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Text: Philippians 2:12-18This week we welcome Pastor Roger Lokker.Recorded live at Bethany Bible Church on: May 31, 2026Bethany Radio is a production of Bethany Bible Church in LeRoy, MN.More content and info is available on our website: bethanybibleleroy.com 2026 — Bethany Radio

Introduction: What About Spiritual Gifts? (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) Spiritual Gifts are FROM God and FOR Every Believer. (1 Cor 12:4-6) Spiritual Gifts Are to Be Used to BLESS the CHURCH. (1 Cor 12:7) Spiritual Gifts Come in Many FORMS. (1 Cor 12:8-10) 2 Corinthians 12:12 - The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. Hebrews 2:4 - while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Wisdom Knowledge Faith Healing Miracles Luke 9:1 – And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases Prophecy Distinguish between spirits Tongues Interpretation of tongues Spiritual Gifts Are Given at the HOLY SPIRIT'S DISCRETION. (1 Cor 12:11) SEEK God. Consider the INTERSECTION. Take an ASSESSMENT. Take the Spiritual Gifts Test! Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: What About Spiritual Gifts? Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:38Open up your Bibles with me, please, to the book of 1 Corinthians 12.00:45While you're turning there, let's just pause for a second, and I'm going to ask that you would please pray for me00:53to be faithful to communicate God's Word accurately and clearly as I should.01:01And I will pray for you to be open to receive what it is that God said. All right, let's pray. Father, sometimes we come to your word and I guess some passages seem to hit some of us more than others. And we're about to enter into a section that according to your word literally is for every single one of us. So I pray.01:31That Your Spirit would be the power behind the wisdom of Your Word and that You would continue to conform us into the image of Your Son, not just individually, but as a church body. Father, glorify Your name as we immerse ourselves into Your Word now. We pray in Jesus' name and all of God's people,02:02Amen. Look at 1 Corinthians 12, verse 1. Paul says,02:07Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.02:18This section of 1 Corinthians has been a big Q&A section.02:25They had sent Paul questions and he was responding with answers.02:28And up to this point, we've mainly been dealing with earthly matters. We've been talking about liberty and marriage and gender. And now we're on to more, I guess you could say, spiritual matters. And he says, concerning spiritual gifts, look at that verse 1, I do not want you to be uninformed. I don't want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts.02:58Spiritual Gifts. Wow, that's a phrase that really describes the church today. Right? Because as always, church, we will go to either side of the extreme. When we talk about spiritual gifts, immediately you're going to have some people on one end of the spectrum that just completely neglect or ignore them. And think, oh, that's just like,03:28Goofy, charismatic stuff, but we're like sober-minded people. You completely dismiss the role that the Holy Spirit has in the work of the church. They're just neglected. And we do church according to human intellect and creativity. And then you have people on the other end of the spectrum that don't neglect the gifts. You could say they misrepresent the gifts of the Holy Spirit.03:58And over on the other extreme, people are doing all kinds of goofy things in church saying that it's a work of the Holy Spirit. We're slain in the Spirit and we're hooping and hollering and barking and howling. It's a gift of the Spirit. Excuse me. Absolutely essential in your work for Christ. Absolutely essential04:28in the health of the church, in the health of this church, you have to understand what spiritual gifts are, and you have to use your spiritual gift in the church. All right, look at verse 2. He says, you know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols. However, you were led. What he's doing here is he's setting up a contrast.04:58by idols.05:00And we're going to see this as we go throughout this section,05:03but the Corinthians in their former pagan lifestyle05:07learned a lot of bad methods of worship.05:11Pagan methods of worship.05:13And they brought those into the church.05:15Like, I guess this is how we worship.05:17And Paul here is making the contrast.05:20Like, look, no, no, no.05:22You used to be led by idols.05:24Now, now you are led by the Holy Spirit of God.05:30The Holy Spirit. Somehow, despite how essential His role is in the church, He just doesn't seem to get the press that the other members of the Trinity get, right? I mean, we talk about Jesus a lot. His sacrifice on the cross for our sins. His resurrection from the dead.05:58We talk about God the Father a lot. But God the Holy Spirit, just is essential. The Bible says that every Christian, every born-again Christian receives the Holy Spirit. That's Romans 8 and 9, among other places. That's God's presence abiding in you. Why? Why does God's Spirit live in you? Well, there's two main reasons. One is for character, right?06:28The Holy Spirit manifests the character of Christ in you. That's the fruit of the Spirit. That's Galatians 5. That's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That's what the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer manifesting those characteristics. So it's character. The other reason the Holy Spirit lives in believers is for service.06:58And that's what we're talking about in this passage today. Every believer is given a spiritual gift to be used in the church. And you're like, wow, you know, how do I know that I even have the Holy Spirit? Well, look at verse 3. Paul says, therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says,07:28Jesus is accursed. And no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit. So how do you know you have the Holy Spirit? Here's a foundational test. How do you regard Jesus? And I don't just mean what do you say about Jesus here in church on Sunday morning or at small group. I mean in your heart, in your innermost being privately,07:58How do you regard Jesus Christ? In your heart, is Jesus Christ everything to you? Because your true heart disposition towards Jesus is manifest by the Spirit. If you're born again, Paul says, you cannot curse Jesus. And apparently some of that stuff was happening in the Corinthian church. That's a whole other study for another time.08:28Paul says, if you have the Holy Spirit living in you, you absolutely will regard Jesus Christ as your Lord. The Holy Spirit. He's not just for preachers and missionaries, by the way. The Christian life, every Christian's life, is a Holy Spirit-led and empowered life. So the question that Paul's getting into here, and Pastor Taylor's going to be talking about this more next week, here's the question on the table.08:58They asked. He's answering, so what about spiritual gifts? I mean, what are spiritual gifts? And how is it that the Holy Spirit uses spiritual gifts in the church? So on your outline, what about spiritual gifts? What about them? Paul's giving us a great foundational teaching on Holy Spirit gifts.09:28Number one, write this down. Spiritual gifts are from God and for every believer. Look at verses four through six. He says, now there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit. And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities,09:58is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. He says there's many kinds of spiritual gifts, but notice he says they all come from God. And he really wants to make that point clear because you notice he mentioned every member of the Trinity as being the source of spiritual gifts. You notice that? He talks about the Holy Spirit in verse 4. He talks about Jesus Christ, the Lord, in verse 5. He talks about God, the Father,10:28in verse 6. Spiritual gifts are gifts that come from God. Now, understand that spiritual gifts are different than talents. Okay? Like a skill that you have to play an instrument or to paint a mural. Spiritual gifts are different, but listen. I can show you biblically, and that's a study for another time.10:58come from God. Absolutely.11:03But here we're talking about ministry gifts.11:06Church ministry must be Spirit-powered, not done in the flesh.11:15Why?11:19Because if we're just doing ministry in our power, in man's power,11:25we're going to get man's results.11:27But when ministry is done in God's power, we get God's results. So which do you want? At the end of the day, I want to see what God can do in this church, not what I can do. But you notice the end of verse 6, beginning of verse 7, to everyone, to each. Listen, because every Christian possesses the Holy Spirit, all Christians, all Christians are given a spiritual gift.11:59It's so fascinating because every gift is a characteristic of Jesus Christ Himself. You realize He had everything perfectly. Think about that. Jesus, God in the flesh, who embodied every characteristic perfectly. You see the Holy Spirit giving us a spiritual gift. What's going on here? Here's what's going on. The church is called the body of Christ.12:29And each member is given a gift so that collectively, we as the body of Christ become a sort of representation of Jesus Christ himself. It's absolutely mind-blowing. But God wants the church to be Christ-like, and this is how it happens. We each use our spiritual gift. We're collectively built up in all of the characteristics that Jesus Christ possessed perfectly in the Incarnation.12:57So, spiritual gifts from God for every believer. All right, number two, spiritual gifts are to be used to bless the church. Look at verse 7. He says, to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For the common good.13:28It's kind of funny when you think about it. You're given a spiritual gift, right? But in a real sense, the spiritual gift given to you isn't even for you. Isn't that strange? God's given you a gift, but He goes, oh, that's not for you. That's for everybody else. You see, my spiritual gift is supposed to benefit you.13:57benefit me.14:01And that's why we believe in every member of ministry at Harvest Bible Chapel.14:05If you're attending here, if you consider this your church,14:09we're not shy about asking where do you want to serve.14:15Not because we're like, we need help.14:18We do need help.14:21But that's not the primary reason.14:24It's because if you're part of the church, God has gifted you to bless the church. Right? So I have to ask you, how is God using you in this church? How's God using you? If you've been given a gift that's for the common good, how is that working in your ministry?14:55Now look, I've got to tell you, we are so blessed at this church. We were talking about this not too long ago, but we have a crazy high percentage of people who are actively serving in this church in so many ways. We're not there yet, but that number needs to be 100%. And if you're attending this church and you're not serving, please hear me.15:26I just want to lovingly tell you that God hasn't called anyone to warm a seat. Nobody's spiritual gift is attendance. We need you to be using your spiritual gift for the common good. All right? So spiritual gifts are from God for every believer. Number two, spiritual gifts are to be used to bless the church.15:54And number three, spiritual gifts come in many forms. Here's where we need to spend some time. In this section here, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Now, this list is not exhaustive, okay? Actually, we're not going to look there today. We're going to stick in this passage as is our custom. But you can see also Romans chapter 12. You can see Ephesians chapter 4. There are other gifts than the ones that are listed.16:24here. This isn't exhaustive. This is more just representative. Spiritual gifts come in many forms. Let's look at verses 8-10. Paul says, for to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit.16:54To another, faith by the same Spirit. To another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit. To another, the working of miracles. To another, prophecy. To another, the ability to distinguish between spirits. To another, various kinds of tongues. To another, the interpretation.17:24of tongues.17:27Alright, so with spiritual gifts there are two categories.17:31There are speaking gifts and there are serving gifts.17:35But there are also two kinds of gifts.17:38There are permanent gifts.17:40There are gifts that were given that will be active in the church until our Lord returns.17:46And there are gifts that are temporary that were only for a time and purpose.17:51And this is where we get controversial.18:00Because this is where a lot of people have a lot of different opinions. But are you ready to go to Sunday school for a few minutes? Three of you? Okay. Thank you. Tristan always has my back. Always. And some of you are like, I don't know if I want to get out of here.18:23this road. Well, we're going through 1 Corinthians. This is next. And we receive God's Word as presented, right? So let's do it. But I want to talk about temporary gifts. And please hear me out before you storm out. That door's hard to slam, but it can be done. Before you storm out, before you throw anything at me, I would like you to please hear me out for a few minutes, all right?18:53Because this isn't my opinion. This is what the Bible says if you read it straightforwardly. Temporary gifts, sometimes they're called sign gifts. Those are the more miraculous type gifts. Please hear me because this is where I'm going to be misquoted, but not you. Listen, those gifts are not normative today.19:23Do I believe that they still happen? 100% I do. But they are not normative. Okay? So if somebody's like, well, what is Jeff's position on some of these sign gifts? I do not believe that they are normative today. I'm going to show you why. Can God do them? Yes. But, listen close. These sign gifts, are these spiritual gifts19:53that are possessed by people in the day of Paul and the apostles. And the answer is no. They're not possessed by people as they were in Paul's day. God still does them on occasion, not normative, but they're not possessed by people. I want to talk about miracles for a moment. Pastor Taylor and I were talking about this last week.20:23I think when we read the Bible, we get this idea that miracles were just like happening all the time, right? Like Moses woke up and like before his oatmeal, he like fired off five miracles. Boom. Not a man a meal, not oatmeal. But actually miracles in the Bible were actually very rare.20:53And apart from Moses' day, and apart from the day of Jesus in the apostles' ministry, miracles performed through men were actually very rare things. So why did we see so many miracles, especially in Moses' day, and especially in Jesus' and the apostles' day? Because this is why.21:21God performed miracles through people to verify or prove when new revelation was given. That's why it was normative in Moses' day. That's why it was normative for the apostles. Because God was giving new revelation, and that was the way He verified it. Any knucklehead can run around and say,21:51this is the new word of the Lord. And like, how can you prove that? Anybody can say that. God would verify what is actually revelation from him by backing it up with people who were giving not just this message, but performing these miracles. That's why you see that in Jesus. Why did Jesus perform so many miracles? Why did Jesus perform miracles? He's putting on a show, right?22:21He wanted to dazzle people, right? Hey, check this out. Check out what I can do. Anybody got two fishes, five loaves? Let me show you a trick. No! Jesus wasn't an entertainer. Why did Jesus do all the miracles? Actually, He referred to them as signs. Why? Because they were done to prove He is who He said He is. He's like, I'm God in the flesh. And of course, you're going to have people that were like, pfft.22:51I'm not buying that. But when you see this man raising the dead, healing the sick, feeding multitudes, you're like, there's something more to him. Right? Jesus' signs proved he is who he said he is. You're like, awesome, but what about spiritual gifts? Well, same principle here. Listen, to back the apostles'23:21while the New Testament was completed, was being completed, God authenticated the gospel with sign gifts. That's what the Bible says. You're like, where does the Bible say that? Many places. I'll give you a couple. Okay? Like 2 Corinthians 12. Look, the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience with signs and wonders and mighty works. You see?23:51the true apostles were performing miracles. It was to authenticate the gospel message. Same thing in Hebrews 2.4. It says, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will. Same principle as God was giving us the New Testament. You see, in those days, they didn't have the New Testament completed yet.24:21was being worked on by the Holy Spirit. So when somebody got up and said, let me tell you this message from God, how do we know it was from God? He backed it up with miracles. That's why when you go through the book of Acts, you see miracles less and less and less and less as you go through the book of Acts. We spent like three years in Acts, and that's what you see. In 1 Corinthians here, the book that we're studying, it was one of the earliest24:51written. So sign gifts were still very much a thing when Paul wrote this, but they were on their way out and they were ending as normative spiritual gifts when the New Testament was completed. That's why in none of the other epistles you see any talk about the spiritual gifts of miracles or healings or tongues or interpretation of tongues. You don't see that in any other25:21book in the New Testament.25:25Because it was phasing out.25:28We have God's word complete in written form,25:31so we don't need to verify it with a miracle.25:35God wrote it all down for us.25:37All right?25:39So, with that backdrop, I'm going to go through these quickly.25:44Each one of these could be a sermon,25:45and that's not the intention.25:49Interestingly, Paul does not explain them. He just lists them. I want to give you a little definition for each, a little understanding. So look at your spiritual gifts here, starting in verse 8. The first one is wisdom. What is wisdom? That's just skill in applying the Word of God. Do you know who typically possesses this gift are people that are counselors, whether it's formally or informally, people that are able to say, I understand how to incorporate God's truth.26:19into my life.26:21I can help you incorporate God's truth into your life.26:23It's applying the Word of God.26:24That's wisdom.26:26Next is knowledge.26:30That's understanding the Word.26:34It's somebody that can see Bible facts and knows how they fit together.26:39You know what's amazing?26:40Did you ever see these Christian authors?26:43They take like one subject and they write a whole book about it.26:46That's always amazing to me.26:48Like, how do they do that? They wrote a whole book about one subject? Well, I think a lot of them have the gift of knowledge. Right? Next is faith. Gift of faith. Now, obviously, this is faith beyond believing to get saved, because every follower of Christ has that kind of faith. Right? But you ever notice that there are some Christians that you meet that just seem to have a deeper,27:20Confidence in the Sovereignty of God. You know what I'm talking about? There's some Christians you meet, they could be going through just the worst trials a human being can go through, and they're just like, you know what? God's in control. He's got this. And they're just completely unflappable. They have the gift of faith. Those people are typically the best prayers. Right? Next on the list.27:48is healing.27:51Now again, I believe that this is one of the gifts27:55for people that was phasing out at this point.28:01But what is healing?28:02Well, it's just supernaturally healing a physical illness.28:12I wish I had that gift.28:14I wish it was still a thing.28:17And you might say, well, Pastor Jeff, I think it is still a thing. Because I saw this guy on TV. He was slapping people on the head deaf and they were getting up with full hearing. Interesting about those people, they never go to the cancer ward or the children's hospital. I mean, if I had the gift to heal people, that's the first place I'd go. You're like, oh, so you don't believe in healing? Oh, yeah, yeah. Look, listen.28:47Let's be clear. God still heals. I believe that 100%. And I have seen in this church God miraculously heal people. I believe that God heals. I'm not convinced that Benny Hinn ever did. All right? So next is miracles. Miracles. Like, wait a minute. What's the difference between miracles and healing? I'm not going to bore you with the long systematic Thompson Chain reference.29:17But here's the thing. That word for miracles, when you trace it through the New Testament, was most often connected with casting out demons. That's the difference. That's the distinction. See, that's what Jesus was talking about. Look at Luke 9.1. We'll have it on the screen. It says, and he called the twelve together, look, and gave them power and authority, here it is, over all demons and to cure diseases. So miracles.29:47In the New Testament referred to casting out demons. Again, I believe that was an apostolic era. Do I believe God still does that 100%? Absolutely, yes, He does. Normative? That a person has the gift and is running around doing that? No. All right, next is prophecy. Prophecy. Now, when we think prophecy, when we hear that word, what's the first thing we think of? Like future stuff, right?30:17Tell us the future. Well, sometimes, actually rarely, that's part of it. But you realize that's not what prophecy literally means at all. Do you know what the word prophecy is? It literally breaks down to a compound word that means speak before. You're like, speak before what? Speak before an audience. That's what prophecy is. It's somebody that stands in front of a group of people and says things.30:47Before Them. That's prophecy. It's the public speaking of God's truth. That's what happens when I get up here, Taylor or Brian or Justin or whoever stands up here proclaiming the Word of God. That is prophecy. We are speaking before. Right? Next is distinguishing between spirits. If you're interested, we did a whole sermon series on this.31:17A couple years back, this is what we more commonly call discernment. It's the ability to evaluate if something is from God or not. And in that sermon series, I'm not going to preach it all now, but I'd just like to remind you that that is something that we are all called to do. We are all called to discern what is from God and what is not from God. And again, I'll remind you that we live in a day that it is more crucial than ever because we live in a day where we have access to more information.31:47than we've ever had. You open up your phone, you're going to have 10,00031:51preachers giving you contradictory31:54message about31:55thus saith the Lord. How do we know31:57what God actually said? Discernment32:00is the gift to be able to32:01tell, he's not saying what God32:03said, but this guy definitely is, right?32:05Right?32:10Some people have that gift.32:13Alright, next gift is tongues.32:18Next gift is tongues.32:21You're like, are tongues for today?32:26People ask that, are tongues for today?32:31Yeah, tongues are for today.32:32How would you eat your ice cream otherwise, right?32:38Listen, I'm not going to go too far into this.32:42Oh, you're scared? No, not at all.32:43We're actually going to be doing a very deep dive in this. We're spending four weeks on this subject. But what is tongues biblically? Tongues is the ability to speak in a foreign language unknown to the speaker. It's a known language, by the way. It's not gibberish. It's somebody speaking an already existing language that that person doesn't know. They're just speaking it. Like I said, we're going to spend so much more time on this. And then interpretation of tongues is just simply that.33:13a person that was gifted with the ability to translate what the tongues speaker says. Many forms. One spirit. Oh, speaking of the Holy Spirit, number four. Spiritual gifts are given at the Holy Spirit's discretion.33:47Look at verse 11.33:52He says,33:54All these are empowered by one in the same Spirit34:01who apportions to each one individually as He wills.34:09As He wills.34:11The Holy Spirit, in His sovereignty, determines who does what. That's the Holy Spirit's job. Understand, as your pastor, I did not get to choose your gift. Like, oh, you want to be a part of our church? All right. Prophecy. Okay, how about you? You want to join the church? All right. Healing. You're like, you totally didn't listen to that sermon, did you? I don't get to determine that gift.34:41get to determine that gift. You know what? Preaching looks like a lot of fun. I think I'm going to ask the Holy Spirit for the prophecy gift. He is the one who determines the gift. It is a gift. And the gift giver determines the gift that he wants to give you. The gift giver determines the gift35:12that he wants to give you.35:19And I know this is a hard sell in our day.35:23I mean, Murph, you get it. You go back. We get it.35:27The gift giver determines the gift he wants to give. We get it. The younger people don't get that.35:33Like, why not? Because you know what we do in our day?35:38You know what we do in our day? We have a big event.35:42We have a baby shower, a wedding, little Joey's birthday party. He's turning five. Going to have his party at the Chuck E. Cheese. Do you know what we do today? We tell people what gifts we want, don't we? We do that. Little Joey's turning five. He's registered at Target. Right? Right?36:10Or, yeah, I'm getting married. Yeah, I'm getting married. Yeah, I'm registered at Target. We tell people the gifts that we want. I'm getting married. I want this toaster. I want this knife set. I want this vacuum. And then, I mean, we've done it. Aaron and I will go and be like, okay, this is the vacuum they want.36:40and we buy it and we wrap it up. And then they act surprised when they open it. They open it up and they're like, oh, you got me exactly what I was asking for. Oh, you shouldn't have. But you go back a generation, the gift giver determined what gift you got. Don't try that with the Holy Spirit, okay? You're baptized.37:11I'm registered at Target.37:15Well, we don't get a say in it.37:17It's His gift, right?37:19It's His gift.37:19Do you think I would have signed up for this?37:25Oh no.37:26Oh no.37:30He'll make a better choice than we would anyways.37:33Alright.37:35That's all well and good.37:36But that's really not the question37:39that we're asking right now.37:40The question that we're asking right now is how do I know what my spiritual gift is right I mean it's clear he's given all of us each of us a gift to represent the body of Christ and we're to use it in the common good we saw the kinds and you're like awesome what is my spiritual gift how do I find out what my spiritual gift is all right I'm going to give you three things we're going to close with this three things how do I know what gift I've been given letter A seek God38:10You're like, that sounds like a cop-out. No, look. If you make your life about on-your-face praying and in the Word and just get serving in the church, the Spirit's going to do what the Spirit does. He's going to be at work through you. You're going to figure that out real quick. So just don't worry about seeking a gift. Seek the gift giver. He'll do what He does.38:40That's what he does. Seek God. All right? Letter B. Consider the intersection. Like, what's the intersection? I was studying for this this week. I came across something. I thought it was super helpful. It's one of those diagrams where everything intersects. What do they call that? A Venmo diagram?39:10Venn. Not Venmo.39:20What's a Venmo?39:23Oh, that's giving money.39:26Also a spiritual gift. Right!39:30So you could Venmo your...39:31Alright.39:33I just feel like I had like an inception moment here.39:37Alright.39:38Consider the intersection.39:39Yeah.39:40All right. So I came across this Venn diagram. And I thought it was helpful. I'm going to try to recreate it here. But there's three things here. First of all, this circle here, we're going to call that, we're going to call this one ability. We're going to call this one ability. What is it that you seem, not complicated,40:10You seem like you're able to do this. Right? Of all the gifts. You're like, you know what? That's something that I seem like I'm able to do. I mean, I'm not boasting or anything. It just seems like something that I'm able to do. Okay? And then, with this one, we're going to call this one affinity. That's an idea. Okay. That's affinity. Like, well, that's an idea. Like, what do40:40I enjoy doing.40:42If somebody was like, you can do whatever you want in the church, whatever you enjoy most,40:46what would be the line I get to the front of first?40:50What's my affinity?40:53And then the third thing here, my circles are getting less and less circle-y, but I think you get the idea.41:01This one we're going to call affirmation.41:12You know, you have people maybe in your small group or other people in the church that are, they say to you, you know what? You seem like you have a real gift for teaching. You really seem like you have a gift for praying with people. So the point is this. Consider the intersection right here.41:39This is very likely your spiritual gift. I would say extremely likely. What you're able to do, what you love doing, and what people affirm that it seems like God has equipped you to do, that is very likely your spiritual gift. All right? Then letter C, assessment. Seek God, consider the intersection or assessment. We have a QR code.42:10Go ahead, take your phone out and give that a scan. Pastor Rich sent this along. But this is an online assessment. And really, I think between seeking the Lord, considering the intersection, doing the online assessment, I think that's going to get you all on your way to giving you a deeper understanding of what your spiritual gift is. So go ahead. Go ahead, do the...42:41Either scan that or Venmo me some money. Since you have your phone out and I just learned what Venmo is. Do I have a Venmo? Never mind. Aaron says I don't have a Venmo. All right. Our worship team would make their way up. While they're coming, you know, when I was in high school, I played soccer.43:11In my junior high year of playing soccer, the coach didn't like me. Why? Because I was unlikable. So I sat on the bench most of the season. Now, I knew I had the ability.43:39senior year, we had a new coach, and I didn't sit for one minute that entire season. In fact, I was co-captain of the team. But I got to tell you, I think back to that junior year of playing soccer, and I just remember feeling incredibly frustrated because I felt incredibly useless. You know, you put your shin guards on, you put your cleats on, you put your44:09your soccer uniform on.44:12And you just, I just sat there and watched the whole season.44:16Just sat there.44:21So many times I thought, why am I even here?44:25Why am I even here?44:26What am I doing?44:29I want to tell you, you don't have to worry about that with God's team44:34because there are no bench warmers.44:39God doesn't tell any of His children, you know what? You're nice and all, but you go sit over there. We don't really need you. Or you just wait, and if we decide there's a place we can squeeze you in, we'll see if we can do that. No, no, no, no, no. God's Word has made it very clear that He has called and He has gifted every single one of you.45:08this church. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, so often we get a gift and we don't say thank you, but Father, we thank you not just for the gift of your Holy Spirit himself who lives within us, but the gift that he has given each of us to serve you and your church. For some people here, Father, this is probably brand new teaching.45:38Never really considered this. And for some people here, Father, maybe we've known this and have sort of strayed from it. But I'm asking today, Father, that your Spirit would grip every heart in this church and grip the church collectively so that we truly, as the body of Christ, might represent the person of Christ.46:08as these spirits are at work in us. So Father, I pray for the person here who maybe has been coming to this church but just hasn't stepped up. Remind them, Father, it's not just a matter of the elders and pastors and ministry team would value your input. Remind them, Father, that you have equipped them to serve your church.46:38We do so to your glory and honor. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 12:1-11What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What does it mean that spiritual gifts are for the common good (1 Cor 12:7)?Are sign gifts such as healing and miracles still possessed by people today? Why or why not?Why is it important to understand that the Holy Spirit is the One Who chooses what gifts believers receive (1 Cor 12:11)?How do you know if a ministry is done by the power of the Holy Spirit, or done in the flesh (that is, just by “human power”)?BreakoutPray for one another.

