SERMON NOTES:

PRAYER REQUESTS
JUNE 5, 2011 Y Pray for Tiffany Chopra to have the strength and faith to know that God knows what He is doing with her life. Y Pray that the right choice will be made regarding the new property for our church. Y Pray for Ben Simmer, a young man just graduated from college and has MS with worsening side effects. Pray for new treatments to become available and a cure. Y Pray for all whom at Chain of Lakes who look for jobs, in particular, Lee Bliss, Bill Fink and Gary Wassam. Y For Nicholas LaMay, Angelicas nephew, as he transitions back with his mother and receives mental health treatment. Y Pray for health in the Sabah household. (on-going) Y Jane Zech (Barb & Lee Bliss cousin), and her family. Jane is suffering from brain cancer and is in hospice care. Y Virginia Schober, Amy Moores Aunt, who is recovering from a broken vertebra and needs to wear a halo until mid-June. Y Carole Lloyd as she recovers at home after successful surgery. Y Pray for Angelica Van Iperens friends, Paula and Ruben, and

they struggle with infertility and limited resources to treat it. Y Donna Mc Cullen, Ken Mc Cullen's wife as she goes through more intense chemotherapy treatment.

DEVOTION
Acts 2 is one of the most powerful passages in the Bible. Its a story of the birth of the church. We celebrate this story on Pentecostthe celebration we had this past Sunday. At the beginning of the story the people were gathered to celebrate a Jewish holiday. At the end of the story the people were united as a faith community, empowered by the Holy Spirit. This week as you read this chapter be especially aware of how what happened to this early community can also happen to us at Chain of Lakes Church. Enjoy! Comments about the devotion can be emailed to pastor@colpres.org. Monday, June 13 Read Acts 2:1-4 The community was gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Weeks, Shavuot. This was a harvest festival that took place fifty days after the Passover. See Exodus 23:16. This was a required festivalso all Jewish males traveled to Jerusalem. During this festival heaven broke into earth. People have interpreted these four verses in vastly different ways. One point that everyone can agree on is the Spirit broke into the gathered communitys lives in a dramatic way. This drama could have only been instituted by God.

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We have probably had moments in our life when the Spirit broke into our life in a dramatic way. These moments dont take place oftenperhaps only once or twice in our lives. As you pray today, talk to God about one of these moments; share the story of this experience with a close family member or friend; ask that person about one of their moments. Above all give thanks to God that God cares so much that God is willing to break into our lives in an unexpected way. Tuesday, June 7 Read Acts 2:5-13 The story goes on to list the nations from which people had come to travel to Jerusalem. These people were amazed at what was happening. Look at these verses And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 2:8 In our own language we hear them speaking about Gods deeds of power 2:11b Despite all of us this sound, people could understand each other. A deep connection existed among the people something that was amazing, perplexing, and caused some to question its meaning. Others were more cynical and thought that the entire group was drunk. The connection is something to ponder deeply. Its a connection brought on by God. Its a connection of understanding. Its a connection that every local congregation desires. Today as you pray, pray that God would break out in this connecting way in local congregations. Pray that God would break out this way among the people at Chain of Lakes Church. Pray that our community

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will understand each other in a profound way. Wednesday, June 15 Read Acts 2:14-21 Its interesting that Peter is the disciple who stands up and interprets for the people what was happening. This was the moment where Peter became a leader. Peter had spent three years with Jesus; he was part of the inner-circle of Jesus disciples; he had denied Jesus three times; then in a moving scene he had been assured by Jesus that he was loved. All of these experiences gave Peter the authority to stand up and explain what was happening. Peter saw the events as a living out of what had been predicted by the prophet, Joel. The passage in Joel is Joel 2:28-32. We have had faith experiences that give us authority to speak. We havent spent time with the physical presence of Jesus like Peter did, but we still have had times that give us authority. What faith experiences have you had that are memorable in your life? How do these experiences give you a sense of authority? Consider making a list of these experiences and then listing how the experience gives you authority. Above all pray over these experiences. Pray that the Spirit will use them for good. Thursday, June 16 Read Acts 2:22-36 Peter shared a basic description of the identity of Jesus. If you have a friend or family member who is interested in learning more about Jesus, the first part of this passage would be a good one to share. Paraphrasing what Peter said Jesus was:

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A human given great deeds of power, wonders and signs that God did through him. A human who was killed according to the plan of God. He was killed by people who operated outside of the law. God raised Jesus up thus freeing Jesus from death. It was impossible to keep Jesus under the power of death. The last verse is a clincher on who Jesus is. Its worth committing to memory. Therefore let the entire hose of Israel know with certainty that God has made him Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified. Acts 2:36 As you pray today, spend some time thinking about your own beliefs about Jesus. Do your beliefs correspond with what Peter taught? Above all give thanks for Jesus. Friday, June 17 Read Acts 2:37-42 The people were moved by Peters preaching and asked the question, What should we do? Peter encouraged them to be baptized. Over 3,000 people were baptized. The four parts of verse 42 are some of the basic ingredients of a strong faith community. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42 How do you think were doing at Chain of Lakes at these four basic ingredients of a church? On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest what you rate us on teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers? As you pray today, pray that we at Chain of Lakes can always do well on these four ingredients.

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Saturday, June 18 Read Acts 2:43-47 These verses share the power of what can happen in a community. Things were happening in the community that no one could imagine. The beauty of a local congregation is God can do things that can far surpass what we could ever believe could happen. When we gather in community we believe that God is going to do something special among us. As you pray today, spend some time asking God to do something special at Chain of Lakes. Pray that we can be open to being surprised by God. Weve already had many times that we have been surprised by what God has done. Lets be prepared to be in awe again!