Do you want your church to grow? Then pray for God's Kingdom to come! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 122 Q. What does the second request mean? A. “Your kingdom come” means, Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you. Keep your church strong, and add to it. Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your Word. Do this until your kingdom is so complete and perfect that in it you are all in all. Summary The Book of Acts details the early days of the Church. The people came together in fellowship, formed a community of faith, and devoted themselves to the teachings of the apostles. Along with this sense of community came an overflow of generosity, with some selling possessions and property to provide for those in need. This was a period of great growth in the Church, with the numbers of faithful increasing each day. There is much that we can still learn today from the example of these early believers. And while their devotion is commendable and should be emulated, make sure to deliver credit where it is due. Their number grew each day, yet it is not the actions of the people which are credited for this growth. Instead, Luke writes that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”. Dig Deeper The devotion of the Early Church is an inspiration to the generations of believers who have followed. Their devotion was rewarded as the Lord added to their number daily. This act of growing the Church is part of God’s provision. As much as church leaders, ministry coordinators, and evangelists try to strategize how to reach the world with the Gospel; this ultimately is God’s handiwork. By living out our faith, we get the blessing of being the hands and feet of Jesus. It is no secret that the size of the North American church has decreased over time. There continues to be an increase in this part of the globe of those who claim no faith. However, not all is lost. God is still in control and will provide for his people. What is needed are workers for the harvest. There is a need for a spiritual revival. And while it is God who will bring this about, he calls upon us to be his messengers. God is at work, do not miss out on the opportunity to be a part of what he is doing. Each time you pray the words "Your kingdom come," or words similar to them, you're praying that God will strengthen His Church and add to it. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who builds His Church with the teaching of His Word, participation at His table, and in the fellowship of believers; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the church He's placed you in. Pray that it will grow and that He will add to it; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Jude

Dig Deeper Both the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and Reformed churches agree on the opening words of

Does reading or watching the news make you angry lately? Find out why! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 112 Q. What is God’s will for you in the ninth commandment? A. God’s will is that I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are devices the devil himself uses, and they would call down on me God’s intense anger. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor’s good name. Summary This passage is the most detailed description in the Bible of who and what the devil is. Although culture often depicts him of being a cartoonish figure with a red cape & a pitchfork, Jesus paints a much darker portrait: Jesus says the devil is: A murderer from the beginning: Satan had led a rebellion in heaven and so was cast down to the earth. Certainly the devil can be thought of as murderer for introducing death to humanity, but his principle target has always been murdering Jesus Christ, the God-Man and His Church (See Revelation 12). A liar with no truth in him: Remember the first words of the devil recorded in scripture: "Did God really say... (Genesis 3:1)" Simply causing man to question the validity of what God has said was effective then, and the devil is nothing if not consistent. He knows this subtle method of planting doubt works, and he continues to use this method even today. Jesus is everything that the devil is not: Jesus gives life, the devil takes it. Jesus is the truth, the devil has no truth in him. Jesus came to restore your relationship to the Father, and the devil works tirelessly (for he knows his time is short - Rev. 12:12) to cause you to doubt the Father. Dig Deeper You don't need to scroll through the news for long for long before you come across a story that makes your blood boil because people have come to a firm conclusion that is so obviously based in lies and deceptions. You think to yourself, can't these people see just how wrong and contrary to God's truth their ideas are? The sad answer is, no, they can't. Jesus said, "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” In other words, mankind is so corrupted by the web of deceptions the devil has spun that people will always prefer the lie rather than the truth. No matter how incredulous the idea may seem, people's primary inclination will be to reject basic truth and cling to the lie. The current ridiculousness of gender theory is a testimony to this. It's easy to let this sort of thinking make you angry, but push against that instinct. Understand that these people cannot "hear what God says," so trying to re-educate them with basic truth will never work. Rather than being angry, our hearts should be broken for all these people who separated themselves so far from God. Pray that the Holy Spirit calls them back, and be ready when He calls you to lovingly reintroduce them to their Father by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has called you to live in all truth; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the Holy Spirit will use you to call those whose lives are trapped in deception, and that you'll be ready when the opportunities come; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 8

that all children - even the sinless Son of God - are difficult to raise at times, and than even the woman

Each major branch of Christianity answers this question differently: Roman Catholics understand that

before Jesus came; this had already been planned by God as He cursed the serpent in the Garden: the woman's And it would come exactly how God said it would: through the offspring of a woman. God sent His Son, born of a woman, not just to take away your sins, but to also still your fears. exactly what He says He'll do; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for sending Jesus, born of a woman Today: Romans 12

