https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZTndodpPPE
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our Sunday sermon. You will normally see us posted in written and live form on Sunday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love and sharing the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus in a way that we believe embraces the ways Jesus taught us to manage. We bring His Word to the many as opposed to the few, in order to continue the legacy created by the ministry of Jesus Christ. 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 & Linkedin
Wedding officiant page: Wedfolio
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 Evangelist Cal Jennings who has been suffering greatly with his health. May the Lord bring his spirits up and help heal him. Also, please allow his creative energy to stay as amazing as his new songs prove them to be.
- Please pray for Evangelist Cal Jennings’ sister who has a malignant meningioma and has been undergoing treatment.
- Please keep several friends and other family members in prayer for their trials and tribulations. They have each requested to remain anonymous for the time being.
Two are
suffering from a bout with Shingles and are miserable as a
result.
One of my
daughter’s coworkers who lost their brother due to a
shooting in Savannah, Georgia
this past week.
One who is recovering after a bad fight with COVID19.
Two who have just recovered from a severe bout with the flu.
- Pray for the economy around this world as inflation and supply chains suffer from extremely high prices for fuel and overly high demand.
- Pray for those who have suffered from violent events, that they heal and do not have scarred psyches and that those who have lost their loved ones to violence find peace in the face of fear.
- Pray for comfort and solace to be shared with those who have said farewell to a loved one this week, known or unknown.
- Be thankful for each day we live as we do not know what
tomorrow brings.
- 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.
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today is to have the blessings of the Holy Spirit bring healing to each of our bodies, minds, spirits, and souls. As we continue with the forty days of Lent we pray for cleansing in our spirits and minds and hearts. We pray for those who have suffered unjustly for things they could not control. We pray for those who have lost faith and live in fear and sorrow. We pray for the homeless and the jobless in this world. We pray for the hungry and the malnourished. We pray for the poor, weak, and sorrowful people in this world. We pray in thanksgiving for all the great gifts that You have given us, even if we don’t always realize they are there. We pray in hope and patience for those things that are worrying us in our hearts and minds. 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: Johnny Cash ~ Were You There When They Crucified My Lord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T8qwVjfvms
Sermon: This week we are going to start a voyage through Paul’s letter to Rome. There are many things to consider during the season of Lent, which began this past Wednesday in the Catholic tradition of Ash Wednesday. Lent last forty days and forty nights. It is a tradition that stretches from far back in the Old Testament. However, this season was transformed with the resurrection of Jesus, which happened at the culmination of Lent with what was celebrated as Passover and transformed to Easter for Christianity. In the written sermon I have included a suggested reading and study plan for the forty days that will take you through the four gospels. These are core beliefs for Christians that should be studied often, which is, in essence, why I have been preaching the letters of Paul, including this letter here to the church at Rome.
Romans 1:1 KJV –Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
NIV –Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—
As is typical of all the letters written to the members of the churches all over Europe and Asia Minor, we are again introduced to Paul in this first verse. Paul reflects upon his fellow Apostles including John the Baptist in this verse here.
Mark 1:14 KJV – Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
NIV – After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.
Paul includes a reflection on the writings of Luke.
Acts 9:15 KJV – But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
NIV – But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.
Acts 13:2 KJV – As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
NIV – While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Paul also incorporates his thoughts in the letters written to the church at Corinth as well.
1 Corinthians 1:1 KJV –Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
NIV –Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
1 Corinthians 9:1 KJV –Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?
NIV –Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?
2 Corinthians 1:1 KJV –Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
NIV –Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia: (Ah Kay Ah)
Often throughout certain sections of Scripture we will see parentheses framing the inner thoughts of the authors of these passages. In this specific one Paul is reflecting on the promise of salvation God made for all the Jews long before the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is what we see with Paul’s letter in this next verse.
Romans 1:2 KJV – (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
NIV –the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
Who was Paul speaking about? Moses! All the way back in the beginning of Scripture, Moses is the one that assisted in the foretelling of the existence of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Mosaic Scrolls, also known as the Torah, was memorized by everyone in the early church, within the lessons and more that were taught to children from a very early age and throughout their lives they were instructed to commit Scripture to their memories, to their hearts, as a guideline for living a good and holy life as directed and instructed by God. It is just as important for us to take time and explore every verse from the New Testament, which is the fulfillment of all that was foretold in the Old Testament. This is what is shown here in the words of the gospel writers Matthew and Luke as well as the writings of Paul to Titus.
Matthew 1:22 KJV – Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
NIV – All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Luke 1:69-70 KJV – And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
NIV – He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
Acts 13:32 KJV – And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
NIV – “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors
Titus 1:2 KJV – In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
NIV – in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
Everything written in Scripture is a promise waiting to be fulfilled. Paul is providing a very poignant view of this promise as he writes to the church at Rome. This is a location he longed to actually visit and be part of the transformation of the church to what Jesus and God intended it to be from the very beginning.
Romans 1:3 KJV –Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
NIV –regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David,
Promises are important to God. The promise He made with Adam, and later compounded in the heart and mind of David, first king of the Jews. We see this memory brought to the forefront in the writing of John the Beloved’s gospel.
John 1:14 KJV – And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
NIV – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Paul references this thought in his letters to Corinth and Galatia as well.
1 Corinthians 10:18 KJV –Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
NIV –Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?
Galatians 4:4 KJV – But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
NIV – But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Paul reflects on what is known as the Holy Trinity, something that existed in the very beginning of Scripture, as shared here in this next verse.
