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September 8, 2024
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. New International Version
Acts 2:46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. New International Version
The early church in Jerusalem met in Herod’s Temple; it was 1.5 million sq. ft! The room in the temple where they met was the Gentile Court, it was only 300,000 sq. ft! Our sanctuary where we’re meeting today, is 12,000 sq. ft. They had a room that was 25 times larger than this room, which held 20,000 people!
Every Human has an Inherent Longing for Belonging
The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has declared loneliness and isolation the nation's latest epidemic, calling it an urgent public health issue. He states: "Loneliness is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity.”
Christianity Begins with BELIEVING and Continues with BELONGING to a Spiritual Family!
Luke 5:17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. New International Version
Luke 5:18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went upon the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. New International Version
Luke 5:24 …So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” New International Version