Study Guide Gateway Church

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1 GATEWAY CHURCH Study Guide

2 1 Study Guide Gateway Church

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4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction...5 How to use this Small Group Study Guide... 6 Daily Devotions: Passages to Grow your Faith! Days of Faith Small Group Study Guide Week 1: Joshua Faith to Move Forward Week 2: Abel Faith for Sacrificial Worship...15 Week 3: Jabez Faith to be Blessed...19 Week 4: David Faith to Face the Giant.. 23 Week 5: The Widow & the Oil Faith for Overflowing Increase..27 Week 6: Feeding the 5,000 Faith for Multiplication...31 Additional Resources Small Group Prayer Requests & Answers

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6 Welcome to 40 Days of Faith! This is an exciting time to be at Gateway Church. God has clearly spoken to us about expansion from Isaiah 54:2 "Enlarge the place of your tent and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes." The reason God's people need to expand is explained in the surrounding verses. It has to do with the next generation. God promises many children (v.1) who are going to possess the nations and people the desolate cities (v.3). Where are these children going to come from? The clear inference in the passage is that they are going to be miracle children. The "barren" and "desolate" woman who has "not been in labour" will have more children than she "who is married." Isaiah 54 can only happen because of Isaiah 53. All of this is the wonderful result of what God has done and is doing through His Son, our Saviour, the sacrificial Lamb who has become the Ruler of the nations! Such expansion is a supernatural, sovereign work of God. How then can we participate in it? Whatever God asks us to do, one thing is certain: It is going to take more faith than we have ever had as a church community. So welcome to 40 Days of Faith! We believe that as we soak in the scriptures and stories of God's greatness and goodness during this season, He will fill us with faith to do all that He asks us to do. We invite you to join us on this journey. For His glory in every nation and every generation, The Elders & Pastors of Gateway Church 5

7 How to use this Small Group Study Guide A Bible study is provided for each week of the 40 Days of Faith. These studies are designed to be done in small groups, and each one relates to a sermon that is preached on the Sunday before a Bible study is discussed. Be sure to bring this study guide with your Bible and a pen to each small group meeting. The Daily Devotions that are provided are designed to supplement the sermons and Bible studies. As you meditate and pray into these scriptures, we trust that your faith will be strengthened and grow in preparation for all that God wants to do in and through us as a faithcommunity. You may want to look these passages up as you begin your day or as your day ends, or as a family during your evening meal. In addition to those daily verses, there is also a memory verse at the beginning of each week s lesson, and a homework exercise provided at the end, and we encourage you to take time to do these exercises between Bible studies. It will help you to get the most out of 40 Days of Faith. Finally, there is a place you can write down the prayer requests of people in your group, so that you can be praying for one another throughout these forty days. We hope you will enjoy these forty days, and grow in faith as you make the most of this material. 6

8 Daily Devotions: Passages to Grow your Faith! Each day, throughout the forty days, you can meditate on these passages and ask the Holy Spirit what He wants to teach you about faith through each one. Week 1: Jesus encourages Faith Day 1: Matthew 8:5-13 Faith & Authority: Jesus and the centurion Day 2: Matthew 9:20-22 Faith & Perseverance: Touching Jesus garment Day 3: Matthew 9:27-31 According to your Faith: Jesus and the blind men Day 4: Matthew 14:22-33 Looking Up or Down: Peter walks on water Day 5: Matthew 15: Faith & Boldness: The Canaanite woman Day 6: Mark 10:46-52 Faith that Sees: Bartimaeus Day 7: Luke 17:11-19 Faith & Thankfulness: The 10 lepers Week 2: Jesus teaches on Faith Day 1: Matthew 6:25-33 Faith vs Anxiety: Lessons from flowers & birds Day 2: Matthew 8:23-27 Faith vs Fear: Lessons from a storm Day 3: Matthew 17:14-20 Faith to Move Mountains: Lessons from a mustard seed, part 1 and Luke 17:5-6 Faith to Transplant: Lessons from a mustard seed, part 2 Day 4: Matthew 21:18-22 Do not Doubt: Lessons from a fig tree Day 5: Mark 11:24-25 Faith & Forgiveness: Teaching on prayer, part 1 Day 6: Luke 18:1-8 Faith & Persistence: Teaching on prayer, part 2 Day 7: Luke 22:31-34 Unfailing Faith: The Power of Jesus' Prayers 7