Daniel 4:1-37 1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you!2It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. 3How great are his signs,how mighty his wonders!His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,and his dominion endures from generation to generation. 4I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace.5I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.6So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.7Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation.8At last Daniel came in before mehe who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy godsand I told him the dream, saying,9O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation.10The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.11The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth.12Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. 13I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven.14He proclaimed aloud and said thus: Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.15But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.16Let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.17The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.18This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you. 19Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!20The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth,21whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived22it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.23And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,24this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king,25that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.26And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules.27Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity. 28All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.29At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,30and the king answered and said, Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?31While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,32and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.33Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws. 34At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;35all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,and he does according to his will among the host of heavenand among the inhabitants of the earth;and none can stay his handor say to him, What have you done? 36At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me.37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

“Grant that in our earthly pilgrimage we may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer.”Monday • 5/4/2026 •Monday of the 5th Week of EasterThis morning's Scriptures are: Psalm 56; Psalm 57; Psalm 58; Leviticus 16:1-19; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 6:1-6,16-18This morning's Canticles are: before the Psalm reading, Pascha Nostrum (“Christ Our Passover,” BCP, p. 83); following the OT reading, Canticle 9 (“The First Song of Isaiah,” Isaiah 12:2–6, BCP, p. 86); following the Epistle reading, Canticle 19 (“The Song of the Redeemed,” Revelation 15:3–4, BCP, p. 94)

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 1 Meaning and Nature of the Psychic Being, pg. 18This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/03/29/the-refraction-of-the-unified-supreme-consciousness-into-the-various-levels-and-forms-of-the-manifested-creation/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com#Sri Aurobindo #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #Jiva #Jivatman #soul #psychic being #Purusha #supramental consciousness

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 1 Meaning and Nature of the Psychic Being, pp. 17-18This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/03/28/occult-knowledge-or-perceptions-originate-in-the-inner-mental-vital-or-physical-not-the-psychic-being/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com#Sri Aurobindo #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #soul #psychic being #occultism #Purusha

"Legacy: What Are You Building?"Today Pastor James Teaches from Psalm 120:18This week is a stand alone sermon leading up to Easter 2026. Pastor James takes us through this Psalm passage, exampling about Jesus' plan for the Church and for our future in eternal life. Reminding us that we should leave an excellent legacy behind here on Earth, as we cannot take anything material with us into the beyond. YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/JDDb3mfFI_YThank you for joining us today! Please connect with us by filling out a communication card here: www.lakewoodlcop.com/connectPlease access the bulletin to view all the announcements please check out the bulletin here: www.lakewoodlcop.com/resources

No Agenda Episode 1853 - "Anglo" "Anglo" Executive Producers: Jim anonymous Sir Scott the Jew & North Idaho Sanity Brigade Nick Soapes Sir Dana Brunetti Sean Ryan Michael Supko Robert Rose Associate Executive Producers: Gary Goodman Sir PBR Streetgang &Dame Trinity Sir Dugitup Matthew Martell Eli the coffee guy Aly Darling Christopher Graves Linda Lu, Duchess of Jobs, writer of winning résumés. Become a member of the 1854 Club, support the show here Boost us with with Podcasting 2.0 Certified apps: Podverse - Podfriend - Breez - Sphinx - Podstation - Curiocaster - Fountain Title Changes Earl Christopher > Duke Christopher Sir C# of . NET. > Baronet Baronette SirPlus > Baron Illuminotty Dame Beth > Dame Beth, Viscountess of Baja Arizona Dame Isobel Pearson > Baroness of Gers Sir Dugitup > Baron Sir Dugitup of the Sharp Shovel, Scrutinizer of the Subterranean Knights & Dames Jill Price > Dame of the Fairweather Friends Elisabeth Prefontaine > Dame Elisabeth of the North Sandra Walker > Dame CC Mom Teresa Dempster andrews > Dame teresa Martine Sherri Wermager > Dame Mormor. Aaron Lopez > Sir Real Deals Now of the dusty desert Jason Lewis > Sir JLew of Macon, town of the dead bugs. Sean O'Connell > Sir Hatch of the Western Wastes. Jason Babcock > Sir J of the interstate Steve Neumann > Sir Vagabond of the Middle Midwest anonymous > Sir Kit Breaker, Knight of the Redline. Robert Rose > Ser Rob Knight of the Southern Utah Red Rock Region Art By: Dan OBGYN4 End of Show Mixes: Mark van Dijk - Systems Master Ryan Bemrose - Program Director Back Office Jae Dvorak Chapters: Dreb Scott Clip Custodian: Neal Jones Clip Collectors: Steve Jones & Dave Ackerman NEW: Gitmo Jams Sign Up for the newsletter No Agenda Peerage ShowNotes Archive of links and Assets (clips etc) 1853.noagendanotes.com Directory Archive of Shownotes (includes all audio and video assets used) archive.noagendanotes.com RSS Podcast Feed Full Summaries in PDF No Agenda Lite in opus format Last Modified 03/22/2026 16:48:18This page created with the FreedomController Last Modified 03/22/2026 16:48:18 by Freedom Controller

No Agenda Episode 1852 - "Jell-No!" "Jell-No!" Executive Producers: anonymous Don Tomaso Di Toronto Sir Chris & Dame Kristin Baron Sir Cycle path William Jennison Dennis Cadle Associate Executive Producers: Nigel Ewan Sam Ryckman Lu, Duchess of Jobs, writer of winning résumés Become a member of the 1853 Club, support the show here Boost us with with Podcasting 2.0 Certified apps: Podverse - Podfriend - Breez - Sphinx - Podstation - Curiocaster - Fountain Art By: Blue Acorn End of Show Mixes: Thru Media EOS Israel Distilled.mp3 Prof J Jones EOS Hamas Israeli Boogie Man.mp3 EOS Mix (Neal Jones) I'm Concerned About Benjamin Netanyahu.mp3 Mark van Dijk - Systems Master Ryan Bemrose - Program Director Back Office Jae Dvorak Chapters: Dreb Scott Clip Custodian: Neal Jones Clip Collectors: Steve Jones & Dave Ackerman NEW: Gitmo Jams Sign Up for the newsletter No Agenda Peerage ShowNotes Archive of links and Assets (clips etc) 1852.noagendanotes.com Directory Archive of Shownotes (includes all audio and video assets used) archive.noagendanotes.com RSS Podcast Feed Full Summaries in PDF No Agenda Lite in opus format Last Modified 03/19/2026 16:09:18This page created with the FreedomController Last Modified 03/19/2026 16:09:18 by Freedom Controller

What comes out of you when life squeezes you? In this message, Ps Hein Bruyns shares a powerful truth: healthy relationships start with personal healing. Too often we blame others, our past, or our pain for what spills out of us—but Jesus shows us that what's inside our hearts eventually shapes every relationship around us.In Us Starts With Me, Hein unpacks how blame blocks healing, why our relationships bear the fruit of what's happening inside us, and how Jesus invites us into real restoration. This message is honest, practical, and full of hope for anyone wanting stronger marriages, friendships, family relationships, and inner wholeness.If what's broken in us can eventually break us, then what's healed in us can eventually heal us.In this episode:Why blame keeps us stuckHow inner pain affects outer relationshipsWhat Jesus teaches about healing the heartWhy healing starts with taking responsibilityHow to come to Jesus for real restoration3 practical ways to pursue healing:Come to Jesus with authenticityReveal your struggles in safe communityKeep returning to His presenceKey Scriptures: Luke 6:43–45 Matthew 7:1–6 Matthew 11:28–30 James 5:16 Psalm 145:18This message will encourage you to stop fixing your eyes on everyone else, bring your heart honestly to Jesus, and let Him begin a work of healing that overflows into every part of your life.⛪ Thrive Church Helping people move towards Jesus.