Today: Romans 10

God is the one solid rock in the sea of ignorance surrounding you. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 95 Q. What is idolatry? A. Idolatry is having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed himself in his Word. Summary God sounds appropriately intimidating as He booms out the claims He makes in the first commandment, to not have any gods before Him, and here in Isaiah where mockingly calls out anyone or anything that could possibly dare to challenge His supremacy. God defines Himself as the first and last, different than anything else, and the one who has existed for all of eternity past, but yet knows what the future holds just as clearly. God is often referred to as 'holy,' a familiar word that most people misunderstand. 'Holy' means much more than 'perfectly righteousness.' Passages like this one in Isaiah that portray God as being entirely 'other,' and entirely above all things, do a good job of explaining the concept of holiness. The first thing many people associate 'idols' with are artistically formed statues, both large and small. Certainly that was the prevailing idea that God was referring to as He addressed this ancient near eastern culture, calling out those 'who make idols.' But the concept of idolatry is much deeper, and is just as convicting to us as modern people who would think it quite strange to bow down to an image. Whereas God Almighty refers to Himself here as the 'Rock (v8),' the very foundation of knowledge, wisdom and power, idols represent 'blindness, ignorance and shame' that 'can profit nothing (v9-10). So although God sounds intimidating in this passage, notice that He makes this pronouncements to bring you peace! He says to you, "Do no tremble, do not be afraid (v8)." Life does not need to be a chaotic balancing act filled with uncertainty. God is calling you to firmly plant your feet on Him, the one true "Rock," who is "Israel's King and Redeemer (v6)." Dig Deeper Our catechism defines an idol as anything "in which one trusts in place of or alongside the one true God." Since God has revealed Himself in His Word, anytime people change, add or subtract from what His Word says, they are breaking the first commandment and placing their own truth before God's. They are committing idolatry. Most of us would never dare do such a thing. But ignoring God's Word is every bit as idolatrous as changing, adding or subtracting from it, and most people, including those who identify themselves as Christians, have become completely ignorant of what the Bible says about a whole host of issues, not the least of which is who and what God is. Make sure that you are not part of the idolatrous crowd who "will be put to shame." Know your Bible. Keep reading it everyday as you are right now. Join the Lord's people every time His call to worship rings out in your church. Eagerly anticipate what God will teach you on the Lord's Day, and then spend the entire week reflecting on what you heard. This is how it is God keeps your feet fastened to Him, the solid Rock. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is the first and the last; apart from Him there is no God; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will not succumb to idolatry by not knowing what God has revealed about Himself and His creation in His Word. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Corinthians 3

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 14

Which books of the Bible are about Jesus? All of them! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 19 Q. How do you come to know this? A. The holy gospel tells me. God himself began to reveal the gospel already in Paradise; later, he proclaimed it by the holy patriarchs and prophets, and portrayed it by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law; finally, he fulfilled it through his own dear Son. Summary These words of Jesus come as part of his response to those who were upset that he healed a man on the Sabbath. As Jesus pointed out to the crowd, they had been looking for salvation in the Old Testament scriptures. This was not a problem, as God’s plan of salvation can be seen throughout the Old Testament. The issue was with those who look to the words of the Old Testament for salvation while refusing to see the repeated foreshadowing of the coming of Christ. Those who search for salvation in the scriptures apart from Christ will not find it. The patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament foretold that Jesus would come, and so it was not Jesus accusing them, but the words of Moses. Jesus does not quote a specific passage but speaks of Moses writing about him. Even so, it is easy enough to find examples in the Old Testament of Moses writing about Jesus, particularly Deuteronomy 18:15: The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen! Not only does Moses point forward to this new prophet, but also declares that the people shall listen to him. This again puts the critics in the crowd at odds not only with Jesus, but also with the words of Moses. Dig Deeper The five solas are thought of as a rallying cry of the Reformation. The first of these 5 key beliefs is sola scriptura which means 'scripture alone'. In a world that wants to turn everything into a 'gray area', sola scriptura is a reminder that the Bible alone is the source of authority for Christians. In the Bible we see God’s plan for redemption laid out. The Old Testament foreshadows the coming of Christ, the Gospels share the Good News of Jesus Christ, and the rest of the New Testament addresses how to live in light of the resurrection. The Bible is authoritative not because it teaches about Jesus, but because it is the inspired Word of God. People are imperfect, we are all prone to mistakes, including your pastor. But the Bible is the inspired Word of God, meaning that the Holy Spirit directed the writings of the authors of scripture. While the Bible has human authors, what differentiates the Word of God is the role of the Holy Spirit in the writing process. The authority we find in scripture comes not from those who wrote it, but from our God who inspired these writings. What that means for you as a believer is that you have a rule of faith to measure against. You do not need to have blind trust in what others teach because you can go to the source and read that which is true. The Bible is a wonderful gift from God; do not rely solely on the word of others when God’s Word is close at hand. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father, you sent your Son in your name, which we read about so clearly in your Word, which is inspired by your Spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the words of Scripture would continue to come to Christ to have life. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 13