9 Week 3: Jesus Demonstrates Faith Day 1: Matthew 4:23-25 No Diagnosis too Desperate: Jesus ministers to the crowds Day 2: Matthew 8:1-4 No Illness too Ugly: Jesus and the leper Day 3: Matthew 8:14-17 No Stronghold too Strong: Breakthrough in Capernaum Day 4: Matthew 8:28-34 No Darkness too Great: The demonpossessed men Day 5: Matthew 9:18-26 No Situation too Hopeless: Jesus raised the young girl from the dead Day 6: Matthew 12:9-14 No Disability too Difficult: The man with the withered hand Day 7: Matthew 14:34-36;15:29-31 Nothing is Impossible with God Week 4: Jesus builds Faith Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see how these parables can cause your faith to grow! Day 1: Matthew 13:1-9 God`s Heart for His Seed Day 2: Matthew 13:31-33 God`s Heart for His Kingdom Day 3: Luke 10:25-37 God`s Heart to Lift up the Broken Day 4: Luke 14:7-11 God`s Heart to Honour the Humble Day 5: Luke 14:12-23 God`s Heart for a Full House Day 6: Luke 15:1-7 God`s Heart for the Sinner Day 7: Luke 15:11-32 God`s Heart for the Prodigal Week 5: The Early Church and Faith Day 1: Acts 3:1-16 Faith to Heal: Peter & John Day 2: Acts 6: 1-10 Faith to Live Well: Stephen part 1 Day 3: Acts 7:54-60 Faith to Die Well: Stephen part 2 Day 4: Acts 9:36-43 Faith to Care: Tabitha Day 5: Acts 11:19-24 Faith to Encourage: Barnabas Day 6: Acts 14:8-10 Faith to see Faith: Paul and the crippled man Day 7: Acts 27:13-25 Faith to Hear and Believe: Paul in the storm 8

10 DAILY DEVOTIONS: PASSAGES TO GROW YOUR FAITH! Week 6: Faith for Finances: The following are passages about God's faithfulness to provide for His children. Day 1: Matthew 17:24-27 Finances from a Fish Day 2: Matthew 6:9-15 Jesus encourages us to pray for our daily provision The following are scriptures you can meditate on and turn into prayers because they are promises of God's provision for us. Day 3: Psalms 37:25 "I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging bread." Day 4: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Day 5: 2 Corinthians 9:8-9 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, "He has distributed freely, He has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever."" Day 6: 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God." Day 7: Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." 9

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12 Joshua Faith to Move Forward Memory Verse And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) 1. Sermon Note: Buildings are only as strong as the foundations under them and the same is true about our walk with God. Offices, houses, airports and shopping centers are all build on concrete but the Christian life is underpinned by faith. a. What does this statement mean? What does it look like to have a foundation of faith in your life? Be specific about your everyday life. b. If our foundation is faith, what is the rest of our house built of? c. And what would it mean to have a foundation of faith, and then begin building additions that no longer share that strong foundation? 11

13 2. Read the following scripture verses about faith. Write down what occurs to you personally regarding each verse. Share your thoughts with the group. a. Hebrews 11:1 b. Hebrews 11:6 c. Hebrews 11:13 d. 1 Peter 1:6-7 e. James 1:2 As you and others shared, was there anything about faith in these verses that struck you anew today? Was there anything you had not really considered before? 12

14 JOSHUA FAITH TO MOVE FORWARD 3. Re-read the story of Joshua in Joshua 1:1-7. a. How did Joshua s faith in God challenge his security? b. How did Joshua s faith in God challenge his obedience? c. How did Joshua s faith in God challenge his capacity to trust God? d. Read Proverbs 3:5-6. Be still before the Lord for a moment. Listen. What is God saying to you personally through these verses? 4. God asked Joshua to do the impossible. He was to go into the land of the Hittites and take it over. Sermon note: The Hittites were a military superpower based in modern Turkey who made a name and fortune for themselves by becoming a nation of fierce mercenaries For Israel to do this (attack the Hittites) would be like Puerto Rico attacking the U.S. homeland and just as suicidal! a. Why would God ask us to do what we are powerless to do? 13

15 b. Read Psalm 8 in declaration of our Almighty Saviour! How does this relate to God asking His children to do impossible deeds? 5. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Joshua 1:5 God is with us. God is powerful. God is faithful. Is there an area of your life that you have difficulty seeing that God is with you and is not failing you? If you are comfortable doing so, ask for prayer in this area of your life, that God would help you to see Him in it. Homework As you read your Bible this week, watch for how God s character is described, and then spend time each day thanking Him for who He is (Psalm 103 is a great place to start!). 14