Introduction: 5 Reasons Pastors Should Be Paid: (1 Corinthians 9:1-14) It's COMMON Sense. (1 Cor 9:7) It's a CONCERN in the Law. (1 Cor 9:8-11) 1 Timothy 5:17-18 - Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” It's CLAIMED By Others. (1 Cor 9:12) It's a CUSTOM from the Old Testament. (1 Cor 9:13) It's COMMANDED By Jesus. (1 Cor 9:14) Luke 10:7 – for the laborer deserves his wages. Matthew 10:10 - the laborer deserves his food. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript 00:36-00:40Open up those Bibles to 1 Corinthians 9.00:44-00:52The title of today's message is, "Should Pastors Be Paid?" Yeah.00:54-00:57I'd like to invite the worship team to come back up as we close.00:58-01:00If you want to worship through giving, the offering.01:04-01:09You're like, "You better earn that pay." Fair, fair.01:09-01:12You know, I was associate pastor for 11 years.01:12-01:16And one of the things that I did was run the Wednesday night program.01:16-01:18It was pioneer clubs like Awana's.01:18-01:26But I'll never forget one girl who was lifelong member of the church from forever.01:26-01:27She the one little girl came up.01:28-01:39She goes, "Pastor Jeff, where do you work?" And I'm not gonna say her name 'cause she's an adult now and might be watching this, but I said, "Well, you know where I work.01:40-01:42"I'm one of the pastors here at the church." She just rolled her eyes.01:42-01:46She goes, "I know that, but I mean, where do you work?01:46-01:49"Like, what's your job?01:49-02:02"Like, what do you do to get paid?" I'm like, "You know, just when you start "to feel pretty good about yourself." Along comes some kid to bring you right back down to earth, right?02:03-02:03Where do you work?02:07-02:09Many people hold that opinion, right?02:10-02:12I mean, being a pastor isn't really work.02:15-02:19You know, my favorite, you only work for one hour a week.02:23-02:24And you know what?02:24-02:25I've heard that so many times.02:25-02:27I'm quick to correct people on that.02:28-02:28I'm like, "No.02:31-02:32I don't work the whole hour.02:34-02:36My part's only like 35 minutes.02:37-02:43I work 35 minutes a week." So should pastors be paid?02:44-02:47When you bring it up, people get weird.02:48-02:49People get weird.02:49-02:51Everybody's evaluating the pastor's car.02:53-02:55Everybody's evaluating the pastor's house.02:55-02:58Everybody's evaluating the pastor's clothes.02:59-03:00How much is he making?03:03-03:05You know nobody does that for other professions, right?03:08-03:18Like for example, if somebody here is a nurse and you pull up to church driving a Boxter, what are people gonna say?03:18-03:20"Good for her, good for her.03:21-03:23Wow, I am so happy for her.03:26-03:31If I drove up driving a Porsche, what are people gonna say?03:35-03:36How much is he making?03:40-03:49I've heard a lot of things over the years, statements people have made, their little evaluations on how pastors should be paid.03:49-03:51I just want to share a couple with you.03:51-03:53Just this is, these amuse me.03:54-03:57But one person told me this regarding how a pastor should be paid.03:58-04:10He said, "A pastor shouldn't make more "than the lowest paid congregant." So we should find out who in the church makes the least and that should determine the pastor's salary.04:13-04:17Because after all, the pastor shouldn't make more than anybody else in the church.04:19-04:20I had one guy tell me this.04:21-04:31He goes, "I have a real problem "with preachers getting paid by the church." And I said, "What's the issue with that?" He goes, "Think about it this way.04:33-04:35"You teach tithing, right?04:35-04:55"10%." I'm like, "I'm following you." He goes, "Okay, so if 10 people give 10%, "now automatically the pastor's making "more than everybody in the church." And I'm like, you're gonna have to back up here 'cause you lost me somewhere on that math.04:57-04:58I mean, does that math work out?05:01-05:02Should pastors be paid?05:04-05:05Awkward.05:05-05:07Right, it's an awkward subject.05:07-05:10Can we just get that under, it's an awkward subject to stand up and preach about.05:10-05:11You're like, well then why are you?05:12-05:17Because we're going through the book of 1 Corinthians and guess what the subject is of this next section that we are going in?05:18-05:24"Should pastors be paid?" Yeah, it's going to be awkward to talk about, but you don't be more awkward than that, skipping it.05:26-05:26Right?05:26-05:29Because didn't God put it in His Word for a reason?05:30-05:31And we don't skip anything here.05:32-05:33So we're going after it.05:34-05:35We're just going to go after it.05:35-05:36Should pastors be paid?05:37-05:39The Bible is clear, yes.05:41-05:50But some ministers, you know, they live lavishly, and they demand that the church pay for the their extravagant lifestyle, and that is wrong.05:52-05:59But we can't just disregard what the Bible says just because some people have abused the privilege.06:02-06:06This section here, we're in 1 Corinthians, it's about liberty.06:08-06:21You're like, "Well, what is liberty?" It's this, you know, to be saved means that you have to turn from your sin and receive Jesus Christ.06:21-06:34And when you receive Him, you believe that Jesus died for your sin, when you believe that Jesus resurrected from the dead, when you believe that, the Bible says you are adopted as a child of God.06:34-06:36And nothing can change that.06:37-06:40Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ.06:41-06:41Nothing.06:42-06:46When you are saved, you are saved as a gift of God's grace.06:47-06:48Nothing can change that.06:51-06:54So understand your salvation is not performance-based.06:56-06:58So that means there's nothing you can do.06:58-07:01If you're saved, there's nothing you can do that would disqualify you from being a child of God.07:01-07:02It's not performance-based.07:04-07:12So the extreme view of that is, well, if it's not performance-based, I'm free to do whatever I want.07:15-07:16And that's what we're looking at in this section.07:17-07:19Am I free to do whatever I want?07:19-07:38Their particular issue, we talked about this last week, was they were, some of the more mature Christians were eating meat that was sacrificed to idols, and they were like, "A burger's a burger." But it bothered some of the weaker Christians who came out of the pagan background and said, You don't want to touch meat that was used in pagan worship.07:39-07:46And Paul says, "Love says, 'I will give up my rights if it keeps a brother from stumbling.'" I'll give up my rights.07:49-08:02So understand here in this section that we're looking at today, Paul is saying, "Corinthians, I'm not asking you to do anything that I'm not willing to do.08:05-08:10Paul is saying here in this section we're looking at, I am laying down a freedom that I have.08:10-08:13I have the freedom to get paid by the church.08:13-08:15And Paul says, I laid that freedom down.08:17-08:23We're going to talk more about that part of it next week, but why would Paul lay that freedom down?08:23-08:25He knew it would bring offense.08:27-08:31You see, he knew that there were going to be some people that thought, "Oh, look at this guy.08:31-08:35There's this new religion and he's using it to cash in.08:35-08:36He's using it just to make money.08:37-08:40He's trying to rip you off." So Paul got a job making tents.08:40-09:03So he's like, "I'm not going to be a financial burden to anybody because I don't want anybody to think that I have an ulterior motive in preaching the gospel." So chapter 9, the section we're looking at today illustrates this whole giving up my liberty issue. I have the freedom to not use my freedom.09:05-09:18All right, let's bow. I'm going to ask you to pray for me to be faithful to communicate God's Word, and I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive it, and then we'll go right after it. Let's just take a moment and pray.09:22-09:23by your name and your word, Father.09:26-09:30We ask you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior forever.09:31-09:35And all of God's people said, amen.09:36-09:42All right, so the Corinthians are like, hey, we are free in Christ to do what we want.09:42-09:44Look at chapter nine, verse one.09:45-09:46Paul says, am I not free?09:48-09:49Am I not an apostle?09:51-09:52Paul's like, "I'm free.09:53-09:55"I'm free to, you know about your freedom?09:55-10:08"I'm free too." And Paul says, "By the way, I'm not just a pew sitter." Okay, he's like, "I'm an apostle." And as always, when the issue comes up, you're going to have a group of people that were like, "Are you, Paul?10:08-10:09"Are you really an apostle?10:09-10:13"Are you really?" Oh, look at what he says.10:15-10:18"Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?10:18-10:25"Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?" Paul was always defending himself.10:25-10:27And right here he goes, "Yeah, I am an apostle.10:27-10:28"I'll give you two proofs.10:28-10:30"One is the big one.10:30-10:37"To be an apostle, you had to have seen "the resurrected Jesus Christ." And Paul's like, "I've seen him." Like, did Paul see Jesus?10:37-10:39Yeah, at least three times.10:39-10:42Oh, by the way, one of those times was actually in Corinth.10:42-10:43What's that, Acts chapter 18?10:46-10:56Paul says, "I have another proof." He goes, "You want another proof of my apostleship?" He goes, "You, you are my proof." What do you mean by that?10:56-10:57Look at verses two and three.10:58-11:07He says, "If to others I am not an apostle, "at least I am to you, "for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.11:08-11:30"This is my defense to those who would examine me." Paul says, "Some might not believe that I'm apostle, but you cannot deny the way that the Lord has worked through me to you." He says, "You're my seal." See, in those days, if somebody wanted to authenticate a letter, they would put a wax seal with the signet ring.11:31-11:32That was to say, "This is genuine.11:32-11:35This is real." Paul goes, "You want to know that I'm real?11:35-11:48Do you want to know that I'm authentic?" He goes, "You're my proof, because God has ministered the gospel through me to you." These are the evidences that I'm an apostle.11:48-11:53So, verse 4, do we not have the right to eat and drink?11:55-11:57That's obviously sarcasm.11:58-12:03I was like, "Yeah, I'm an apostle and God has used me, so I'm not allowed to eat?" Is that what you're saying?12:06-12:10I've been faithful to your souls, I've been faithful to the Lord, but I don't get to eat?12:11-12:20He's saying, "I don't get to… are you saying that I don't get to earn a living from the work that I do in the Lord?" Look at verse 5.12:24-12:32He says, "Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?12:34-12:39Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?12:41-12:49Paul's like, "Other ministers are supported." So much so that other ministers actually take their wives along with them.12:50-12:52So you support them.12:56-12:57What about me?12:57-13:00Do I have the right to be supported by the church?13:01-13:03See what Paul's doing here.13:03-13:06in this little introduction, he's setting this all up.13:07-13:19He goes, "This freedom that I am laying down, is it actually a freedom that I have?" As we look at verses 7-14, Paul here is establishing that this is a right.13:19-13:21This is legitimate.13:21-13:25Ministers have the right to be supported by the church.13:25-13:26He's proving that in this section.13:29-13:35And in Paul's day, as in ours, there are people that are going to doubt the premise.13:36-13:38Like, really, should ministers be paid?13:38-13:38Really?13:39-13:40Not sure about that.13:40-13:41Should they, is it really work?13:42-13:4635 minutes, rather, 35 minutes a week, is that really work?13:47-13:48Should we be paying you for that?13:52-13:56Well, Paul gives five reasons why you should pay the pastor.13:57-13:57All right?13:59-14:00"Jot these down.14:00-14:08By the way, you're paying me overtime this week 'cause I spent some extra time making sure these were alliterated.14:09-14:12I don't always do that, but when I do, I charge extra.14:13-14:23And I charge by the word, that's why the sermons are so long." So five reasons a pastor should be paid.14:23-14:24Number one, I love this.14:24-14:26He just knocks this one right out.14:26-14:26It's common sense.14:27-14:28It's common sense.14:28-14:30Look at verse 7.14:32-14:36Paul says, "Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?14:38-14:40Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit?14:41-14:48Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?" Obvious point, right?14:49-14:52A man earns his living by his work.14:53-14:55And he gives three examples.14:56-15:00A soldier, a farmer, and a shepherd.15:03-15:09Imagine as Paul calls us to here, imagine doing those jobs at your own expense.15:10-15:11Imagine that.15:11-15:13That's ludicrous, right?15:14-15:14Like what do you do?15:14-15:15I work at Target.15:17-15:17Why do you work at Target?15:18-15:25"Well, just trying to pay the bills so in my free time I can be in the army." Like what?15:26-15:27Paul's like, "Who does that?15:28-15:36That's called a hobby if you're doing it without being compensated.15:36-15:41Their families are fed from the work that they do." So it should be true for pastors.15:41-15:42It's common sense.15:43-15:47should earn from the work that they do.15:50-15:55And I have to add, church, that this is also extremely practical when you think about it.15:55-15:57The church benefits from a focused pastor.16:00-16:05You're going to get your best work from the pastor if he's not distracted.16:06-16:07I mean, think about it.16:07-16:43If the pastor has to provide for his family by working another job, how much gas is left tank to be a pastor. And you're like, "Eh, doesn't look that hard." Well, I want you to think about your job, whatever you do. You're nine to five, whether you work in a bank, work in HVAC, community, you know, some kind of like social service function, think Think of what you do.16:44-16:52When your shift ends, do you feel like you would be able to effectively pastor a church on top of that?16:55-16:59Again, I don't care if you're with the police, a computer programmer.17:00-17:05Imagine working all day doing that, and then you get home and now you've got to write a sermon.17:06-17:07Oh, and you have two counseling appointments.17:07-17:09And make sure you squeeze time in.17:09-17:17you've got to follow up with these new people at church, oh, and then you have a ministry team meeting on top of that.17:17-17:21Are you really going to do all of that on top of your nine to five?17:24-17:25It's common sense.17:26-17:33You see, if a pastor has to work another job, it's easy for him to phone it in when it comes to the church work, right?17:33-17:37Well, I've got to work at Target so that I can pay my bills.17:38-17:39the church stuff is just going to have to wait.17:39-17:42I sure hope they're not expecting a decent sermon this week.17:44-17:45It's just common sense.17:45-17:47People should get wages.17:49-17:52People should benefit from their workplace.17:52-17:53That's where he starts.17:54-17:55It's common sense.17:55-17:58Number two, five reasons pastors should be paid.17:58-18:02Five reasons Paul says this is a right for pastors to be paid.18:02-18:05Number two is it's a concern in the law.18:05-18:06It's a concern in the