A Faithful Congregation is a Prayerful Congregation
The Hope and Reality of Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, 19; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13
 
1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, 19  If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain…If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins…If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
 
1 Peter 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

1 Thessalonians 4:13  But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
 
 
The Greatest Hope
The greatest sadness is the loss of a loved one.  When a parent, a child, a friend, or family member dies, great sadness reigns.  But praise be to God!  He has given a way to endure the sadness loss brings.  The greatest hope for a Christian is resurrection.  Jesus, the God-man, lived a sinless life, died for our sins on the cross, and was resurrected from the dead.  He ascended to Father in Heaven and promises that all who believe may join Him there.  This means that there is hope.  There is hope that we will live and hope that we will see our loved ones who have died because all who believe in Jesus will be resurrected, just as Jesus was resurrected.
 
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the cornerstone of the Chrisitan message.  Yes, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but it is the resurrection which validates and vindicates His sacrifice.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead then our preaching in in vain, our faith is in vain and is worthless for we would still be in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17).  The resurrection proves that the cross worked!  The resurrection also gives us hope for things to come.  The Chrisitan hope is that all who believe will be resurrected.  Such hope is a living hope (1 Peter 1:3).  Such hope helps us grieve with hope, and not just grieve with sadness (1 Thessalonians 4:13).  Those who do not believe but suppose that this life is all there is, view death as an unconquerable foe.  Not so the Christian.  Jesus has already conquered death and in Him, so shall we.  This means that we shall see our believing loved ones again.
 
Of course, if the resurrection is just dream—it if did not really happen, then we have no hope.  Therefore, it is important that we understand the reasons to believe in the resurrection.  There is the empty tomb and the uncut grave wrappings, there are the appearances of the risen Jesus, there is the transformed lives of the disciples, there is the biblical record, and there is our experience of the Holy Spirit within us testifying to the truth.
 
Here are links to RightNow Media videos that help us understand the evidence for the resurrection. 

• Wallace - https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/player/video/379632?session=379645&position=0  
• Ingram - https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/player/video/928?session=5753&position=0

 
If you already have a RightNow Media account, simply click the links.  If you do not have a RightNow Media account yet, it is a free resource that GCC provides.  RightNow Media has thousands of Bible study videos and materials.  It is a powerful tool for individual Bible study, for Life Groups, and for families.  The kid’s section is wonderful.  To sign up for your free RightNow Media account, click this link: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/glendale
 
 
Prayer Prompt
Dear Yahweh, thank You so much for the resurrection.  We have a living hope because of the resurrection.  We live this life with the hope that we shall see our loved ones again. This hope is secure because You, Lord Jesus, raised from the dead never to die again.  You conquered death, defeated the grave, ascended to the Father, and sent the Holy Spirit. Spirit, thank You for dwelling within us and for inspiring the human authors of Scripture to emphasize the resurrection so well.  Yahweh, You are the triune God.  You give such great gifts. You help us endure such great sadnesses.  Thank You!  Thank You for the resurrection—the cornerstone of our faith and foundation of our hope.  Please prompt us to live in the reality of the resurrection daily and to share this hope with others.
 
We love You, Yahweh, but please don’t just take our word for it, but see it in how we live for You.  Amen.
 
Let our faithfulness in prayer mirror Yahweh’s faithfulness!
 
-FW, CC, SL,
Andrew

A Faithful Congregation is a Prayerful Congregation
The Cleansing Blood of Jesus
John 19:28-30; Exodus 12:21-23; Psalm 51:6-7
 
John 19:28-30 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been finished, in order to finish the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.  Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
 
Exodus 12:21-23 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Bring out and take for yourselves lambs according to your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and touch some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the doorway of his house until morning.  And Yahweh will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and He will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, and Yahweh will pass over the doorway and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you.

Psalm 51:6-7 Behold, You delight in truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
 
 
Jesus is the True Passover Lamb
From upon the cross, Jesus thundered out, “It is finished!”  Jesus finished the work His Father gave His to do (John 4:34; 5:36)—to save the lost, to grant eternal life, to bring into the family all who truly will believe.  Truly believing in Jesus is heartfelt acceptance of His deity and death as the true Passover Lamb, a willing submission to His Lordship, and a worshipful devotion of Him.  Jesus laid down His life and allowed His blood to be spilled to save us.  John is intent for readers of his gospel to recognize Jesus as the true Passover Lamb.
 
