After Pentecost | Tuesday 04 Jun 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O God, the protector of all those who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
Increase and multiply upon us your mercy,
that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal
that we lose not the things eternal;
grant this, heavenly Father,
for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
As [Paul and Barnabas]
were going through Phoenicia and Samaria,
they told the whole story of how
non-Jewish people were turning to God.
This story brought great joy to all the believers.
(Acts 15:3)
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From Psalms: 99 – Northland Church
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OT Reading: 1 Samuel 2:18-21 (GW)
The Faithfulness of Samuel’s Family
2:18 Meanwhile, Samuel continued to serve in front of the Lord. As a boy he was ⌞already⌟ wearing a linen ephod. His mother would make him a robe and bring it to him every year when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
Eli would bless Elkanah (and his wife) and say, “May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one which she has given to the Lord.” Then they would go home.
The Lord came to Hannah. She became pregnant ⌞five times⌟ and had three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in front of the Lord.
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Faith & Faithfulness – New Wine Worship
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NT Reading: Acts 15:1-5, 22-35 (GW)
Controversy about Moses’ Teachings
15:1 Some men came from Judea and started to teach believers that people can’t be saved unless they are circumcised as Moses’ Teachings require. Paul and Barnabas had a fierce dispute with these men. So Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were sent to Jerusalem to see the apostles and spiritual leaders about this claim.
The church sent Paul and Barnabas ⌞to Jerusalem⌟. As they were going through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told the whole story of how non-Jewish people were turning to God. This story brought great joy to all the believers.
The church in Jerusalem, the apostles, and the spiritual leaders welcomed Paul and Barnabas when they arrived. Paul and Barnabas reported everything that God had done through them. But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “People who are not Jewish must be circumcised and ordered to follow Moses’ Teachings.”
5:22 Then the apostles, the spiritual leaders, and the whole church decided to choose some of their men to send with Paul and Barnabas to the city of Antioch. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, who were leaders among the believers. They wrote this letter for them to deliver:
From the apostles and the spiritual leaders, your brothers.
To their non-Jewish brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.
Dear brothers and sisters, We have heard that some individuals who came from us have confused you with statements that disturb you. We did not authorize these men ⌞to speak⌟. So we have come to a unanimous decision that we should choose men and send them to you with our dear Barnabas and Paul. Barnabas and Paul have dedicated their lives to our Lord, the one named Jesus Christ. We have sent Judas and Silas to report to you on our decision. The Holy Spirit and we have agreed not to place any additional burdens on you. Do only what is necessary by keeping away from food sacrificed to false gods, from eating bloody meat, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual sins. If you avoid these things, you will be doing what’s right.
Farewell!
5:30 So the men were sent on their way and arrived in the city of Antioch. They gathered the congregation together and delivered the letter. When the people read the letter, they were pleased with the encouragement it brought them. Judas and Silas, who were also prophets, spoke a long time to encourage and strengthen the believers.
After Judas and Silas had stayed in Antioch for some time, the congregation sent them back to Jerusalem with friendly greetings to those who had sent them. Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. They and many others taught people about the Lord’s word and spread the Good News.
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Good News – Bryan & Katie Torwalt
Line by line it was written
Hope in every sentence
He was good start to finish
Yes He was
The words that usher His presence
And tell of the glories of heaven
The earth that still shakes at the mention
Yes it does
I’ve got good news
For the broken, for the hurting
He came for you
In your hoping, in your searching
One thing remains true
Jesus is still our Good News
Freeing each soul that was bound up
Loving the one who was unloved
Giving mercy to sinners
And he still does
His love is as vast as an ocean
He cares for the poor and the orphaned
The healer that stopped for the one
And He still does
What joy, what relief
His blood washed me clean
There’s still hope for me
For all He has redeemed
He wrote a better story
He has set me free
There’s still hope for me
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+ O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
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- Protect Israel from the fiery darts of the evil one coming from every direction, both within and without.
- Grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, and diplomatically;
- Give them hearts to receive, and the courage to do, what’s right in your sight.
- Comfort those who grieve and mourn the loss of loved ones;
- Rebuke those who would use grief for evil purposes.
- Bring swift and certain justice to all those complicit in the Oct 7th atrocities;
- Deliver the hostages from captivity, and restore their souls.
- Destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.
- Strengthen the Messianic communities – Jew and Arab alike – bind them together in love, that they may be a source of help, healing, and hope;
- Use them in the restoration of your people to their proper place in your Kingdom.
- We pray in Jesus’ Name.
+ Almighty God our Savior, you desire that none should perish, and you have taught us through your Son that there is great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents: Grant that our hearts may ache for a lost and broken world. May your Holy Spirit work through our words, deeds, and prayers, that the lost may be found and the dead made alive, and that all your redeemed may rejoice around your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
If God wants to demonstrate his anger and reveal his power, he can do it. But can’t he be extremely patient with people who are objects of his anger because they are headed for destruction? Can’t God also reveal the riches of his glory to people who are objects of his mercy and who he had already prepared for glory? This is what God did for us whom he called—whether we are Jews or not.
The crowd answered, “You’re possessed by a demon! Who wants to kill you?”
As Scripture says:
Hannah responded, “No sir. I’m not drunk. I’m depressed. I’m pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don’t take me to be a good-for-nothing woman. I was praying like this because I’ve been troubled and tormented.”
The Peanut Gallery 