law.18:09-18:10Like, what do you mean?18:10-18:11Well, look at verse eight.18:12-18:17Paul says, "Do I say these things on human authority?" Like, you think I'm making this up?18:19-18:22He says, "Does not the law say the same?18:23-18:37"For it is written in the law of Moses, "you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." That's Deuteronomy 25 verse 4.18:38-18:43Like, what do you mean an ox treading out the grain?18:43-18:47It was actually an Egyptian trick that Israel adopted.18:49-19:01They would tie a big round flat stone to an ox, and they would have the ox drag the stone over the wheat to crush it to remove the husk.19:03-19:13Okay, so you have this ox helping you prepare food, doing this hard work of dragging a stone.19:13-19:19Now how cruel would it be to put a muzzle on the ox while he's doing that?19:19-19:22Like you have to drag the stone, but you're not allowed to eat.19:23-19:27Oh, you're going to stand on top of food all day, but you're not allowed to take a bite.19:28-19:28That's inhumane.19:36-19:37That's the point.19:39-19:41Look at verse 9, second part.19:44-19:56He says, "Is it for oxen that God is concerned?" Does He not speak entirely for our sake?19:57-20:15It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope, and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop." See Paul's point, you know, the whole don't muzzle an ox while it's treading out the grain.20:15-20:27Paul's like, "You think God's concerned about the ox?" Look, I don't think God has anything against ox, oxen, oxes, oxen, oxen.20:27-20:28Thank you, Randy.20:28-20:28Oxen.20:28-20:31I don't think God's against oxen.20:31-20:32He created them.20:32-20:33I think God loves oxen.20:34-20:42Paul's like, "Do you think he wrote that in the law for the oxen who are going to be reading the law?" Like, "Hey, wait a second.20:43-20:48You're not supposed to muzzle me while I'm working." I think he didn't write that for the oxen.20:50-20:51But don't do it now.20:51-20:52You can do it later.20:53-20:56You get some time, turn back to that reference in Deuteronomy.20:56-21:01And you're going to see that section of Deuteronomy has nothing to do with animals.21:02-21:05Nothing to do with how to treat the livestock.21:05-21:06It has nothing to do with that.21:07-21:12It has everything to do with people.21:12-21:13And how you treat people.21:15-21:17You see, it's a figure of speech.21:17-21:21We use animals in figures of speech all the time, don't we?21:22-21:25Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, two birds with one stone, all of that.21:25-21:26It was a figure of speech.21:28-21:36And Paul reminds us here, look, when God wrote that through Moses, He wasn't really concerned about the oxen, He was concerned about man.21:38-21:44And the point of that expression is the worker deserves to benefit from his work, obviously, right?21:45-22:02Luke 11, he says, "If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?" Sown spiritual things.22:05-22:09That's all I'm trying to do for this church.22:10-22:13There are many people in this church that I have led to Christ.22:16-22:23There's many people in this church that I've not only taught the Bible, but I've taught how to teach the Bible.22:25-22:35There are people in this church that I have counseled out of disaster, comforted you and your family at funerals.22:36-22:37I married a lot of people here.22:39-22:45I've come along leaders to try to encourage them in their particular ministries.22:46-22:57None of this is meant to be boastful or "Hey, look at me." I'm just saying objectively, this is what I'm striving to do among you.22:59-23:01So is it out of line to support me in doing those things?23:03-23:05Am I asking too much?23:07-23:10Or do you see no value in anything that I do?23:12-23:16Now look, I am so thankful.23:16-23:18This church has always supported me and my family.23:20-23:24And I am so thankful to God for you and your support.23:27-23:34It would absolutely grieve me though if you thought that I wasn't worth it.23:35-23:43Like, yeah, we'll support him, but I mean, does he really bring something to the table?23:48-23:57Some churches, well, they do justify no pay or meager pay for the pastors.23:58-23:59Some churches justify that.23:59-24:01You can't pay the pastor very much.24:01-24:01Why?24:02-24:04Gotta keep 'em humble, right Pastor Taylor?24:06-24:07Gotta keep 'em humble.24:07-24:11Pastor Taylor gets paid two Kit Kats a week, that's all he gets from the church.24:12-24:14Because we're gonna keep 'em humble.24:16-24:18We don't want 'em to get swollen head.24:19-24:21So we gotta keep 'em humble.24:21-24:30Listen, that is an unbiblical mindset, completely backwards to what the Bible says about the way you treat your pastor.24:31-24:32Right?24:34-24:371 Timothy 5, look what Paul told Timothy.24:38-24:50He says, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching." You know what he means by double honor?24:51-24:55He doesn't mean like, thank you, thank you.24:58-24:58Great job, great job.24:58-24:59That's not what he means at all.25:00-25:02You look at the context, he's talking about pay.25:04-25:07He's saying you should double my pay.25:09-25:11You get the point there, right?25:12-25:14Not keep them humble.25:14-25:17He's like, those who preach the word of God deserve double honor.25:18-25:24He says, for the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.25:25-25:29and the laborer deserves his wages.25:33-25:37And right now some Bible scholar is like, oh, okay, don't muzzle the ox.25:38-25:40Okay, Pastor Jeff, that's Old Testament.25:40-25:42We don't live under the Old Testament.25:45-25:52Well, we abide under the principles of the law, especially when they're repeated in the New Testament.25:53-25:53All right?25:54-25:55The five reasons pastors should be paid.25:56-25:58Paul says it's common sense.25:58-25:59It's a concern in the law.25:59-26:01Number three, write this down, it's claimed by others.26:02-26:04It's claimed by others.26:07-26:21Verse 12, he says, "If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?" Paul's like, "Oh, by the way, it's not weird or unusual.26:23-26:25In fact, there's precedent for it.26:27-26:27Right?26:28-26:30Many of you do support others.26:31-26:39And you should, but there's many people here that you're like, I support certain missionaries or I support world vision, or I support Samaritan's Purse.26:39-26:41I support all these people.26:41-26:46And Paul here is just simply saying, hey, what about the shepherd who has devoted his life to caring for you?26:47-26:47What about that guy?26:48-26:49Should he be paid?26:49-26:50Should he be supported?26:53-27:03And my whole life revolves around caring for you, praying for you, discipling you.27:06-27:15And some people are like, "Well, you know, I listen to such and such preacher on the Facebooks or the YouTubes or whatever.27:15-27:22I listen to Jack Hibbs, so my tithe goes to Jack Hibbs." Okay.27:28-27:32But when you need counseling, do you think Jack Hibbs is going to come and counsel you?27:34-27:39You know, if you have a tragedy, do you think Jack Hibbs is going to be at your house to pray for you, pray with you?27:42-27:43Does Jack Hibbs even know who you are?27:46-27:46That's Paul's point here.27:47-27:49Paul's like, "Others share the rightful claim.27:49-28:12"You support others." Paul's like, "How can you not support the one who loves you?" He goes on in verse 12, he goes, "Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, "but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle "in the way of the gospel of Christ." That's the whole point of broaching the subject.28:13-28:25We have the freedom to get paid, but Paul says, "I laid that freedom down." Just as I'm telling you to do about eating the meat sacrifice to the idols, it's okay.28:25-28:28It's okay to lay your freedom down sometimes.28:30-28:32We're going to get into that more next week.28:33-28:36This week though, he's giving us five reasons a preacher should be paid.28:36-28:39And here's number four, it's a custom from the Old Testament.28:40-28:46It's common sense, it's a concern in the law, it's claimed by others, and it's a custom from the Old Testament.28:47-28:48Look at verse 13.28:49-29:03He says, "Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings.29:06-29:09Do a little study sometime, Old Testament law.29:09-29:16In the Old Testament, priests were supported for their work by their work.29:18-29:26All of the sacrifices that were given under Old Testament law realized the priest received a portion of what was offered in some way, shape, or form.29:26-29:27That's what Paul's talking about here.29:31-29:41And I was studying this this week, and I'm like, why did he sort of, he kind of said that in verse seven, right?29:42-29:43The same thing.29:43-29:46So why did he bring this up again?29:46-29:47And then it hit me.29:50-29:54Verse seven, he gave secular examples.29:56-29:57You know, the soldier, the farmer, the shepherd.29:57-29:59He gave secular examples.29:59-30:23And there are some in the church that would say, "Okay, Paul, you're using secular reasoning and you're trying to apply it to the spiritual realm." And I think what Paul's doing here is saying, "Look, yes, this principle, you should be supported for the work that you do, by your work." It's true in the secular world and it's true in the sacred world too.30:23-30:25So Paul's like, "Don't act like this is a new thing.30:26-30:31supporting the spiritual leaders, because it's a custom that goes way back to the Old Testament.30:35-30:40Number five, five reasons pastors should be paid.30:41-30:45It's common sense, it's a concern in the law, it's claimed by others, it's a custom from the Old Testament.30:46-30:57Last and probably most important, I would say, I think that's why it's last, it's commanded by Jesus.31:00-31:01It's commanded by Jesus.31:02-31:17Look at verse 14, "In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel." Wait a minute, when did Jesus say that?31:18-31:20Well, He said that a couple of times.31:21-31:34In Luke chapter 10, Jesus was sending out the 72 and He was talking about, you can look this up later, the people that believe you should be the ones that feed you.31:34-31:41So Jesus in sending them out said, "For the laborer deserves his wages." What's the context of that?31:42-32:06And again in Matthew 10, verse 10, Jesus was sending out the twelve, and He says, "The people that believe you should be the people who support you." And that's why He said, "The laborer deserves his food." In both cases, Jesus was saying those who preach the gospel must be supported by those who believe the gospel.32:07-32:14In other words, believers, we could say church members, should financially support their leaders.32:17-32:23If you're a guest here today, I want you to understand you're under no obligation to give.32:24-32:29Don't feel guilty or like, "Well, I probably should." If you're a guest, be our guest.32:31-32:32There's zero obligation.32:35-32:37is something that we are to share as a church family.32:39-32:39All right?32:43-32:45But nevertheless, the Lord commanded it.32:46-32:48Those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.32:50-33:01So Paul, in this whole section, is saying as a minister of the gospel, I have every right to expect you to support me, but I laid that right down.33:03-33:19I thought it might be an obstacle to the work, so because I love you, I didn't take financial support from you." Paul's like, "I'm trying to show you something, that when you love, you're willing to lay down your rights.33:21-33:56When you love, you're willing to lay down your freedoms." Paul is just simply saying, as we'll see next week, "Follow my example." Right now you're like, "Okay, pay the pastor, fine." Well my hope is not that you reluctantly get on board with giving, but I want you to see the bigger picture of why you give.33:57-34:00Yes, giving primarily is an act of worship.34:00-34:01We've had a whole sermon series about that.34:02-34:03Giving is an act of worship.34:04-34:08But also I want you to think about the tangible effects of giving.34:11-34:14When you give, my family is supported.34:16-34:22And that frees me from trying to do ministry on top of a nine to five job.34:22-34:25It lets me stay focused on caring for you.34:25-34:35Understand that when you give, look at the big picture, you're freeing me up so that I can care for everybody in this church to the best of my ability.34:39-34:39Everyone benefits.34:41-34:44When you give, other staff are paid.34:44-34:47That allows us to worship in excellent music.34:48-35:07It helps us disciple your children and young adults to minister on a personal level through the oversight of our entire small group ministry and so many more things that are able to happen that couldn't happen if you weren't financially supporting the leadership of the church.35:09-35:15Oh, oh, oh, and when you give, understand that you're supporting a whole network of ministers in Thailand.35:17-35:30Do you know in northern Thailand and beyond, we have 23 churches, we have four children's homes, we have a Bible institute, and do you know how many people stateside support them?35:33-35:34Just this church.35:35-35:49You, when you give, you are allowing the work of evangelism happen all over that area of the world through our network of churches.35:52-35:55Disciples are made all over Northern Thailand and beyond.35:57-36:08When you give, that is your way of actively partnering with me in advancing the kingdom of Jesus Christ.36:10-36:12I'd like you to bow your heads as the worship team makes their way up.36:16-36:29Father in heaven, it felt awkward to have to give a message like this, but God, it's your word.36:29-36:30We don't skip anything.36:32-36:34We just want to go after what you said.36:35-36:46Father, I thank you for the way that this church has always sought to support me and my family.36:48-36:53Financially sure, but so many other ways this church has sought to bless and protect my family.36:54-36:55God, I thank you so much for these people.36:56-36:58This is from you, God, and I thank you for that.36:59-37:11I just pray, Father, that looking at a passage like this, you would give us sort of a bigger picture of the way your economy works and why you have called us to certain things that you've called us to.37:15-37:24God, we believe that all things are yours, and we believe, God, that you have called us to be faithful stewards with everything that you give us.37:27-37:32We thank you for the privilege and all the ways that you've called us to partner with you in the work of the ministry.37:33-37:38Thank You, Father, for the spirit of generosity that You have stirred among Your people here.37:39-37:47And as King David prayed in preparation for the temple, might that spirit always be found in Your people.37:48-37:50We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 9:1-14What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Explain why Paul broaches the subject of paying the pastor in the first place. What does that have to do with their question about Christian liberty?What are some practical benefits that come when a pastor doesn't have to work outside the church?How would you respond to someone who says, “Pastors should have a job like everyone else! It's not fair that the pastor has money when some people in the congregation are struggling financially.”BreakoutPray for one another.