Jesus was crucified just hours before the Passover began, just as the first Passover lambs were slaughtered just hours before the first Passover.  As Jesus was being crucified, thousands of lambs without blemish were being slaughtered by the priests in the Temple for Passover.  That very first Passover was accomplished, as recorded in Exodus12, when a lamb was slaughtered, and the blood of the lamb was applied to the door frames of the homes.  The blood was applied with hyssop.  Yahweh passed over each home to which the blood was properly applied.  He killed the firstborn son of each home without the Passover lamb’s blood.  Hyssop became a symbol of cleansing.  Even King David, after being caught in adultery, noted that hyssop was the purifying method Yahweh accepted, but also noted it was Yahweh Himself who must clean him, and only then would the king be whiter than snow (Psalm 51:6-7).
 
John draws our attention to Jesus as the true Passover Lamb by noting it was hyssop that brought the drink to His lips.  The hyssop was the last element necessary for Jesus to declare that He had finished His work.  Jesus’ blood was already being spilled and soon would come rushing forth (John 19:34).  Just as the blood of the first Passover lambs needed to be applied properly with hyssop, so too, the True Passover Lamb’s blood needs to be properly applied, not with hyssop—hyssop was there to help us draw the parallel—but by belief.  John notes of his record, “And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe (19:35). 
 
The first Passover lamb’s blood was shed, but not everyone properly applied it so that Yahweh’s wrath would pass over them.  Jesus, the True Passover Lamb’s blood was shed, but not everyone properly applies it through belief so that Yahweh’s wrath will pass over us and land squarely on Jesus.  May we who have properly applied Jesus’ blood though belief share with everyone else so that they, too, may come to believe in Him and be cleansed by the finished work of Jesus on the cross. 
 
 
Prayer Prompt
Dear Yahweh, thank You so much for the Passover.  In it You telegraphed how You would ultimately save us.  You foreshadowed the nature of substitutionary sacrifice, the atoning blood, and gave hyssop as the means of its proper application.  Father, when You sent the Son to finish the work of salvation, You even sent Him with a name that described His nature and mission.  Lord Jesus, You are Yahweh Saves.  Thank You for being our true Passover Lamb.  Spirit, thank You for inspiring John to recall and record all that he did.  Oh triune Yahweh, we revel in the cross and appreciate how in it You set right all that had gone wrong, brought about our redemption, and fulfilled prophecy to save us.  Wow.  We are blown away by Your love.  Help us always to believe in You.
 
We love You, Yahweh, but please don’t just take our word for it, but see it in how we live for You.  Amen.
 
Let our faithfulness in prayer mirror Yahweh’s faithfulness!

A Faithful Congregation is a Prayerful Congregation
Friendship Chosen Wisely
John 15:15; 19:12; James 4:4
 
John 15:15
No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
 
John 19:12
…Pilate kept seeking to release Jesus, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself to be a king opposes Caesar.”
 
James 4:4
Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God.
 
 
Whose Friend Do You Want to Be?
The world is opposed to God.  As a result of this, friendship with the world is hostility toward God.  Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God.  Pilate wanted to be a friend of Caesar.  Caesar is of the world and opposed to Yahweh.  Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent and yet despite his desire to release Jesus, Pilate’s desire to be a friend of Caesar was stronger than his desire to release Jesus.  Pilate did not believe in Jesus.  Pilate did not realize that truth-incarnate stood before him when he asked Jesus, “What is truth?”
 
We believe in Jesus, however.  We know an important truth—we are friends of Jesus.  Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus.  Jesus and the Father are in the Spirit and the Spirit is in the Father and in Jesus.  The one God, who is three divine persons, is our Master.  God is not our friend.  God is our Master, but we are not merely God’s slaves.  Jesus explained that He does not call us slaves for a slave does not know what his Master is doing.  Jesus calls us who believe in Him, friends, for He has revealed God’s will to us.
 
Friendship does not eliminate the authority distinctions.  God is our Master.  We are God’s friends because He chooses to reveal His will to us.  God is not our friend as though we have something secret from Him that we allow Him to know.  No, God is our Master.  Never in Scripture is God referred to as a person’s friend, but humans are referred to as His friend.  Abraham is called God’s friend (James 2:23; Isaiah 41:8; 2 Chronicles 20:7), but Yahweh is always the Master. 
 
