Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem(11/18/23)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 11/18/23 | left that other site

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Acts 15

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16  “‘After this I will return
    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
17  that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’[b]—
18      things known from long ago.[c]

19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

_______________________________________________________

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Our Father in Heaven
Hallowed be Your Most Holy Name!
How We Long For Your Kingdom,
How We Wait For Your Will to be Done,
Here on earth, as it already is, in Heaven!
You Are Our Peace,
Our Wholeness,
Our Security,
Our Prosperity,
and Our Future.
We are nothing without You.

Let all that has been Concealed
Be Revealed.

Father, We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Pray That You Will Forgive The Sins
of Our Own Nation,
and Lead us all to Godly Repentance.
Create in Us Clean Hearts, Oh LORD,
and Renew a Right Spirit Within Us.

This we Pray Together,
As We Await Your Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Set Up His Kingdom,
And Make All Things Right.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Acts 15

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16  “‘After this I will return
    and rebuild David's fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
17  that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’[b]—
18      things known from long ago.[c]

19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

_______________________________________________________

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

(Roslindale and Mattapan are both neighborhoods in the City of Boston MA)

My dear friend Diana and I were introduced by Debbie, a fellow eighth-grader who was a mutual friend. Debbie had noticed that both Diana and I believed that UFOs were real and that the "government" was covering up the "Truth". The three of us formed a club called RAFFSI which stood for "Roslindale Association For Flying Saucer Investigation. There was no requirement for membership except Believing that flying saucers were real and the the government was covering up something. Diana and I are still close friends, and recent news items about UFOs rekindled her memory of RAFFSI. She sent me an email reminiscing about it. It seems that we silly eighth-graders were on to something, after all.

Here's another childhood memory kindled by Today's Reading:

The Neponset River flowed behind our houses in Mattapan. There was a buffer between the properties and the river (so this was NOT an "elegant waterfront location!" by any means.) It was, in fact, a brambly, undeveloped strip of land bordered by a high chain-link fence. However, we did see an occasional pheasant, and, in the summer, the "Back Field" was covered in blue wildflowers.

Of course, the 50's Moms in the neighborhood did not want the children to play in the Back Field. Dad worked tirelessly to provide us with swing sets, sand boxes, play houses, and kiddie-pools to keep us in the fenced-in yard. But the Back Field was irresistible.

One day, my buddy Michael, his older sister Theresa, and I were playing "Zorro" in the Back Field. Since I owned the cape, the hat, the mask and the sword, I got to be Zorro. Michael got to be "Bernardo", Zorro's mute companion, and Theresa, because she suffered from being overweight, HAD to be Sgt. Garcia. (Kids can be very cruel!) But Theresa was about to have her revenge.

"Michael and I are already Blood Brother and Sister," she said, "But YOU'RE not! So you have to be MADE into our Blood Sister with a CEREMONY. Give me your hand."

A ceremony? That sounded cool. OK. I reached out my hand.

Theresa then took a thorn from a rose bush, and pierced her thumb. My eyes widened at the big red drop of blood.

"Now it's YOUR turn", Theresa said, "And then we'll mix our blood together and we'll be REAL BLOOD SISTERS!"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I screamed, as I grabbed my cape, mask, hat, and sword and ran all the way home to my civilized, white picket-fenced, back yard.

Paul's amazing and successful mission to the Gentiles presented a dilemma. Did the new believers have to submit to circumcision in order to be saved? It was the first big controversy in the Church.

Even though the Apostles came to an excellent decision, the controversy lingered as evidenced by Paul's later letters.

Even to this day, many groups insist on some kind of "initiation", and sometimes this includes BLOOD.

As if the Blood of Jesus isn't enough? He is MY "Blood Brother" for sure.

We hear a lot about Church Committees, Synods, Councils, and Conventions these days. There are always questions that need to be answered or controversies to be cleared up, and one would hope that those participating in these meetings are led by The Holy Spirit. This Council in Jerusalem is the First of four that are generally accepted by nearly all branches of Christianity. It was very necessary to settle the important question of Circumcision as a prerequisite for becoming a Christian. It hadn't been a problem when all the new believers were Jews to begin with, but now Gentiles were coming to Faith. A true dilemma! It caused disagreement even among the Apostles. That's why I love the Book of Acts. It's REAL. It's about REAL People, warts and all.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Bob434]

there are many “religious people” who will perish in hell because they have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They have only a head knowledge of the Jesus of the bible because they were brought up in a church hearing about Christ, or th3y only have a head knowledge of the Jesus that their spouse believes in. They have no personal relationship with Jesus because they have not accepted him as lord and savior.

Everyone must come to a personal decision whether or not to accept Christ as savior- they can’t rely on “religiosity” or “church attendance” or “good works”, or “belongings to one religion sect or another” to save them, as none of these lead to salvation. On,y personal beleif in Christ Jesus will save a person for eternity in heaven.

May God lift the veil from their eyes soon that they may enjoy a life filled with the holy spirit, live securely and have a life that is free from eternal consequences of rejecting Christ.

[left that other site]

True...that 18” between the head and the heart can be as far as a Light Year for some people.

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BTW...LOVE your Home Page, Bob.

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Bob434, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[etabeta]

My prayers today and always. God bless.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Bob434]

Thanks- lots of info and links on important subjects I’ve gathered over the years.

[high info voter]

The song......

"Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem"

https://youtu.be/hNxD-MnUvdc

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, high info voter, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[redryder_90]

Amen

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, redryder_90, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[DarthVader]

Amen !!! <><

Psalm 124

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.

6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, DarthVader, For Your Prayers and Wonderful Psalm For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Hiskid]

Amen!

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Hiskid, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[NEWwoman]

Amen, left that other site

Joining in prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and for our beloved America.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Amen.

[Jeanbl]

AMEN, thank you. Joining together in prayer.