DEVOTED: Are You Ready?

May 17, 2026

Hey Door Creekers! This will be our last issue of Devoted before summer break. We hope you have found this resource meaningful in your walk with Jesus. We are excited to bring it back again in the fall!

IN THIS EMAIL

Shout Out: Story Time for Kids

Try This: The Gospel Breaks through Disenchantment

Bible Discovery: Luke 17:20-37

SHOUT OUT

Devoted followers of Christ at DCC

Shoutout to Michelle Lammers, who is using a Door Creek on Mission Grant to do a story time for kids!

There were 19 kids who attended—some who are a part of our church family and some from the community. What a wonderful way to serve the needs of little ones!

If you are interested in applying for a grant, learn more on our website!

TRY THIS

Fresh ideas for spiritual growth

The Gospel Breaks through Disenchantment

“The malaise of modernity is general despair” (Gavin Ortlund, author of Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn’t).

Above you’ll see a man rolling a stone up a hill. Some of you may be familiar with this character named Sisyphus from Greek mythology. In the tale, Sisyphus’ punishment is to roll this giant boulder up a hill for all of eternity (yikes). At the end of the day, the boulder rolls back down, causing him to start all over again. He lives in forever torment, striving for a goal he will never reach or accomplish.

Gavin Ortlund uses this illustration to describe where a lot of the world is and feels today. People are genuinely questioning if they’re happy. We spend our days gazing at blue screens instead of blue skies. We are bombarded with global bad news. We face growing waves of anxiety and depression. We live in a time where people are realizing they are disenchanted—unsatisfied and longing for meaning.

This disenchantment provides us, as the Church, with a unique moment. How can we respond to the world and to our own selves when we feel the weight of disappointment this world brings?

1. We remember the beauty of the gospel.

The gospel is not only reasonable (looking at historical data and extrabiblical texts), but it is also SO beautiful. When we share the gospel with others and with our own selves, we should not forget to communicate the wonderful story that we can be part of! The gospel calls us into a narrative where we become a chosen people, who have been won back from the enemy, longed for through time and are marching towards Home.

How do we communicate the gospel to others?

2. We remember the kindness of Christ.

God is only Christlike. We know God because of who He has revealed Himself to be in His Son. We know Jesus now through the Spirit and through His Word.

Remember the kindness of Christ by meditating on Scripture:

Matthew 11:28-30, Matthew 14:14
Hebrews 12:2, Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:25
Psalm 23
John 6:35-40
1 John 2:1
This list could go on forever!

Do we believe Jesus is who He says He is? What do our actions show about our beliefs?

3. We can be courageous in our Christian witness.

Simply put, the world is seeking answers, and we have a response because we have Jesus—the way, the truth and the life! All purpose, meaning and hope are found in Him. Let this serve as a wakeup call to be courageous in continually sharing the Good News with our neighbors as we seek to advance God’s Kingdom on earth. Jesus offers us resurrection life that shatters through disenchantment.

*Art Credit: painting by Pauline Le Sommer

BIBLE DISCOVERY

Get more out of the message

LUKE: Cost of Discipleship

Luke 17:20-37

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We’re diving back into the Gospel of Luke. After nine chapters introducing us to Jesus and His call, Luke now takes us with Him on the road to Jerusalem (Luke 9-19). Along the way, we’ll hear some of Jesus’ most famous teachings and stories, as He shows us what it truly costs to follow Him and why following Him is worth everything.

WATCH: YouTube or Website

DOWNLOAD: Bible Discovery

The Big Idea

(What is the author's point?)

How should we ready ourselves for the coming of the Kingdom? By remembering how the Kingdom has already come in Jesus, how future judgment will be modeled on Old Testament judgment and how Jesus urged disciples to selfless sacrifice.

Why It Matters

(Why is this relevant to us?)

You could write various books on this passage, and Bible nerds definitely have! In all these books, everyone wonders what is meant by the coming of the Kingdom of God. Some think that Jesus is talking mainly about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (preterist). Others think this is all about a future day to be fulfilled in a rapture event (futurist). Still others think that what Jesus describes is a complex web of events both in Jesus’ day and in AD 70, as well as far off into the future (already not-yet).

Thankfully, the main point is that Jesus wants us to be ready for His return. How do we do that? First, He wants us to reflect on His own Kingdom—bringing life and death (Luke 17:21, 25). Jesus’ life and death not only saves, but it also provides us a model for future readiness. Second, Jesus desires for us to remember the pattern of Old Testament judgment that will repeat itself in the future (Luke 17:26, 29). Specifically, we must flee common worldly attachments (Luke 17:32). Nothing will hinder our readiness quite like an over-preoccupation with “eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage… buying and selling, [and] planting and building” (Luke 17:27-28). Finally, Jesus urges that a life prepped and ready for the coming Kingdom is selfless and sacrificial in service (Luke 17:33). These three exhortations will help us ready ourselves.

Good to Know

(What are some helpful insights into this passage?)

In verses 20-21, we see the Pharisees wondering about the Kingdom. This was highly debated in Jesus’ day. They argued about the necessary requirements for the coming Kingdom, who the messiah would be, and much more. In verse 21, Jesus tells them that He Himself meets the requirements. He has brought the Kingdom, and He will bring it more completely in the future.

In verse 22, Jesus turns away from the Pharisees to speak to His disciples.

In verse 25, Jesus teaches His disciples that His coming day cannot occur before His suffering and rejection at the cross.

In verses 26-30, Jesus adjusts a common teaching concerning evil generations in the Old Testament. For Jesus’ contemporaries, the people of Noah’s day and Sodom epitomized evil. However, nothing Jesus describes here is inherently evil. His point should strike us powerfully: What sunk them can easily sink us! Beware of worldly attachments!

In verses 31-35, some are left and some are taken. Likely, being taken here isn’t about the rapture. It’s about being taken in judgment.

What about verse 36? The best English translations footnote verse 36 because it is only found in a few subpar ancient manuscripts.

THIS WEEK'S

Bible Discovery Author

Pastor Chad Reeser

Group Guide

Following the series with your group?

Start with some icebreaker questions.
Read the passage together before you dive in.
Share any insights from the message. Use the questions below to get your conversation started.

Conversation Starters

1. What did Jesus mean by saying, “The Kingdom of God is in your midst?” How were the Pharisees missing it?

2. What was common between the days of Noah and the days of Sodom and Gomorrah?

3. What will people be doing when Jesus returns?

4. Nothing in verse 27 is actually evil. So what is Jesus warning against?

5. How can we live in light of Christ’s coming return with urgency?

Prayer

Our Father, thank you for saving us and bringing us to be part of your Kingdom. Give us wisdom to number our days and urge us to live sacrificially like your son. We love you and give you all the glory, amen.

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