Introduction

The Church of St. John the Divine

Introduction

September 14, 2023 • Meg Rice

The Lord’s Prayer — It is famous throughout the world. Going to various countries, you find believers who repeat the ancient words in their individual tongues. For me, it was the prayer I learned after "Now I lay me down to sleep". The Lord’s Prayer is repeated in practically all religious services. Over and over again, year after year, we speak these words from memory. But does that cause it to become somehow rote? This study was recommended by one of our Hope of Glory ladies, and it quickened me when she mentioned it. We

all need to break apart this prayer to get into the deeper knowledge of what Jesus was teaching.

Lesson 9: For Thine is the Kingdom

November 16, 2023 • Meg Rice

At this point in this famous prayer, we have acknowledged that God is our Father. We have a loving and subjugating relationship with him. He is also ruler of the universe, all-powerful in the heavenly realms. His name is holy, and we are to honor and revere his name and person. We acknowledge his sovereign rule in our lives and eventually throughout the entire earth. These words mean we sign up for a struggle and a battle. We are assured victory because God is our provider of all things that we need to survive. He is the one who protects us and defends us from ourselves, the world, and the devil. The model prayer has everything we need as kingdom dwellers on this earth. What else can we do but give God glory for all he is to us.

Lesson 8: Deliver Us From Evil

November 9, 2023 • Meg Rice

Evil takes form in three different areas of our lives. The fallen world we live in with its evil standards is one we must fight continually. Another is our flesh. In other words, the humanity that we are born into has evil desires that can trip us up. Lastly, evil lurks in the form of Satan and his minions.

Lesson 7: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

November 2, 2023 • Meg Rice

There is a concept in the world, that once you come to faith in Jesus Christ, your world is perfect. Life is good and without conflict. This is not what the Bible teaches. When we profess the Lord’s prayer and acknowledge God as our Father and bow to his sovereignty, we sign up for a battle. Part of that battle is temptation. The root of the word “temptation” is from the Middle English word temptation which means “testing or enticement to sin”. The Latin root temptare means “to feel, test, attempt, make an assault on, attack”. Our humanity exposes us to a life of temptation to sin, but grasping the hand of our loving Father helps us to overcome temptation.