Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. (ESV)

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Sermon Points

1. Surprised By Grace

2. Captivated By Christ

3. Awed By The Church

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Sermon Questions

1. What do you find as the loudest thing in your mind and heart? Is it the glories of Christ or something else?

2. Do you find yourself still surprised that you are a sinner saved by grace? Why or why not?

3. What would it look like for you to meditate on and take advantage of the unsearchable riches of Christ?

4. Are you in awe of what God is doing at Christ Fellowship or are you missing what he's doing?

That's why I was so encouraged when Keith and Kristyn Getty compiled a new hymnal for the church today. It's called "The Sing Hymnal" and it includes songs written by the Gettys, classic hymns of the faith, and many other recent hymns written for the church. This hymnal is a rich resource for the church to sing the Word together! 

As we begin 2026, I wanted to use this resource to help me abide in Jesus more. I put together this devotional guide to go through the Sing Hymnal day by day. I want to invite you to join me! Download the guide below so you too can read devotionally, meditate on deeply, listen to joyfully, sing alone, or sing with others in worship - with the aim for all to treasure Jesus Christ more! 

Download the Sing Hymnal Devotional Guide

Order the Sing Hymnal

"Oh God, in all my days: have compassion on me.

When I am in danger: Father, have pity on me.
When I am depressed: Father, have pity on me.
When I am in despair: Father, have pity on me.
When I am full of doubts: Father, have pity on me.

When I am full of anxiety: Jesus, rescue me.
When I sick in body or mind: Jesus, rescue me.
When I feel you are far away: Jesus, resuce me.
When I feel all alone: Jesus, rescue me.                                                                     

When I am conflicted and confused: Spirit, comfort me.
When I am fragile and frail: Spirit, comfort me.
When I have no hope: Spirit, comfort me.
When I have wandered far from you: Spirit, comfort me.                                     

Oh God, in all my days: have compassion on me.

"Heavenly Father, I praise you because you created me in your love, and because every good gift comes from you.

Heavenly Father, I praise you because you have forgiven all my sins and cleansed me from all unrighteousness through the blood of Christ.

Heavenly Father, I praise you because Jesus is my good shepherd, who laid down his life for me, and who promised that none will snatch me from his hand. 

Heavenly Father, I praise you because Jesus offered a single sacrifice for sins, and suffered my punishment in my place, so I do not have to punish myself.

Heavenly Father, I praise you because I can trust you for every aspect of my life, past, present, and future.

Heavenly Father, I praise you for all who love me, care for me, and pray for me. 

Heavenly Father, I praise you because I know what is true from the Bible, and do not have to be snared by my unhelpful thoughts and feelings.

Heavenly Father, I praise you that Christ died and rose again for me, and that you have made me a temple of the Holy Spirit." 

"Heavenly Father, I praise you because you created us to know you, depend on you, trust you, and love you, and because you love to hear my prayers and receive me as your child, adopted into your family by your grace, through your Son. Heavenly Father, I praise you because your ears are always open to my prayers, and because you can and will do more than we ask or imagine. Heavenly Father, I praise you because you hear every prayer as an act of trust and worship, and you join together all the prayers prayed by all the saints, so that we never pray alone. 

Lord Jesus, I praise you because you died, rose, and ascended to heaven, so that I can enter the presence of God with full assurance of faith. Lord Jesus, I praise you because you died for my sin, and you are always praying for me at the right hand of your Father. Lord Jesus, I praise you because you are our Great High Priest and Mediator, and so you present and pray our fathers to your Father, so that he hears our prayers from your lips.

Holy Spirit, I praise you because you teach me who God is and how to pray, through your inspiration of the Holy Scripture. Holy Spirit, I praise you because you prompt me to pray to my Father. Holy Spirit, I pray you because you dwell and pray within me, covering my weakness and ignorance in praying. 

Gracious God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit please forgive me when I do not pray; prompt and cause me to pray, and to trust and love you when I pray. Help me to ask, confess, intercede, lament, praise, and give thanks to you with a full heart and great faith, trusting your love, compassion, faithfulness, grace, kindness, and power. Amen." 

There are numerous helpful resources out there that you can read to give insight to praying (and a list of them at the end of this post). But better than all of those resources is really to just pray to God to increase your prayer life, and furthermore to increase your dependence on God. Our sinfulness makes it so easy to forget God and depend on ourselves for things, and it’s a grace from the Lord to see our weaknesses and come to him for help. If the disciples had to ask Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1), then surely it’s only fitting that I make the same request.

It's an amazing and hard-to-comprehend truth that God hears our prayers, delights in them, and answers them for our good. John 14:13-14 is mind-blowing to me: Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. We could pick this verse apart and give it a lot of caveats – Jesus isn’t implying that he’ll give me a Corvette if I ask for one -- but at the end of the day, Jesus is telling his disciples that he is going to his Father on behalf of us. We heard this preached just a few weeks ago in Hebrews, that our great High Priest is interceding for us before God! This is our present reality that the world threatens to conceal. Prayer is a means to keep that concealment away and Jesus front-and-center.

Eph 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think…

This post will list ten pointers on prayer that I have found helpful in my own life.

1. Pray the Bible – Memorize verses and incorporate the psalms into your prayers. The Songs of Jesus, by Tim Keller, was especially helpful in this regard.  As we pray the bible, we study the bible. Studying the bible develops a healthier theology, which shapes our worldview, which shapes our prayers.  Anxieties are calmed when our worldview is firm that God is sovereign and He works all things together for our good. The Spirit is speaking through the Word.
   
   
2. Pray with Jesus – Remember, we’re not praying by ourselves. There is never one prayer that we will take to God by ourselves, but we always will have our perfect high priest with us. We are hidden in Christ (Col 3:1) and through him we have access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph 2:18).  Jesus will never leave us or forsake us for one moment.  So pray with him!
   
   
3. Pray to your Father – I don’t think I ever prayed to God as my Father until I had already been a Christian for over 10 years. I brought my earthly dad into my relationship with God, and because of that, I had a skewed view of Him. But the bible is very clear that God is our Father (John 20:17, Gal 4:6-7, Matt 6:9). And what kind of Father He is! Patient and loving and kind and full of mercy, and we are privileged to come before Him with every need.
   
   
4. Pray the Church Directory – This really is a great tool to use to increase your prayer-time. Make it a daily habit to pray for at least one member of the church.  Incorporate it into a family devotion. Work to know the people who make up Christ Fellowship Church as much as you know your earthly friends & family. Ask people how you can be praying for them and then follow-up, or better yet, pray for them on the spot! The inverse of this is also true: make yourself and your needs known to brothers and sisters and ask for them to pray with you and for you. Pray for the Flock, by Croft & Fullerton, is another helpful book in practically praying for one another.
   
   
5. Pray When Tempted – Oh how this one is hard! When I’m tempted it’s so easy to push off thoughts of God and to live in accord with my own self. I don’t want to go towards God, but I want to go towards sin. But this is unhealthy and foolish. Ultimately it’s the grace of the Lord that will empower us to resist sin, but he does not leave us defenseless.  Paul covers a list of the “armor of God” in Ephesians 6, but I especially like how the NIV translates Eph 6:18 - And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Remember, prayer is essentially expressing our dependence on God. So resist sin with prayers! And even better, when tempted to wallow in self-pity or self-centeredness or whatever sins plague you, instead spend that time actively praying!
   
   
6. Pray Out Loud – There’s nothing wrong with praying silently, and a lot of praying will probably be done silently, but whenever the opportunity is there to pray out loud, I encourage you to do it. Listening and thinking about your words will be reassuring to your own ears, and it will help stay focused too. Whenever I pray in my mind, I find it easy to drift off onto other topics and before I realize it I’ve not been praying. We are less distracted when we are articulating our words.
   
   
7. Pray Often – Short prayers or long prayers, major things or small things, all of them are worth going to the Lord. The parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 is very encouraging to me. How much more does our Father love us! The chorus of “What a Friend We Have In Jesus” states: Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Are you needlessly bearing burdens? Take them to the Lord in prayer.
   
   
8. Practice Praying – It’s easy to think negatively of ourselves and minimize our praying. Who are we comparing ourselves to? Jesus is pleased with us, not ashamed of us (Heb 2:11). He’s not impressed by strutting and showcasing (Mt 6:1-8); he wants to hear us pray. But you might say, “I don’t know how to pray. I sound dumb. I don’t know what to say. Doesn’t God already know what I want?” Prayer is a muscle that grows in confidence in the Lord as we use it. It will stay weak and undeveloped if we neglect it. So practice praying! Make a plan and then strive to stick to it, keeping in mind that your work isn’t to gain merit with God (since He’s already supremely pleased in Christ, He is pleased with you!), but your work is to spend time with God. Plan to get up 15 minutes early to pray first thing. Pray during your lunch break. Or maybe try fasting, abstaining from food and during those times of hunger, go to the Lord. Whatever you do, do it for the Lord and grow your dependence on him.
   
   
9. Praise God – One of the classic prayer acronyms is ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. For me, it’s very easy to spend a lot of time in the Confession or Supplication mode, but one of my goals is to spend more time in the Adoration and Thanksgiving portion of praying. God is worthy of praise and all glory, and prayer is one of the best ways to praise Him. Adoring God and praising him for Who He Is leads to much gratitude and joy, I have found.
   
   
10. Share With Others – Write down your prayers and list out when/how God answers them. Tell other people about God moving in your life, encouraging one another however He answers. Don’t steal the glory from God whenever He does something remarkable. Be quick to look for His hand. As believers, we don’t believe in coincidence or luck. Our God is not capricious or acting on whims, but He is working a plan for our good.  Keep an eye open for the evidence of grace and praise God for working those graces out in us!

Great Resources

1. Prayer, by Tim Keller
2. The Songs of Jesus, by Tim Keller
3. Pray for the Flock, by Brian Croft & Ryan Fullerton
4. Pray Big, by Alistair Begg
5. The Secret Key to Heaven, by Thomas Brooks
6. Prayer, by John Bunyan

The guy I stayed with had his shower lined with ziplock bags. Inside the ziplock bags, he wrote passages of Scripture on note cards, and the ziplock bags waterproofed them so that he could memorize scripture while he showered! He had a laminated copy of a chapter of Romans hung on the bathroom mirror. He had a cardholder taped to his steering wheel so that he could work on memorizing scripture at stop lights.

He also happened to be the kindest and most tender-hearted guy I have ever met.
I don't think those two realities are accidental.

I am not like this guy, but I want to be more like him. And I think that I, or we, have a unique opportunity this coming year as we start walking through the book of Hebrews.

Personally, Hebrews is my favorite book of Scripture. In my opinion, no other book in the New Testament shows how the Old Testament points to Jesus as the book of Hebrews does. The author goes to great lengths to show that Christ is better than everything that has been pointing to him: angels, Moses, the high priests, the sacrifices offered, everything!

And over this next year, we have the opportunity to slowly, carefully, and thoughtfully consider these things as we gather together on Sundays. But instead of showing up and encountering the passage for the first time when we gather, what if we mulled it over in our minds the days prior? What if we let it tumble around in our mind so much that we committed it to memory? What if we did that for the next year and were able to memorize the entire book of Hebrews? How amazing would that be?

If you look through the schedule, there are a couple of weeks where this goal would be a stretch, but most weeks, we are only covering a handful of Scriptures. But what if we, with the Lord's aid, could do this? We would spend this next year considering how Jesus is better than everything else in the Scriptures. Letting that reality soak into our bones would hopefully, make me (and whoever else does this) a little more kinder, more tender-hearted, more like the Christ we consider by this time next year.

