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Sermon

Be Steadfast, Immovable

Pastor Linda Hufton · 2019-11-06

In a culture of comfort and abundance, complacency is one of the greatest threats to a believer's spiritual life. In this message, Pastor Linda Hufton challenges the church to break free from spiritual routine and press into God with fresh hunger, purpose, and expectation, especially as the year draws to a close.

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"Be Steadfast, Immovable" — Small Group Discussion Guide

Based on a sermon by Pastor Linda Hufton


1. SERMON RECAP

Pastor Linda Hufton drew from Acts 2:42 to challenge the congregation to remain steadfast and immovable in their walk with God, particularly as the 90-day season of pressing in draws to a close. She warned against the quiet danger of complacency — the false sense of security that can settle in when life is comfortable — and called believers to intentional, active pursuit of God. She pointed to the early church as a model, identifying four disciplines they continued in steadfastly: the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.


2. KEY SCRIPTURE

Acts 2:42 "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."


3. ICE BREAKER

What is one habit or routine in your life that started out feeling like real effort but eventually became second nature? How did that change happen?


4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Point 1 — Continuing Steadfastly in the Apostles' Doctrine

Pastor Linda described the early believers as people who had to physically show up to receive teaching, without recordings, without easy access to written scripture, and without the convenience modern Christians enjoy. She emphasized that hearing and receiving the Word of God is like breathing — not something done once, but something that must happen continuously.

In what ways can regular exposure to sound Bible teaching shape a person's thinking and choices over time? What tends to pull people away from that consistent engagement with the Word, and what has helped your group members stay rooted in it?

Point 2 — Fellowship

Pastor Linda noted that genuine fellowship — the kind the early church practiced — goes beyond greeting someone in a lobby. She described it as participating in real social interaction, benefiting from communication with one another, and building close relationships within the body of Christ.

How would you describe the difference between being around other believers and truly fellowshipping with them? What has made a church relationship feel genuinely close and meaningful to you, and what barriers tend to get in the way of that kind of depth?

Point 3 — The Breaking of Bread

Pastor Linda pointed to communion and shared meals as two expressions of the same principle — that sitting down together, whether at the Lord's table or an ordinary dinner table, carries spiritual significance. She encouraged believers to cultivate close relationships by breaking bread with their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Why do you think sharing a meal together has such a unique ability to build trust and connection? Can your group think of a time when a simple shared meal had a meaningful impact on a relationship within the church?

Point 4 — Continuing Steadfastly in All Forms of Prayer

Pastor Linda described corporate prayer as different from private prayer — requiring intentional focus and discipline rather than simply settling into quiet personal devotion. She drew on Revelation 8:4, describing the prayers of the saints as incense rising before the throne of God, and she affirmed that God hears and remembers every word prayed, without being overwhelmed by the volume of requests brought before Him.

What does it mean to you personally that your prayers rise before God and are not forgotten? How does understanding prayer as both a private discipline and a corporate act change the way you think about showing up for group or church prayer gatherings?


5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE

This week, choose one of the four areas from Acts 2:42 — doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, or prayer — where you know you have grown complacent. Take one concrete step to re-engage with it. That might mean attending a midweek service or prayer meeting you have been skipping, reaching out to a fellow believer you have drifted from and setting a specific time to meet for coffee, or adding fifteen intentional minutes of focused prayer to a day when you would normally skip it entirely. Come back next week ready to share what you did and what you noticed.


6. PRAYER POINTS

  • Pray that each group member would recognize the specific area where complacency has quietly taken hold, and that God would renew genuine hunger and expectation in their daily walk with Him.

  • Pray for the church as a whole — that the corporate prayers being offered during this season of pressing in would rise before the throne of God and bring His grace and favor to action in families, marriages, and the wider community.

  • Pray for perseverance and endurance as the year closes, that believers would finish 2024 steadfast and immovable rather than drifting, and that 2025 would begin with fresh faith and expectation.


7. MEMORY VERSE

1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

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Daily Devotional

5-Day
Monday

Rooted in the Word

Colossians 3:1 — "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God."

On Wednesday I talked about how easy it is to drift into complacency when life is comfortable. We have so much — good homes, warm coffee, busy schedules — and without realizing it, the Word of God can quietly slide from the center of our lives to the edges. But Paul's instruction to the Colossians cuts right through that drift. If we are truly raised with Christ, then our seeking should reflect it. The early church continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine — not because someone forced them, but because they understood the Word was life itself. You cannot take one breath and live off it for a week. In the same way, we need the Word consistently, washing over us, shaping us, reminding us who we are in him. Doctrine is not dry religion. It is the living instruction of a living Savior.

