Announcements
Fruit
of the Spirit--
It's
not to late to join us! Due to the Super Bowl, we'll meet early this
coming Sunday @ 4:00.
Community
Kitchen Spot
There
are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community
needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please
bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the
bookshelf.
Plastic
Forks, Knives, Spoons
Dinner
Napkins
Heavy
Duty Sectional Dinner Plates
Dessert
Plates
New
Hope News
Sunday
School—We
finish
up Matthew
10 this coming Sunday.
Wednesday
Suppers—Will
resume next
Wednesday, February
5.
Pray
For:
Norma
Capone
Christine
Dyer
For
those without a warm place to go in the winter
Links
Keith's
Random Thoughts
Despite
leaving my car at the bottom of our subdivision on Tuesday morning, I
made it home. I had a warm house, food in the refrigerator, a roof
over my head and my family at home.
For
all the inconveniences experienced, I was extraordinarily grateful
for the blessings that did come my way. A 20 minute walk home in the
snow without a thick coat is the worst I had to deal with.
Often,
when things turn against us, we forget to count our blessings. We
forget to be grateful for the things we have, and the worry or angst
about our stress threatens to consume us. It's not that we're
ungrateful... we just forget to be grateful and spend our energy
worrying.
I
do this all the time. If I could get back the time I've spent
worrying, I'd suddenly find myself with a lot of free time on my
hands. Right now, I might use that to drive south, where it's
warmer.
Gratitude
is a mighty challenger to the things that threaten us, to the things
that worry us, to the things that try and occupy our minds. When I
remember to be grateful, I relax, and recognize that all is secure in
Christ. All is well, even when it appears that the walls are closing
in, because I am in God's hands, and though the storms may rage,
though the ice my threaten... in him, all is well.
Text
for this Tuesday, December 24
Acts
3-4:22
(ESV)
3
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer,
the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom
they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the
Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing
Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look
at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive
something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold,
but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand
and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made
strong. 8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the
temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the
people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the
one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And
they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to
him.
Peter
Speaks in Solomon's Portico
11
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded,
ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. 12 And when
Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you
wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power
or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his
servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of
Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the
Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to
you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the
dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his
name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith
that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the
presence of you all.
17
“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also
your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the
prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent
therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that
times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that
he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 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. 22 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. 23 And it shall be
that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be
destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have
spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed
these days. 25 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.’ 26 God,
having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by
turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
Peter
and John Before the Council
4
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain
of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed
because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the
resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in
custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of
those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came
to about five thousand.
5
On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together
in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and
Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when
they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by
what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are
being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man,
by what means this man has been healed, 10 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. 11 This Jesus is the stone
that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the
cornerstone. 12 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.”
13
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that
they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they
recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who
was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in
opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council,
they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with
these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is
evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let
us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”
18 So they called them and charged
them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter
and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to
listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot
but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had
further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish
them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had
happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed
was more than forty years old.
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