Reading: Acts 1:8 — Jesus promises his followers that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and that they will be his witnesses in their city, their region, and to the ends of the earth.Devotional:The disciples were not filled with the Holy Spirit so they could stay in the upper room. They were filled so they could pour out of it. The sermon makes this point with clarity and...  Read More

Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 — The truth that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, and that believers are being transformed from one degree of glory to another as they behold the glory of God.Devotional:The sermon draws a simple but profound conclusion from this passage: the more time you spend looking at Jesus, the more you begin to look like Jesus. Transformation is not primarily...  Read More

Reading: Acts 16:22-34 — Paul and Silas, beaten and imprisoned, pray and sing hymns at midnight. An earthquake shakes the prison, their chains fall off, and the jailer and his entire household come to faith.Devotional:Paul and Silas did not praise God after the earthquake. They praised him before it. Their backs were bleeding. The dungeon was dark. The future was uncertain. And yet at midnight — t...  Read More

Reading: Psalm 100:1-5 — An invitation to come before God with thankfulness and praise, entering his presence through gates of thanksgiving and courts of praise, rooted in the truth that he is good and his love endures forever.Devotional:The sermon offered a memorable image: a magnifying glass does not make an object larger, but it changes how large that object appears relative to everything aroun...  Read More

Reading: Acts 2:1-21 — The account of the Holy Spirit's arrival at Pentecost, the sound like a rushing wind, the tongues of fire, and Peter's declaration that this fulfilled the prophecy of Joel about God pouring out his Spirit on all people.Devotional:We live in a world that wants to reduce the Holy Spirit to a feeling, an atmosphere, or an emotional experience. But the sermon reminds us plainly:...  Read More

Reading: John 14:16-17 and Matthew 11:28-30Devotional: The Greek word Jesus used for the Holy Spirit, parakletos, carries the image of someone who comes alongside you to help carry something too heavy to carry alone. Jesus himself, in his humanity, needed help carrying his cross to Calvary. How much more do we need the Helper in our daily lives? Many believers are exhausted not because following J...  Read More

Reading: Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Ephesians 5:15-20Devotional: God does not simply want to improve your behavior. He wants to replace your heart of stone with a heart of flesh, put his Spirit within you, and move you from the inside out. This is the difference between behavior modification and heart transformation. Good habits cannot change a heart, but a changed heart will change your habits. Being f...  Read More

Reading: John 16:7-15Devotional: One of the most remarkable promises Jesus made about the Holy Spirit is that he will tell you what is yet to come. This is not fortune-telling. This is the gracious leading of a God who sees the entire road while you can only see the next step. When you face a crossroads and cannot see clearly which direction to take, you are not left to guess. The Spirit of truth ...  Read More

Reading: John 14:15-27Devotional: Jesus did not leave his followers without help. At the most critical moment of his earthly ministry, the night before the cross, he spent his final hours telling the disciples about the Holy Spirit. He called him a teacher. He called him a reminder. This means the Holy Spirit is not passive inside you. He is actively working to reveal truth, illuminate scripture, ...  Read More

Reading: Psalm 27:1-8Devotional: Before the world can be changed, you must be changed. That change begins with one simple response to one simple invitation. God is not distant or disinterested. He is actively calling your name, drawing your heart toward his, saying come and talk with me. The psalmist did not hesitate. His heart responded immediately. Too often we wait until we feel worthy, prepare...  Read More

Reading: Acts 1:8Devotional: Jesus made a promise before He ascended. He told His followers they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and that power would make them His witnesses. This promise was not reserved for the apostles alone. It belongs to every believer. The Holy Spirit empowers ordinary people to live extraordinary lives. You do not need to manufacture influence or ma...  Read More

Reading: 2 Timothy 2:1-2Devotional: Paul poured into Timothy. Timothy was instructed to pour into faithful people. Those faithful people were to pour into others. Four generations of discipleship captured in a single passage. The gospel has always traveled at the speed of relationships. You do not need a title, a platform, or a perfect track record to invest in someone else. You simply need to be ...  Read More