South Side Baptist ChurchAbbeville, South CarolinaPastor Joel BradberryMarch 15, 2026Sunday AM Servicehttps://www.southsideabbeville.comSermon Notes:God has promised a fixed future (Acts 1:6-7)Jeremiah 29:11A short-hand way to remember this promise is: we do not know the future or hold it in our hands—but we know the One who does!God has promised the presence and power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5, 8)1 Corinthians 12:13Luke 3:16Ephesians 5:18This promise can be summed up: where God guides, He provides.God has promised to make the nations glad! (Acts 1:8)This promised can be summed up: We go, sow, and water—but God alone brings life!God has promised that Jesus will come again (Acts 1:10-11)

What is "imaginative prayer"? Josh Porter explores the practice of imaginative prayer and shows us how our God-given imagination can become a powerful tool for intimacy with God, showing us how we can use the gift of our imagination as means of encounter with the Trinity.Key Scripture Passages: Romans 12v2; Philippians 4v8; Colossians 3v1-2; John 14v9; John 1v14; Colossians 1v15; Hebrews 12v1-2; Acts 2v17-18This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Julie from Bellingham, Washington; Greg from Pottsboro, Texas; Stephen from Sunnyvale, California; Wilson from Cochrane, Alberta; and Ally from Dallas, Texas. Thank you all so much!If you'd like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Acts 10:1–11:18This week's text isn't a side story.It's a history-shifting moment.Like… one of the most important turns in the whole Bible.The question behind it all:What did it actually take for us to be accepted by God?Because we all have an answer to that —even if we've never said it out loud.Acts 10 blows it up.God doesn't just save a few “religious types.”He throws the door wide open.Full acceptance.No second-class status.Even the apostles are like,“Wait… God did WHAT?!”That's how massive this is.As you read Acts today before coming to our gathering, sit with that question:

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬1 Timothy 1:18This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,

Hebrews 2:5-18This week, Preston will continue our series in the letter to the Hebrews. Our text tells us that Jesus is everything our hearts could desire. He is greater than the angels because by his humanity - living, dying, and rising again - he has done for us what angels could never do: He is the true and better Adam; he is the older brother we all need; he is our deliverer; and he is our merciful and faithful high priest.