16 Abel Faith for Sacrificial Worship Memory Verse Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1 (NIV) 1. God is BIG. He is also sovereign. Let s humble ourselves before the Lord and worship Him by submitting to His word as we meditate on the following scriptures. Write down what occurs to you personally regarding each verse. Share your thoughts with the group. a. Psalm 139:23-24 b. Hosea 14:1-3 c. Isaiah 55: Sermon note: Is God of greater value to us than anything else? a. Think about how this question is relevant to the story of Abel. Write down your thoughts. 15

17 b. What would have caused Able to give what he did before the law ever required it? 3. Sacrificial Worship. Read the following testimonies of faith displayed in acts of sacrificial worship: Mark 12:41-44 and Mark 14:3-9. a. What makes a heart give with such abandon? Desperation? Hope? Love? Something other? b. Think about the following questions: What would it take for my heart to give with such abandon? What would this giving look like? or What keeps my heart from giving with such abandon? Take a few minutes to ask the Lord to reveal himself to you personally in this area of your life. Write down what the Lord is speaking to you. 16

18 ABEL FAITH FOR SACRIFICIAL WORSHIP c. What do you imagine God could do today, at Gateway, with a unified group of people who gave with great abandon? Think BIG it might be ridiculous, absurd, misunderstood or unprecedented! Use the following scripture to guide your brainstorming: Acts 4:32-35 and 2 Chronicles 31: Sermon note: It takes faith to worship by giving God our costliest and best because we have to trust Him to supply for us in the future. a. Read God s promises to us in Malachi 3: Praise God for his faithful words to the church and to you! b. Make a list of the promises contained in this passage and spend time as a group asking God to release these promises at Gateway and in the lives of the people of Gateway. Homework: Review this week s lesson. How has the Lord challenged you through this faith lesson? What action could you take to bring God great delight? 17

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20 Jabez Faith to be Blessed Memory Verse Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain. And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10 (NIV) 1. Jabez prayed for God s Provision: God bless me. God s blessing has been described as God s abundance, God s supernatural favour, wanting for ourselves what God wants for us. a. What are specific ways that you have seen God s blessing in your own life? b. Is there something you have thought about, but have never pursued because it seems like it would require a level of provision beyond what you feel comfortable asking for? Do you think it s something that the Lord wants to you to ask Him for? 19

21 2. God wants us to live lives of spiritual excellence because of our faith. a. Read the following scripture verses: The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It s our handle on what we can t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. Hebrews 11:1 (The Message) It s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (The Message) b. One could say that we need God s blessing and therefore need to have faith for God s blessing in order to live lives of spiritual excellence. How do you think this is evident or seen in the everyday realities of our lives? c. What is it that hinders us from asking for, or from believing for God s blessing in our lives? 3. Jabez prayed for God s Power: Enlarge my border. a. Putting our faith into action. When we stop dreaming, we start dying. When we don t have any goals, we don t go anywhere! How does asking God for the desires (or dreams) of our heart display trust in Him and a desire for all God has for us? 20

22 JABEZ FAITH TO BE BLESSED b. How does asking God for the desires of our heart actually increase our faith? c. After whizzing down a small slide and braving a medium sized slide, a young boy came to the bottom of a giant slide. He peered up the ladder and watched a teenage boy go hurtling down the slide. Then, against all odds, he decided to try. Step-by-step, he inched up the ladder. He hadn t reached a third of the way when he froze. He couldn t go up or down. He had reached the point of certain failure. His dad rushed over. Are you okay, son? he asked from the bottom of the ladder. Dad, will you come down the slide with me? the boy asked. Why, son? His dad replied, peering up into his little face. I can t do it without you, Dad, he said, trembling. It s too big for me! How does this story relate to how we can achieve the desires of our heart? 4. Jabez prayed for God s Presence: That your hand would be with me. Pete Wilson (founding pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee) asks: What would you do if you were absolutely confident that God was with you? Share your thoughts about this. 21

23 5. Jabez prayed for God s Protection: Keep me from harm so that it would not bring me pain. a. We can only speculate regarding the kind of harm that Jabez might have had in mind, but what is the sort of possible harm that would cause you to pray in this way? b. Read Psalm 121. How does God keep us from harm so that we might live in the fullness of all God wants for us? Make a list of all the ways God protects His people and then spend time as a group asking God to be a protector to people in your group according to what was shared in answer to 5.a. above. Homework Review today s notes and identify which of the ways in which Jabez prayed for provision, power, presence or protection is how God most wants you to grow in prayer. Practice that way of prayer this week. 22

