Covenant
of Hope Ministries Wednesday Study_8_13_2014
Good
afternoon, and welcome to this Midweek Study for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I
am Rev. Laura A. Neff. I have often described myself as the Rainbow Minister.
My reasoning for that is this: The rainbow symbolizes faith, understanding, and God's strength to forgive, heal, and so on. You
can find sermons posted on Sundays and studies on Wednesday. Our locations are online
only:
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogster & Google+& http://www.spaceeagleproductions.org &
http://www.myspace.com/music_man1701
http://www.myspace.com/music_man1701
We
have email (instant messenger if you need me) through Facebook every day. Look
for my name minus the title. These are now extremely variable. Our Elder Cal
Jennings is just as variable and can be found on several sites as noted by his
sermons. We’re still working this out between the two of us as to what will happen,
our Elder, Cal Jennings and I. I will inform you further regarding changes.
These changes were made due to health reasons. The sermon length has shortened
dramatically. We are unsure as to when there might be video presentations.
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
- Sister Theresa has several prayers to include this week. Her
nephew was run over by a car and was last known to be critical condition. Her
sister Donna went into shock and had a breakdown as a result, praise the Lord
she has calmed down since then. Her sister Patti is suffering a continuously
deteriorating spine. Her sister Kim is anxious to go see Patti, and also
concerned with Patti and her condition. Sister Theresa is having many things,
financially, spiritually, and family wise that are bearing her down quite a
lot.
- Please keep Elder Cal Jennings in your prayers as he has been
suffering a lot with his weakness and more this week. Pray also for his methods
of communicating with us. May God answer our prayers to assist him in
continuing to do so.
- Please pray for my friend Jeff’s son who is going through a
really tough time right now.
- Please keep others known by any of us up in prayer for
whatever they might need.
- Please keep my friend Heather in prayer for patience and safe haven.
- Please keep my whole family in prayer for the pain, suffering,
and chaos we are going through. Pray that our answers will be managed in a
miracle from the past week. Praise God for that blessing.
- Pray that the adversity and the pain we have seen around the
world would be relieved, and swept away. May we find common ground in many
ways, even if we start with just one step.
- Remember those who have been lost either violently or
peacefully this week.
- Keep the ministry in your thoughts, each member, no matter
their location, their circumstances, because a group of friends, a ministry,
should support one another.
- There are many in our ministry who are searching for more in
regard to our presence with my health, and with the health of others. We pray
that there would be health found once more, and that we have answers to all and
for all.
Prayer:
Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who
are here to share it with us. We thank You for the gifts you bring. We pray for
those who have been lost and the families that mourn them. We pray for peace in
this world of violence. We pray for those places facing reconstruction after
disasters natural or man-made. We pray for friends and family, as well as the
membership who would be suffering strife and sorrow. We pray all this in Your
grace and glory through our Savior Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy
Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Opening
Song: Patience
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=273eSvOwpKk&list=PL614A115BF39E5936&index=128
Sermon: On Sunday it was my son’s illness that helped me realize something. Patience is one of the most difficult points of grace we can hold on to. God decided I needed to keep my attention toward family, so that is what I did. Thankfully my son is doing better, as I have been ever watchful. Perhaps this was leading to the sermon here this midweek. Waiting is never easy, it takes patience, lots of patience. Here we can see one piece of advice regarding that patience.
Psalm 27:14 KJV – Wait on the LORD: Be of good
courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
When
we get anxious, worry, and so forth, we often will fail to realize that God is
right there willing to strengthen our hearts and spirits. All we have to do is
wait there with a prayer on our lips and in our hearts. Here we will see an
addition to that ideal, the soul.
Psalm 62:1 KJV – Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him
cometh my salvation.
Many
times I have looked at salvation from several directions. Those include mind,
spirit, heart, and soul. You see, we have each and every one of those within
us. Believe it or not, there are a great many who will hide each and every one
of those gifts. Yes, I said gifts. God gave us a mind to make our own
decisions, free will. He filled us with the breath of the Spirit. He gave us
life, a beating heart, and one that is able to learn and discern. Add to that,
He gave us a soul, one that can remain no matter what may happen. Spirit and
soul, that’s what I have heard more than once. I had a friend who called her
sister, spirit sister. That sister considered my friend a soul sister. Now, we
use the word soul sister in many ways. We do the same for brothers. Only
children will sometimes see a dear friend as one or the other, and occasionally
both. Let’s see what waiting on the Lord with our soul can be seen as.
Psalm 62:5 KJV – My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my
expectation is from him.
There
is a phrase, live up to expectation. This is one we have heard many times. “This
person didn’t live up to my expectations”, or perhaps it would be “That event
didn’t live up to the expectations”. All of us have said these words. When we
make automatic assumptions, our expectations will never be met. There are those
who consider the point of view as a leap before looking. It’s like looking at a
person or situation, without looking beyond the surface. If you don’t look
further, you won’t find what really is there.
Waiting
isn’t easy, and many will make that leap before looking. Yet holding patience
can have so many benefits. The prophet Isaiah shared an excellent view on this.
In fact, it is one we should think about when we remember the lessons that
Jesus taught.
Isaiah 25:9 KJV – And it shall be said in that
day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice
in his salvation.
Jesus
IS salvation. He is, as He was, as He will always be, the greatest gift. We watch
in the Scripture the times before and after His birth. Adding to that, we see
what it was for His parents as he experienced life as a boy, and then a man. We
watched as he suffered betrayal, trial, and death, and all the way to where He
rose to sit at the right hand of God.
Habakkuk 2:3 KJV – For the vision is yet for an
appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry,
wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Waiting,
to tarry, give it time, the truth will be found. Give it time and salvation
will be brought to us. It’s not easy. In fact, there are many who say ‘I want
it now’ or ‘I need it now’. That is something everyone suffers. We can think
about it in this way as well, if God can be patient with our actions,
reactions, and impatience, we should be able to wait on His gift of everlasting
life. After all, that’s what His unconditional love is leading us toward. Now that’s
something to think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us saying: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)
Closing
Song: Rest
In Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s4z_HQpL-I&index=79&list=PL614A115BF39E5936
~Shalom~
Calvin
Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogster & Google+ &
http://www.spaceeagleproductions.org & http://www.myspace.com/music_man1701
Covenant
of Hope Ministries
Scripture
Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, Inc.
Scripture
Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture
Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible
Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and
Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all
that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.
This mission statement speaks of the rainbow in the darkness.
Every time I would have a seriously traumatic thing happen in my life I would
wake in the middle of the night. When I do I see a rainbow at the end of my
bed, or even through the window behind my head. I’ll see that rainbow in a dark
room even during the day. It will hover in the shadows and reassure me that God
is with me.
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