Grace and Mercy 07.25.2022

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 125 and Psalm 126. 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. It would have also have been used by those who are returning back to Jerusalem from exile.

Psalm 125 focuses on God’s protection and encourages the reader to place their trust in God. Psalm 126 provides a primary example of the returning Israelites anticipating God’s restoration as they return back to Jerusalem from exile.

Our Old Testament passage comes from the Book of Isaiah 54-60. Israel is on the brink of facing times of captivity. The Assyrians were first to take the tribes of Israel into captivity and the Babylonians would later take the tribes of Judah into captivity. Isaiah 54-60 declares the future glory of Jerusalem, who is destined for destruction. It also encourages repentance and sincere worship from those who may have been deflated by the current circumstances. Furthermore, our reading in Isaiah demonstrates the goodness of a loving God who always extends Himself to sinners who need His love.

So as we participate in the sacred moment of fellowship, let’s begin by praying Psalm 125. Afterwards, we will listen to Isaiah 54-60.

Pause for reflection.

For our New Testament reading, we will be covering Acts 9-10. 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. In Acts 9, we find the conversion one of the most impactful apostles in the Bible. Saul, who becomes Paul the apostle, has an experience with Jesus that causes him to surrender his life. From this point, we will see the door of evangelism open for the Gentiles as the gospel is shared with him and his family.

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