We should want to be God’s friend, not the world’s friend.  We are friends of God, not just because we know His will, but because we seek to live according to that will.  Our lives should be lived seeking to do His will.  In the same way, the one who wants to be a friend of the world will seek to do the will of the world.  God and the world are opposed, and the friend of the world is the enemy of God.  We should choose to be the friend of God and the enemy of world, not friend of the world and the enemy of the God. 
 
One way in which we demonstrate our friendship toward God is to vote.  Some Chrisitan opt not to vote because they find many of the candidates ungodly.  Sadly, when Christians choose not to vote, they allow the friends of the world to decide what the state will support and endorse.  On Tuesday, November 5th, Missourians will decide if the lives of the unborn are worthy of protection.  Abortion is wrong.  Voting No on Amendment 3 is voting not to enshrine abortion into the state Constitution.  Voting No on Amendment 3 is not a vote against anyone who has had an abortion.  God loves everyone who has had an abortion and can save any such person.  Anyone who votes No of Amendment 3 is no friend of the world.  Good.  May we all go vote No on Amendment 3 and demonstrate whose friend we are. 
 
 
Prayer Prompt
Dear Yahweh, You are the triune Master.  You created the universe.  You are our Master. Thank You for allowing us to be Your friends.  May we always choose to be Your friend. The world allures us and beckons us to be its friends.  We sometimes crave friendship with the world.  Help us always to crave your fruitfulness more.  You have reveled Your truth to us.  You have reveled Your will to us.  Thank You.  May we make our voices heard by voting.  Please spur all of Your friends to vote No on Amendment 3.  Please help us choose to be Your friends in all we do. May we not stand idly by when we can bear witness to the truth by our vote.  We love You, Yahweh, but please don’t just take our word for it, but see it in how we live for You.  Amen.
 
Let our faithfulness in prayer mirror Yahweh’s faithfulness! 
 
-FW, CC, SL,
Andrew

A Faithful Congregation is a Prayerful Congregation
The Son of the Father
John 18:39-40

Pilate said, “You have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a bandit.   -John 18:39-40
 
 The Wrong Son of the Father
On the morning Jesus laid down His life to cover the sins of all who would believe in Him, the Jewish leaders chose to support the wrong ‘son of the father.’  Barabbas was a seditious insurrectionist from Rome’s point of view and a freedom fighter in the eyes of many Jews.  He and two other men had been arrested and were awaiting crucifixion.  When Jesus was arrested and presented to Pilate, Pilate found that Jesus was guilty of no crime against Rome.  While the Jewish leaders declared that Jesus claimed to be ‘King of the Jews,” Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of the earth (John 18:36).  Sensing that Jesus was no threat to Rome, Pilate offered to release Jesus, but the Jewish leaders demanded that Barabbas be released.
 
The name Barabbas means ‘son of the father.’  Bar means ‘son of,’ and Abba in an intimate term for ‘father.’  So this man was his father’s son—the ‘son of the father.’  The Jewish leaders chose the son of the father instead of the Son of the Father.  They should have known better.  Jesus had declared to the Jewish leaders that He was the Son of the Father on many occasions.  Recall that in John 10, Jesus declared to the Jewish authorities, “I and the Father are one…I am the Son of God…the Father is in Me, and I in the Father” (10:30-38). They knew full well that Jesus regularly claimed to be the Son of the Father and for this the Jewish authorities regularly sought to kill Jesus.  This is, in fact, the primary reason they wanted Jesus to killed (John 19:7), so when presented with a choice—to have the son of the father released or to have the Son of the Father released—they chose Barabbas over Jesus.  May we never make the same choice.

We know the true Son of the Father.  We are meant to abide in His word and to bear good fruit.  We must choose to allow Him to serve as  Lord of our lives.  We must deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily, and follow Him.  Let us not choose comfort over Jesus.  Let us not choose the love of money over Jesus.  Let us not choose ease over Jesus.  Let us not choose anything or anyone over Jesus.  
 
Prayer Prompt
Dear Jesus, You are the true Son of the Father.  You are the King of our hearts, the King of the universe.  Your Kingdom is a heavenly Kingdom which overlays and undergirds all reality around us in the physical realm.  Your way is better.  You are the Way.  You are the Truth.  You are the Life.  Please prompt us to choose Your way, to live according to the truth, and to support life.  While the world clamors for our allegiance, we will not offer it directly, tacitly, or implicitly.  Rather, we pledge our allegiance to You over the world.  We will not choose the wrong son of the father.  We choose You Jesus—the true Son of the Father.  The Father sent You to rescue us.  You laid down Your life for us.  You overcame death for us.  You live always to intercede for us.  You sent the Spirit to us.  You are our King.  May we live like it.  May we not stand idly by when we can bear witness to the truth by our word, our deeds, or our vote.  We love You, Jesus, but please don’t just take our word for it, but see it in how we live for You.  Amen.
 
