Be strengthened in the name of Christ, the one & only source of salvation. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 29 Q. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning “Savior”? A. Because he saves us from our sins. Salvation cannot be found in anyone else; it is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere. Summary Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Disciples ventured out into the streets of Jerusalem actively preaching and healing in the name of Jesus. After healing a crippled man unable to walk since birth, Peter shared that this man was healed by the name of Jesus. This was followed by a declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, which included a critique of the Jewish rulers. These same rulers had charge of the temple and played a role in pressuring Pilate to execute Jesus. Word of this made it to the captain of the temple, who had the disciples arrested. After being held in custody overnight, they were then brought before a group of leaders from the Jewish religious council known as the Sanhedrin. In response to their questioning about what had taken place Peter does not back down from his prior declaration, despite knowing the role these men played in Jesus’ crucifixion and the danger they posed for him. Instead, Peter makes a bolder declaration in their midst: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Not only was Peter stating outright that salvation is found in Jesus, but that salvation is ONLY found in Jesus. Dig Deeper The Book of Acts is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I have always been drawn to the fact that the miracles did not stop after the resurrection. Despite Jesus having already ascended to heaven, the Disciples were out healing the sick and making the lame walk. These miracles were a sign to the people that what the Disciples spoke of Jesus was true. These signs also protected the Disciples in this instance, for while it would have been easier to “get rid” of the Disciples, the council’s hands were tied, since the people had already seen the miracles, with thousands coming to faith in Jesus as a result. Instead this group of leaders on the council tried to compel the Disciples to stop telling people about Jesus. Despite the council being a powerful enemy to have, Peter refused. Peter had seen the risen Jesus and been filled with the Holy Spirit. He was not going to give in to the demands of the council; they could not offer him salvation. Instead, Peter held firm and trusted in Jesus, the only one who saves. You will likely never stand before a council and have to speak on behalf of your faith. However, you might be put in a position someday where you are asked to compromise on your faith and values. If that day comes, remember Peter’s example of standing firm on your faith in Jesus and his reason for doing so: “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Almighty God, who raised Jesus from the dead; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will build your life with Christ as the cornerstone. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Hebrews 9

possible for you to fulfill the Bible's command to pray constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Colossians 4:

The way you worship matters, says Jesus. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 80 Q. How does the Lord’s Supper differ from the Roman Catholic Mass? A. The Lord’s Supper declares to us that our sins have been completely forgiven through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ which he himself finished on the cross once for all. It also declares to us that the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with his very body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father where he wants us to worship him. But the Mass teaches that the living and the dead do not have their sins forgiven through the suffering of Christ unless Christ is still offered for them daily by the priests. It also teaches that Christ is bodily present in the form of bread and wine where Christ is therefore to be worshiped. Thus the Mass is basically nothing but a denial of the one sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ and a condemnable idolatry. Summary One of the most painful consequences of sin is that the one thing that ought to unite all people - worshipping the God who made us - is arguably the thing that creates the most division and angst. Not only do massive divisions exist between the three great monotheistic religions (Judaism, Islam & Christianity), but the Christian Church itself is rent asunder with all sorts of different ideas and practices on how God ought to be worshipped. Division occurs when different expressions in how people worship begin to affect what they worship. The resulting battles shatter communities and even families, causing pain and bitterness that last generations. Our society's current live and let live attitude wants Jesus to come down and declare that all forms of worship, as long as its sincere and heartfelt, are acceptable to God and therefore all criticisms of divergent worship practices ought to cease. That's exactly what the woman at the well was hoping to hear Jesus say. But Jesus doesn't take her bait. One of the Bible's primary themes is that there are right ways and wrong ways to worship. Jesus doesn't pull His punches, telling the Samaritan woman that her countrymen have been worshipping incorrectly and even ignorantly. Certainly Jesus has lots of criticism for Jewish worship practices elsewhere in the gospels, but at least on the question of where true worship must take place, the Jews were getting it right. What a picture of God's grace, that out of all the people Jesus could have discussed true and proper worship with, it wasn't a learned scholar or a popular prophet, but rather it was this sinful, broken woman, and so she becomes one of the first people to truly worship God as He has ordained: in Spirit and truth. Dig Deeper The question of where to worship would soon become moot when Jesus would send His Church out to the nations before triumphantly ascending back to the right hand of the Father. But notice that the primary requirement for acceptable worship remains constant throughout the entire Bible: to properly know God (v22). The Lord's Supper is one of the primary ways you gain this knowledge that's so critical to fulfilling the purpose you were created for: to worship God. The Lord's Supper declares to you that you've been completely forgiven through Christ's one sacrifice on the cross and that you've been grafted into Him so that you can worship Him in Spirit and truth even while He is in heaven and you are on earth. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God our Father is spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will continue to know God more and more, and thank Him for what He teaches you as you come to His table; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 19

