Welcome to
Covenant of Hope Ministries and our sermon or midweek study. You will normally
see us posted on Sunday and Wednesday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry
was built on the truth of God’s love. It doesn’t conform to society’s wishes.
This ministry shares the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus. Those who
know me well will recognize that there are definitive differences in the
creation of every sermon from this point forward. It is God’s will that has
brought this to be. We wish only that God’s truth will be shared within His
words as brought to us by the Spirit as it fills my heart, mind, and soul to be
shared with my hands, but with His words alone.
You will
find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
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 grows or changes every week. This is our current
list.
- Please
pray for Elder Cal Jennings who is still fighting with health issues.
- Please
pray for my family as we struggle against so many financial situations, that we
might manage staying where we are without the loss of our home this week. Pray
that others see and hear our efforts toward solving the situation we happen to
be in.
- Please
pray for our member Theresa as she too suffers in seeking financial relief and
a new view of shelter as well.
- Pray for a
friend of mine who is fighting to keep, or re-establish their ability toward transportation
after errors in calculations and more.
- Pray for
truth and justice in Christ’s love as it should be shared with all.
- Pray for
the safety and security of those who are traveling this weekend both near and
far.
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today is
to have the Spirit bring clarity to each of our decisions. We thank You for
that gift and the many more You have brought us. May our fears be drawn out of
us. May our pain and sorrow be eased. May peace be brought from our hearts and
shared with others. May Your gifts of love shine through us. Help us to share
the message of Christ so that Your love shines in the darkest of days. We pray
for the poor, the sick, the sorrowful, the wounded, and the frightened. We pray
for the soldiers, the Samaritans, the children, and the rest. We pray in
thanksgiving for every gift brought us. For each of these we pray in Your Holy
Name, through our Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen
and so it shall be.
Opening Song: Standing on the Promises https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ9ZJPIDkis
Sermon: This week has brought many things to
the surface in all viewpoints that cause fear, outrage, joy, and more. The
problem with that is the fact that just about everything, quite literally, goes
against every lesson learned. There are violations of creed, conscience, and so
many others. Now, I’m not one to judge, nor am I one to condone actions and reactions.
That would be very un-Christian of me. Now, what was found in my exploration
through the Spirit actually brought things to light I hadn’t thought about in a
good while. Let’s start here.
Galatians 3:28-29 KJV – There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male
nor female: for ye all are one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
So much in
this world today is about race. It’s about brother versus brother. It is about
gay, lesbian, or transsexual versus straight. You can add Christian versus any
other view of religion. Then there are the various views of what freedom truly
would be. Add to that, how we treat people from other locations all over the
world. Sure, there are those who condone atrocities, commit them as well. There
are others who would rather create war than share peace. So many ways to see
discord and more. Yet, Jesus shares something that we must learn to pay
attention to. He does this through His disciples as shown here.
Romans 10:12 KJV – For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over
all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Notice how all
of us who follow the same Lord will be rich if we remember to call on Him.
Well, so often we do forget to do just that. We fight for peace, we don’t ask
for help in sharing it, His help. We can’t have something if we don’t give it
as well. That is something taught throughout Scripture. Jesus shares more as to
bringing others beyond the Jew into Christianity. We’ll share that here in His
words.
John 10:16 KJV – And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also
I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and
one shepherd.
Notice,
Jesus shares this fact. There are others beyond the Jews He has brought into
the knowledge of God’s truth. This is something that the Apostles fought to
understand. It took quite some time to see what Jesus saw. It still is a struggle
today to share what Jesus sees through, and within, each of us. This is another
view adding to the facts Jesus brought regarding people, not just Jews, but
many other people as well.
Romans 8:17 KJV – And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be
that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Remember,
Jesus said if we have the heart of a child we will see God through Him. Now,
children will often follow their elders in one way or another. This is where we
see that there is no need to be identical in all views. That would be like
having every person with the same features. Instead, there would be a common
goal. That common goal would be everlasting freedom. People all crave freedom.
Not just one type either. Sure, constitutions and other government views offer
that gift, but they don’t often offer it completely as Scripture would do
through Christ.
If we truly
want to be heirs to that which takes everything God created in the first days
of life itself, we have to see it through the eyes of Jesus. We have to walk
down His path to meet face to face with that light at the end of the tunnel
that distracts us from that very goal. What is that goal? Everlasting life. How
do we get there? Listen, hear, and not just obey, but provide a good example of
Christianity. Judging others doesn’t qualify. We can judge behavior, but not
each other. That one is up to Jesus. We can follow His teachings and share that
with everyone we meet. This is the hardest part. Even if we don’t agree on
tactics, practices, or any other things, we should strive to share the truth of
Christ. If He was willing to face the Gentiles, the Pharisees, the thieves, the
greedy, and others head on, we should be just as much so, even in the face of
danger. The apostles and disciples in the days following the resurrection of
Christ did just that. We can do the same. Now that’s something to think about
as we pray in the prayer that Jesus taught us saying:
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)
Closing Song: What Am I Without You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdHBx34ALjU
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Elder Calvin
Jennings
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
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
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015 http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Our mission
for Covenant of Hope Ministries is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and
overcome all that is created through fear together as the bringers of the light
of Jesus found in the midst of darkness.
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