Click HERE to Download the Passages for our Hebrews Series

Click HERE to Listen to Our Hebrews Sermons

“I can’t do it!”  It was 2 AM on Christmas Eve and I was trying my best to put together a giant dollhouse. None of the screws would go all the way into their holes. Half the walls were turned around backward. And I somehow had 5 extra pieces that I had no clue where they belonged. 

“I can’t do it!” This is what you say when you come to the end of trying. It’s what you say when you want to throw up your arms and give up. It’s what you cry out when you need someone to help you. It’s what you say when you come to the end of yourself. 

It’s also what you say when you try to be a perfect Christian. At least it’s what I say when I try hard to keep this church covenant. At the end of the day or a week, I am often reminded just how much I come up short on obeying the “one another” passages of Scripture.

I try really hard and fail to love my brothers and sisters like God calls me to. I give it my best shot but I still can’t be perfectly holy in all my actions. I want the task of making disciples to be the great aim of my life but I get distracted by Netflix or NFL football.

Our Church Covenant ends like this: “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.”

Our covenant ends with a prayer because none of us can keep this covenant on our own. We need Jesus. We need one another. We need God’s help. These are the truths that our covenant reminds us:

Our covenant reminds us that we need Jesus.  Jesus is the only person who has ever fully and faithfully obeyed the Father. He kept the law perfectly when we failed miserably to keep it. He went to the cross to bear the punishment for our sin. Then he rose again to give us resurrection life to walk in.

Our covenant also reminds us that we need each other. We cannot live the Christian life alone. Our covenant reminds us that our brothers and sisters are here for us. They are here to love us, to care for us, to pray for us, to repent with us when we fail, and to spur us on to greater obedience. 

Our covenant reminds us that we need to pray. The only way that we can ever obey this covenant is for us to admit that we need God’s help. We must pray in desperation daily that God’s Spirit would empower us to walk in obedience. We need the Lord’s help and prayer is expressed helplessness. 

The good news for Christ Fellowship Church is that the Lord cares more about his glory than we do. He cares more about us loving and caring for one another than we do. So when we pray for the Lord’s help in keeping this covenant, we can be sure that this is a prayer that he joyfully loves to answer.  

Meditate on God’s Word

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”  -2 Corinthians 13:14

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. “ - Hebrews 13:20-21

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” - Jude 24–25

Questions for Application

1. How does the gospel deliver us from trying to fulfill this covenant on our own or from feeling like a failure because we can’t do it?
   
   
2. Why do we constantly need prayer as God’s people? What can we be praying for specifically?
   
   
3. What has changed about how you see the church or how you love the church because of the covenant study this semester? What will be different?

Close by praying that God would work in our church and through our church for his glory.

Click HERE to download a PDF of this study.

What comes to your mind when you think about the word “church”? Do you think about a building? Do you think about a service? Do you think about an institution? It can be easy to be a part of a church (maybe even your whole life) but be confused about what exactly the church of Jesus is.

Some people see the church as an activity. They see the church as another event on the calendar. I go to workout on Monday nights. I have lunch scheduled on Thursday with my coworker. And then I go to church on Sunday.  Church is just another activity. 

Some people see the church as optional. They see the church as a great choice out of a whole slew of choices. Should I go to church this Sunday or go play golf? Should we go to church or should we leave early to visit my wife’s family? Should we go to church or have a day at home? Church is just one of many options.

Some people see the church as limited to Sunday mornings. Church is what takes place at 10:30 AM on Sundays. Hopefully, it finishes before noon so we can beat other churches to restaurants. Church is just what we do on Sundays

But the Scriptures are clear: Church is not an activity. Church is not optional. Church is not just what takes place on Sundays. Church is not what we do. It’s who we are. We are the church. When we were redeemed by the blood of Jesus we are not just given a new identity as individual Christians. We were united to a people, the church.