Let our faithfulness in prayer mirror Yahweh’s faithfulness!
 
-FW, CC, SL,
Andrew

A Faithful Congregation is a Prayerful Congregation
Jesus' Nature and Faithfulness
2 Timothy 2:11-13


Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we will deny Him, He also will deny us;
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

 
 Am I Too Far Gone To Be Saved?
Some worry that they have so wronged God that they cannot be saved.  Scripture has many warnings against falling away and many passages that sound terribly scary.  One such passage is found in 2 Timothy 2.  There is a series of four conditional statements, three of which are tremendously encouraging, but one of which seems terribly scary.  
 
The first statement is “If we died with Him, we will also live with Him.”  This refers to our choosing to take up our crosses and our joining with Jesus in baptism.  All of us who were baptized in Christ Jesus were baptized into His death.  Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Jesus was raised from the dead, so too we might walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).  Marvelous.
 
The second statement is “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.”  This refers to the reward that comes with abiding in Christ.  When we endure the hatred of the word and yet remain committed to Jesus, we join Jesus as an heir of God—we become co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and enjoy a resurrection like His and participate in the blessing of the inheritance that is His.  Splendid.
 
The third statement is the scary sounding one.  It says, “If we deny Him, He will also deny us.”  Jesus said something very similar in Matthew 10:33, “Whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”  None of us wants to be denied by Jesus, but each of us has denied Jesus at one point or another by our words or by our deeds.  This refers, not to a Peter-like denial, but to a Judas-like denial.  Yes, Peter denied Jesus three times the night Jesus was arrested in fulfillment of Jesus’ own prophetic word.  Yet, Jesus restored Peter three times and called Peter to church leadership.  What is going on with this statement then?  
 
Peter, but not Judas, was a part of Jesus.  Jesus said, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8).  Peter exclaimed to Him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” But Jesus replied, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you” (John 13:9-10).  John records in 13:11, “For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”  Peter was a part of Jesus by believing in Jesus.  This belief included a heartfelt recognition of Jesus’ deity, a willing submission to Jesus’ Lordship, and a worshipful devotion of Jesus.  Judas was not a part of Jesus.  He didn’t believe in this way and did not abide in Jesus, the true vine, thus Judas’ branch was cut off.  Scary indeed.
 
The fourth statement is, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” This refers to Jesus’ nature and faithfulness.  Sure, we are faithless sometimes.  We deny Jesus by our words and deeds, but we are still a part of Him by believing in Him.  When we fall, we repent.  Sometimes we recognize our folly immediately and feel godly sorrow.  Other times, we need someone to point out our hidden sin and we repent.  Jesus is divine.  As the God-man, He is always faithful and He cannot deny Himself.  Our faithless denials of Him do not and cannot overpower His faithfulness.  We are a part of Him.  He cannot deny Himself.  While it is true that no Christian is sinless, yet because we are a part of Him, we are forgiven.  The denial referred to in the third statement is not a stumble, denial, or sin on the part of a Christian abiding in Jesus, it is the denial of Jesus—the refusal to take up our cross and refusal to abide in Him.  Judas wouldn’t trust Jesus’ plan and mission.  Peter trusted and continued to abide in Jesus.  If we are part of Him, He cannot deny Himself even if we act in foolish and sinful ways.  What comfort!
 
Prayer Prompt
Dear Jesus, we praise You and acknowledge Your divine nature and Your perfect faithfulness.  Thank You so much for remaining faithful even when we act in faithless ways. Thank You for making us a part of You.  Through belief, we are a part of You.  You have cleansed us by Your word.  You have grafted our branch into Yourself.  Because we a part of You, the true vine, You produce spiritual fruit in us.  Thank You.  Thank You for allowing us to take up our crosses daily in denial of self and in submission to You.  We are sorry for our sins, Jesus.  We are experience godly sorrow at our foolish words and deeds.  We know that You cannot deny Yourself, but we sometimes feels so ashamed of our momentary denials of You and we fear You may deny us, but in moments of clarity we recognize that the denial spoken of in that third conditional statement in 2 Timothy 2 and of which You spoke in Matthew 10, is the refusal to take up our cross and the refusal to abide in You, not a sin over which we experience godly sorrow.  We sin, we stumble, we fall.  You remain faithful.  You cannot deny Yourself.  Thank You for making us a part of You.  May we boldly proclaim You in our words and our deeds.  We love You, Jesus, but please don’t just take our word for it, but see it in our actions.  Amen.
 
