Monday Morning: 05 Aug 2019 – Ephesians 4:1-16 ~ Stay united in the Spirit.

Monday Morning

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

Opening (A Collect for the Renewal of Life – Monday)

O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Ephesians 4:1-16 (NLT)

Unity in the Body

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”

Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
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Morning Reflection:

Stay united in the Spirit.

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit,
binding yourselves together with peace. – Ephesians 4:3 –

Keeping a church together and moving in the same direction is like herding cats. It’s not a human enterprise; it requires an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit. But that’s just what it takes for a church to be healthy, growing, and full of love.

Paul writes: “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” It’s not that we create unity or harmony in the church, rather it’s about living into the unity that God has already established in Christ – i.e. lead a life worthy of God’s calling to be one body with Christ at the head. What does that involve?

+ humility and gentleness – seeing ourselves in the mirror of God’s grace, self-restraint
+ patience and forbearance – endurance, even when wronged
+ love and peace – staying together for the good of the whole church

Christians must preserve the unity between believers that God has created in the church. Paul viewed peace as what keeps potential factions together. He had in mind peace between all kinds of diverse groups in the church, the most basic being Jews and Gentiles. And what is the foundational basis of our unity?

+ one body and one Spirit
+ one glorious hope for the future
+ one Lord, one faith, one baptism
+ one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

Nevertheless, “idle hands are the devil’s tools.” So God has given each one of us something to do in the church – a way for each one of us to contribute to the good of the whole, to build up the body, to contribute to the health and growth of the body. And this, again, is the work of the Holy Spirit. And where are we headed together – what’s our destination?

Maturity: we will be “growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”

Questions for consideration:

humility and gentleness – How do you see yourself in the mirror of God’s mercy and grace? Please explain.
patience and forbearance – Has another believer wronged you? How have you responded? Please explain.
love and peace – How can you love believers that you don’t particularly like? What would it take to be a peacemaker in your church? Please explain.
Are you involved in a church ministry? What part do you play? How does it build up the church? How does it help you become more Christ-like? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer: – For the Unity of All Christian People

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace to take to heart the grave dangers we are in through our many divisions. Deliver your Church from all enmity and prejudice, and everything that hinders us from godly union. As there is one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so make us all to be of one heart and of one mind, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and love, that with one voice we may give you praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God in everlasting glory. Amen.

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“Make Us one” – Jesus Culture

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and 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 of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Friday Morning: 02 Aug 2019 – Ephesians 2:11-22 ~ You are a member of God’s family.

Friday Morning

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

Opening (A Collect for Endurance – Friday)

Almighty God, whose beloved Son first suffered pain and crucifixion before entering into glory: Mercifully grant that we, walking in his footsteps, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Ephesians 2:11-22 (NLT)

Oneness and Peace in Christ

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

A Temple for the Lord

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
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Morning Reflection:

You are a member of God’s family.

You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.
Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.
And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
– Ephesians 2:19-20 –

Jesus Christ broke down the wall that separated Jew and Gentile. In Christ, Jew and Gentile are reconciled – we are joined together into God’s family with all believers throughout the ages. And together, we are being built into God’s holy dwelling place – a spiritual dwelling place – the church.

+ Christ the Cornerstone: Christ reconciled Jew and Gentile to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

+ Apostle and Prophets the Foundation: God revealed himself to them, and they faithfully preserved this revelation in the Bible – the sole authority of faith and practice, and the foundation on which the church s built.

God’s plan for believers included the uniting of both Jewish and Gentile believers into one family, one body – the church universal. In it Jewish and Gentile believers stand with equal rights and privileges before God. Membership in this new body is one of the great blessings of believers in this present age.

Questions for consideration:

Do you know any Jewish believers in Jesus, the Messiah? Please explain.
Do you pray for the peace of Jerusalem? Is peace possible apart from Jesus Christ? Please explain.
God has united all believers into one family – the church universal. Nevertheless, we have many different cultural expressions of faith in Jesus Christ? Do you know any believers who are culturally different from you? Do you consider them part of your spiritual family? Please explain.
God has made us very different from one another, and yet – we are one in Christ Jesus. What can you learn from believers from a different culture? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer: For the Unity of all Believers –

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“Holy Name of Yeshua…” – Birgitta Veksler

Singer : Birgitta Veksler…Testimony

As part of the compulsory army service in Israel, Birgitta served in the IDF for two years as a lead singer in the army band. By the end of her service, she was bitten by a poisonous snake, in an accident that almost cost Birgitta her life and put her in a coma for two days. Birgitta’s brush with death brought her into a more intimate relationship with God, finding a deeper meaning to her life and her singing. She became a Messianic Jewish believer. Today Birgitta lives in Jerusalem with her husband , son and sings for Jesus the Lord & Savior.

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Closing:

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

Wednesday Morning: 31 Jul 2019 – Ephesians 1:15-23 ~ The church is the body of Christ.

Wednesday Morning

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

Opening (A Collect for Grace – Wednesday)

O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Ephesians 1:15-23 (NLT)

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. 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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Morning Reflection:

The church is his body;
it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
– Ephesians 1:23 –

In today’s reading, Paul has moved from praising who has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (vs 1:3), to praying that the church might grow in wisdom and understanding of the “incredible greatness” of God’s power given to us in Jesus Christ, the head of all things, for the benefit of the church which is his body.

I recently read of a several high-profile pastors/teachers who have fallen away from the faith and denied Christ. The author posed the question: “If this is happening in public, how many low-profile pastors have fallen away privately but labor on in unbelief because they need a job?” It’s a sad state of affairs for them, but worse for the people in their churches; they don’t know who they are in Christ, or the power God has given to all who believe in Christ.