24 David Faith to Face the Giant Memory Verse For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV) 1. Who is David? Write down what occurs to you personally regarding each verse. Share your thoughts with the group. a. 1 Samuel 16:11-13 b. 1 Samuel 16:18 2. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 List the things the above verses tell us about David outwardly (what people could see), and then list the things you know about David s inward life. Eg- How did David s life indicate heart-postures like a love for God, devotion to God, trust in God, the fear of God, etc. 23

25 This had a great deal to do with God choosing David, of all the youth in Israel, to fight Goliath and to be Israel s next king! 3. It was in David s heart to worship God by writing many of the Psalms we are encouraged by today. What do the following Psalms reveal about how David saw God Psalm 27, 34 and 93? Feel free to draw thoughts from 1 Samuel 17 as well. 4. Consider Gateway s situation of needing to expand our Panet campus and the need for increased finances at South Osborne, as well as a challenging or overwhelming personal situation that you may be facing. When we know God is magnificent when we know He is good and when we trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6), how does it affect a. Your perspective regarding the overwhelming odds? Sermon note: Goliath is still alive and well on the earth today! He might not be a giant Philistine, but he s there imposing, threatening, looming b. Your confidence? Sermon note: David has a history with God he now draws on to strengthen his faith to face the giant. He s proven God time and time again in the small things, and now a bigger challenge is here. It s just a matter of natural progression. If God could help me defeat a bear and a lion, David reasoned, this giant is no match for Him. 24

26 DAVID FAITH TO FACE THE GIANT c. Our actions? Sermon note: When David and Goliath eventually meet, he tells Goliath, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. 1 Samuel 17:45 d. The outcome of the situation? Sermon note: So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 1 Samuel 17:50 With the thoughts from your answers above, spend time praying as a group for Gateway s need to expand our Panet campus and the need for increased finances at South Osborne, as well as regarding any challenging or overwhelming personal situations that people in your group may be facing. 25

27 Homework: Whether you have a personal situation that seems impossible, or you re thinking that the church s task of finding the funds to expand seems impossible, take some time to be still before God. Seek Him. Listen to the Lord as you ask Him these questions: a. God, what perspective are you trying to instill in me? b. God, reveal the confidence I can take hold of in your word when conflict arises. (Write it down! Memorize it! Claim it!) c. God, what is my part (with my gifts and my abilities and my history of faith) in this situation? What would you have me do? d. Praise Him! Praise Him for revealing himself to you specifically and to us as a church. Praise Him that he has included you in this impossible situation to walk in the faith of David to the glory of God! 26

28 The Widow and the Oil Faith for Overflowing Increase Memory Verse And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) 1. Read the following scripture verses. Our God is a God of abundance! Write down what occurs to you personally regarding each verse. Share your thoughts with the group. Allow the word of God to stir your faith! a. Matthew 13:12 b. Luke 6:38 c. John 10:10 d. 2 Corinthians 9:8 e. Ephesians 1:3 f. Ephesians 3:20 g. Philippians 4:19 27

29 2. Read the story found in 2 Kings 4:1-7. The widow s story teaches us about the growth of faith as she walks through her desperate circumstances. Apply each of the following aspects of her story to your own faith-situation. a. The widow recalled God s abundance. Sermon note: The widow recalled when Elijah stood on Mount Carmel in a crisis of his own, outnumbered by the prophets of Baal, 450 to 1. She probably watched from a distance as the fire from heaven fell and consumed the soaked sacrifice in response to his prayer (1 Kings 18:20-40). Just a few days later she would have experienced the abundance of rain that fell after Elijah s prayers broke the drought the land was under (1 Kings 18:41-46). And now the widow has met Elisha, and she cries out to him in her need. What are examples of what you have seen God do in the past that have boosted your faith and give you increased faith for things you re crying out to God for now? b. The widow obeyed God s instruction through the prophet Elisha. What did Elisha ask the widow and why do you think that question was important? 28

30 THE WIDOW AND THE OIL FAITH FOR OVERFLOWING INCREASE If you ve had an urgent need that you ve been bringing to Jesus (as the widow did with Elisha in v.1), and Jesus asked you the same question that Elisha asked the widow What do you have? what would be your answer? (You may want to pause as a group and have everyone quietly ask the Lord this question. It s an interestingly similar question to what Jesus asked the disciples when feeding the 5,000.) Note: Not everyone will likely get an answer. This needs to be something the Holy Spirit reveals, and the answer will be unique for everyone, and nor is the answer always immediately apparent. c. The widow focused her heart. Sermon note: Elisha tells the widow to Go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons. We need to shut out distraction and unbelief to meet with God in a powerful way. What are practical ways that we can reduce the distractions of the things that contribute to unbelief in our lives? And what can we do to increase our focus on what builds faith in us? Be specific! 29