Let our faithfulness in prayer mirror Yahweh’s faithfulness!
 
-FW, CC, SL,
Andrew

A Faithful Congregation is a Prayerful Congregation
Those Who Believe Through Their Word
John 17:18-20

As You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. For their sake I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.      -Jesus, John 17:18-20
 
 Those Sent Christ Sent
Jesus sent His disciples into the world.  He had revealed the truth to them.  He called them, lived with them, protected them, showed miracles to them, and sent them.  Jesus had spent His final evening before going to the cross with them.  Soon they would despair at Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, but that despair would become joy at Jesus’ resurrection and the Spirit’s indwelling.  Called and empowered, the disciples would go to the world and share the truth about Jesus.  He sent them.  Praise be to Jesus for sending his disciples.  
 
 
Those Who Believe Through Their Word  
The disciples were sent.  Those sent made disciples.  Those disciples made more disciples.  Those disciples made more and more disciples.  Finally, the process of disciples making disciples reached us.  We became disciples.  Everyone who is a disciple of Jesus traces their faith lineage to those Jesus sent (the 12 plus Paul).  There are disciples around the world today because of the call for disciples to make disciples of all nations.
 
 
Those Christ Sends
Just as Jesus sent His disciples into the world, Jesus still sends His disciples into the world.  The night before Jesus died, He prayed not only for His disciples, but for all those who would believe through their word.  How remarkable it is that Jesus prayed for us!  How remarkable it is that He remains to intercede for us now!  Today, we often call those sent into the world missionaries.  This weekend we have a remarkable opportunity to connect with our GCC missionaries.  Representatives from the missions Glendale supports will be here Sunday so we can connect with them in person and in prayer.  One of our missionaries will even preach the Sunday sermon.  In addition to that, we have the opportunity to connect with Lifeline Christian Mission this Saturday and help to pack 50,000 meals to be sent around the world to those in need.  Please click the link to sign up to help.  https://subsplash.com/glendalechristianchurch/lb/ev/+wpkbg69  
 
Prayer Prompt
Dear Jesus, thank You for calling, empowering, and sending the disciples into the world. Thank You for praying for us all those years ago.  Thank You for those who shared the truth with us and thank You for sending us into the world to make disciples.  Thank You also for the missionaries and missions we support as a congregation.  We are grateful to support those who work around the world and around us to spread your good news.  
 
We pray that the meal pack this Saturday would be a tremendous success and that many hungry people would receive a nutritious and delicious meal in Your name.  We also pray Connecting to Missions even this Sunday.  Please get all our missions/missionary representatives here safely and please inspire more of our congregation to join them in prayer.  Please also prompt some of our congregation to travel to where our missions and missionaries serve so we can see first-hand their work and better partner with them.  
 
Jesus, thank You for establishing this worldwide connection of disciples.  May we do our part and help make disciples of all nations.  We love You, Yahweh, but please don’t just take our word for it, but see it in our actions.  Amen.
 
Let our faithfulness in prayer mirror Yahweh’s faithfulness!
 
-FW, CC, SL,
Andrew

A Faithful Congregation is a Prayerful Congregation
Shaloam Shaloam
John 14:27, 16:33


Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.                                        -Jesus, John 14:27
 
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.                      -Jesus, John 16:33
 
Peace in Jesus
Peace is a very important biblical concept.  Peace is more than the absence of conflict; it is wholeness, harmony, and unity.  When a Jewish person greeted another, it was often with the Hebrew word “Shalom,” meaning peace.  When he departed it was often with a doubly repeated, “Shalom shalom.”  Peace is a difficult state to keep since the world around us swirls with conflict, uncertainty, danger, and tribulation.  Yet, Jesus Himself offers true peace.  He says that peace is what He leaves us, what He gives us, and that we may have peace in Him.  
 