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 45 Q. Notice the timeline that's set out in v3-4: PAST You died (in that you were included in Christ when He

'Keep your head in all situations' and don't follow your 'itching ears.' 2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NIV) In the they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4  

You can discover your Spiritual gifts today and immediately use them tomorrow. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 55 Q. What do you understand by “the communion of saints”? A. First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all his treasures and gifts. Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members. Summary Throughout his letters, Paul often uses the image of the body as an analogy for the Church. It's amazing just how many systems within your body need to be working well and in harmony with other internal systems in order for you to be healthy. So it is, Paul writes, with the Church. As Americans, we're a fiercely independent bunch, which in many realms of society is a good thing. We know that society as a whole does better when each individual looks out for his own interests rather than depending on more socialistic systems. But this passage commands us to shelve that individualistic attitude when it comes to the Church. In the Church, "each member belongs to all the others." This means that the particular gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you do not belong just to you. As we noted yesterday, these gifts you've been given come with strings attached. Not only are you obligated to utilize them to build up the church, but you must use them to benefit your fellow church members. The final two verses of today's passage form a comprehensive but not exhaustive catalog of gifts, as well as a repeated command to utilize what you've been given. Notice how the final few commands include an adverb to add emphasis that your gift sharing efforts must be more than mediocre. Give generously. Lead diligently. Show mercy cheerfully. Dig Deeper When we cleaned our truck repair shop out years ago before selling it, we found all sorts of things in the warehouse that we forgot we had. What made that especially painful was the realization that we had bought that same part several times over at tremendous cost when we had a dozen of them in storage. What a waste! As we've mentioned before, you can't use what you don't know you have. You've been given a gift that Christ not only expects you to use, but in a sense depends on you to use it to build His Church. Your fellow members are being shortchanged if you're not sharing your gift with them. And you can't do any of this if you don't know what your gifts are! What a waste! We have two resources available to help you identify your gifts and become the productive body part that God created you to be. One is a large catalog of different gifts, many of which you probably didn't even know were Spiritual gifts. That same page has a link to an assessment you can take online which will point out what kinds of gifts you likely have. Both resources can be found at wgtncrc.org/gifts. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is in heaven. His name is holy. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the gifts He's given you, and pray that you'll know what they are, how to use them and that you'll use them cheerfully! ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 7

Being filled with the Spirit isn't just for super-Christians, it's for ordinary believers like you. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 53 Q. What do you believe concerning “the Holy Spirit”? A. First, he, as well as the Father and the Son, is eternal God. Second, he has been given to me personally, so that, by true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his blessings, comforts me, and remains with me forever. Summary The ancient Romans had a far different attitude toward their children than what we do today. Children, like slaves, were considered household property. Even a boy destined to inherit a vast estate grew up in such a way that was no different from anyone else, although he likely was expected to meet higher standards by his tutors than the other children were. But the day would come when everything changed. When he came of age, this boy, outwardly no different than the rest, would suddenly become an important citizen, with all the privileges and responsibilities that came with it. Paul uses this example that would have been so familiar to the Galatians to illustrate the change in status that Christians go through. At the time set by your Father, you were pulled up out of the ranks of those enslaved "under the elemental spiritual forces of the world (v3)" and given "adoption to sonship (v5)." Don't get hung up on gender here, as the term 'sonship' is a legal term implying that everything the father has now belongs to the child. Here's where this is important to our discussion this week about the Holy Spirit. Because God adopted you to sonship, He didn't just give you the 'stuff' He has in His estate (which would be the entire universe); He gave you Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit. Dig Deeper One of the most common misunderstandings many Christians have today is that only super-Christians are endowed with the Holy Spirit; people who have extraordinary gifts and skills enabling them to publicly praise God through talents - especially music - that the rest of us ordinary folks just don't have, as if plain and boring Spiritual gifts like stewardship, hospitality and service are somehow less Spiritual than more public and expressive gifts. The very first person mentioned in the Bible to be 'filled with the Spirit of God' is not who you might expect. It's not Noah, Abraham, Joseph or Moses who get described this way. It's a man you've likely never heard of: Bezalel, the son of Uri. He was chosen by God to lead construction of the Tabernacle. This ordinary tradesman is the first to be described as Spirit-filled (Exodus 31). The point here is that certainly patriarchs like Noah, Abraham, Joseph and Moses were filled with the Spirit, but so was Bezalel. And so are you. As we've reiterated so often this year, make every effort to experience the Spirit that God has put in you by learning, developing and sharing your Spiritual gifts. This is also the best way for you to experience your only comfort in life and in death, that you belong to Jesus Christ. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who redeemed us from slavery and made us Sons of God; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for putting His Spirit in you, and pray for the courage and determination to use the Spiritual gifts you've been given. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 1

