1 Corinthians 14:26-33 (NIV) 26  What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27  If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28  If there is no interpreter , the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. 29  Two or three prophets Today: John 8

Hebrews 10:1-14 (NIV) CONTEXT: Yesterday we read the passage ( Hebrews 9:22-28 ) that precedes today's the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2   Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1-2 Article Today: Matthew 27

Don't let the comforts in this world distract you from the true Comforter. 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 It might seem odd in the midst of a week in which we've been focused on the person and work of the Holy Spirit to read from a passage that doesn't seem to mention the Holy Spirit at all. Paul here certainly makes reference to God the Father, as well as the Lord Jesus Christ, but he seems to just ignore the third member of the Trinity. Earlier this week we noted that the Holy Spirit is often referred to as the 'shy' member of the Trinity, since His role is to often focus our attention on the work of the Father and the Son, and in doing so the Spirit often stays in the background. So it's not all that surprising that the Spirit seems set to the side in this passage. But we also were reminded that the Holy Spirit really isn't all that shy, since He's the member of the Godhead we hear from the most, in that every word of the Bible was breathed out by Him. In fact, the verses we read today are all about the Spirit! We read one reference to the Father, three references to the Son, and at least six references to the Holy Spirit! The reason you didn't notice Him right away is because He's camouflaged: He was never directly referred to, but He was described with the repetitive use of the Greek word paraklēsis, the word Jesus often uses to refer to the Holy Spirit, which is translated here as comfort. The Holy Spirit is the "God of all comfort (v3)." Dig Deeper You probably think of 'comfortable' as being a condition in which you have no pain or discomfort. The chair you fall asleep in is comfortable, whereas the one that hurts your back is uncomfortable. One dictionary defines comfort as 'freedom from pain or constraint." So when hearing that the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, you might be tempted to think He's not really present in your life because of how many uncomfortable aspects there are. A life filled with the Comforter ought to be filled with comfort, right? But keep in mind the literal meaning of the Greek word paraklēsis: the para part means alongside (like a parapro, paralegal, and paramedic work alongside a teacher, lawyer and doctor), and klēsis means to call out. So the Holy Spirit is the one who comes alongside you in "in all your troubles" and calls out to you words of "comfort and salvation." The reason people like us don't feel like we're experiencing the Holy Spirit as often as we'd like is because we're so distracted by the comforts we have in this world that we don't feel a need for "the God of all comfort." Make a habit of pushing those distractions away, so that that you can hear the Holy Spirit coming alongside you reminding you that your only comfort in life and in death is that you belong to your faithful Savior, Jesus Christ (keep reading v8-11 to see how the Holy Spirit brought this comfort to Paul when he "despaired of life itself"). AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (v1) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the physical comforts He's given you, but pray that they don't distract you from the Holy Spirit coming alongside and calling out to you. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 3

Genesis 1 (NIV) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 20 And the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their As we take a look at Genesis 1, we read throughout that at the end of each day, “God saw that it was

Acts 15:1-21 (NIV) Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2  This brought sermons, that he still expected believers to uphold the moral parts of the law (see especially James 2 for Christians to continue to keep God's moral law and to not fall into the "error of lawlessness" (2 Today: 1 Corinthians 6

Genesis 1:26–28 (ESV) 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 Here John calls men “darkness.” Summary This is the third time now this year that we've turned to Genesis 1, and the second time that

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (NIV) CONTEXT: Paul just introduced the body as an analogy for the Church. Since God has created you to be what you are, you should eagerly play that role. 27  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28  And God has placed in the church first , then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Today: John 2

Matthew 22:1-14 (NIV) 22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2  “The kingdom of heaven is Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 5 Article Paul would later write, God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of truth ( 1 Timothy 2:4 ). Peter adds, the Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance ( 2

If that does describe you, cling to the truth in 1 Corinthians 12. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 24

declared you to be; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1