 
Trouble in the World
Jesus notes the contrast between Himself and the world.  He says, “In Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.”  In Jesus is peace.  In the world is trouble.  Jesus gives peace, but not like the world gives does Jesus give.  The world gives trouble and tribulation.  The result of which is fear.  The peace Jesus offers in not merely the removal of trouble and tribulation, but the strength to endure trouble and tribulation and a harmonious unity with Yahweh.  
 
 
Jesus Overcomes the World
Without Jesus, the world and the tribulation it gives causes our hearts to be troubled and fearful.  The antidote to troubled and fearful hearts is Jesus Himself.  When the disciples were troubled and fearful because of a storm that threatened to drown them, Jesus appeared.  He walked on the water to them and said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”  Jesus didn’t have to calm the storm before their fear calmed.  Jesus didn’t need to reassure the disciples about what He would do for their troubled hearts to take courage.  Jesus overcomes the winds, the waves, the world.  Because He is with us, we have reason to take courage, even before the situation is resolved.  The reason is because the peace Jesus gives is not merely the resolution of situations, but the harmonious, unified wholeness of life in Yahweh.  Our courage comes from the presence of the One who overcomes, not from receiving our desired outcomes.  The difference is crucial.
 
 
Prayer Prompt
Dear Yahweh, we acknowledge that You are the triune God.  You are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.  Thank You, Yahweh Saves—Jesus, for calling us to courage.  It is so easy for our hearts to be troubled and for us to be fearful.  After all, the world heaps trouble on top of trouble and sends tribulation after tribulation.  There is no shortage to the worldly woes around us.  Yet, You have overcome the world.  You are with us.  We do not need the trouble to stop for us to take courage, though we will seek to stop and prevent trouble when we can.  We do not need you rescue us from the world for us to take courage, for we know that You overcome the world You and are with us.  Thank you.  Strengthen us.  Make us courageous.  Give us true peace.  We love You, Yahweh, but please don’t just take our word for it, but see it in our actions.  Amen.
 
Let our faithfulness in prayer mirror Yahweh’s faithfulness!
 
-FW, CC, SL,
Andrew

A Faithful Congregation is a Prayerful Congregation
Fear and Hope
Psalm 27:1; 14

Yahweh is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  Yahweh is the strong defense of my life; whom shall I dread?...Hope in Yahweh; be strong and let your heart take courage; hope in Yahweh.
 
 Fearsome Days and Fearsome Thoughts
23 years ago today, we experienced a fearsome day.  Islamist terrorists hijacked four airplanes and wrought terrible consequences.  It was a Tuesday.  I was in my second year of Bible college and as the news came pouring in, shock, dismay, and fear arose all around and within me.  Would more attacks come?  After the attacks, fear was mingled with anger and remembrance.  Today, fearsome thoughts persist.  September 11th here, October 7th in Israel, what’s next?  How did the unity experienced after 9/11 fade?  It is easy to allow fear to overwhelm us.  The fear of a bad event is one thing, but the fear that people sympathize with and even embrace destructive ideologies is another.  What is the antidote for such fear?  
 
 
Hope in Yahweh
When our thoughts are on Yahweh, on He who is our light and salvation, whom shall we fear?  When the One who creates life, delivers His people, and raises the dead is for us, whom shall we dread?  When we follow Yahweh the triune God, can destructive ideologies last?  Not long?  While the world is opposed to Him, Yahweh wins.  While the world hates Him, Yahweh loves.  While the world sows fear and forgetfulness, Yahweh sows Gospel hope and remembrance.  We must remember Yahweh.  We must hope in Yahweh.  We can let our hearts take courage by believing in Him.  Even if it all falls apart all around us, Yahweh is still our light, our salvation, our strong defense, our courage, and our hope.  
 
 Prayer Prompt
Dear Yahweh, our light and salvation, we place our hope in You.  You are our strong defense, and our courage.  When fear and dread and despair threaten our days and our thoughts, we remember You, we trust You, we hope in You.  Please help us be a people committed to remembering You above all, but also significant days—December 7th, June 6th, September 11th.  Please help us promote the unity which followed these days and help us to spur others to turn from darkness to Your light, from destruction to Your salvation, from dealing in death to walking in resurrection life, from spreading fear to placing hope in You.  Yahweh, bless those who suffer, strengthen those who dread, defend those who despair, encourage those who fear to hope in You.  We love You, Yahweh, but please don’t just take our word for it, but see it in our actions.  Amen.
 
Let our faithfulness in prayer mirror Yahweh’s faithfulness!
 
-FW, CC, SL,
Andrew