2 Corinthians 5:15-17 (NIV) 15  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 24: The Sanctification of Sinners

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

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Corinthians 8

Luke 2:8–14 (NIV) 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their of salvation (Heb. 1:14), watch over those who believe in Jesus (Ps. 91:11), etc. see this many times throughout Scripture, but especially we see it at the birth of our Lord, in Luke 2: Peter 1:10-12 (esp. Today: James 1

Here's a sneak preview of what each day's post will include each post will begin with an excerpt from the Heidelberg Catechism Heidelberg Catechism Q&A Q. What is the Heidelberg Catechism? A. The Catechism is a learning tool that summarizes what the Bible says about life's most important matters. You can read the passage either in your own Bible (a printed Bible is always the best option!) or read the passage right in the daily post. You can also listen to both the Bible passage & the Dig Deeper post. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Summary Each day's post will have a short summary to help you understand what the passage means. Dig Deeper The Dig Deeper section will give practical application of the passage to your life. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father in heaven, your name is holy. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: May I do your will and may I long for your kingdom to come. Please lead me away from temptation. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: I pray that you give me my daily bread, and that you forgive my sins as I have forgiven others. Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - The daily chapter will be listed here.

Mark mentions in verse 2 that “after six days,” the transfiguration occurred. was with His disciples in Caesarea Philippi, and Peter had testified that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 8:29 God to save: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1: and teacher, the Word who became flesh who revealed the glory of God full of grace and truth (John 1:

Grace does much more than just save you, it teaches you to pray that God's will be done in your life. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 124 Q. What does the third request mean? A. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” means, Help us and all people to reject our own wills and to obey your will without any back talk. Your will alone is good. Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven. Summary We live in a day and age that seeks to limit the gospel's effect in our lives, that as long as a person is vaguely familiar with Jesus, then they can count themselves a Christian regardless of their lifestyle. The truth is, while this "Christianity Lite" attitude is certainly present in our day and age, it has always been a factor; it's nothing new! Paul had to instruct one of the earliest pastors on how to counteract this warped thinking. The grace that God offers certainly does offer salvation to each and every person who "declares with their mouth that 'Jesus is Lord' and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9)." It is just that easy to be saved! But here we read that after bringing a person to a knowledge of their salvation, grace keeps on working! Grace goes on to "teach us to say 'no' to ungodliness and worldly passions (v12)." In other words, it teaches us that, as the catechism puts it, "God's will alone is good." So God's grace not only teaches you about salvation, it teaches you to "live a self-controlled, upright and godly life in this present age (v12)." Dig Deeper Christianity is much more than a 'deep relationship' with Jesus. It's a lifelong process, in which grace begins by turning your obstinate heart of stone into a believing heart of flesh (a moment that most of us who were raised in the church may not remember in particular). The Christian life - fueled from the very beginning by this gift of grace alone, delivered through faith alone, because of the work of Christ alone - is a life that increasingly learns how to pray with conviction one simple prayer in every realm of life: Thy will be done. You have been "redeemed from all wickedness and been purified by Christ to be his very own." Therefore, be a disciple who is "eager to do what is good (v14)." Since only God's will is good, pray often that His will be done in your life as it is in heaven. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who by grace offers salvation to all people; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God's will be done, on earth as it is in heaven; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Revelation 5

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 1

How do we pay for sin if we can't afford the payment? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 14 Q. Can another creature —any at all— pay this debt for us? A. No. To begin with, God will not punish another creature for what a human is guilty of. Besides, no mere creature can bear the weight of God’s eternal anger against sin and release others from it. Summary The book of Leviticus starts off with various offerings the people of Israel must make. There is the burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, sin offering, and guilt offering. These offerings were made by the people of Israel as an act of worship and submission, as an acknowledgment of guilt, and repentance. But none of them could actually atone (make payment) for their sin. While these offerings acknowledged their sin, and may have been an act of repentance, none of them could remove sin from the people. Which makes me wonder how they would have viewed these offerings and sacrifices; These offerings and sacrifices didn't actually remove sin, and they had to be repeated regularly. Did they wonder if there was a way to remove sin? Could the guilt of their sin actually be completely removed? Is grace possible? Or would they still be held accountable to God’s wrath? After all, no mere creature can bear the weight of God’s eternal wrath against sin and deliver others from it. Is there a way to remove sin? Is there someone who could possibly bear the weight of God’s eternal wrath against sin? Dig Deeper Today, we do not make burnt offerings, grain offerings, fellowship offerings, sin offerings, nor guilt offerings. There are no stone altars in our sanctuaries. We do not bring bulls, or goats, or doves to worship. There are no priests who stand ready to sacrifice these offerings on the altar for the people of God. Yet, God still requires that his justice be satisfied. If we do not offer sacrifices, how is God’s justice satisfied? Someone must pay the price. The author of Hebrews tells us who that person is: Jesus. Jesus is no mere creature. He is no mere human. Jesus is God made flesh. 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Jesus is the one who paid the price for your sin, so you no longer need to offer sacrifices or make burnt offerings because of Him. Your sin must be accounted for, and Jesus is the one who does that. He did it by taking on flesh and blood, by becoming a human being. No mere creature can bear the weight of your sin; Praise God that Jesus isn't a creature, he is God. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Jesus Christ, you are God. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank you Jesus for paying the price for my sins. May I live my life as your servant, acknowledging your great sacrifice. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 7

Peter is speaking to that put Jesus to death and nailed him to the cross (and far be it from us living 2,000 Good sermons will always revolve around the elements Peter uses here in Acts 2.