08/09/2019: PRAY | Y | YIELD, YEAST
Psalm 46:10 “Calm down and know that I am God”
Luke 11:1 “Lord teach us to pray”
P = Practice Prayer, Presence of God, Praise, Peace
R = Reflect, Review, Repent, Rejoice
A = Ask, Abide, Accept … Adore, Act
Y = Yield, Yeast (Yoke, Yes, Yell)
We remember that prayer is the Holy Spirit working in us and (She) leads us to transformation and change.
YEAST: Luke 13:21
21 “[The Kingdom of Heaven] … is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
- Reflect on how a small amount of yeast can (and must) influence a whole batch of dough to bake bread. Why does Jesus make use of this image? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
YIELD: Acts 4:23-35
The Believers Pray for Courage
23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— 25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
and against his Messiah.’
27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
The Believers Share Their Possessions
32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
- What is this story about? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- What made their witness so effective(vs.32-35)? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- When was the last time in your life, that you felt very passionate and enthusiastic about something? What was it about? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Are you enthusiastic about your faith? Do you tell people about Jesus? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- What do you think vs.12 is all about? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
Paul’s Final Advice
12 Dear brothers and sisters, honour those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.
Paul’s Final Greetings
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.
- Paul writes this letter to the congregation to encourage and uplift them. Why? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- The Apostle Paul calls on the believers to stand united in their faith, in opposition to that which is wrong in their world, and to make a radical difference! Can you identify some of the examples he gave for what should be a new way of living? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Is this call relevant to you, and to our country, today? If so, what might need to change? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NOTES:
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God bless,
Rev. Tim