ADVENT WEEK FOUR: LOVEDecember 23 Rev. Allie Utley, PhDWho am I?2 Samuel 7:18, 23-29Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, OLord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?”2 Samuel 7:18This chapter of 2 Samuel opens with King David pondering how to best playhost to God: “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God re-mains in a tent.” David plans to build a house for the Lord. If you know yourBible well, you will not be surprised that God isn't interested in a permanentdwelling place.God declares to David, You will not build me a house; I will build you one. Godpromises to establish David's family line, to make his name great, and to planthis people in a home of their own.David's response is a performance of humanity: “Who am I, O Lord God, thatyou have brought me this far?” He might have been wondering: Who am I tobe held by your promises? Who am I to bear a legacy of faith? Who am I to begiven a place in your unfolding story?As we approach Christmas, many of us are thinking about homes and housestoo. Where will we gather? For whom will we make space? What traditions willwe tend? Making plans for Christmas brings up questions of place and identi-ty.I recently spoke with a group of young adults trying to navigate the pressureof holiday expectations: how to honor family traditions while creating theirown rhythms, how to choose where to dwell and whom to prioritize.Perhaps David's story invites us to hold our own questions about home lightly.God reminds David—and us—that the truest “house” is the one God is build-ing: a household of promise, presence, and peace that transcends cedar wallsand travel plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACEDecember 10 Rev. Mike MillerThe Call of PeaceRomans 12:17-21If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, love peaceably with all.Romans 12:18This passage from Romans 12 has been one of my personal favorite scrip-tures along my faith journey. And it reminds me that if our journey as Chris-tians and Christ followers is easy, I don't believe we are doing it right.Paul's words here are challenging. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil... live atpeace with everyone.” These aren't passive instructions; they are active callsto peacemaking. Our call to be Christians is not a call to passivity: it is a call toaction. This kind of peace that we are called to create with God isn't just theabsence of conflict, but it is the intentional presence of grace, forgiveness,and humility.As we reflect on the Peace of God this Advent, we're reminded that Jesuscame not only to bring peace to us but also to make peace through us. Jesuswas not born into a serene, peaceful world, but into one filled with injustice,fear, and political tension.Still, Jesus chose peace and continues to call us to do the same. Our world isstill so full of injustice, fear, and political polarization. Our call as Christians isto continue to create spaces of peace for all of God's beloved: which is all ofus.Advent is a season of expectation, wonder, and preparation — not only forthe birth of Christ but for the transformation Jesus' coming brings. In a worldmarked by division, resentment, and conflict, Romans 12 calls us to somethingradically different: the way of peace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we experience more peace? In this Advent teaching, John Mark shares about his journey with anxiety and explores the theme of peace throughout the Scriptures. He challenges us to see that inner peace isn't just about feeling better—it's essential for becoming people of love. Key Scripture Passages: Colossians 3:15; John 14:27; John 20:19-21; 1 John 4:18This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Brad from Dallas, Texas; Alexa from Tampa, Florida; Dan from Sellersville, Pennsylvania; Andrew from Floyds Knobs, Indiana; and Heather from Camarillo, California. Thank you all so much!If you'd like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

How Parenting Teenagers Changes When Your Child Becomes an Adult at 18This week on the podcast, we invite you into a more personal episode with Jessica Donovan, Founder of Natural Super Kids & Naturopath — one filled with reflection, honesty and those “no one warned me about this part” moments that arrive as your child steps into adulthood.

《原谅，是给自己的礼物》“Forgiveness Is a Gift to Yourself”Forgiveness doesn't change the past, but it frees the future.“原谅不能改变过去，但能让未来自由。”Growing up, this memory was undeniably the most painful chapter of my life, and it deeply shaped the person I am today.在我成长的过程中，这段记忆无疑是最痛苦的，也深深塑造了今日的我。⸻2In junior high, I was an outstanding student, almost always ranking first in the entire school. Yet, I didn't get into my dream school—Kaohsiung Girls' Senior High. I eventually chose Fengshan High School and passed the exam to enter the gifted English program.国中时，我的成绩优异，几乎总是全校第一。然而，我却未能如愿考上第一志愿——高雄女中。最终，我选择了凤山高中，并通过考试进入英语资优班。⸻3Those days were wonderful. Each of my classmates had their own unique personality, and the cheerful atmosphere helped me open up in ways I rarely had before. I finally had more time to study the English I loved, and we had a humorous, open-minded homeroom teacher—Gilian.那段日子是如此美好，班上的同学各具特色，乐观开朗的氛围也让我开始展现自己较少流露的一面。我能花更多时间学习最热爱的英语，还有一位幽默开明的班导师——Lilian。⸻4She cared deeply for us. She even invited the whole class to her wedding and organized a trip from Kaohsiung to Taipei to visit universities—an experience that broadened my world.她不仅用心指导我们，还带全班参加她的婚礼，甚至组织我们从高雄到台北的大学参观，开拓视野。⸻5In that class, I became inseparable friends with Jenny. She was lively and outgoing—the center of attention—while I was more introverted, yet I tried my best to be close to her, learning confidence through her.在这个班级里，我和佳欣成了无话不谈的好友。她个性活泼开朗，是班上的焦点人物，而我则较为内向，但仍努力靠近她，试着学习她的自信与魅力。⸻6Through her, I met Zack, the class president next door. Tall and delicate-looking, he stood out instantly—and he was the boy Jia-Xin had a crush on.也因为她，我认识了隔壁班的班长——宇哲。他高挑清秀，第一眼就能吸引目光，也是佳欣暗恋的对象。⸻7As time passed, I came to learn about his life. His mother had passed away when he was young, leaving his father to raise him and his sister alone.随着相处时间增长，我也逐渐了解了宇哲的故事。他的母亲在他小时候便过世了，父亲独自抚养他和妹妹。⸻8Despite his hardships, he remained disciplined and hardworking, always ranking near the top. I admired him deeply, and we gradually became friends who shared everything.尽管如此，他仍然自律勤奋，成绩名列前茅，从未让家人担心。我对这样坚强的他充满敬佩，也渐渐与他成了无话不谈的朋友。⸻9Coincidentally, our birthdays were only eleven days apart. On his birthday, Jenny and I celebrated with him. For mine, I didn't expect much, yet he still gave me a gift—a baseball cap, unwrapped, placed on the floor outside my classroom.巧合的是，我们的生日同在同一个月份，仅相差11天。宇哲生日那天，我和佳欣特地为他庆祝。而当我的生日到来时，他给了我一顶没有包装、放在教室门口地上的棒球帽。⸻10I didn't think much of it at the time—boys weren't always thoughtful. But a few days later, he posted an article on the school's online forum, calling me “vain,” even claiming that no one in class liked me.当时我不以为意，心想男孩总是不如女孩细心，却没想到，几天后，他竟在学校的电子论坛上发文，指名道姓地说我“爱慕虚荣”，还写道班上的同学都不喜欢我。⸻11As my eyes moved across those cold, merciless words, my heartbeat grew heavy. I couldn't believe that in the eyes of someone I trusted, I had become that kind of person.当我滑动滑鼠，视线落在那些冰冷而残忍的字眼上，心跳逐渐加快。我无法相信，在我所重视的同学眼中，我竟成了这样的人。⸻12The hurt and humiliation swallowed me whole.那一刻，委屈与羞辱交织，将我吞没。⸻13I spiraled into self-doubt. Every day after school, I would hide in the bathroom and cry under the sound of running water.从那天起，我陷入深深的自我怀疑，每天郁郁寡欢。回家后，我的固定行程变成了躲进浴室，在水流的掩护下哭泣。⸻14This lasted until one day, our teacher said in class, “If anyone feels uncomfortable here, you may apply to transfer.”这样的日子持续了许久，直到某天，Lilian老师在课堂上说：“如果有同学觉得不适应，可以申请转班。”⸻15It was like seeing an escape route from my pain.那一刻，我仿佛看见了逃离痛苦的出口。⸻16I immediately called my father. I expected him to question me or persuade me to stay, but he simply said, “As long as you're happy.”下课后，我立刻拨电话给爸爸，本以为他会细问原因或劝我留下，然而他只是平静地说：“只要妳开心就好。”⸻17The next day, I submitted the transfer form, closing that chapter of darkness.隔天，我便递交了转班申请，正式为这段阴影画上句点。⸻18This was not the first time I had experienced social hurt growing up. I was ignored by friends in elementary school, again in junior high—psychological wounds I didn't recognize as “bullying” until later.这次的事件并非我在求学阶段首次遭遇的人际挑战。小学和国中，我都曾被要好的同学突然当成空气，这些心理创伤直到多年后才被我意识到其实也是一种“霸凌”。⸻19From these experiences, I learned one thing: “The best revenge is becoming a better version of yourself.”那时的我感到无助，也深深受伤，但我学到了一个重要的道理——“最好的复仇方式，就是活出更好的自己。”⸻20So when this happened again, I chose growth. I devoured books on personal development—especially Dale Carnegie'sHow to Win Friends and Influence People.因此，当这次的事情发生时，我选择成长。我开始阅读大量心理成长类书籍，其中卡内基的《如何赢得友谊与影响他人》对我影响最深。