Romans 1:4 KJV –And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
NIV –and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Holy Trinity is the very basis of all Christian knowledge and understanding of God as He appears in three views to create a complete portrait of what we should realize and recognize as followers of the Word as it is written and shared. Every letter, all of the punctuation, literally every bit would be of God’s Word alone, even as it is shared in writing on the more than 1,000 pages written in every Bible around the world, regardless of the translation, the language, or anything else. Yet, the Word is only one portion of faith. Jesus proves that with a conversation He had with Satan, the tempter as he was, and is known.
Matthew 4:3-4 KJV – And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
NIV – The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Scripture is more than words, more than faith, more than study. It is the sum of all these and how we connect them to our hearts, individually and collectively. This is just one reason for us to spend this time together each and every week. We see Paul connecting his second letter to Corinth and the gospels of Luke and John the Beloved.
2 Corinthians 13:4 KJV –For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
NIV –For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you.
Luke 18:31-33 KJV – Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
NIV – Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
Luke 24:26-27 KJV – Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
NIV – Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
John 2:18-21 KJV – Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.
NIV – The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
There are important gifts that we often fail to realize and recognize. Grace, God’s Grace, is an amazing gift we receive as we gain faith in Him and His Word. It’s proven in the fact that we can continue to build our faith as we study and learn all the nuances of Scripture. Like every good read, we learn something new about Scripture with every moment we spend studying it. Think about it. When we see movies, or read books more than once, do we not see something new each time we watch or read or listen to something? This is why it is so very important to hear what Paul is sharing in each of his letters. We continue with the letter to the church at Rome here.
Romans 1:5 KJV –By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
NIV –Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.
Bad things happen, and sometimes those bad things are necessary to occur even with all the good that Jesus brings us. We are able to understand what it is that leads us to sin, to betray each other, to allow the troubles of vanity, envy, lust, enmity, wrath, shame and doubt to dominate life in far too many ways. This is something that has existed since the day the serpent tempted Eve with the fruit of the tree of knowledge. It is something that we think we might control, but this control is useless unless we have faith in God and give those trials and tribulations to God and leave them in His hands. That’s our challenge, leaving it with God. The ministry that we pursue as stewards of God’s Will is seen in these words Luke shares as he writes here.
Acts 1:25 KJV – That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
NIV – to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.”
Acts 6:7 KJV – And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
NIV – So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Acts 9:15 KJV – But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
NIV – But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.
This continues in Paul’s recollection of his letter to the church at Galatia.
Galatians 1:16 KJV – To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
NIV – to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.
Paul, in just these first sentences of this letter to Rome points out that the members of the church are called to be the “body of Christ”, the very definition of “church”. This is important because every person in the church at that time needed validation. The thing is, we still need that validation. Accepting Christ is just the first step as this next verse shares.
Romans 1:6 KJV –Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
NIV –And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. These are all descriptions of God. They are also what Jesus points out in every parable, every discussion with the Apostles. It’s something that we see from Genesis through Revelation, and Paul portrays this in all his letters, we see that added to here in the letter to the church at Corinth, to the disciple Jude, and also reflected in John the Beloved’s Revelation.
1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV –God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
NIV –God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jude 1:1 KJV – Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
NIV – Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
Revelation 17:14 KJV – These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
NIV – They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
The last verse we are focusing on today is the last of the introductory paragraph of this letter to the church at Rome.
Romans 1:7 KJV –To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
NIV –To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we reflect on each letter that Paul and the other Apostles, Disciples, and biological half brothers of Jesus wrote, we find them reflecting back into the words of the Torah, the Psalms of David, the Word as shared by Jesus and the writings of the gospel writer Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.
Numbers 6:25 KJV – The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
NIV – the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
Psalm 60:5 KJV – That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.
NIV – Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
Matthew 5:16 KJV – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
NIV – In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Acts 9:13 KJV – Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
NIV – “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.
Paul also reflects on his first letter to the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 1:2-3 KJV –Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
NIV –To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We all have a lot to learn throughout the many pages of Scripture. It doesn’t matter the language we read the Scriptures in. It doesn’t matter how many verses, chapters, or Scrolls of the Scriptures we study at a time. It does matter that we keep finding more truth in the Word as we should always manage. 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: Create In Me (a Clean Heart) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixl0dKXaItE&list=PLZrXiYyPjteQRerG2eV9Y-wbg5HHcprQ3&index=31
As promised, here is the reading schedule recommended for the time period we know as Lent.
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Today's Scripture Reading |
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Day 1 |
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Day 2 |
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Day 3 |
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Day 4 |
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Day 5 |
Take a Break |
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Day 6 |
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Day 7 |
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Day 8 |
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Day 9 |
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Day 10 |
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Day 11 |
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Day 12 |
Take a Break |
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Day 13 |
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Day 14 |
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Day 15 |
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Day 16 |
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Day 17 |
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Day 18 |
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Day 19 |
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Day 20 |
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Day 21 |
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Day 22 |
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Day 23 |
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Day 24 |
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Day 25 |
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Day 26 |
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Day 27 |
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Day 28 |
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Day 29 |
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Day 30 |
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Day 31 |
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Day 32 |
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Day 33 |
Take a Break |
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Day 34 |
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Day 35 |
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Day 36 |
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Day 37 |
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Day 38 |
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Day 39 |
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Day 40 |
Take a Break |
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Day 41 |
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Day 42 |
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Day 43 |
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Day 44 |
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Day 45 |
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Day 46 |
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Day 47 |
It's Easter! |
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin
Evangelist 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 © 2023 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.
Thank you Rev. Laura!
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