+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Prayer
Confirm, O God, in unity and truth the church you gather in Christ. Encourage the fervent, enlighten the doubtful, and bring back the wayward. Bind us together in mutual love, that our prayer in Christ’s name may be pleasing to you. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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“Psalm 105” – Salvo Studios
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Reading: Matthew 18:15-20 (NLT)
“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.
“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
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Intercessory Prayer
God of grace and glory, receive our prayers in these troubled times –
+ That leaders of nations may seek the path of peace…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the world may be spared from the horrors of nuclear war…. Lord, hear us
+ That people suffering because of hurricanes and flooding may get the help they need…. Lord, hear us.
+ That all believers may courageously help each other to live what we believe…. Lord, hear us.
+ That prophets may never be afraid to speak the truth, kindly and in love…. Lord, hear us.
+ That those who live close to us may receive love and understanding from us…. Lord, hear us.
+ That those who have gone before us in faith may be included among the saints in glory…. Lord, hear us.
O God our creator, you are the rock who saves us: hear the cries of your people and help us in our needs, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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“Eye of the Storm” – Ryan Stevenson
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Concluding Prayer – Philippians 4:19 (CEV)
I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NLT) – You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
All Scripture is Inspired by God
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NLT) – But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Preach the Word of God
2 Timothy 4:1-4 (NLT) – I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
2 Timothy 4:22 (NLT) – May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you.
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Lord God: We are living in difficult times, and your church is under great stress and persecution around the world. I pray for those you have raised up to lead your people –
+ that they would be humble and reverent, placing the good of your people above their own personal gain.
+ that they would exemplify love and forgiveness and self-control, even towards those who would do them harm.
+ that they would love what is good and right, and speak and act only in the power of the Holy Spirit.
+ that they would remain faithful to the truth and wisdom revealed through the holy Scriptures.
+ that they would preach the Word of God which leads to salvation that comes by trusting in Jesus Christ.
+ that they would always be prepared to patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people to do what is right.
Lord God: You have assured us that the gates of hell will not prevail against your church. May it be so – through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
John 14:1-3 (NLT) – “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am….”
John 14:6, 10-14 (NLT) – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me….”
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“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
John 14:15-17 (NLT) – “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you….
John 14:25-28 (NLT) – I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again….
Jesus the True Vine
John 15:5-8 (NLT) – “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father….
Love Each Other
John 15:12-17 (NLT) – “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other….
The World’s Hatred
John 15:18-19, 26-27 (NLT) – “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you….
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“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
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May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
Amos 1:1-2 (NLT) – This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel.
This is what he saw and heard:
“The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem! The lush pastures of the shepherds will dry up; the grass on Mount Carmel will wither and die.”
God’s Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
Amos 1:3 (NLT) – This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They beat down my people in Gilead as grain is threshed with iron sledges….
Amos 1:6 (NLT) – This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Gaza have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sent whole villages into exile, selling them as slaves to Edom….
Amos 1:9 (NLT) – This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Tyre have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They broke their treaty of brotherhood with Israel, selling whole villages as slaves to Edom….
Amos 1:11 (NLT) – This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords, showing them no mercy. In their rage, they slashed them continually and were unrelenting in their anger….
Amos 1:13 (NLT) – This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders, they ripped open pregnant women with their swords….
Amos 2:1 (NLT) – This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Moab have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They desecrated the bones of Edom’s king, burning them to ashes….
God’s Judgment on Judah and Israel
Amos 2:4-5 (NLT) – This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instruction of the Lord, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors. So I will send down fire on Judah, and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed.”
Amos 2:6-7 (NLT) – This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sell honorable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals. They trample helpless people in the dust and shove the oppressed out of the way. Both father and son sleep with the same woman, corrupting my holy name….
Amos 3:1-2 (NLT) – Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel—against the entire family I rescued from Egypt:
“From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins.”
Witnesses against Guilty Israel
Amos 3:7-8 (NLT) – Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared—so who isn’t frightened? The Sovereign Lord has spoken—so who can refuse to proclaim his message?
Amos 3:12-15 (NLT) – This is what the Lord says:
“A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion’s mouth will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear. So it will be for the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds, and for the people of Damascus reclining on couches.
“Now listen to this, and announce it throughout all Israel,” says the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
“On the very day I punish Israel for its sins, I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy—their winter mansions and their summer houses, too—all their palaces filled with ivory,” says the Lord.
Israel’s Failure to Learn
Amos 4:1-3 (NLT) – Listen to me, you fat cows living in Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, and who are always calling to your husbands, “Bring us another drink!”
The Sovereign Lord has sworn this by his holiness: “The time will come when you will be led away with hooks in your noses. Every last one of you will be dragged away like a fish on a hook! You will be led out through the ruins of the wall; you will be thrown from your fortresses,” says the Lord….
Amos 4:6-10 (NLT) – “I brought hunger to every city and famine to every town. But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.
“I kept the rain from falling when your crops needed it the most. I sent rain on one town but withheld it from another. Rain fell on one field, while another field withered away. People staggered from town to town looking for water, but there was never enough. But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.
“I struck your farms and vineyards with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured all your fig and olive trees. But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.
“I sent plagues on you like the plagues I sent on Egypt long ago. I killed your young men in war and led all your horses away. The stench of death filled the air! But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.
Amos 4:12-13 (NLT) – “Therefore, I will bring upon you all the disasters I have announced. Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!”
For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads on the heights of the earth. The Lord God of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
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May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
Proverbs 22:17-19 (NLT) – Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction. For it is good to keep these sayings in your heart and always ready on your lips. I am teaching you today—yes, you—so you will trust in the Lord.
Lord God: Write your words on my heart that I may live wisely and learn to trust you in all things.
+ You have made both rich and poor; may I be generous in caring for the needy, and a defender of those who cannot defend themselves.
+ You have made me a citizen of your Kingdom; may my life reflect true humility and reverence, with a loving heart and gracious speech.
+ You have given me family, friends and neighbors; may I associate only with those who are even-tempered and encouraging, who refresh my soul.
+ You have given me abilities to use and work to do; may I keep these in balance with my responsibilities to you and my family, may I know when to quit and go home.
+ You have given me opportunities to share your wisdom with others, may I have the discernment to recognize those who are receptive and those who are not.
Lord God: Write your words on my heart that I may live wisely and learn to trust you in all things. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
The Peanut Gallery 