Matthew 6:5-15 ESV 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: ​ 10 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ​ 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. BACK TO PRAYER

Prayer I once heard someone say when commenting on prayer that “Everyone seems to believe in it, but few seem to do it.” Embracing prayer as a spiritual discipline might mean that we don’t just relegate our engagement in this activity to accessing God in times of need or offering a casual prayer at the dinner table. Rather, the discipline of prayer, as an act of worship, involves the intentional seeking after God’s heart in a way that allows for our hearts to be joined with His purposes. Perhaps it could be said that prayer should involve pronouns that are less associated with I and me, and more connected to You (God). In other words, God certainly desires to receive our petitions as part of prayer, but the foundation of prayer is intended to recognize God for who He is and what He has done so that we might position ourselves in a place of reverence, humility and submission. Jesus modeled this well for us. Prayer shouldn’t be viewed as a passive activity, but rather our consistent engagement in prayer can prove to be a game changer in relation to advancing our spiritual growth. Possible Action Steps: Commit to the daily practice of prayer. Be willing to work through the awkwardness of prayer to discover the fruitfulness of prayer. Determine to practice “in-the-moment” prayer as a demonstration of worship and dependence upon God. Subscribe to become a part of the Grace email Prayer Chain and/or join a Sunday morning Prayer Group . Read a book that encourages the value of prayer. Find a prayer partner(s) to pray with on a regular basis. Read and study in detail The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15 ) and Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer (John 17 ). Consider the way Paul demonstrated the value of prayer in his letters to churches and individuals.

05 Salvation We believe salvation is a gift of God received through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and His sacrifice for sin. We believe that a person is justified by grace through faith apart from works and that all true believers have eternal life. Saving faith includes repentance, which is a change of mind about sin and the need for Jesus as Savior. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16; I John 5:1013; Mark 1:15)

Bible Study Bible Study might be considered as a next level practice in the context of Bible reading. While Bible reading may be more devotional in nature, Bible study could be characterized by engaging in a deeper dive into Scripture. Bible study commonly involves an approach that is dedicated to a smaller collection of chapters/verses, with the priority of pursuing depth over distance. Bible study can also involve things like the study of characters, themes, words, topics, etc. Whether pursuing one of these specific areas of study or considering an approach that moves from chapter-to-chapter or verse-by-verse, the shared goals include understanding and applying God’s Word. ​ Possible Action Steps: Select a book or passage of the Bible to study. Consider purchasing, or finding free online resources, to assist you with Bible study. e.g. a concordance, commentaries, and a Bible atlas . Familiarize yourself with key book themes, chapter themes and verses. Find a Bible study partner, with the goal of discussing what you are learning and experiencing. Create a Read – Reflect – Respond journal to coincide with your Bible reading. Experiment with different approaches to Bible study as referenced in the paragraph above.

Romans Road 1) I’m a “good person” do I really need salvation? In many years of talking to people, I think 9 out of 10 people categorize themselves as “good” people and don’t understand their need for salvation. ​ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) ​ As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10) ​ Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. (Romans 5:12) 2) I’m not a really bad person, is my sin really that bad? Almost everyone considers themselves to be “relatively” better than others and so forgive themselves for their “relatively” minor sins. ​ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) 3) I’m too bad to be saved, how can there be any hope for me? Those, who don’t consider themselves better than others, often consider themselves to have missed the mark, with so many sins stacked up on their side of the scale, that there’s no hope for them. ​ But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) 4) How can I be saved? The concept of salvation by faith is alien to our human nature, we want to do something to earn our salvation, but the task is too great for us, we need divine intervention. ​ Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10) BACK TO BIBLE MEMORIZATION

John 17 ESV 17 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. ​ 6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. ​ 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” BACK TO PRAYER

07 Ordinances We believe that water baptism and the *Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation. (Acts 8:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28) ​ *Communion is open to all who have trusted Christ as Savior whether members of Grace or not and is observed on the first Sunday of each month.

Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV 2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. BACK TO BIBLE MEMORIZATION

03 Jesus Christ We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man in indivisible union. We believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His substitutionary atonement through His shed blood, His death and bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His future bodily return in power and glory. (John 1:1,14; Philippians 2:6-8; 1 Timothy 3:16; Revelation 19:11-16; I Corinthians 15:1-8)

Fellowship God doesn’t intend for us to live on an island, and it is evident that isolation is a key enemy of spiritual growth. The early church seemed to understand this concept, but modern cultural arrangements and influences often work against this value, and there is no doubt that it has found its way into the church. As believers, our engagement in fellowship should be intentional. From gathering corporately, to engaging in a small group, or attending a class or ministry event of some kind, our connection with fellow believers can prove to enhance our practical and spiritual development. It’s important that we embrace the idea of living in relationship with others, and then create space within our lives to accommodate this biblical value. Possible Action Steps: Commit to regularly attending Sunday worship services. Commit to involvement in a learning/relational community such as a GraceGroup , a Sunday morning class, or midweek ministry. Take advantage of opportunities to become involved in casual social events at the church. Explore the meaning and value of biblical fellowship that moves beyond casual engagement. Invite a couple or two to your home for dinner to break bread, get to know one another, and prayer over some represented needs. Become intentional about forging a meaningful relationship with a few people for the purpose of sharing with, and caring for, one another. Examine your life schedule and activities for the purpose of intentionally creating space for fellowship.