Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem(12/4/23)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 12/4/23 | left that other site

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Acts 20

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

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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 Shalom,
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

[pollywog]

Praying for peace in Jerusalem and all of Israel.
God’s purposes and plan for HIS people and land WILL be fulfilled... Praise God!!
His WORD is trustworthy......

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Acts 20

Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.

25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

_______________________________________________________

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.

Last night, I attended a lovely concert of Christmas Music, held in a 300-year-old New England Church. No fewer than five of my friends are in the choral group, so most of the people in the audience knew each other. The program had a huge variety of music, from a Bach Chorale to Vince Geraldi's music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas". There were even traditional carols, and the audience was encouraged to sing along. Now, for unabashed Evangelical Doctrine, there's nothing like a traditional Christmas Carol. The themes of the Incarnation, Virgin Birth, Redemption, and The Fulfillment of Prophecy are all there, especially when you get into the second and third verses of these songs. It seems as though this time of year gives us permission to sing about Jesus.

However, the beautiful old church was devoid of any Christian Symbols. There was not a Creche or a Cross in sight anywhere. It was a Unitarian Church, and, I assume that, in order to please everybody, they elected to honor nobody. And that was pretty sad.

Several years ago, a young missionary was killed by Tribesmen while attempting to visit South Sentinel Island. This place, off-limits to the rest of the world, is still in the Stone Age. Attempts to reach them are always rebuffed, and so the World Community has agreed to just leave them alone. This causes controversy, and, at the time, the young missionary named John Allen Chau, was criticized for daring to approach the island, knowing it could mean his own death. (It did.)

Here are some thoughts I shared at the time, related to this Passage in the Book of Acts.

1. The People of the island didn't want him there. Yes. That is true. And, when the Original Twelve were sent out, Jesus told them to "shake the dust off their feet and leave town" if they were not welcome. On the other hand, one could argue that Paul was not welcome nearly everywhere he preached, especially when he was interfering with the "religion business" in Ephesus. Riots, beatings, stonings, and all other kinds of "not welcome" signs were more frequent than not.

2. It was against the Law to visit the island. Yes. It was. But so is escaping from prison (Peter, John, Paul, and Silas all did that very thing, and in Peter's case, resulted in the execution of the guards.) When confronted by the Authorities, Peter said that he had to obey the laws of God rather than men.

3. John Chau was not operating under the authority of a respected missionary Board or Church. He wasn't "Authorized". In today's reading, it is the Elders who attempt to prevent Paul's return to Jerusalem. They BEG him not to go, with tears and hugs. But Paul is determined.

4. "You're Gonna Get Yourself KILLED!" That's the elders speaking to Paul, and a lot of people speaking to John Chau. In Paul's case, he doesn't get killed right away, but he does, eventually.

5. That's the last Stone-Age tribe on the planet. Don't mess with them. The notion of "The Noble Savage" is a false one. Life in the Stone-Age was not all it's cracked up to be.

6. The People there have no immunity to your diseases. Don't go there. This is probably the most interesting argument of all, as I myself have some Native American ancestry and am quite aware of the decimation of First-Nation People by European diseases. But, I may argue, that many who advocate "open borders" seem to ignore the idea that an influx of new people bring a host of new diseases that could cause new epidemics in our own country! (NOTE: I wrote this in 2018, before Covid. I had no idea that was coming.)

So, you see, everybody looks at EVERYTHING differently, and some events cause us great cognitive dissonance. Sometimes we believe with our whole hearts that we need to proceed, and like both Paul and Queen Esther, we say, "If I perish, I perish, but I must do this." And if we refuse, God will just send somebody else.

By the way, Paul DID get into Big Trouble in Jerusalem, so the Ephesian Elders were right. But Paul knew he had to go, and we shall see what happens as our story continues.

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

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, pollywog, 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

[ViLaLuz]

All around the world today we see the same guard against and rejection of God’s Truth, especially in “official” America and Israel. Nothing changed over the centuries other than were closer to Lord Jesus returning.

[left that other site]

Yes...I see that too.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, ViLaLuz, 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

[DarthVader]

Amen !!! <><

Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows* there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’

4 How could we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.

7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, ‘Tear it down! Tear it down!
Down to its foundations!’
8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator!*
Happy shall they be who pay you back
what you have done to us!
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!

[NEWwoman]

Amen, left that other site

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

[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

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, DarthVader, 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

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, NEWwoman, 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

[Maudeen]

Appreciate your highlighting Paul and his journeys.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Maudeen, 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

[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