DEEPER DIVE - CCCSM

New City Catechism What does God require in the first three commandments? First, that we know and trust God as the only true and living God. Second, that we avoid all idolatry and do not worship God improperly. Third, that we treat God’s name with fear and reverence, honoring also his Word and works.

20  He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you  21  who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22  Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,  23  since you...

New City Catechism What is the law of God stated in the Ten Commandments? You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below—you shall not bow down to them or worship them. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Honor your fat...

13  Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  14  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,  15  but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  16  since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”  17 ...

New City Catechism Question 7 What does the law of God require? Personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience; that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbor as ourselves. What God forbids should never be done and what God commands should always be done.

6  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,  7  so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  8  Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you beli...

New City Catechism How can we glorify God? We glorify God by enjoying him, loving him, trusting him, and by obeying his will, commands, and law.

2  according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  4  to ...

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia"

New Year’s resolutions promise change through effort, but Scripture redirects hope to grace. The calendar shifts, yet Christ remains the same. Real transformation flows from dependence, not self-reinvention. This reflection invites believers to abandon performance, trust the unchanging Jesus, and walk into the new year anchored in grace.

In this Thanksgiving episode of Deeper Dive , we explore a distinctly Christian vision of gratitude. One that is rooted in truth. If the gospel is true, gratitude becomes unstoppable. Join as we remember, live, and worship with a thanksgiving grounded in reality, anchored in redemption, and aimed at Christ.

While Sundays explored identity, relationships, decisions, influence, anxiety, purpose, and hope, our Wednesdays were doing something just as important. They were teaching us how to feel our faith through the psalms. This episode weaves together every psalm we’ve sat with over the past several weeks... Psalm 3, 19, 15, 111, 101, 116, and 57 show how each shapes the inner life behind its theme. You...

In the final episode of Bible IRL, we explore what it really means to live in hope, not just talk about it. Drawing from James 1:22-25, Matthew 5:14-16, and Romans 8:18-39, this episode walks through the kind of hope that acts, shines, and endures.

Everyone’s chasing purpose, but what if it’s not something you find, but something you receive? In this Deeper Dive episode, we explore one of life’s biggest questions: Why am I here? From the world’s search for meaning to God’s design for our lives, we’ll trace the difference between self-made purpose and God-given identity. Through 1 Peter 2:9-11 and Ephesians 2:8-10, we’ll see that our purpose...

Life feels heavy, deadlines, drama, and pressure to perform. But God invites us to trade anxiety for His peace. In this episode, we dig into Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7, and Matthew 11:28-30 to explore how prayer, gratitude, and surrender lead to real rest. The peace you’re chasing isn’t found by running faster... It’s found in Christ alone.

What’s shaping you? In this episode of Bible IRL , Marcus Bratton explores how influence forms us from the inside out, and how we can resist the world’s mold, guard our hearts, and reflect Christ in all we do. Be careful what shapes you, and shine what He’s shaping in you.

Every day you and I make hundreds of decisions, some big, some small. But all of them reveal who or what we truly trust. In this episode of Bible IRL: Decisions , Marcus Bratton unpacks how God’s wisdom should guide our everyday choices, not just our instincts, fears, or what feels easiest in the moment. Drawing from Proverbs 3:5-6 and James 1:5, we’ll look at the sharp contrast between worldly wi...

How do our relationships reflect our relationship with Christ? In this episode, we explore Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 13 to see how humility, patience, kindness, forgiveness, and grace transform the way we treat friends, family, classmates, even people who test our patience. Real-life love shaped by the gospel isn’t easy, but it’s the clearest way the world sees Jesus in us.

“Who am I, really? In this episode of Bible IRL , we dive into what Scripture says about identity. From being created with intention (Psalm 139), to facing the reality of sin, to being redeemed and remade in Christ (Ephesians 2:10), we’ll unpack how God gives us an identity that’s secure, eternal, and freeing. Discover what it means to live out your true identity in Christ, day by day, IRL.”

In this kickoff episode of The Bible IRL , Marcus takes us on a deeper dive into why the Bible actually matters in real life. In a world filled with competing voices, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, friends, and even our own doubts, how do we know which voice to trust? Anchored in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, this episode unpacks three powerful reasons the Bible stands apart: it is historically grounded, accura...

SO WHAT?

In this episode, we trace the Bible’s unflinching realism about death and its breathtaking promise in Christ. After naming death as the last enemy, we show how Jesus’ resurrection vindicates His work, breaks sin’s penalty and power, and inaugurates the new creation. Along the way, we explore how resurrection hope changes grief, frees us from fear, fuels mission, and shapes everyday discipleship as...

This series walks through the whole story of sin and salvation. We unpack the sobering reality of sin... what it is biblically and theologically, how it enslaves and condemns, and how the Old Testament anticipates God’s promised victory. Our hope is in Christ’s triumph through His incarnation, perfect obedience, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection for us!

What does it mean that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan? In this episode of Deeper Dive , Marcus walks through three powerful passages, John 1:1–14, Matthew 5:17, and Mark 10:45, to show how Jesus is the Word made flesh, the one who completes the Law and the Prophets, and the servant King who gave His life as a ransom for many. From creation to the cross, the whole story of Scripture points...

In this episode, we continue our journey through the Old Testament, tracing how the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings foreshadow Christ. From Moses the mediator to David’s eternal throne, from the Temple to the sacrificial system, from the prophetic promises to the Psalms and Wisdom books... we see how every shadow points forward to Jesus. Along the way, we’ll explore Jonah as a sign of resurrec...