31 d. The widow received all she needed (and much more!) Share with one another some stories of how God has provided you with an overflowing answer to prayer! How easy do you find it to receive from God? What hinders you from receiving freely from Him, and what can you do to remove any hindrances? 3. God can still increase our oil today. Take time to praise Him for His greatness, and that there is no natural law that can confine Him! As you close, declare Psalm 103:1-5 in faith together! Homework What promise has God made to you (or the church) in the past that remains unfulfilled? Do you still trust Him (or believe Him) for these things? Take some time to be still (Psalm 46:10) and meet with God about these things. Ask Him to search your heart (Psalm 139:23-24). Silently confess any unbelief (1 John 1:9). Ask Him what He would like to say to you right now, and write it down. 30

32 Feeding the 5,000 Faith for Multiplication Memory Verse For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37 (NIV) 1. Re-read the story found in Mark 6: a. Problems arise! There was a great crowd, in a desolate place, late in the day with insufficient food. What was the disciples solution? b. Jesus challenges the disciples to think outside the box. What did Jesus instruct them to do? c. The disciples were thinking in the natural rather than in the supernatural. What do you think the disciples thought Jesus meant? What do they think they thought Jesus solution to the problem was? 31

33 d. Sermon note: I think Jesus deliberately preached long and late to set this whole thing up putting His disciples in a position where they were forced to grow in faith by trusting God for something they had never had to believe Him for before. Can you imagine Jesus smiling at this point in the story, with a twinkle in His eye, knowing what He was about to do before their very eyes (see John 6:6)? If you were one of the disciples that day, how do you think you would you have felt about the situation and how Jesus was handling it? And is there a situation in your life today that is causing you to feel the same way? Jesus begins to walk out His solution to the problems with his disciples by asking, How many loaves do you have? (Mark 6:38). 2. Let s read the answer to Jesus question in John s account. a. Read John 6:8-9. What have they got to work with? b. Sermon note: I think the fulcrum of the story is right there. Here is where things start to change for the better. Those few items represented total surrender, faithful obedience, sacrificial commitment and a willingness to go without in order to bring Jesus something He could use powerfully. This little guy has more faith than all the disciples put together. Little is much when God is in it. Read 1 Cor. 2:16. If we have the mind of Christ, what do we know that Jesus was up to that day and why? What was Jesus trying to teach His disciples about kingdom living about setting their minds on the things of heaven (Colossians 3:2)? 32

34 FEEDING THE 5,000 FAITH FOR MULTIPLICATION c. How does this truth affect us where we are at today? Think personally. Think corporately as a church. d. What might the practical outworking of this truth look like for you? Or for us as a church? 3. Can you think of other situations or stories where God has taken little and turned it into much? Eg- people in the Bible, your own testimony, the stories of others? 4. Why? Why does God work in such magnificent ways on our behalf? Why does he delight in making little into much? What does God want to teach us in that? List as many scriptures passages as you can think of together, and discuss them. Here is Psalm 149:4 to get you started! For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds. 5. With the above passages in mind, look back on your answers to 1.d. and pray together about situations in your own lives that have caused you to feel the same way the disciples must have felt about the way Jesus approached the problem of how to feed 5,000 people. 33

35 Homework: Some needs have potential to feel like Jesus asking us to feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish! And Jesus may be asking each of us, How many loaves do you have? Go and see. (Mark 6:38). As we each look at our resources, Jesus may be saying to us, Bring them here to me (Matthew 14:18), so that He can do a miracle through the gifts we offer. For Panet: Please pray as individuals and as families about what God may want you to give to a Panet building expansion. For South Osborne: Please pray about what gifts, talents or time you may be able to contribute toward South Osborne s growth. God may be asking you to step out in faith to pursue a dream He s given you for the growth of our congregation. 34

36 Small Group Prayer Requests & Answers At various points in these Bible studies, people are invited to share about things that they have been personally praying for as individuals or as families. These pages are a place where you can write those requests down so that you ll find it easier to remember how you can pray for one another in your group. As people let the group know about answers that have come, you can write those down also. DATE PERSON PRAYER REQUEST ANSWER TO PRAYER 35

37 DATE PERSON PRAYER REQUEST ANSWER TO PRAYER 36

38 DATE PERSON PRAYER REQUEST ANSWER TO PRAYER 37

39 DATE PERSON PRAYER REQUEST ANSWER TO PRAYER 38

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