Engage God Daily

The Big Story | One Church - But God: The Ground Floor of Grace

Big Story Pt. 3 | Week 8 | Ephesians 2:4–10 Pentecost lit the fuse — now comes the hard question: how do people this different become one? This week in the Big Story, we land in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, where he lays out the only foundation that can hold a divided world together: grace. Before Paul ever talks about unity in the church, he makes sure we understand what saved us. And the answer is the same for every single person who has ever walked through the door: but God. In today's episode, Lisa walks through Ephesians 2:4–10, where Paul piles up words — glory, grace, mercy, love, riches, kindness — because no single word is enough. We were dead. God made us alive. We were raised up with Christ, seated with Christ, joined to Christ. None of it was earned. All of it was gift. That's not just good theology. It's the ground floor of Christian unity. In this episode: * Why Paul starts with our condition before talking about the church's condition * The three "with Christ" verbs that show salvation is more than rescue — it's union * What theologian Michael Gorman calls "cruciformity" and why it matters * How shared grace — not shared preferences or politics — is the only real foundation for oneness Scripture: Ephesians 2:4–10 Reflection questions: * Where have you started to believe that your standing with God has something to do with you? * Where have you quietly ranked yourself against other believers — or assumed your convictions are the better ones? * What would change if you returned to the ground floor, where we are all simply people made alive by a God rich in mercy? Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney [https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney] Get the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGD [https://cfhome.org/EGD] If you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org. [https://cfhome.org]

The Big Story | Live the Story

We've arrived at the You Are Here dot on the Big Story timeline — and it turns out, we're still standing on it. This week's journey through Acts 1–2 wasn't just history. It's our story. In this wrap-up episode, Lisa invites us to reflect on the week, celebrate the God who keeps every promise, and consider how the four rhythms of the early church can take root in our own lives today. The same Spirit who launched the church at Pentecost lives in you. Scripture: Acts 1–2 (Week Review) Live It Out — Four Practices for a Spirit-Filled Life: 1. Open your Bible daily. Let the apostles' teaching shape how you see the world. (You're already doing this — keep going.) 2. Pursue real fellowship. Invite someone to coffee or into your home. Join a life group. Move past surface-level connection into honest, life-shaping community. 3. Practice generosity. Find a need around you and meet it — not out of obligation, but out of the overflow of what God has given you. 4. Pray with others. Find a friend, family member, or small group and pray together. A community at prayer seeks God's direction together. Tell the Story: The mission Jesus gave his disciples in Acts 1:8 is ours too. You don't have to preach a sermon. Share something you learned this week, or simply tell someone what God has been doing in your life. The Spirit who gave Peter boldness in front of thousands can give you courage in a conversation with one. Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney [https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney] Get the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGD [https://cfhome.org/EGD] If you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org. [https://cfhome.org]

The Big Story | Acts - What Community Looks Like

Three thousand people just said yes to Jesus. Now what? Luke gives us a six-verse snapshot of the early church that is one of the most beautiful pictures of community in all of Scripture. In this episode, Lisa explores Acts 2:42–47 and the four practices that shaped the first believers: teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. This wasn't a burst of enthusiasm — it was devoted, sustained, Spirit-filled life together. And the result? The Lord added to their number daily. Scripture: Acts 2:42–47 Key Themes: * The meaning of devoted — persistent, focused commitment, not spiritual enthusiasm that fades * Koinonia: fellowship as shared life, not just shared space * Radical generosity as an overflow of love, not obligation * The early church as attractive — people wanted what they had * The Spirit-filled community as what God has been building toward since Genesis Reflection Questions: * What does your own experience with Christian community look like right now — does it resemble what Luke describes, or is that something you're still longing for? * What's one step you could take this week to move deeper into the kind of fellowship Acts 2 pictures? Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney [https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney] Get the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGD [https://cfhome.org/EGD] If you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org. [https://cfhome.org]

The Big Story | Acts - Peter Tells the Story

The crowd at Pentecost is confused and divided — some are amazed, some think the disciples are drunk. Then Peter stands up and does something remarkable: he weaves together Joel, the Psalms, and the life of Jesus to show that everything the Scriptures promised has just been fulfilled. In this episode, Lisa walks through Peter's sermon in Acts 2:14–41 — one of the most important theological declarations in the New Testament — and explores what it means for us to share the same story today. Scripture: Acts 2:14–41 Key Themes: * Peter's use of Joel 2 and Psalms 16 and 110 to explain Pentecost * The argument that Jesus is both Lord and Messiah * The crowd's response: "What shall we do?" — and Peter's gospel invitation * The promise extending to "all who are far off" — the Abrahamic blessing going to the nations * 3,000 respond and the church is born Reflection Questions: * Peter connected his message to what his listeners already knew and were experiencing. Who in your life is asking — even in their own way — what shall we do? * How might you share something from this week's study with them? Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney [https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney] Get the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGD [https://cfhome.org/EGD] If you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org. [https://cfhome.org]

The Big Story | Acts - The Spirit Arrives

Everything changes at Pentecost. The sound of rushing wind, tongues of fire, and suddenly the disciples are speaking in the native languages of people from every nation gathered in Jerusalem. In this episode, Lisa unpacks Acts 2:1–15 and traces the deep biblical echoes behind every detail — wind, fire, and language — showing how Pentecost begins to reverse what went wrong at the Tower of Babel. God's presence, once confined to a building people traveled to, now rests on every believer individually. Scripture: Acts 2:1–15 Key Themes: * The wind, fire, and languages as echoes of Genesis, Ezekiel, and Exodus * Pentecost as God's reversal of Babel — scattered nations beginning to be reunited * The Spirit moving from the temple to the people * The crowd's mixed reactions: amazement and mockery Reflection Questions: * How aware are you of the Spirit's presence in your daily life? * What would change if you began each day asking the Holy Spirit to guide your words, decisions, and attention to the people around you? Hear the message for this week's devotional on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney [https://www.youtube.com/@ChristFellowshipMcKinney] Get the written devotional at: https://cfhome.org/EGD [https://cfhome.org/EGD] If you are in the North Dallas area and would like to join us for services each week, you can find all the information at https://cfhome.org. [https://cfhome.org]