hurry of life, deepen our trust in God’s kindness, and grow as a family on mission together.
By Hannah Flint
Devoted to the Lord's Supper.
From the beginning, the first Christians celebrated the Lord’s Supper together. The spiritual significance of the meal is past, present and future.
When we take communion we are acknowledging the once and for all work of Jesus’ death in history; we experience his Spirit feeding us, grafting us to him, as well as to one another in the present; and we are reassured of Jesus’ return and the hopeful expectation of heaven. Communion is as integral to our faith now as it was then, and the more we devote ourselves to it, the more we open ourselves to the transformative work of the Spirit.
By Ed Flint
Devoted to fellowship.
This week, we’re in part two of our new series, Devoted—a short walk through a few, but very important, verses in Acts 2 about what the very first Christians gave themselves to.
Fellowship. It’s a word that might seem pretty blandly church-ish, but Luke has something far richer in mind: koinonia, the shared life that flows from belonging to the Triune God. We explore how this fellowship is different to, and more than, other kinds of community, how it’s shaped by Christ’s self-giving love, and how it calls us to a deeper kind of commitment to one another here and now. It’s a lofty vision, but a heavenly invitation all the same!
By Hannah Flint
Devoted to the apostles' teaching.
Kicking off our ‘Devoted’ series from Acts, we consider what it means to be devoted to the apostles' teaching.
At Pentecost, 3000 were cut to the heart by the message of the gospel. But their faith did not remain solely in the realm of the emotional. They did not disdain their intellect, but devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.
We do the same - neither prioritizing our emotions nor our minds. Anti-intellectualism is in fact incompatible with the fullness of the Spirit, for the simple fact that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. So, we seek out Godly, intelligent teaching and we submit to being teachable.
But we don’t allow devotion to the apostle’s teaching to be an end in itself. Rather it is the means by which the Spirit flows through us to bring the Kingdom of God to our world.
By Ed Flint
Testimony Sunday.
It’s a regular rhythm for us at bread to share stories of how Jesus is meeting us in real time in our lives.
Today we’ll hear from five people in our community as they testify to the ways the voice of God is meeting them in each of their unique journeys.
Jonah (…).
Throughout this short exploration of the book of Jonah, we have been confronted with the radical – and uncomfortable - nature of God as being full of compassion. If we are on the receiving end, it is quite lovely! But when we are charged to proclaim that mercy to others – at least some of whom we would prefer not be given the opportunity to hear it lest they repent! – it is a different story.
In a world in which we are weaponized against one another, Jonah calls us, in spite of himself, to learn compassion from God – and especially towards those we think, perhaps accurately, least deserving of it. If we are going to be at all useful in partnering with God to save the world, it is a lesson needing to be learned.
By Bill Dogterom
Nineveh repents.
As we dive into Jonah chapter 3, we find a reluctant prophet carrying a very short message to his enemies in Nineveh.
In this talk, we explore a few questions together: What does it mean for us that the whole capital city of such a brutal empire responded so spectacularly to God’s invitation (even to include the animals!)? What’s with all the mourning clothes and ashes? And what does “repentance” even mean, for our context? What is the Spirit of God inviting us to, and how can we join him?
By Nelly D'Alessandro
Jonah repents (kind of).
Everybody loves a redemption arc, and it's tempting to try to give one to Jonah by the end of Chapter 2. But has Jonah really had a change of heart, or just a change of mind?
After a series of chaotic events, the action in our story hits a complete halt. 3 days and 3 nights of silence. Darkness. Leaving Jonah alone with his thoughts, and with his God. Not only has Jonah run physically from where God called him to be, he has traveled spiritually to the depths of Sheol.
In this talk, we explore Jonah's prayer inside the belly of the fish, and what it shows us about Jonah's heart. Jonah might not be ready to love his enemies, but he is ready to recognize how his path was leading him to death and God' faithfulness through it. He is finally ready to obey, albeit through clenched teeth.
By Tavia Grubbs
Jonah flees.
In this series introduction to Jonah, we explore how to approach such a small but formidable prophetic book, along with the historical context of the story.
The story of Jonah asks us to take seriously the outrageously scandalous grace of God and the ways (with Jonah) we may find ourselves running from His presence. All throughout chapter 1, we find Jonah doing exactly the opposite of what we’d expect; and, as we follow along, let us consider our own instincts in responding to the painful invitations from God toward our individual “Ninevahs.”
By Nelly D'Alessandro
Jesus and the ten commandments: do not covet.
The final commandment is like a lens through which to view, and the key to living out, all the others. Murder, idolatry, stealing, failing to rest; these all proceed from covetousness. This is because coveting is a matter not of outward behavior, but of the heart. And when our heart is misaligned, everything else in our life will be too.
