Covenant Of Hope Ministries: The Methods Humanity Has Causing Evil to Spread

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Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our sermon. You will normally see us posted on Sunday. 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

Rev. Laura’s other sites: Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter

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 continue to pray for Elder Cal Jennings and his health issues, which are numerous. He has been having issues with his pain, vision, and memory. Add to the prayers with a need for new housing as the family is in dire straits there at this point in time.

- Please pray for calm and peace for Sister Theresa Bogard who is still going through a lot right now.

- Please continue to pray for my daughter’s grandmother-in-law, Judy, who has been in the hospital with health issues and my daughter’s mother-in-law, Suzanne, is unable to travel to be with her during this worrisome time. Pray for healthy outcomes and peace for the family.

- Please continue to pray for my friend Marci’s mother who has contracted COVID-19 Coronavirus.

- Please pray for my friend Jeff’s father, who also has contracted COVID-19 Coronavirus.

- Please pray for a dear friend of mine, Paul, who lost his beloved support dog, Winston, just two days ago.

- We are still ever watchful in regard to the weather, the unrest, and the virus and response to that virus. Let us pray for calm skies and seas, calm voices and spirits, and also healthy outcomes for those who are affected.

- We pray that the school year is filled with progress for our children who are attending virtually and in person and for the teachers and staff that must adapt to what is considered the “new normal” around this world.

- Continue to pray for now five of my family members as they go through some health issues and other dramatic changes in some cases.

- Be thankful for each day we live as we do not know what tomorrow brings.

- Pray for all of our outreach ministries with Pastor Stephen Okoth, Pastor Robert Nganwa, Pastor Simon Peter Javaji, Rev. Lisa Tyler, and all the others who have joined us.

- Pray for our nations that the voice of God be heard through the Spirit.

- Pray for our friends and families that their tomorrows bring blessings and pray our own be the same.

- Pray for those suffering as a result of the terrors that have occurred just this past week around this world.

- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal.

- Pray that truth is revealed where falsehoods have been shared around this world.

- Pray for our veterans of the armed forces around this world.

Belated Happy Birthday for my sister Lisa, whose birthday was on the 11^th.

Prayer: Father in heaven, this is our prayer for today. We thank You for all the gifts shared with each of us. We have a great many friends and family members to pray for, suffering from all manner of illnesses, infections, and viruses, including my daughter, my youngest two sons, my friend Marci’s mother, my friend Jeff’s father, and Elder Cal Jennings who has suffered from a great many illnesses for far too long. We pray for comfort and so much more for my friend Paul after losing his dear pet Winston. We pray also for our outreach ministries with those who serve them, Pastor Stephen, Pastor Simon Peter Javaji, Pastor Robert Nganwa, Rev. Lisa Tyler, and all who share Your truth around this great world. We pray for our leaders and for those sorting out the truth from fallacy in elections carried out recently. 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: Keep Me In Your Will ~ Jessica King https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkc91ZhgIlU

Sermon: We are about halfway through Chapter 5 in Ephesians and we actually start, literally, where we left off last week, repeating two of the passages we spoke about. We’ll start here:

Ephesians 5:9-10 KJV – (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

To get the full impact of the second half of the fruits of the Spirit, essentially we needed the two passages together. There are many fruits of the spirit. You’ll count nine fruits of the Spirit, all of which are repeated many times, but, interestingly enough, the one and only passage which has all of them listed would be this one.

Galatians 5:22-26 KJV – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Two of these fruits of the Spirit are only spoken of in three or four places in all of Scripture. That makes them extra spectacular and obvious with all of us around this world. So, why are the remaining ones spoken of anywhere from fifteen to as many as four hundred and forty-four times? Well, that should be understood easily. We humans throw those seven troubles in the path of the good and wonderful gifts of the Spirit. The one gift of the Spirit that would be spoken of that four hundred and forty-four times is LOVE. Yes, one of the simplest ideals, tends to be the most difficult to teach and explain in this world. This is why Jesus often repeated the three words LOVE ONE ANOTHER so often in His lifetime on this earth. That’s where this supporting verse comes in.

Colossians 4:6 KJV – Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

When we speak of God’s love for us, of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us, of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit descending to comfort those who believe, we speak of unconditional love strengthened by grace, understanding that we are only human, and some things are difficult to avoid. That’s why we have prayer, which brings hope into our consciousness. These issues we try to avoid can often flare up into things we would much rather avoid, as is shared here.

Isaiah 63:10 KJV – But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

We’ve heard the idea of keep your friends close and your enemies closer. When we work in the ideal of Jesus’s teachings, we learn to not just sit there and judge others as either friend or foe. It’s not easy, as Job found out long before Jesus was ever born on this earth. Even in the midst of the most horrible circumstances, we have God and Jesus so long as we remember their unconditional love and walk away from the things that tear us away from that great gift. That’s what this next verse in Paul’s writing as he taught the citizens of Ephesus.