Our Church Covenant reads: “We will, when we move from this place, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.”

This might be the most important study of the whole covenant study. Because how you see the church is how you will treat the church. If you see the church as an optional activity that takes place on Sundays, you’re not going to be committed to our church and you probably won’t prioritize going to one when you move to another city. 

But if you see the church as the Bride of Christ that was purchased by Jesus’ precious blood, then Sundays will start looking a lot more precious to you. If you see the church as the people of God that you belong to, then you won’t just clear your Sundays. You will be clearing off your weekdays to spend time with God’s people too.

If you see the church not as what you do but who you are, then you will see it as first priority to find a church when you move from this city.  You will see it as vital for your Christian life. If I don’t have God’s people around me, then I am missing a central part of what makes me who I am. And that’s a lot bigger than a Sunday morning.

Meditate on God’s Word

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,  praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.  - Acts 2:42–47

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” -1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Questions for Application

1. What comes to your mind when you think about the word “church”? Why does it matter how you understand the church?
   
   
2. How does the gospel shape how we see the body of Christ? How can we live seeing ourselves as a part of the body rather than just as an individual Christian?
   
   
3. Why is it vital that you quickly join a church if you ever move from Bowling Green?

Close by praying that God would help us cherish his church and renew our commitment to one another within the body of Christ.

Click HERE to download a PDF of this study.

We live in a world that rejoices when people feel blessed. Check out any social media platform and you will see people use the tag #Blessed.  Did you get a brand-new car? #Blessed. Did the person in front of you in the drive-thru at Starbucks pay for your order? #Blessed. What about that beautiful sunset? #Blessed.  I think you get the picture. 

The good news of the gospel is that there is no such time as a Christian who is not #Blessed. The Lord has blessed you in more ways than you can measure. There was an old hymn that said “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done.” We should do this more and more as blessed sons and daughters of the King. 

First, we should thank the Lord for Jesus. All Christians have all been blessed richly by God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says that God has blessed us “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” No matter the size of your bank account, you are filthy rich for all eternity in Christ.

Second, we should thank the Lord for all the other ways he blesses us through Jesus. God has blessed us with salvation. God has blessed us with family. God has blessed us with this church. God has blessed us with money. God has blessed us with various gifts to serve. God has blessed us with passion for his glory. God has blessed us with time. 

Our Church Covenant reads: “We will contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry that the gospel of Jesus Christ might go forth into our city and to the ends of the earth.”

The question is not whether or not our church has been blessed. The question is, how are we stewarding the blessings that God has given we? Are we stewarding them for God’s glory or are we stewarding them for our own glory? Are we loving others with these blessings or are we using them for ourselves?

The Lord has a purpose for everything that he has given you. The Lord wants you to steward all of these gifts for his glory and for the good of others. So ask yourself today, are you using your money for the glory of God and the good of others? Are you using your spiritual gifts for the glory of God and the good of others? What about the gospel? What about your time? What about your passions?

Here’s the deal: God cares more about how you give than what you give. The Bible makes this clear when Paul tells the church at Corinth: “God loves a cheerful giver.” 

God doesn’t want his people to give reluctantly.  God doesn’t want us to give and then regret it. God doesn’t need a church full of Eeyores from Winnie the Pooh. God wants a church full of joyful Christians who gladly give for his glory and for the good of a watching world. 

Meditate on God’s Word

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”  - 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” - Romans 12:13

Questions for Application

1. How have you been blessed by God? Let’s go around and count together the many blessings of God in our lives.
   
   
2. In what ways can you more faithfully steward the blessings that God has given you? Think about how you use your time, your money, your gifts, the gospel, etc.
   
   
3. Why would God be more concerned with how we give rather than what we give?

Close by praying as a group that God would find our church faithful as good stewards.

Click HERE to download a PDF of this study.