Manna for August 19, 2009

Question for the day:

Have you ever put something off till it was more convenient?

What can we pray for YOU about today?

Good morning,

This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.

God’s blessings, our love,

George & Sidney Granger

FREE FOOD

(Isa 55:1)

Today in God’s Word

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2009

Please join your brothers and sisters

studying and praying with us today…

Today’s Chapter in God’s Word

Acts 5

Listen at

http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm

Ananias and Sapphira

1-2

But a man named Ananias—his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him—sold a piece of land, secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it.

3-4

Peter said, "Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn't lie to men but to God."

5-6

Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.

7-8

Not more than three hours later, his wife, knowing nothing of what had happened, came in. Peter said, "Tell me, were you given this price for your field?"

"Yes," she said, "that price."

9-10

Peter responded, "What's going on here that you connived to conspire against the Spirit of the Master? The men who buried your husband are at the door, and you're next." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than she also fell down, dead. When the young men returned they found her body. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

11

By this time the whole church and, in fact, everyone who heard of these things had a healthy respect for God. They knew God was not to be trifled with.

They All Met Regularly

12-16

Through the work of the apostles, many God-signs were set up among the people, many wonderful things done. They all met regularly and in remarkable harmony on the Temple porch named after Solomon. But even though people admired them a lot, outsiders were wary about joining them. On the other hand, those who put their trust in the Master were added right and left, men and women both. They even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on stretchers and bedrolls, hoping they would be touched by Peter's shadow when he walked by. They came from the villages surrounding Jerusalem, throngs of them, bringing the sick and bedeviled. And they all were healed.

To Obey God Rather than Men

17-20

Provoked mightily by all this, the Chief Priest and those on his side, mainly the sect of Sadducees, went into action, arrested the apostles and put them in the town jail. But during the night an angel of God opened the jailhouse door and led them out. He said, "Go to the Temple and take your stand. Tell the people everything there is to say about this Life."

Promptly obedient, they entered the Temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.

21-23

Meanwhile, the Chief Priest and his cronies convened the High Council, Israel's senate, and sent to the jail to have the prisoners brought in. When the police got there, they couldn't find them anywhere in the jail. They went back and reported, "We found the jail locked tight as a drum and the guards posted at the doors, but when we went inside we didn't find a soul."

24

The chief of the Temple police and the high priests were puzzled. "What's going on here anyway?"

25-26

Just then someone showed up and said, "Did you know that the men you put in jail are back in the Temple teaching the people?" The chief and his police went and got them, but they handled them gently, fearful that the people would riot and turn on them.

27-28

Bringing them back, they stood them before the High Council. The Chief Priest said, "Didn't we give you strict orders not to teach in Jesus' name? And here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are trying your best to blame us for the death of this man."

29-32

Peter and the apostles answered, "It's necessary to obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One you killed by hanging him on a cross. God set him on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven. And we are witnesses to these things. The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey him, corroborates every detail."

33-37

When they heard that, they were furious and wanted to kill them on the spot. But one of the council members stood up, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of God's Law who was honored by everyone. He ordered the men taken out of the room for a short time, then said, "Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. Not long ago Theudas made something of a splash, claiming to be somebody, and got about four hundred men to join him. He was killed, his followers dispersed, and nothing came of it. A little later, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and acquired a following. He also fizzled out and the people following him were scattered to the four winds.

38-39

"So I am telling you: Hands off these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it—and you better not be found fighting against God!"

40-42

That convinced them. They called the apostles back in. After giving them a thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus' name and sent them off. The apostles went out of the High Council overjoyed because they had been given the honor of being dishonored on account of the Name. Every day they were in the Temple and homes, teaching and preaching Christ Jesus, not letting up for a minute.

CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR PASTOR BOB ALLMANN

Please remain in prayer concerning his continued healing and that he is upheld by the Spirit, becoming physically strong as he returns to serving the Lord… what he loves to do!

Please continue to pray for Billy Hamburg, whose doctors found 5 tumors in his bladder. He had surgery June 29^th and the biopsy results showed a cancerous condition. He will be undergoing chemo & radiation treatments and will need the Lord’s Hand to overcome his anxiety as well as the cancer.

Good Morning Church!

From Pastor Greg Finke

The Lord is with you!

You are the object of His special affection!

He forgives you and sets you back on your feet!

Do not doubt Him. Put your hope in Him! It's going to be a great day!

Jesus says in John 6:63, "The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life."

I have been very excited to see how many of us are bringing our Bibles to worship. It is very cool to announce a passage and hear all the rustling of pages as the people of God seek out His words. This is a practice that does not need to be contained to the Worship Center or Chapel.

The words Jesus speaks to us in the Bible are always Spirit and they are always life. So why not seek Him out each morning? He is speaking to you. Why not listen for His voice? This is a way to give the Spirit of Jesus access to your life. This is a way through which He is able to change you.

Sometimes I hear people say they don't want to open their Bible and listen because they do not understand what they are hearing. I will respond to you like Luther once responded to a similar question. He said, "If you cannot understand the words you are reading, thank the Holy Spirit for them anyway and read on."

Good advice.

Here is a simple plan to take up the practice of listening to the voice of Jesus. In other words, this is a way to give the Spirit of Jesus access to your life so His affection and wisdom can change you.

Pray for where the Father would have you start. "What book should I open? Where should I start?" What then comes to mind? What book of the Bible?

Now, for the mornings of the next three weeks schedule 15 minutes for an appointment with Jesus. When I was first establishing the practice of listening for the Lord's voice in the Bible, I literally had to put it in my Franklin Planner (remember those?)! If you do something for 21 days in a row, you are well on your way to establishing a new habit.

Every morning, during your appointment with Jesus, greet Him, invite His Spirit to lead and teach you, and then start. Read and listen. Allow yourself to be in the crowd listening to Him. Do not hurry. Do not be afraid of doing it wrong. You have already asked Him to lead you. Trust that He is.

Write down thoughts and action-points that come to mind. If a thought is only a distraction, writing it down will get it out of the way. If it is from the Lord, you will have captured it! Then put it into practice.

Enter the day with the words in the forefront of your thinking. You will be surprised how often they come into play as you live your life today!

The words Jesus has spoken to you are Spirit and they are life. Receive!

Be wise and be Church!

Pastor Greg

…and…

Turning Point

Dr. David Jeremiah

A More Convenient Time Parts 1 & 2

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

We can almost all agree that there is nothing worse than a missed opportunity.

Maybe it was the business deal you turned down that ended up flourishing.

Or it could have been the vacation that you canceled.

What about missing a God-given opportunity?

Maybe you canceled plans with your friend who needed to hear about Jesus.

Or perhaps God was calling you to accept His eternal gift, and you refused. In his message,

"A More Convenient Time," Dr. Jeremiah reminds us

that we never want to miss our God-given opportunities.

Series: Church in Action 5: The Faithful Prisoner of the Church

VIEW OR LISTEN AT

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Turning_Point/

GDLC Message: http://www.gdlc.org/worship/sermons.aspx

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http://georgeandsidney.blogspot.com/