Christ's virgin birth is more than just trivial doctrine. Your confidence depends on it! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 35 Q. What does it mean that he “was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary”? A. That the eternal Son of God, who is and remains true and eternal God, took to himself, through the working of the Holy Spirit, from the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, a truly human nature so that he might become David’s true descendant, like his brothers in every way except for sin. Summary We've often ended up here in the book of Hebrews this year as we've been reminding ourselves what our only comfort in life and in death is: the fact that in life and in death we belong to Jesus Christ. One of the key themes of this book, and the reason it has the name Hebrews, is that it shows how Jesus fulfilled all of the requirements the Old Testament priests (remember, Jesus is anointed (christos) as a prophet, priest, and king). As our high priest, Jesus is our perfect mediator - He stands between us and God, so that when God looks at you, He sees Christ! Often skepticism grabs ahold of us with the temptation that since Jesus was so perfect, and never fell into sin, that He really doesn't know what it is that you're struggling with on a day to day basis. Be sure to memorize v15, so that when this doubt sets in, these words will remind you that your Savior does empathize with you, since He faced the same temptations that you do. This verse is given to comfort you, not to intimidate you. Jesus knows first hand the difficulty you face every day, but yet He doesn't just leave you to try and work through things on your own. Rather, He invites you to confidently approach God's throne of grace so that you can overcome trials and temptations in His strength, and through His grace and mercy. Dig Deeper The fact that Jesus had no earthly father may not seem as important as the fact that He was resurrected from the grave, but it really is. If Jesus had descended from Adam, as every other human being has, then He would have inherited Adam's sin, just as every other human being has. If that were the case, He wouldn't be qualified to pay for the sins of others, since He also would have been born sinful, and His death and subsequent resurrection really wouldn't matter. But Jesus didn't descend from Adam. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is a brand new Adam. Because 'He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary,' He was born holy and blameless. Although He suffered great temptations, He never succumbed to them, and instead lived the sinless, perfect life that God had originally commanded Adam to live. Jesus didn't become man just to prove that He could live sinlessly even though everyone else couldn't. He didn't come to Earth just to give an example so that you could live perfectly like Him if you would just try harder. He did it so that He could give you the one thing that you need more than anything else, and the one thing that you'll never attain on your own as a descendent of Adam. When you put your trust in Him, you go from being in Adam to being in Christ. He gives you that perfect righteousness that God demands that only He was able to accomplish, so you can confidently approach God's throne! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who sits on the throne of grace where we can receive mercy and grace. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that you have a Savior that can empathize with your weakness, and ask for the strength you need to overcome it as He did. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - James 5

Jesus gave the shortest, most powerful sermon ever, and it's good news for you! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 31 Q. Why is he called “Christ,” meaning “anointed”? A. Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who perfectly reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance; our only high priest who has set us free by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause with the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the freedom he has won for us. Summary Jesus' public ministry took off like a rocket after His baptism. His cousin, John the Baptist, was already gathering crowds who went far out into the wilderness to hear this eccentric prophet speak about the coming Messiah, so you can imagine the anticipation people had after the heavens were torn open, a booming voice indicated it was pleased with 'my son,' while a dove descended upon Jesus. Soon after His baptism and subsequent months-long time of temptation in the wilderness, Jesus re-emerged into society and the miracle show began. All sorts of people were healed, water was turned to wine, and Jesus has become a rock star with mobs of people following Him everywhere He went. The opportunity came for Jesus to return to His home synagogue in Nazareth, and you can imagine the locals packed the synagogue to hear their native son who had become famous. What would he say? It just so happened that the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Jesus, and He unrolled it nearly all the way to the end. He read the passage quoted by Luke: The Spirit of the Lord is on me... He's anointed me... He's sent me to proclaim good news, freedom, and the Lord's blessing. When Jesus finished reading, He sat down. You can bet the packed room was on pins and needles. Every eye, Luke writes, was fastened on Jesus. Jesus then delivers one of the shortest, most powerful sermons ever preached: Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. This was the ultimate mic drop moment. It stunned those present. From that moment on, the devil, who'd just been defeated by Jesus in the desert, sets about to turn public opinion against Jesus until they ultimately had Him nailed to a cross. Dig Deeper It often may seem like Christ is simply Jesus' last name, but that's not the case. Both the Greek word Christos and the Hebrew word Mashiyach (Messiah) both are titles which mean the same thing: Jesus, the anointed one. The concept of anointing is a distinctly ancient near eastern idea. The thought of oil being poured over our head doesn't seem all that attractive to us, but in the Old Testament, it was a big deal to be anointed. In fact, only a small contingent of men were anointed: prophets, priests, and kings. As we go through this week, we're going to see how Jesus the Christ fulfills all three of those offices, and why that's so important for you. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who through His Spirit anointed His Son Jesus to save us, His covenant people; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies on your behalf; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Hebrews 12

your life; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Timothy 4