Tag: miraculous signs will accompany those who believe

Tuesday of 2nd Week of Easter, 25 Apr – Mark 16:15-20 ~ power outage?

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening Prayer

Lord God, grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may receive power from on high, and show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Reading: Mark 16:15-20 (NLT)

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
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Reflection & Prayer:

Peanut Gallery: There was a power outage at our house today – nothing serious, only for a couple of hours.

The lights were out, no stove or refrigerator, no music or news, and the garage door wouldn’t open. Our cell phones worked as long as the batteries held out, but we couldn’t recharge them.

I’m over-stating the case. We live in a South Carolina hurricane zone and do know how to cope with power outages.

Still, it got me thinking about today’s reading and the church. Is today’s church trying to function in the middle of a serious spiritual power outage? Have God’s people become powerless? Is a power outage the new normal for the church?

God of power and might: send us your Spirit. Fill your church and your people with your power.

+ Bind us to our Lord Jesus Christ, as the branches draw life from the vine.
+ Send us into the world to preach, teach and heal with the power of your Spirit.
+ Prepare the lost, the sick, the demonized, and the broken-hearted to believe and be baptized.
+ Work through us, Lord, confirming what we do and say by miraculous signs.

God of power and might: we must decrease so that you may increase – for apart from you, we can do nothing. We pray, come Holy Spirit, through our Lord Jesus Christ and for your glory. Amen.
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“Fall Afresh” – Amanda Cook (Bethel Music)


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Concluding Prayer

I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. – Psalm 89:1-2
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: 14 May – Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20 ~ prelude to power

The Ascension of the Lord

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence and prayer:

You, Christ, are the king of glory.
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Lord Jesus, on this day You promised the Holy Spirit to the apostles, for the spreading of Your gospel to the ends of the earth – strengthen us by the power of the Spirit in bearing witness before the world. Fill us with a holy joy; teach us how to thank You with reverence and love on account of the ascension of Christ Your Son. You have raised us up with Him: where He, the head, has preceded us in glory, there we, the body, are called in hope. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Reading from Acts: Acts 1:1-11 (NLT)

In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

power button wings black

Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
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A Reading from the Letters: Ephesians 1:17-23 (NLT)

youth_praying

I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called — his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else — not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
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Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world. (Matthew 28:19-20)
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A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 16:15-20 (NLT)

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
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Canticle

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing:

May 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.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 25 Apr – 1 Peter 5:5-14; Mark 16:15-20 ~ humble yourself; stay alert; stand firm

Saturday of the Third Week of Easter

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence and prayer:

Strengthen your people in faith and love.
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Almighty God, You chose apostles and ennobled them with grace to preach the gospel. Let their teaching so improve our lives that we may walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

A Reading from the Letters: 1 Peter 5:5-14 (NLT)

All of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

humble yourself 1

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen.

I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.

Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet each other with a kiss of love.

Peace be with all of you who are in Christ.
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We proclaim Christ crucified; he is the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:23-24)
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A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 16:15-20 (NLT)

tell everyone jesus-1

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
__________


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Canticle

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing:

May 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.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen