There Is No God Like You- 1 Kings 8:22-30
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Feb 8, 2015 Prayer Requests
Ruth Gawith
Lua McNew
Helen Carpenter
Ginny Jellison
Lucy McKinney
Richie & Mary Merryman
Linda Anderson
Kathy Davis
Trenton Hattler
Jack Enright
Young families – Gods
guiding in upcoming
changes.
 Gods leading and
direction in our Church
Families
 College Students
 Keith McNew-Christ’s
working in his life.
 James Alexander -Dialysis
 Unspoken
http://globalmission.nazarene.org/
Sandra
Great Britain
David
Mexico
Saurabh
Bangladesh, Angola, Namibia
Ruth
Zealand
India, Israel, Australia, New
April
14,Switzerland
2015 RJ Strickland, pastor of Living Waters Church of the Nazarene
Keith & Ruth
This pastSwaziland
summer we were doing a VBS (vacation Bible school) with some of the
Sarah
Wayne
Africa
Work & Witness
teams. As we were getting closed down, one of the interns from our
church said, “Can you do a kids’ blessing?” It’s 9 p.m. We’re cleaning up from VBS.
I’m trying to think of a Hawaiian blessing. Once I get there, I look up and realize that
something very different is going on. There’s over 100 homeless people in a circle.
I’m brought to the very center to an older gentleman holding a dead baby. …At that
point I realized they’re not asking for a baby blessing. I asked them what had
happened and they said the baby hadn’t been breathing or alive for about 10
minutes. The baby was gone. I turned and told someone to call 911. Then I turned
back to the baby and I just started praying. I was screaming the prayer. Every other
word was, “In the name of Jesus, Baby, wake up!” I’m screaming, and at some point
I’m asking God to show that He exists, to show specific people He’s real, and after 5
minutes of prayer, the baby came back to life. My eyes were closed so I didn’t know
it. I heard the crowd changed. I turned and looked. The baby was smiling at me. The
crowd backed away like they were scared of me. I told them that it was God who
healed the baby, not me. The ambulance came and took the baby to the hospital.
Praying for the US & Canada
Richie Merryman: NY, NM, CA
Alexanders: CA, OK, GA, QC
Vanderpool: NM (SE ABQ)
Jellisons: UT, TX, AK
Shultzs: CA, DC, MA, BC
Moores: AZ, NM, DC, CA, YT, QC
Abby Nielson: MA, OH, VT, QC
Aliece Nielson: NM, VT, PEI
L. Kilgore: VA, MI
T. & P. Brown: IL, HW, PA, DC
Nielsons: OH, PEI, VT, MA, RI
Griffins: VT, OH, (Northeast)
C. Yazzie: NM, AZ, & Navajo
Nation
Adams: NM, CA, MA
B. Brown: GA, OR, ON
B. Vito: NY,ID
Hawaii Pacific District churches cooperate in
compassionate ministry
Lily (not her real name) is a sixth grade girl who has lived for two
years at the Hope for a New Beginning transitional shelter for the
homeless at Onelau'ena in Kapolei, Hawaii, U.S. Lily’s mother
died last year, leaving the girl alone with just a 19-year-old sister
who has three boys of her own. Not even out of grade school,
Lily spends most of her time caring for her nephews. Members of
local Nazarene churches began visiting the shelter to minister to
the residents, particularly to provide tutoring to the children and
youth. They are doing this through the Hawaii Pacific District’s
new compassionate ministry, Kokua Compassionate Group).
http://usacanada
region.org/
22 Then
1 Kings 8 (NIV)
Solomon stood before the altar of
the LORD in front of the whole assembly of
Israel, spread out his hands toward
heaven 23 and said:
“LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God
like you in heaven above or on earth below—
you who keep your covenant of love with your
servants who continue wholeheartedly in your
way. 24 You have kept your promise to your
servant David my father; with your mouth you
have promised and with your hand you have
fulfilled it—as it is today.
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The Incomparable God
 Recall the three things that make Christianity
unique among the world’s religions.
 Why does Solomon say that God is unique?
 What emotion does God’s uniqueness engender
in Solomon?
 The Hebrew word for love is hesed –
 Covenant loyalty
 Loving-kindness
 Devoted faithfulness
 Grace
 Such love is always expressed in a covenant
relationship; how does this affect our everyday life?
1 Kings 8 (NIV)
25 “Now
LORD, the God of Israel, keep for
your servant David my father the
promises you made to him when you said,
‘You shall never fail to have a successor to
sit before me on the throne of Israel, if
only your descendants are careful in all
they do to walk before me faithfully as
you have done.’26 And now, God of Israel,
let your word that you promised your
servant David my father come true.
The Promise Keeping God
As recorded here, God’s promise is
conditional; how does this passage
compare to 2 Samuel 7?
How were both versions of the
promise correct?
Are God’s promises always
conditional?
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1 Kings 8 (NIV)
27 “But will
God really dwell on earth? The heavens,
even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How
much less this temple I have built! 28 Yet give
attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for
mercy, LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer
that your servant is praying in your presence this
day.29 May your eyes be open toward this temple
night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My
Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer
your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the
supplication of your servant and of your people
Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from
heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear,
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forgive.
The Uncontainable God
 How would you explain God’s
relationship to the temple?
 In what ways did the temple prove a
help and a hindrance to the
Israelites?
 How is our relationship to the
church buildings the same and
different from that of the Israelites?
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Next Week
Unit 2: Prayers & Sermons of God’s
People Prayers & Sermons of God’s
People
Lesson 3: Our Eyes Are On You
2 Chronicles 20:1-13
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This is the covenant I will
establish with the people of
Israel after that time, declares
the Lord. I will put my laws in
their minds and write them on
their hearts. Heb 8:10 (Jer
31:33)
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SundayTeacher.com
Lesson Password: Prayer
Illustrated Bible Life Password: Devotion
The Eurasia Regional Office is inviting Nazarenes across the Eurasia Region to link
hearts with our brothers and sisters in the Africa Region by joining them in prayer
and fasting for the people suffering from the Ebola virus outbreak in Western Africa,
for those who are sick, those who have lost loved ones, communities impacted
negatively by quarantine, fear, loss of producers and earners, and for those brave
medical workers treating the sick.
How to help Ebola relief
 Africa West Field Strategy Coordinator Daniel Gomis suggests the following
activities to support Ebola relief efforts: Have a time of fasting and a time of
prayer at least once a week
 Pray for God to bind any fear and loose peace in the hearts of the people of West
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Africa
Pray for our district superintendents, pastors, leaders, and churches in Liberia,
Sierra Leone, and Guinea Conakry, that the Lord will use them powerfully as
agents of hope and salt and light of Jesus in these difficult days
Pray for God's wisdom and protection over the medical doctors and health
personnel in the Ebola-affected countries
Pray for God's wisdom for the head of nations and decision makers in Sierra
Leone, Liberia, and Guinea Conakry
Inform and educate by checking the World Health
Organization and International SOS websites for updates
Funds contributed through the Africa Emergency Relief Fund will go toward
Ebola education programs, prevention and hygiene supplies, and food and
vitamins for individuals and families in affected communities.
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Praying for the US & Canada
1. Secularization is on the rise: 38% of the nation's adult population
now qualifies as post-Christian. This includes 10% of Americans who
qualify as highly post-Christian and 28% as moderately postChristian. In other words, more than 1/3 of U.S. adults are
essentially secular in belief and practice. The younger the
generation, the more post-Christian it is. 48% of Millennials, 40% of
Gen-Xers, 35% of Boomers and 28% of Elders qualify.
2. People are less open to the idea of church: The unchurched are
becoming less responsive to churches' efforts to connect with them.
20 years ago, 65% of churchless Americans were open to being invited
to church by a friend vs. 47% today.
3. Churchgoing is no longer mainstream: Churchgoing is slowly but
incontrovertibly losing its role as a normative part of American life.
In the ‛90s, about 1 in 7 unchurched adults had never experienced
regular church attendance vs. nearly 1 in 4 today
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Praying for the US & Canada
4. There are different expectations of church
involvement: Today only 57% of churchless adults
say they would be interested in Sunday worship as
their starting point vs 70% in the ‛90s.
5. There is skepticism about churches'
contributions to society: When the unchurched
were asked to describe what they believe are the
positive and negative contributions of
Christianity in America, 49% could not identify a
single favorable impact of the Christian
community, while 37% were unable to identify a
negative impact.
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