What's Next?: The Confessions of an Apprentice

By Keith Joseph

Do you sometimes find yourself, as a Christ-follower, stuck in a rut? Does it seem as if your life has lost its fire for God? Could it be that you have lost your faith—or maybe it’s something else?
Join Pastor Keith Joseph as he leads you to discover the “something else” in your faith. For many Christ-followers the problem comes when the new wears off their decision to follow Christ. For others it is the lack of information concerning what’s next in this new life of faith.
Every Christ-follower needs to know what’s next in his or her Christian life. This twenty-two-week devotion book will guide you down the wonderful path of discovery and delight in who God is and how He wants you to live.
What’s Next? Promises to light your fire for Jesus. Take the time to find out how you can get beyond your spiritual rut. Your answer is in your hands.
www.jacksonfbc.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Keith Joseph
• Release date: Apr 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781943140565

Keith Joseph

Pastor Keith Joseph has been serving the church as a pastor for the past twenty-five years. Pastor Keith is serving as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Jackson Georgia. Keith holds two undergraduate degrees as well as a master’s degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.Pastor Keith has been blessed to teach God’s Word throughout the world focusing on reaching the broken, the forgotten, and unreached people groups. Keith spends parts of every year leading pastor’s conferences in some of the most remote places in the world. Currently, Keith serves as a board member of Hope for the Future, Malawi Africa.Pastor Keith’s humble and simplistic approach to teaching, preaching, and writing remains one of the most effective tools in his ministry. You can watch pastor Keith weekly on the “Continuing the Work Broadcast.” The church he serves is so instrumental in his work.Keith’s family is most important to his life, second only to Jesus. Keith has been married to Sherry Long Joseph for 25 years. Together God has blessed them with three children and one-daughter-in-law. Keith knows that behind every good leader is a better spouse.

Book preview

Copyright ©2018 Keith Joseph

Published by Dust Jacket Press

What’s Next? The Confessions of an Apprentice / Keith Joseph

ISBN: 978-1-943140-56-5

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Table of Contents

Cover

Title

Copyrights

Introduction

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18

Week 19

Week 20

Week 21

Week 22

Conclusion

Works Cited

Introduction

As I begin writing the introduction for this book, I am about to enter my twenty-sixth year of pastoral ministry. To say that things have changed in the church would be a major understatement. Pastor David Jeremiah wrote a book a few years ago titled I Never Thought I’d See the Day. He wrote, When I look at the changes that have occurred in the land I love—and in the church I love even more—just in my lifetime, I have to pinch myself to see if it’s a dream (cited from book jacket cover).

Truly it is not a dream—the church is not what she used to be. But there is strong hope. God is still firmly planted on the throne, and we still have His Word.

In the past twenty-five years I have watched as much of the church world has emphasized a light gospel in salvation and an even lighter gospel in the sanctifying process of making disciples. False teaching has infiltrated the church and has become institutional in many denominations and even more so in congregations that boast of a new way of doing church.

However, the biggest problem could be in the modern church’s forgetfulness in how to both fight against false teaching and foster true teaching in our churches. For the last year, First Baptist Church of Jackson, Georgia, the church I have the joy of pastoring, has been walking the path of apprenticeship at the feet of Jesus. Our church has been transformed by the living Word of God. Now it is time for us to dive in to answer a question that was asked by a member a few weeks ago: What’s next? Oh, the joy that came to my heart as I heard this question! The way back for the American church is to come back to the feet of Jesus (Revelation 2:1–5). When firmly restored to God, the church must ask, What’s next?

Brothers and sisters, the answer is before us. God has written His Word as our road map from start to finish in the Christian journey of faith (Philippians 1:6). His Word is what is next!

The book you hold in your hands is simply a devotion book based on the truth of God’s Word. I have chosen John’s writings identified as 1 John as my guide for our what’s next. This devotional book promises help in discovering how to walk in the what’s next of our faith. I want to invite you to join me for this journey as we discover how to push back the darkness of false teaching. Join me as we discover how to foster love, scale the heights of who God is, walk in obedience, deal with sin, and overcome the darkness of this world. By the time we are finished you may be able to say, God has brought me to a place of maturity.

The outline of this book is very similar to that of my first devotion book. You will be given twenty-one devotions. Eighteen come from 1 John and the other three come from 2 and 3 John. Always read the focal text first and the devotion second. Once you have completed the focal text and the devotion, you will be asked to spend the next five days reading selected books of the Bible. Each day’s reading has two questions for you to answer. By the end of the week you will have greater understanding of how to live out God’s Word.

I pray God’s greatest blessing on your life as you seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of who He is. Always remember: we are in this together.

Keith

John 3:30

WEEK ONE

The Testimony of One Who Knew 1 John 1:1–4

One of the craziest things about people is this: Everyone has an opinion. I want you to think this through with me. Regardless of the subject one would name, everyone will have some opinion.

I have literally been in meetings where someone had no clue of the subject but nevertheless gave his or her opinion of what should happen. A true funny story comes to mind. Years ago I was in a deacons’ meeting discussing with the guys about ceasing having monthly business meetings in favor of having them quarterly. One of our older deacons who was a very simple but Spirit-filled man offered his genuine opinion. He said, and I quote: Pastor, I really have no experience with quarterly business meetings, so I have no opinion. But I did grow up in a church that held their business meetings every three months, and they seemed to work well. Are you smiling yet?

Yes, it is true some questions have more importance than others. For example, is Jesus God’s Son? Did Jesus become a man? Did Jesus really die? These questions culminate with one major question: Is Jesus the Savior I need?

The first four verses of