After Pentecost | Monday 22 Sep 2025
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
O Lord,
you have taught us that without love,
all our deeds are worth nothing:
Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts
that most excellent gift of charity,
the true bond of peace and of all virtues,
without which whoever lives is counted dead before you;
grant this 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..
“There is salvation in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:12)
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From the Psalms: Psalm 12 – “Psalm 12” | The Corner Room
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OT Reading: Proverbs 14:12-31 (ESV)
14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
+ Even in laughter the heart may ache,
and the end of joy may be grief.
+ The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,
and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.
+ The simple believes everything,
but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
+ One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,
but a fool is reckless and careless.
+ A man of quick temper acts foolishly,
and a man of evil devices is hated.
+ The simple inherit folly,
but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
+ The evil bow down before the good,
the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
+ The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
but the rich has many friends.
+ Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
+ Do they not go astray who devise evil?
Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.
+ In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk tends only to poverty.
+ The crown of the wise is their wealth,
but the folly of fools brings folly.
+ A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.
+ In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
and his children will have a refuge.
+ The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
that one may turn away from the snares of death.
+ In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,
but without people a prince is ruined.
+ Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
+ A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
but envy makes the bones rot.
+ Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
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Cornerstone – Hillsong / TheCommissioned
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NT Reading: Acts 4:1-12 (ESV)
Peter and John Before the Council
4:1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
4:5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
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No Other Name | Casting Crowns / Hadleigh Baptist Church
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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.
Almighty God, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem: Intervene in ways that only you can, so the whole world will know that you alone are God. Protect your people from the assaults of the evil one, and grant Israel’s leaders the wisdom and courage to do what’s right in your sight. Deliver all the hostages from captivity, and restore their souls. Comfort those who grieve and mourn the loss of loved ones. Protect the innocent and punish the guilty, that all may live in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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.
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.
The Peanut Gallery 