Forgiveness doesn't change the past, but it frees the future.“原谅不能改变过去，但能让未来自由。”1Growing up, this memory was undeniably the most painful chapter of my life, and it deeply shaped the person I am today.在我成长的过程中，这段记忆无疑是最痛苦的，也深深塑造了今日的我。⸻2In junior high, I was an outstanding student, almost always ranking first in the entire school. Yet, I didn't get into my dream school—Kaohsiung Girls' Senior High. I eventually chose Fengshan High School and passed the exam to enter the gifted English program.国中时，我的成绩优异，几乎总是全校第一。然而，我却未能如愿考上第一志愿——高雄女中。最终，我选择了凤山高中，并通过考试进入英语资优班。⸻3Those days were wonderful. Each of my classmates had their own unique personality, and the cheerful atmosphere helped me open up in ways I rarely had before. I finally had more time to study the English I loved, and we had a humorous, open-minded homeroom teacher—Gilian.那段日子是如此美好，班上的同学各具特色，乐观开朗的氛围也让我开始展现自己较少流露的一面。我能花更多时间学习最热爱的英语，还有一位幽默开明的班导师——Lilian。⸻4She cared deeply for us. She even invited the whole class to her wedding and organized a trip from Kaohsiung to Taipei to visit universities—an experience that broadened my world.她不仅用心指导我们，还带全班参加她的婚礼，甚至组织我们从高雄到台北的大学参观，开拓视野。⸻5In that class, I became inseparable friends with Jenny. She was lively and outgoing—the center of attention—while I was more introverted, yet I tried my best to be close to her, learning confidence through her.在这个班级里，我和佳欣成了无话不谈的好友。她个性活泼开朗，是班上的焦点人物，而我则较为内向，但仍努力靠近她，试着学习她的自信与魅力。⸻6Through her, I met Zack, the class president next door. Tall and delicate-looking, he stood out instantly—and he was the boy Jia-Xin had a crush on.也因为她，我认识了隔壁班的班长——宇哲。他高挑清秀，第一眼就能吸引目光，也是佳欣暗恋的对象。⸻7As time passed, I came to learn about his life. His mother had passed away when he was young, leaving his father to raise him and his sister alone.随着相处时间增长，我也逐渐了解了宇哲的故事。他的母亲在他小时候便过世了，父亲独自抚养他和妹妹。⸻8Despite his hardships, he remained disciplined and hardworking, always ranking near the top. I admired him deeply, and we gradually became friends who shared everything.尽管如此，他仍然自律勤奋，成绩名列前茅，从未让家人担心。我对这样坚强的他充满敬佩，也渐渐与他成了无话不谈的朋友。⸻9Coincidentally, our birthdays were only eleven days apart. On his birthday, Jenny and I celebrated with him. For mine, I didn't expect much, yet he still gave me a gift—a baseball cap, unwrapped, placed on the floor outside my classroom.巧合的是，我们的生日同在同一个月份，仅相差11天。宇哲生日那天，我和佳欣特地为他庆祝。而当我的生日到来时，他给了我一顶没有包装、放在教室门口地上的棒球帽。⸻10I didn't think much of it at the time—boys weren't always thoughtful. But a few days later, he posted an article on the school's online forum, calling me “vain,” even claiming that no one in class liked me.当时我不以为意，心想男孩总是不如女孩细心，却没想到，几天后，他竟在学校的电子论坛上发文，指名道姓地说我“爱慕虚荣”，还写道班上的同学都不喜欢我。⸻11As my eyes moved across those cold, merciless words, my heartbeat grew heavy. I couldn't believe that in the eyes of someone I trusted, I had become that kind of person.当我滑动滑鼠，视线落在那些冰冷而残忍的字眼上，心跳逐渐加快。我无法相信，在我所重视的同学眼中，我竟成了这样的人。⸻12The hurt and humiliation swallowed me whole.那一刻，委屈与羞辱交织，将我吞没。⸻13I spiraled into self-doubt. Every day after school, I would hide in the bathroom and cry under the sound of running water.从那天起，我陷入深深的自我怀疑，每天郁郁寡欢。回家后，我的固定行程变成了躲进浴室，在水流的掩护下哭泣。⸻14This lasted until one day, our teacher said in class, “If anyone feels uncomfortable here, you may apply to transfer.”这样的日子持续了许久，直到某天，Lilian老师在课堂上说：“如果有同学觉得不适应，可以申请转班。”⸻15It was like seeing an escape route from my pain.那一刻，我仿佛看见了逃离痛苦的出口。⸻16I immediately called my father. I expected him to question me or persuade me to stay, but he simply said, “As long as you're happy.”下课后，我立刻拨电话给爸爸，本以为他会细问原因或劝我留下，然而他只是平静地说：“只要妳开心就好。”⸻17The next day, I submitted the transfer form, closing that chapter of darkness.隔天，我便递交了转班申请，正式为这段阴影画上句点。⸻18This was not the first time I had experienced social hurt growing up. I was ignored by friends in elementary school, again in junior high—psychological wounds I didn't recognize as “bullying” until later.

CD 1745 The Message of FaithThe most important message you will ever hear about faith!Boy that sounds like a very bold statement right? But I believe for this time period that we're living in we need to be reminded of the saving grace that comes in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that saving grace is at work in a person's life because of faith. So with that thought that's why I say this will be the most important message you've ever heard about faith at least for today! Number one we're saved by faith Number two Faith must grow or in other words faith to faith Number three we must complete our faith or in other words just as we started in faith we must die in faith! *Bro Jason -  Hebrews 11:1-3 (KJV)*Text Matthew 9:27-31 (KJV) And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.  28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.  29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.  30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.  31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.Matthew 20:29-34 (KJV)29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.The two blind menNumber one saved by faith Ephesians 2:1-9 KJVNumber two growing our faithThe King James Version of the Bible offers several key passages on the topic of growing your faith. Rather than one single verse, the concept is woven throughout the New Testament, often connected to other spiritual disciplines.Here are some of the most important verses and passages:1. Romans 10:17This is perhaps the most direct statement on how faith is initiated and grown. * "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."   This verse emphasizes that the primary way to develop and strengthen your faith is by consistently engaging with the Word of God—reading it, hearing it, and studying it.2. 2 Peter 3:18This verse provides a general command to believers to mature in their spiritual walk. * "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen."   Growing in "grace" and "knowledge" is directly related to growing in faith. The more you know about Christ and His character, the more you can trust and rely on Him.3. James 1:2-4This passage speaks to how trials and tribulations can be a powerful tool for faith development. * "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."   Here, "temptations" refers to trials or tests. The testing of your faith, when endured with a joyful perspective, produces perseverance, which in tuSupport the show

reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 1, Calm — Peace — Equality, pg. 18This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/10/10/insights-about-the-need-for-strength-and-flexibility-in-the-practice-of-the-integral-yoga/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com

To Be Like Him | He Came to Show Us the Father | John 1:1-18This year, we're studying the gospels as one harmonious story in order to see the glory of God as revealed through them with the clearest picture of God in the person of Jesus painted for us and “To Be Like Him.”In today's sermon, pastor Joanne DiLeo discusses Jesus' nature and the reason why He came.

reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 1, Calm — Peace — Equality, pp. 17-18This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/sadhana-in-the-path-of-integral-yoga/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com

Text: John 1:14-18This sermon is part of our current series: John: Life in His NameWe are starting our series on the book of John.Recorded live at Bethany Bible Church on: September 28, 2025Bethany Radio is a production of Bethany Bible Church in LeRoy, MN.More content and info is available on our website: bethanybibleleroy.com 2025 — Bethany Radio

WEEK 5 | GO TIMEThe 5G Life Series | Pastor Craig TurnbullIn Week 5 of The 5G Life, Pastor Craig teaches on Go Time—the final rhythm of discipleship that calls every believer to join God's mission of making disciples. Go Time is not just for missionaries or church leaders; it is for all who follow Christ.Through Matthew 28 and other passages, this message unpacks the Great Commission and shows us that living on mission is not an event but a lifestyle. Go Time means bringing the good news of Jesus into our everyday relationships and trusting His authority and presence as we go.Key Takeaways:Go Time is for all believers, not just church leaders.The Great Commission is a lifestyle, not a checkbox.God's authority and presence fuel our mission.Sharing Christ is both a privilege and a responsibility.Related Scriptures:Matthew 28:18–20Acts 1:8John 20:211 John 3:16–18This message challenges us to step into our calling as disciple-makers, whether across the street or across the world. Go Time is our mission too.Need prayer? Visit bannockburnchurch.com/prayer

“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth…” - Deuteronomy 8:17-18This passage powerfully reminds us that God owns everything, and we are merely stewards of what He has entrusted to us for a season. Today, Cody Hobelman joins us to discuss how you can establish your first financial finish line.Cody Hobelmann is a Certified Financial Professional (CFP®), a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA®), and is the Chief Business Development Officer at Turning Point Financial. He and his brother Kealan founded the Finish Line Pledge and cohost the Finish Line Podcast, where they discuss the intersection of faith, generosity, and personal finance.The Challenge of ProsperityProsperity presents a significant challenge—perhaps more so than hardship. While we live in one of the most prosperous nations in history, this struggle with abundance is not unique to our time.The book of Deuteronomy mentions how the Israelites stood on the edge of the Promised Land after 40 years in the desert. Moses knew that once they entered the land flowing with milk and honey, they would face a new kind of test—not hunger, disease, or war, but the temptation to rely on their own strength rather than God's provision.Just as the Israelites needed a reminder that all wealth belongs to God, we, too, need to set guardrails against the deceptive power of wealth. One of the most effective tools for doing this is the concept of a financial finish line.Five Approaches to GivingBefore diving into how to set a financial finish line, here are five major approaches to giving:Spontaneous Giving—Giving as needs arise, without much planning.A Giving Goal—Setting a target amount to give annually.Percentage Giving—Committing to give a fixed percentage of income.Incremental Percentage Giving—Increasing the percentage of giving over time.A Financial Finish Line—Setting a cap on personal spending, allowing everything beyond that to be given away.The first four methods focus on how much to give, while the financial finish line flips the paradigm. Instead, it asks, “How much do I truly need?” and commits to giving away the excess.Breaking Down the Financial Finish LineSo, how do you actually set a financial finish line? Financial stewardship can be broken down into four key categories:Personal Spending—Lifestyle expenses (housing, food, transportation, etc.).Taxes—The portion owed to the government.Future Planning—Savings for upcoming expenses, investments, and retirement.Kingdom Building—Everything given to ministry, charity, and impact projects.Since lifestyle spending is the primary determinant of financial behavior, the crucial first step is to cap personal spending.Three Methods to Set a Finish LineHere are three practical approaches to setting your first financial finish line:Maintenance Spending Finish Line—Freezing your current lifestyle spending at a set amount, preventing lifestyle creep as income rises. Benchmark Spending Finish Line—Using census data or external benchmarks to determine a reasonable spending cap based on objective measures. The Finish Line Pledge website offers a calculator to help with this (finishlinepledge.com/calculator). Prioritization Spending Finish Line—Evaluating where your money currently goes, eliminating non-essential expenses, and focusing only on what aligns with God's priorities for your life.Whichever method you choose, the goal is the same: determine what is “enough” and dedicate the rest to Kingdom impact. This concept is not just for the wealthy. Defining ‘enough' changes everything; if you never define it, you'll never reach it.Testing your financial finish line for three to six months. Many who do find it transformative—not just financially, but spiritually. It shifts the mindset from ownership to stewardship, freeing us to see money as a tool for God's Kingdom rather than a source of security.Next Steps: Where to BeginTo get started:Visit finishlinepledge.com and explore the calculator.Set a trial finish line for 3–6 months.Adjust over time as you refine what “enough” looks like in your life.Discuss this approach with a Kingdom-minded financial advisor, especially a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA), who can help integrate this principle into a broader financial plan.Setting a financial finish line is a process, not a one-time decision. It's a faith journey that requires intentionality, wisdom, and a willingness to surrender financial control to God.If you're ready to take the next step, check out finishlinepledge.com and consider taking the pledge. It may just transform your relationship with money—and with God.Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly MagazineIf you'd like to explore this idea further, you can read Cody's full article, “Setting Your First Finish Line,” in the latest edition of Faithful Steward.You can receive this quarterly magazine and help equip believers with biblical financial wisdom by becoming a FaithFi Partner. With a commitment of $35 a month or $400 annually, you'll support the mission and ministry of FaithFi. Join us today at FaithFi.com/Give. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I had a question about credit cards and paying those off. When I pay my credit cards off, my credit score goes way down for some reason, and I don't know if that's going to change as I show a zero balance in the future or what?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly MagazineThe Finish Line PledgeWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money (Pre-Order)Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Sermon by Brandon Clements on February 23, 2025.Key scripture: James 3:1-18This week in James 3, we'll dive into practically one of the most challenging areas to live in as a follower of Jesus. The Scriptures will call at times a source of healing and blessing and at other times a “raging fire” and a “restless evil” — our words.

Sermon by Ant Frederick on February 23, 2025.Key scripture: James 3:1-18This week in James 3, we'll dive into practically one of the most challenging areas to live in as a follower of Jesus. The Scriptures will call at times a source of healing and blessing and at other times a “raging fire” and a “restless evil” — our words.

To Be Like Him | He Was Connected | Matthew 3:1-11; Mark 1:1-8; John 1:6-8; Luke 3:1-18This year, we're studying the gospels as one harmonious story in order to see the glory of God as revealed through them with the clearest picture of God in the person of Jesus painted for us and “To Be Like Him.”In today's sermon, pastor Abie Kulynych discusses Jesus' connection with the ministry of John the Baptist that consisted in the conviction of hearts to prepare the way of the Lord.

I hope today's episode has inspires you to start taking small steps towards a more balanced, faith-fueled approach to self-care. Remember, it's not about perfection. It's about honoring God, yourself, your faith, and your family in a way that feels sustainable and soul-nourishing. You are worthy of rest, rejuvenation, and moments of beauty, and in caring for yourself, you are also caring for those you love.If you found today's episode helpful, make sure to subscribe, share it with a friend, and join me next time as we continue to explore how faith, beauty, and wellness can work together. Until then, may you find peace and balance in your journey.And remember, self-care is an act of love, not just for you, but for those around you.——————Welcome to the @BeautyJamBySam podcast! It's Samantha, your host. I started hair school in 2005 but struggled with confidence & choices and dropped out. In 2010, finished aesthetics, and 18 years later, finally finished cosmetology. As a significant other and a mother, perseverance with God became the foundation. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18This podcast is about embracing fun, faith, and living a BEAUTIFUL life full of JOY & JESUS. I'll share beauty tips of all kinds, Bible verses, and a love for music to help us live out beauty in Christ. True beauty starts from within, let's be beautiful! Let's connect @BeautyJamBySam

Sermon by Michael Bailey on February 2, 2025.Key scripture: James 1:13-18This week, James will help us fight sin in our lives by showing us the nature of sin and the perspective to resist it.