Lord, forgive me for the days I have let your Word take a back seat to everything else on my list. Draw me back to your truth today, and let it settle deep in my heart.

Set aside ten minutes today to read one chapter of Proverbs or a New Testament letter, and write down one sentence that stands out to you.
Tuesday

Stay in the Room

Acts 2:42 — "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."

On Wednesday I shared how the early church was not passive about gathering together. They continued steadfastly in fellowship — that beautiful word koinonia, meaning to be a sharer, a companion, someone who participates in real relationship. It strikes me that fellowship is not just a nice bonus to church life; it is one of the four pillars Luke names in Acts 2:42. We gain something from being with one another that we simply cannot get alone. I know it is tempting to stay home, to watch online, to keep to yourself — and there is grace for hard seasons. But being in the room matters. The energy of the saints gathered together, encouraging each other, knowing each other's names — that is the body of Christ functioning the way God designed it. Lean into the people around you this week. You need them, and they need you.

Father, thank you for the gift of your people. Help me to not take the body of Christ for granted, and give me the courage to reach out and connect with someone I might normally overlook.

Reach out to one person from your church today — a text, a call, or a conversation after a service — and ask how they are genuinely doing.
Wednesday

At the Table Together

Luke 12:15 — "And He said to them, 'Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.'"

The breaking of bread is one of those practices that sounds simple but carries enormous weight. Whether it is communion at the altar or sitting across a table from a brother or sister over coffee, something happens when we share a meal together. Jesus himself knew this. He ate with people constantly — and those meals were never just about food. On Wednesday I talked about how our abundance can actually work against us, lulling us into a kind of quiet satisfaction that has no hunger left in it. Jesus reminds us in Luke 12 that life is not found in what we possess. It is found in him, in his table, in his presence shared among his people. When we break bread together — in communion or in ordinary fellowship — we are saying that what matters most is not what is in our refrigerator but what is in our hearts.

Jesus, let me never reduce communion to a routine or a shared meal to small talk. Remind me that every time I sit at the table with your people, you are there too.

Invite someone from your church or neighborhood to share a meal or coffee with you this week, and let the conversation go somewhere deeper than the surface.
Thursday

The Incense That Rises

Acts 20:31 — "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."

Paul spent three years in Ephesus — three years of praying, warning, weeping, and interceding night and day. That image has stayed with me. He did not clock in and clock out of ministry. He pressed in with everything he had. On Wednesday I confessed to you that prayer meetings take effort for me. I have to gear myself up. But I also told you that when you stretch yourself, it becomes more natural — and it really does. What I love most about corporate prayer is that it is not just for yourself. You are praying for marriages, for the government, for people sitting right beside you. Every word rises before God like incense, and he does not forget a single one. He is not overwhelmed by our requests. He knows every voice. When we continue steadfastly in prayer, we are fueling the kingdom — and that is never wasted effort.

Lord, grow my hunger for prayer — not just when I am desperate, but simply because I love being with you. Teach me to intercede for others the way Paul did, with tears and with faithfulness.

Spend at least ten minutes today praying specifically for someone other than yourself — a family member, a leader, or someone in your church who is going through a hard season.
Friday

Immovable

Hebrews 12:28 — "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."

On Wednesday I spent time in Paul's great charge from 1 Corinthians 15 — be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. And I love what that word immovable really means: not to go elsewhere, not to move away. It is a picture of a ship run aground — stuck fast, not going anywhere, no matter what the waves are doing. That is who I want to be. That is who I believe you are called to be. In Hebrews 12, the writer reminds us that we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Everything around us may shift and rattle and fall away, but what God has given us is unshakeable. So we do not have to be moved by slow seasons, unanswered prayers, or shiny distractions. Settle it in your heart: nothing will pull you out of his hand. Stay steadfast. Stay immovable. Finish the year strong.

Father, I settle it today — I am not moving. No matter what comes, I choose to remain rooted in you and committed to what you have called me to do. Strengthen me to finish this season well.

Write down one area of your spiritual life where you have felt yourself drifting, and make one concrete commitment today about how you will press back in this month.

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