BIG IDEA We are invited by Jesus to follow Him. READING Matt. 4; John 3 THOUGHTS Between 25 and 30 AD, Jesus began to travel through ancient Israel, inviting people to follow Him—to leave all they were doing and those they loved to be with Him, to sleep where He slept, to travel where He...Read More

BIG IDEA If we follow Jesus, we need to get baptized. READING Rom. 6:2–10; Col. 2:10–13 THOUGHTS Did you know that every religious tradition has cleansing rites to purify and prepare people to approach God? In ancient Judaism, ritual cleansing was a part of everyday religious life. Temple worship required priests to use a ceremonial basin,...Read More

BIG IDEA God’s Spirit changes everything. READING Acts 2; 1 Pet. 1, 2 THOUGHTS Inside The moment you put your faith in Jesus, God sends His Spirit to live in you. This is God’s promise to you (Ezek. 36:27; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19–20). Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to...Read More

BIG IDEA We build a relationship with God by intentionally connecting with Him each day. READING Adam and Eve—Gen. 3:8; Enoch—Gen. 5:22–24; Abraham— Gen. 17:1; Isaac—Gen. 26:24; Jacob—Gen. 35:9; Noah—Gen. 6:13; Moses—Exod. 24:12-13; Samuel—1 Sam. 3:10; David—Ps. 5:3; Isa- iah—Isa. 50:4. THOUGHTS Our relationship with God grows through regular connections. The example that we have...Read More

BIG IDEA Prayer is as simple as talking to God. READING Matt. 6:5–18 THOUGHTS Many people get stuck because of their misconceptions of prayer. They feel that they need to use particular words. They think that there’s a specific way to pray. They believe that one must come up with a great sounding prayer to...Read More

BIG IDEA Reading the Bible is essential to growing in faith. READING Ps. 1; Ps. 19 THOUGHTS As we will discover in the theology section, the Bible is God’s view of the world, collected for us. This is important because life is filled with voices that tell us what to believe and how to live....Read More

BIG IDEA We can learn to study the Bible. READING 2 Tim. 3:14–4:4; Heb. 4:12 THOUGHTS As we have learned, God speaks to us as we spend time reading the Bible. As we invest time studying the Bible, we can grow deeper in our understanding and love for God. Proper hermeneutics (how to interpret the...Read More

BIG IDEA You are connected to other followers of Jesus. READING 1 Cor. 12:12–27 THOUGHTS When you come to faith, you become a child of God. As God’s child, you become part of a worldwide spiritual family called the Church. The Church is not a building, a brand, or an institution. It’s a group of imperfect...Read More