Ephesians 5:11 KJV – And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

We see two connecting verses, one from Paul’s teaching in Colossi which shows another view of what the works of darkness are. That’s something important. The reason for that is simple. If we know the names of things that can do harm to our very spirit and soul, we can learn how to avoid them.

Colossians 3:8 KJV – But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Now we get to the younger disciples of Christ, and Paul’s son, Titus. It’s important that we learn from all perspectives when it comes to holding the Word of God in our hearts. The reason is simple. They might be a different generation from their elders, might have been very small when Jesus was alive teaching the Word, but, like Paul, Peter, James and the rest of the Apostles and Disciples, they too remembered those teachings, and because of that, this was shared to others.

Titus 3:2 KJV – To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

I am certain there are those who have heard the words “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, think no evil,” and the little figures that shared those thoughts. Years ago I remember asking one of my elders why they had this little set of figures with the words.

Turns out it was a lesson taught when they were children. It’s a lesson taught in every culture, in every language, in every Bible, and in ever ethics class you ever might take at some point in your life. This is why I preach, because I want to hear and see and know and understand when I should speak, when I should listen and hear, when I should get up and do something and when I should remain quiet in my reflection.

Ephesians 5:12-13 KJV – For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

When we pursue the full view of Unconditional Love as God shares it, we should do so with zeal and with a full understanding what that means for us individually, for those whom we live with, are friends with, coworkers with, and even the random passerby. Mercy and being merciful takes practice. When we see someone hurting, or hear something about someone hurting, let’s remember to do what we can to help, because by doing so, we help ourselves too.

Titus 3:5 KJV – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

So we get to our next words from the Apostle Paul. Here he shares the greatest gift promised for those believers in Christ. It’s a gift that, even to this day and time, remains within reach, no matter how long ago Christ was resurrected and ascended into heaven. This is the wish every person should have, that Jesus is gonna bring us all home with Him.

Ephesians 5:14 KJV – Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Let’s go back to the Gospels and we’ll see another familiar verse from our lessons taught by Paul to the Ephesians.

Mark 11:25-26 KJV – And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

There is a reason we have the words forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Trespasses, or misdeeds, or misconduct, that we have done, requires penitence, or admission of guilt in order for us to be forgiven, not just here on earth, but spiritually, and for God and Jesus as well. That’s why we have a conscience that will kick us to do just that. Prayer can do a lot for the spirits of any person if they know how to pray, and sometimes even if they don’t. That’s how we gain knowledge and wisdom as this verse shares.

Ephesians 5:15 KJV – See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Asking for forgiveness in person with whomever you wronged, and with God will do something that I have been asked so often I laugh these days. How can you forgive someone for that? Why would you forgive someone for doing that? It isn’t easy to forgive some misdeeds and missteps, but, if we don’t, we’ll carry that bitterness, and it will not reflect well on ourselves when it is our turn to greet Jesus face to face. That’s what Jude shares here and also what King Solomon shares.

Jude 24 KJV – Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

Song of Solomon 4:7 KJV – Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

Spot, a spot on someone. Evil and evildoing leave a stain or spot on our otherwise clean body, spirit, and soul. When we forget the love of God and do things that break all the commandments or even just one or two, it creates a spot on our soul. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth there is a moment where this exact situation is played out as Lady Macbeth wants to rid herself of the heinous criminal act she managed when she killed her husband. This is that scene.

LADY MACBETH – Out, damned spot! Out I say! – One: two: why, then, ‘tis time to do’t.— Hell is murky! – Fie, my Lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard? What need we lord, fie! fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?--Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him. ~ William Shakespeare 1606

This is obviously not a real life situation, and yet, it very well could be. We often find similar situations where people are killed out of jealousy, vanity, and for some false sense of security on occasion. The seven troubles are rampant in this passage from a sleepwalking woman who relives the night she killed her husband. It is guilt that causes this, and that’s something our conscience sometimes won’t allow us to remove, even if we confess to something that we are guilty of. There is even guilt that is misplaced for some, say, wishing it had been them to be hurt or die, over someone else. That’s why we pray for forgiveness. It is all in the hopes we will be the recipients of redemption as shared here by Paul to the citizens of Ephesus.

Ephesians 5:16 KJV – Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

This, of course, leads me to one of my favorite segments of the parables Jesus shared during His lifetime on this earth. Redemption is something we can gain if we ask for forgiveness, if we do something to help someone, or change something from our past from a negative to a positive. It takes work to do things simply to please God and Jesus first and our lives will transform as a result. That’s where we find this verse.

John 13:34 KJV – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Changing our lives for the better takes determination. We have to be willing to leave all the trials and tribulations, the sadness and sorrows, the cares and woes of our past and pack them away in our memories only as precaution to prevent things repeating themselves in another and different view. That’s why we have Scripture, prayer, forgiveness, and so much unconditional love. 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: Show Us the Ancient Paths ~ Tom Inglis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHvH7O1gDJs

~ Shalom ~

Rev. Laura A. Neff

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Elder Calvin Jennings

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Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site: 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.

Covenant Of Hope Ministries

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Sunday, November 15, 2020

The Methods Humanity Has Causing Evil to Spread

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