This is why Paul’s prayer speaks to us today, as the devil prowls this world seeking those whom he can deceive and destroy. Consider again Paul’s praise and prayer –

+ Praise: God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms – not simply the temporal blessings of this earth and this life, but the eternal blessings of heaven. We are God’s holy people – his rich and glorious inheritance.

+ Prayer: That God’s holy people would appreciate the spiritual blessings they already have and grow in intimacy with God through faith and trust his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Morning Prayer Pray for Your Church

That your pastors/teachers may be protected from the wiles and deceit of the evil one.
That together you may grow in wisdom and understanding of the spiritual blessings you have received in Christ.
That together your relationship with God may grow deeper and fuller through faith in Jesus Christ.
That together your hearts would be flooded with the light of God’s Word and the insight of God’s Spirit.
That together you would live confidently in the hope God has given you in Christ.
That together you would understand the greatness of the power God has given you – resurrection power, enthronement power.
That together you would gladly yield to the authority of Christ who is head over all things for the benefit of the church.

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“Build my life” – Housefires

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Closing:

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

Tuesday Morning: 30 Jul 2019 – Ephesians 1:1-14 ~ The Mystery of the Church.

Tuesday Morning

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

Opening (A Collect for Peace – Tuesday)

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Ephesians 1:1-14 (NLT)

Greetings from Paul

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.

I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Spiritual Blessings

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
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Morning Reflection:

The Mystery of the Church

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan.
– Ephesians 1:9 –

The Apostle Paul knew Ephesus and the church in that city well. He had ministered in Asia Minor, the Roman province of which Ephesus was the capitol, with Ephesus as his headquarters, for about three years, A.D. 53-56. This letter was written to the Ephesians church while Paul was imprisoned in Rome (A.D. 6-62) with the expectation that they would subsequently circulate it among the other churches. In Ephesians, Paul develops the theme of the mystery of the church – as the body of Christ – a union of both Jewish and Gentile believers bound together in love.

In today’s reading, Paul praises God for the new life of blessing that He has given us in Jesus Christ –

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms
because we are united with Christ. – Ephesians 1:3 –

In the original Greek, vs 3-14 are one sentence, as the Holy Spirit led Paul’s thinking from one blessing to another. Here are the highlights –

+ God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy, without fault in his eyes.
+ God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
+ God has poured out his grace on all who belong to his dear Son.
+ God has purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgiven our sins.
+ God has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
+ God has revealed his plan to us – at just the right time, he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ.
+ God has made us one in Christ – he chose us in advance, and makes everything work out according to his plan.
+ God’s purpose was to save the Jews first and then the Gentiles through trust in the truth of Jesus Christ.
+ God identifies believers in Christ by giving us the promised Holy Spirit as the guarantee that we are his people and will receive his promised inheritance.

And God has blessed with every spiritual blessing so that we would praise and glorify him.

Questions for consideration:

Review the highlights listed above, or re-read the passage itself. Which of these blessings stand out for you as a reason to praise and glorify God? Please explain.
For example: What does it mean to you to have been chosen by God?
For example: What does it mean that God decided to adopt you into his family?
For example: What does it mean that God has given you the Holy Spirit?

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Morning Prayer: Gloria in Excelsis.

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

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“We praise Thee, O God (Te Deum laudamus)” – Sung by the Rev. Benjamin Mayes, melody as used within the Lutheran Liturgical Brotherhood Prayerbook. This is the official 1662 book of common prayer translation of the Te Deum laudamus, written by St Nicetas of Remesia in 386 A.D.

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Closing:

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

Monday Morning: 29 Jul 2019 – Jude ~ Remain Faithful

Monday Morning

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

Opening (A Collect for the Renewal of Life – Monday)

Morning Reading – Jude (NLT)

Greetings from Jude

This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.

I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.

May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

The Danger of False Teachers

Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.

In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

A Call to Remain Faithful

But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

A Prayer of Praise

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
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Morning Reflection:

Remain Faithful

Tradition identifies Jude as the half-brother of Jesus, as was James. Most likely he was living outside of Palestine at the time of writing, c. A.D. 67-80, and directed his letter to Jewish believers. Jude’s two-fold purpose in writing is to warn against false teachers and to encourage believers to remain faithful.

False Teachers:

Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share.
But now I find that I must write about something else,
urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.
– Jude 1:3 –

Jude identifies these false teachers as ungodly people who have wormed their way into churches – teaching that God’s grace allows believers to live immoral lives, and rejecting the moral authority of Jesus. Whether or not these ungodly people were once believers, we don’t know. But we do know they are condemned by God.

These people “claim authority from their dreams — live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings…. [They] are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want…. They cause divisions and do not have God’s Spirit in them.”

Remain Faithful:

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith,
pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
– Jude 1:20-21 –

By contrast, believers remain faithful to the teaching of the Bible and strengthen one another spiritually, as empowered by the Holy Spirit in prayer. And most importantly, they remain (abide, live) safe and secure in the love of God – awaiting the eternal life that Jesus Christ has mercifully prepared for them.

Questions for consideration:

Jude identifies lust, rebellion, and irreverence as the marks of false teachers. Have you run into anyone like this inside, or outside, the church? What gave them away? Please explain.
Often public figures live immoral, rebellious, and irreverent lives but still claim moral authority to tell others how to live. Would they be considered false teachers? Can you think of examples? Please explain.
Can you think of another believer who has strengthened you in your faith? Have you strengthened another believer in his/her faith? Please explain.
Do you live safely and securely in the love of God? What effect does knowing that God loves you have on your life? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer: (Jude 1:24-25)

“Blessing and Honor” – Terry MacAlmon

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Closing:

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