SERMON NOTES:

Prayer Requests Pray for John Thiessen as a cancerous tumor has been found on his ureter connecting to his right kidney. Pray for the Fjeld family. Classmates of Emily Huehns lost their parents in a terrible car accident. Pray for Jennifers family in Texas who mourn the loss of her grandmothers husband Russell Babb. For the family and new baby girl who was born to Judith Shu and Jonathan Tse. For Chuck Godfrey and his family as they grieve for the passing of his step-father. Pray for Erika Dochniak as she struggles with diabetes. Pray for a seven year old boy named Carter Olson who is undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer. Prayers are working!! So far he is tolerating chemo but has 4 more months of treatment ahead of him. Pray for Jennifers sister Rebecca Klein as their family go through divorce. Pray for Angelicas friend Ann, a friend and colleague, who is receiving treatment for breast cancer. Pray for Carole Lloyd, a friend of Pastor Paul and Amy Moore, whose brain cancer has reappeared. Pray for Dwight Zvorak as he recovers from the disease of alcoholism. Pray for persons and process involved in property purchase for COL.

DEVOTION

This past Sunday we at Chain of Lakes had the privilege of hosting Teen Challenge. We heard the stories of people who have been healed through faith and a disciplined program of restoration. Healing is a central part of the biblical message. Healing can take place in many different forms. The important point is to celebrate that people have experienced restoration through their faith. Being healed doesnt take place of solid medical care; however healing without faith is not complete. This week we have the opportunity to read stories about people who were healed. These stories are similar to the stories that we heard this past Sunday. Comments and thoughts about the devotion can be E-mailed to Pastor Paul at pastor@colpres.org. Enjoy!! Monday, January 9 Read Matthew 10:1-8 This passage reveals a lot about how seriously Jesus understood healing and wholeness. In this story Jesus was training and commissioning his twelve apostles. His training and commissioning were in verses 1, 7, & 8. [Jesus] gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. (verse 1) Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons (verse 8) What is significant is what Jesus didnt say. He didnt say go and evangelize or to tell people to become his followers. Jesus believed in evangelism and that people would become his followers. But first Jesus wanted to help people through healing. Its as if Jesus was saying if people have their physical and spiritual needs met, then the Kingdom of Heaven will come near.

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As you pray today, pray that the church in general can grasp this message. Pray that we at Chain of Lakes can understand that this healing is the primary part of the Kingdom. Tuesday, January 10 Read Psalm 88 This is a very challenging Psalm. Most pastors havent preached too many sermons on this Psalm. Basically the Psalmist is blaming God for his (most likely the author was a male) calamities. He is saying that God is punishing him by withholding the divine presence. In 2012 we dont teach that people illnesses are a direct result of divine punishment. However we dont talk enough about how a persons pain (whether spiritual or emotional) is a spiritual crisis. Many times a persons troubles result from a spiritual problem. This doesnt mean God is at fault, but somehow a rupture in a relationship with God has existed. Think back to your last significant problem. To what extent was that a spiritual problem? As you pray today, pray that all of us can see the spiritual dimensions of our crises. Pray that we at Chain of lakes can see these dimensions too. Wednesday, January 11 Read Luke 8:1-3 Jesus traveled through many villages with his apostles and other women. One of the women was Mary Magdalene. According to this passage she was a woman who had been healed of seven demons. Its hard for us to know what Luke, a physician himself, meant when he described a demon. The important point was Mary Magdalene was healed. She was never married to Jesus, but she became a devoted follower of Jesus.

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Mary Magdalene was a disciple. She stayed with Jesus through this death and was one of the first people who saw Jesus after he was raised, read John 20. Her story illustrates again the importance of being healed. By helping people let go of their ailments, the church can help people become disciples. You probably know of someone who needs healing today. Pray for their healing. Pray that the church can understand that helping people be healed is a primary mission of the community. Thursday, January 13 Read 1 Kings 17:17-24 This is a miraculous story of transformation. Just prior to this story God had told Elijah to go to the town where he would meet the widow. When he met the widow at the gate of the town he commanded her to give him something to eat. They went to the widows home where he was fed. Soon afterwards the son of the widow became deathly ill. After a stern conversation with the widow, Elijah prayed for the sons healing. Look at the passion of his prayer: O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son? This was a very direct and urgent prayer from Elijah. Elijah teaches us through this prayer to be direct with God. Think about your own prayer life. How would you describe the urgency of your own prayers? How much passion and emotion do you have? Or do you feel that your prayers are just words?

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As you pray today, pray with passion. Do not be afraid to be direct and share with urgency your requests with God. Elijah is our example! Friday, January 14 Read John 11:38-44 The healing of Lazarus is another example of someone being restored. Jesus healed Lazarus right before he went to Jerusalem for the final week of his life. Jesus was greatly disturbed by the death of Lazarus. Jesus had a determination that he was going to heal Lazarus. If you keep reading the story youll see that the religious leaders were threatened by the healing of Lazarus. Even for us healings dont take place in a vacuum. When people are restored there is almost always some sort of reverberation that takes place within the persons community. Sometimes this is negative. Its hard for some to accept that people have been healed. As you pray today, pray that our world can accept the restoration of people. Saturday, January 15 Read Psalm 102 This Psalm is similar to Psalm 88 that we read earlier in the week. It is a passionate prayer for help to God. As you read it think of someone who needs help. Replace that persons name into the Psalm. For example in verse 2 the verse would go, Do not hide your face from [the persons name] in the day of [the persons] distress. Let this be a prayer for this person who needs help.