Tag: Universalis

Morning Prayer: Friday, 23 June – Acts 7:39-53 ~ heathen at heart and deaf to the truth

Morning Prayer

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

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, as I turn to your Word for me, may your Spirit rest upon me. Help me to be steadfast in my hearing, in my speaking, in my believing, and in my living. Amen.

Reading: Acts 7:39-53 (NLT)

“But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt. They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made. Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written,

‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel? No, you carried your pagan gods—the shrine of Molech, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made to worship them. So I will send you into exile as far away as Babylon.’

“Our ancestors carried the Tabernacle with them through the wilderness. It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses. Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory. And it stayed there until the time of King David.

“David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who actually built it. However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,

‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord. ‘Could you build me such a resting place? Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’

“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
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Reflection and Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ: Make your home in my heart, that my life may be deeply rooted in your unfailing love for me. Fill me with your Spirit, that I may grow in faith and obedience and so experience the width, the length, the height and the depth of your great love for me. Give me fullness of life and power, that I may love and serve you and give voice to my praise. All glory and honor be to you, one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – forever. Amen.
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“”Listen To Our Hearts”” – Praise & Harmony

So listen to our hearts | Hear our spirits sing | A song of praise that flows | For those You have redeemed | We will use the words we know | To tell you what an awesome God You are | But words are not enough | To tell You of our love | So listen to our hearts

If words could fall like rain | From these lips of mine | And if I had a thousand years | I would still run out of time | So if You listen to my heart | Every beat will say | Thank you for the Life | Thank you for the Truth | Thank you for the Way
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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 95:6-10 (NLT)

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!

The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: Thursday, 22 June – Acts 7:23-38 ~ Moses, previously rejected

Morning Prayer

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

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, as I turn to your Word for me, may the Spirit of God rest upon me. Help me to be steadfast in my hearing, in my speaking, in my believing, and in my living. Amen.

Reading: Acts 7:23-38 (NLT)

[Stephen continued…]

“One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel. He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian. Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t.

“The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’

“But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. ‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born.

“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord called out to him, ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’

“So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior. And by means of many wonders and miraculous signs, he led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness for forty years.

“Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’ Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.
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Reflection and Prayer:

Sovereign Lord: Moses was rejected by your people, and yet you sent him back to them with great signs and wonders to lead them out of slavery; and through him, you gave them the law to teach them how to live.

+ Humble us before you today, Lord, that we may be prepared to love and serve you in the face of rejection and persecution, and bear witness to your life-giving Word as revealed to us in your Son, Jesus Christ.

+ Fill us with your Holy Spirit and give us wisdom and sound judgement, that the message we bring may be credible and clear, and that your Word may go forth with great power to accomplish your purpose in the lives of those who listen.

I ask this in Jesus’ name, your Son – who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Go Down Moses” – Louis Armstrong


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Concluding Prayer -Psalm 109:1-5 (NLT)

O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me. They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason. I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them! They repay evil for good, and hatred for my love.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: Wednesday, 21 June – Acts 7:1-22 ~ God’s faithfulness to Abraham

Morning Prayer

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

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, as I turn to your Word for me, may the Spirit of God rest upon me. Help me to be steadfast in my hearing, in my speaking, in my believing, and in my living. Amen.

Reading: Acts 7:1-22 (NLT)

Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”

This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.

“But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet. God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. ‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.’

“God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.

“These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.

“But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery, and our ancestors ran out of food. Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons—our ancestors—to buy some. The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all. So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors. Their bodies were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought for a certain price from Hamor’s sons in Shechem.

“As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased. But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. This king exploited our people and oppressed them, forcing parents to abandon their newborn babies so they would die.

“At that time Moses was born—a beautiful child in God’s eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months. When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son. Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action.
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Reflection and Prayer:

Faithful God: Fill me with your Spirit, that I may have St Stephen’s presence of mind and courage who, when faced with great personal peril, pleaded not his case but yours before his accusers.

Fill me today with praise and thanksgiving for your faithfulness and justice.

+ Everything you do reveals your glory and majesty
+ Your righteousness never fails; you are gracious and merciful
+ You remember those who honor you, and provide for all our needs
+ You have shown your great power by giving your people the land of Israel
+ You are just and good; your commandments are trustworthy and forever true
+ You have guaranteed your promises through the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ
+ You have included me in your covenant family through faith in his name

Faithful God: Fill me with your Spirit, that I may live honorably before you; that I may give you proper respect; and that I may live obediently and grow in wisdom – through my Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Great is thy faithfulness” – Songs of Praise (BBC)


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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 105:1, 7-11 (NLT)

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
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He is the Lord our God. His justice is seen throughout the land. He always stands by his covenant—the commitment he made to a thousand generations. This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant: “I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession.”
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: Tuesday, 20 June – Acts 6:8-15 ~ fake news and false narratives

Morning Prayer

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

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, as I turn to your Word for me, may the Spirit of God rest upon me. Help me to be steadfast in my hearing, in my speaking, in my believing, and in my living. Amen.

Reading: Acts 6:8-15 (NLT)

Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.

The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.
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Reflection and Prayer:

Lord Jesus: You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life – the one true source of love and justice in this world.

  • Watch over and care for me that I may live a godly life.
  • Help me to lead a life of integrity in my own home.
  • Protect me from crooked people with perverse ideas.
  • Deliver me from liars and deceivers, minions of the evil one.
  • Keep me away from people who slander their neighbors.

Lord Jesus: Free me from prideful, conceited people – the purveyors of fake news and false narratives. Give me faithful, godly people to be my companions – those who are above reproach – that I may love and serve you as your faithful witness to my life’s end. Soli Deo gloria!
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“Open thou mine eyes” – Elena Matei with the choir of Music Faculty from Braşov, Romania

Open thou mine eyes and I shall see; Incline my heart and I shall desire; Order my steps and I shall walk, In the ways of thy commandments.

O Lord God, be thou to me a God; No other, naught else with thee.

Vouchsafe to me to worship thee and serve thee; According to thy commandments; In truth of spirit, in reverence of body, In blessings of lips, In private and in public.
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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 4 (NLT)

Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies?

You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: Monday, 19 June – Acts 6:1-7 ~ set apart to serve

Morning Prayer

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

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, as I turn to your Word for me, may the Spirit of God rest upon me. Help me to be steadfast in my hearing, in my speaking, in my believing, and in my living. Amen.

Reading: Acts 6:1-7 (NLT)

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.
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Reflection and Prayer:

God of grace: Pour out your Holy Spirit on me today that I may faithfully serve you and those around me.

+ Give me openness to the Holy Spirit’s leading that I may see and serve wherever there is need.

+ Train me in prayer that I may express the compassion of Christ for the poor and the friendless, the sick, the grieving, and the troubled.

+ Equip me with courage to bear the gospel to the powerful, and to communicate your presence and might among those who are powerless.

+ In everything, give me the mind of Christ, who did not grasp at greatness but emptied himself, to become a servant of your reign.

+ Give me joy in my walk of faith and a sure sense of your abiding presence in my life and work.

I ask this 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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“Set Apart” – Worship Central


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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 97:11-12 (NLT)

Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right. May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name!
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!