Desire is an essential part of what it is to be human, but we’re rarely in control of what it goes after. With the exception of our fundamental material needs like food and shelter, we’re lead by our desire not primarily for things, but for identity. We desire what other people desire. And when those desires are not met, the result is often anger or violence. The only one who can satisfy our inbuilt desire is God himself, and in Jesus we have the only worthy model for our desire. He is who we’re called to imitate. And when we set our hearts on him, all covetousness for what others desire, and which will never satisfy, is robbed of all its destructive power.
By Ed Flint
Jesus and the ten commandments: do not bear false witness.
Do not bear false witness…what does this word actually mean? Who among us never stretches the truth; never avoids upsetting someone unnecessarily with a casual truth-omission, or holds back our honest thoughts and feelings for all the right reasons?
In its original context, the ninth commandment was a prohibition against a false word that could cost someone their life, but (just like the rest of the them!) it speaks a truer word about being a people who bear true witness. It's about community, justice, allegiance to the God of truth, and building relational fabric of trust and honesty. To gospel-writer John, truth was never presented as a principle or standard—it is a person. Jesus is Truth. He has given us the Spirit of Truth. And those who follow Him are called to speak, live, and embody truth in love. This truth-telling is not about perfection, but participation: in the unity of Christ’s body, in the slow, patient work of sanctification, and in resisting the all the language of the deceiver.
By Hannah Flint
Jesus and the ten commandments: no stealing.
There are two ways in which we can miss the heart of God’s commandment against stealing. If we minimize the gravity of stealing, we fail to see that an intrinsic part of what it means to be human is to be given things by God to look after. Stealing from others robs humanity from them, dehumanizing them, and marring God’s image within. This is why all stealing, big and small, is beneath God’s lofty ideal for the people of his kingdom- it goes against something fundamental to how God has created humanity.
But, if we treat what we have been given, not as gifts from God to be held loosely, but our very own to hold onto tightly, we will find ourselves stealing not from others but from God himself. ‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it’, says the Psalmist. So we’re to treat what we have openly and generously, continually giving it back to the One who first gave it to us. We’re called not just to stop stealing, but to work - to work to further God’s kingdom so that we might have something to give back to him and to those in need.
This new perspective comes as we live daily according to who we have now become through God’s extraordinary generosity in Jesus. This is what Paul means when he encourages us to put on our ‘new self.’
By Ed Flint
Jesus and the ten commandments: no adultery.
Jesus is not interested in outward performative actions. This is the righteousness of the Pharisees, but has little to do with the kingdom of God. Instead Jesus calls his people to a much deeper, more fundamental level of heart righteousness.
Lust is the root cause of adultery, and it has no place in those who take their inclusion in the kingdom of God seriously. At its heart, lust is a misdirected, misaligned, corrupted desire. When desire rules us, as opposed to us it, we degrade the image of God in other people, and in turn ourselves.
Instead Jesus calls us to redirect our desire, a holy gift from God, to where it is supposed to point: firstly to Him, and then appropriately and with godly boundaries to other people, in whom we see the image of God. This is where freedom from being bullied by our desire lies. Jesus is looking for men and women He can trust, so that He can empower them to do whatever they want, knowing that whatever they want is whatever He wants.
By Ed Flint
Jesus and the ten commandments: you shall not murder.
“You shall not murder” -- it's not just a good idea, it's the law! In fact, "murder is bad" is one of the few points with which nearly everyone on Earth agrees. On paper, most of us would say that, of the ten, this is the easiest commandment to follow. But, from a biblical perspective, what does it really mean to commit murder?
In the New Testament, Jesus equates murder and anger towards a brother or sister. This indicates that, in God's perfect plan for the world, it is not enough anymore to just not kill each other. We are encouraged to not even be angry with one another -- a task much easier said than done. We are encouraged to release our anger and let Jesus give us the eyes to see everyone we encounter the way he does: as beloved children of God.
By Rebekah Covington
Jesus and the ten commandments: Honor your father and mother.
Contrary to what we may have been told, this was never a one-dimensional command to obey our parents. Jesus himself did not always do what His earthly parents expected of Him; and of course, it originally given to adults, not children. Far from being about control or blind loyalty, it must be rooted in the ancient wisdom in the Genesis story, that tells us all it’s necessary to ‘leave’ our parents in order to love others well. In fact, only when we are rightly defined by God’s perfect love can we truly honor our parents. Of course, this isn’t a call to abandon or dishonor them either (which is clearly instructed by Jesus’ teaching!).
His way for us includes giving weight to those who came before us - even when they no longer seem useful to us - so that we may see ourselves in them and be free to learn from our pasts from a place of freedom and grace.
By Hannah Flint