Followers

Church at Prayer                FOLLOWERS                    September 15. 2015

Sometimes what seems like extra information in the story of Jesus actually tells us a lot about what kind of people Jesus developed and how he went about it.

For example, the first verse of Luke chapter 8 tells us Jesus went through cities and villages proclaiming the good news and in the fourth verse the story narrows to the gathering of a great crowd as the setting for the famous parable of the sower.

However in between those two verses we read, “ The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.”  (John 8:1b-3)

The twelve disciple-apostles often get all of the attention as the followers of Jesus as well as the focus given on the “inner three,” Peter, James and John. Yet Luke teaches us that women were as close to Jesus as men.

Mary, Joanna and Suzanna had been healed in some way by Jesus, all of them helped finance his work, and two of them, Joanna and Susanna, were present when the tomb of Jesus was discovered
empty and heard the incredible words, “He is not here. He has risen.”

Every single one of us is invited to believe in and follow Jesus.  Jesus invites you to follow him, to
place all aspects of your life in his service and to know the wonder and joy of this Lord who lives!
                              Joy to you – E. Stanley Ott, July 8, 2014  Vol. 13, No. 10 FOLLOWERS

Prayer Suggestions
May our prayers today include humility for the things we do at our church.  I bet Mary, Joanna and Suzanna did similar things; not to bring attention to themselves but because they loved Jesus and believed in His ministry.

Part of our discipleship at First Presbyterian is to give of our time.  Pray what you could do to serve Jesus, as He invites us to do.  Join a PW group, join the Bldg. & Grounds team or our Thrift Shop.  Wherever God leads you, follow.  Pray about it!

Keep Pastor Jeff in your prayers as he diligently works to make our church involvement a blessing we will want to experience daily.  His sermons teach us what Jesus wants us to do to make our lives here on earth better.

Pray for this world and the turmoil within it.  Pray for the Serbia refugees as they walk miles and miles with the clothes on their backs; trying to find a new life after theirs was destroyed by bombs and the Isis militia.

We have so many names on our Prayer List who truly need your prayers.  Take time this week to read aloud each name and ask God to lay His healing hands on them.

Take at least 5 minutes to sit in silence, listening for the words of the Holy Sprit.  Then pray a prayer for yourself and those who on your heart today.  Amen.