Grace and Mercy 07.18.2022

Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is David Finklea with Columbia International University. It is a pleasure to share together in the hearing of God’s Word. I personally enjoy these times of fellowship, because it provides us the opportunity to consider the Word of God in its original context. This attention to the biblical narrative will give us the ability to build the necessary principles and applications for our own lives.

Tonight, we will open by praying the psalms as practiced by the earliest Christians. Tonight’s psalms will come from chapter Psalm 123 and Psalm 124. These two psalms are often referred to as Psalms/ Songs of Ascents or Psalms/ Songs of Degrees. These psalms or songs were believed to be sung and prayed by pilgrims who would journey to Jerusalem for major feasts and festivals.

Our Old Testament passage comes from the Book of Isaiah 48-53. It is convenient that we are opening with a psalm of ascent, because Isaiah writes about a time when the Israelites who were exiled into Babylonian captivity would return to Jerusalem as a sort of “exodus.” From these prophecies the Israelites would reflect on their rebellious history and God’s consistent faithfulness. While facing difficult times, these prophecies from Isaiah would encourage the Israelites to remain faithful to God who promises to remain faithful to them. In fact, towards the end of our reading from these chapters in Isaiah, we will hear one of the most clearest prophecy pertaining to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ who will not only save Israel from their sins, but will serve as the Savior of the entire world.

So as we participate in the sacred moment of fellowship, let’s begin by praying Psalm 123. Afterwards, we will listen to Isaiah 48-53.

Pause for reflection.

For our New Testament reading, we will be covering Acts 7-8. The Book of Acts was written by Luke who was a physician and companion of the apostle Paul. The Book of Acts contains the story of the early church, and it highlights how Jesus’s disciples would spread the gospel throughout the entire world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will now see how the gospel was shared during times of immense persecution. As the Holy Spirit is guiding and comforting the earliest believers, three main characters will stand out: Stephen, Saul who will later become known as the apostle Paul, and Philipp.

Let us now begin our hearing of the Acts chapters 7 and 8.