40 Days of Passion
Riches of the Cross
Do you ever feel like your desire for God is fading? Are you living in constant defeat? Do you feel like giving up because no matter how hard you try, God still feels so far away? Many Christ-followers are living in spiritual and emotional poverty because they have never fully discovered the Riches of the Cross. Christ died for you to experience an abundant and rich life. Beginning February 26, we will begin an ancient journey of examining the death of Christ that the people of faith have been voyaging for almost 2,000 years, as we prepare for Easter. Spanning 40 days, you will study about what it means to have the riches of God lavished on you through the Cross. The Riches of the Cross will overwhelm you with more joy, engulf you with more hope, and astonish you with more love, than you could have ever imagined. No more living in defeat, spiritual poverty or emotional bankruptcy. The Riches of the Cross are available for you, if you are willing to journey with Christ to the Cross.
We are asking for all those who call the Journey at First Baptist home, to commit to the following:
- Participate in all six weekend worship experiences and Consume (February 26 - April 6).
- Read the 40 daily readings in 40 Days of Passion devotions book that will be available free of charge for you this Sunday, February 26, after each service.
- Join with others in a Life Group to discuss the week’s teachings. If you are not in a Life Group, click here and sign up for JumpStart which begins on March 4. JumpStart is a six-week Life Group experience that allows you to test drive a Life Group over the 40 Days of Passion without having to make a long-term commitment
- Memorize a simple Bible verse each week from the 40 Days of Passion devotions book.
- Sacrifice one thing during the next 40 days as a statement to yourself and to God of your commitment to follow Him. Denying yourself something so you can focus more completely on God allows Him the opportunity to really work in your life. This means that for 40 days, you will give up something from your everyday life that occupies your time, in order to free you to spend that time with God. Here are some ideas:
- You may decide not to listen to the radio in your car so you can spend that time in prayer.
- You may decide on not using the television, Internet, iPhone, or other electronics. You may decide not to watch movies, read magazines, or play video games. Anything that occupies your time so you can spend more time in prayer and Scripture reading.
- You may decide to sacrifice an hour of sleep or give up lunch each day so you can spend that time reading the 40 Days of Passion devotional.
- You
may give up a bad habit and spend the time you dedicated to that habit
examining the riches of the Cross.