Sermon by Ant Frederick on February 2, 2025.Key scripture: James 1:13-18This week, James will help us fight sin in our lives by showing us the nature of sin and the perspective to resist it.

Teacher: Adam Barnett1 John 2:28-29; 3:1aAnd now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!John 1:12-13Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.To be “born of God” specifies the origin of our identities, impulses, motivations, and attitudes.1 - God's children do not live in sin1 John 3:6, 9No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.6 No one who lives (Greek: menōn = to remain, abide, stay) in him keeps on sinning. 2 - God's children love one another1 John 3:11For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another."A failure to love others is symptomatic of a failure to love God."-Karen Jobes1 John 3:16-18This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.To lay down your life is to express love through sacrificial and compassionate actions.3 - God's children are confident before the Father1 John 3:19-24This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God's commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.“John says that we can set our hearts at rest whenever they condemn us… for God understands us better than our own hearts know us, and in his omniscience, he knows that our often weak attempts to obey his commands spring from true allegiance to him.”-Howard Marshall

To Be Like Him | He Sits with Us | Matthew 2:13-18This year, we're studying the gospels as one harmonious story in order to see the glory of God as revealed through them with the clearest picture of God in the person of Jesus painted for us and “To Be Like Him.”In today's sermon, pastor Abie Kulynych discusses the redemption work of God in a broken world. God sees everything and does not ignore it, “He Sits with Us.”

This week's scripture: Ephesians 6v10-18This week Hannah uses C.S. Lewis' book The Screwtape Letters to examine tactics of the enemy. How might Satan seek to divide us? How can we stand firm in Christ? What tools has God given us to resist evil?

Nov 10, 2024  GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCHComponents of Biblical Faith- Part 2Self-ControlGalatians 5:16-25Introductory thoughts…1. There is a difference in self-control and self-discipline.2. Thinking about this should cause us to think deeper about our salvation.3. Self-control requires a power greater then self. 1. Walk by the Spirit, v. 16To walk by the Spirit is what happens when the desires produced by the Spirit are stronger than the desires produced by the flesh. The Holy Spirit produces desires in us that are in keeping with God's word and lead us into the experience of God's will.“I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”Ezekiel 36:24-272. Be led by the Spirit, v. 18This means two things…a) not under the laws condemnationb) not under the laws constraintProgression in our posture towards the Holy Spirit…     knowing…..understanding….trusting….enjoying13. Crucify your flesh, v. 24Crucifying the sinful nature is really the identification and dismantling of idols. Crucifying the flesh is about strangling sin at the motivation level, rather than simply setting ourselves against sin at the behavioral level. Real changes in our lives cannot proceed without us discerning the idols and desires that come from our individual sinful nature. Tim Keller     Four root idols that drive our behavior: a) Power: a longing for influence or recognitionb) Control: a longing to have everything go according to my planc) Comfort: a longing for pleasured) Approval: a longing to be accepted or desired“The evil in our desire typically does not lie in what we want, but that we want it too much.”              -John Calvin4. Keep in step with the Spirit, v. 25This means you...Live from the inside out in a world full of people who are living from the outside in. It is to live in bondage to the invisible in a world full of people who live in bondage to the visible. No longer fear getting caught, you fear missing out. Understand that Deep calls out to Deep and you got tired of that producing an echo in you. Don't need external rules because you are now governed by an internal Reality. Mental Worship1. How often do you think about the Holy Spirit?2. Can you feel how the Holy Spirit leads you to be careful when it comes to obedience?3. Where are you in the progression towards the Holy Spirit? Knowing…understanding…trusting…enjoying?4. How well do you relate to the cycle of stopping, starting and quitting?5. Of the four root idols of power, control, comfort and approval, which one do you deal with the most?

Hello and welcome to the Q-T.A.L.K.S

Want to connect? Send me a quick message here!"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying of all the Lord's people." Ephesians 6:18This week I am joined by my dear friend, Beth Sri, to discuss her latest book Pocket Guide to Prayer, which she co-authored with her husband Dr. Edward Sri. Join us as we discuss the importance of fostering a home alive with prayer. We dive into some of the struggles of prayer and explore how our own personal prayer lives have a magnificent capacity to nurture a life of prayer within the family. If this episode blessed you, I would be so honored if you shared it with a friend, rated it, or left us a review! Support the show!!If you want to come join our community and help support the show I'd be so blessed! www.patreon.com/latteandlaundrypodcastI always love to connect :suzanne@latteandlaundry.com

Who is God? John Mark dives deep into God's name, Yahweh, and the significance that holds for what he's like: a consistent God who wants to be in relationship with us.Key Scripture Passage: Exodus 34v6-7, Exodus 33v7-23, Genesis 17v1-5, Exodus 3v1-18This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Julie from Dallas, Texas; Luke from Springfield, Missouri; Phoebe from Hokowhitu, New Zealand; Leigh from Robinson, Texas; and Joe from Portland, Oregon. Thank you all so much!If you'd like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Thanks for listening in to The Ridge's Sunday Audio podcast! We hope you are blessed by this message and would love to worship with you on Sunday mornings at 8:00a, 9:30a, or 11:15a.Today's message text: Ecclesiastes 7:1-18This passage emphasizes the value of wisdom, the inevitability of death, and the refining nature of suffering. Solomon contrasts the benefits of sorrow over laughter, the importance of a good reputation, and the need for patience and humility in life's challenges. The passage advises against extremes in behavior, urging a balanced approach and a reverent acceptance of God's plans.

Series: I Wonder...Title: I Wonder...Why Pray if God's Will Prevails?Scripture Reading:  James 5:13-18This summer we are diving into your Bible and faith wonderings. If God is sovereign and if His will will always prevail, why pray? If God foreknows what will transpire, is there a point to praying?

No Agenda Episode 1654 - "e-Safety" "e-Safety" Executive Producers: Stephen Hutto Dixon Craig Mark Kucharski James Boyle Clip Custodian Neal Jones Associate Executive Producers: Monty Nathan Cook Matthew Saladino Linda Lupatkin, Duchess of Jobs & Writer of Resumes Become a member of the 1655 Club, support the show here Boost us with with Podcasting 2.0 Certified apps: Podverse - Podfriend - Breez - Sphinx - Podstation - Curiocaster - Fountain Knights & Dames Walker Phillips > Sir 7-Up Partridge Joseph Smolic > Sir Jojo of the Holden Forest Art By: Matt Boisvert End of Show Mixes: Prof J Jones - Phantomville Engineering, Stream Management & Wizardry Mark van Dijk - Systems Master Ryan Bemrose - Program Director Back Office Jae Dvorak Chapters: Dreb Scott Clip Custodian: Neal Jones Clip Collectors: Steve Jones & Dave Ackerman NEW: and soon on Netflix: Animated No Agenda Sign Up for the newsletter No Agenda Peerage ShowNotes Archive of links and Assets (clips etc) 1654.noagendanotes.com Directory Archive of Shownotes (includes all audio and video assets used) archive.noagendanotes.com RSS Podcast Feed Full Summaries in PDF No Agenda Lite in opus format Last Modified 04/25/2024 16:48:18This page created with the FreedomController Last Modified 04/25/2024 16:48:18 by Freedom Controller

Why read the Bible? John Mark argues that we don't just read the Scriptures to gain information or be entertained, but to be shaped: to become more like the God whose story and character are revealed to us as we read.Key Scripture Passages: 2 Timothy 3v14-18This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Jill from Louisville, Ohio; Jess from Brea, California; Jacob from Austin, Texas; Kate from Fargo, North Dakota; and Mark from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Thank you all so much!If you'd like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

How do we pray when we run out of words? John Mark talks about the practice of contemplative prayer and it's importance in our spiritual formation. He concludes with three primary obstacles to this form of prayer, offering ideas on how to move past these and embrace the depth of this path to life with God.Key Scripture Passages: 2 Corinthians 3v7-18This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Shirley from Carnegie, Pennsylvania; Trish from Houston, Texas; Keith from Flowood, Mississippi; Chris from St. Louis Park, Minnesota; and Trevor from Damascus, Oregon. Thank you all so much!If you'd like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are back to rank the Top 5 Men & Top 5 Women for The Challenge USA Season II, Premiering 8/10 at 10pm on CBS.www.ChallengeManiacs.com to WATCH our Live Show from Phoenix!www.ChallengeMania.Shop for Swag!www.ChallengeMania.Live for Tix to live shows like:TEXAS 8/19SAN DIEGO 9/30BALTIMORE 10/6STL 11/4NASHVILLE 11/18This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/2987894/advertisement

No Agenda Episode 1568 - "Spook Head" "Spook Head" Executive Producers: Sir Cucaracha of the Northwoods Sir JD Knight of the Shimmering Deep Sea SirCumvent, Baron of the Northern Territory Alan Green MATTHEW RACHWAL Sir Veilled, Viscount of FEMA Region IV Sir Nacho Alcatraz Nikola Nikolov Benjamin Bower Chris Cervellera Associate Executive Producers: Barron Finch Black Knight Sir EZ Pluma aka Heather Goodwin Dame Beth Sir Erick Scott the Welder Raymond Bell Linda Lupatkin Sir Devin Become a member of the 1569 Club, support the show here Boost us with with Podcasting 2.0 Certified apps: Podverse - Podfriend - Breez - Sphinx - Podstation - Curiocaster - Fountain Title Changes SirCumvent > SirCumvent, Baron of the Northern Territory Baron > Sir Veilled Viscount of FEMA Region IV Sir Hold My Beer > Baronet Knights & Dames Steven George > sir cucaracha of the northwoods frank duivenvoorden > Sir Dr Frank, Knight of Lonsdale JD Sutton > Sir JD Knight of the Shimmering Deep Sea. Art By: Nykko Syme - nykko@getalby.com End of Show Mixes: Deezelaughs - Hugh Alisson - Jesse Coy Nelson Engineering, Stream Management & Wizardry Mark van Dijk - Systems Master Ryan Bemrose - Program Director Back Office Jae Dvorak Chapters: Dreb Scott Clip Custodian: Neal Jones Clip Collectors: Steve Jones & Dave Ackerman NEW: and soon on Netflix: Animated No Agenda No Agenda Social Registration Sign Up for the newsletter No Agenda Peerage ShowNotes Archive of links and Assets (clips etc) 1568.noagendanotes.com Directory Archive of Shownotes (includes all audio and video assets used) archive.noagendanotes.com RSS Podcast Feed Full Summaries in PDF No Agenda Lite in opus format NoAgendaTorrents.com has an RSS feed or show torrents Last Modified 06/29/2023 16:47:18This page created with the FreedomController Last Modified 06/29/2023 16:47:18 by Freedom Controller

No Agenda Episode 1549 - "Al Gore Rhythms" "Al Gore Rhythms" Executive Producers: Baron of backwardation Brad Fischer Bowman McMahon Dame Angela Castaneda Sir Shoug Knight of the Fern Prairie Foothills nate thurman Baronetess Dame Elizabeth of the Hudson Valley anonymous controller Lee North unjected.com Associate Executive Producers: robert ross Sir Nacho Alcatraz 1549 Club Members: Baron of backwardation Become a member of the 1550 Club, support the show here Boost us with with Podcasting 2.0 Certified apps: Podverse - Podfriend - Breez - Sphinx - Podstation - Curiocaster - Fountain Title Changes Dame Elizabeth of the Hudson Valley > Baronettess Knights & Dames Jeff Wiese > Sir j-Dub, Knight of the Long Way Round the FEMA Region Three Faux Diddley > Sir Shoug, Knight of the Fern Prairie Foothills Art By: Tante Neel tante_neel@getalby.com End of Show Mixes: Various Classics Engineering, Stream Management & Wizardry Mark van Dijk - Systems Master Ryan Bemrose - Program Director Back Office Jae Dvorak Chapters: Dreb Scott Clip Custodian: Neal Jones NEW: and soon on Netflix: Animated No Agenda No Agenda Social Registration Sign Up for the newsletter No Agenda Peerage ShowNotes Archive of links and Assets (clips etc) 1549.noagendanotes.com Directory Archive of Shownotes (includes all audio and video assets used) archive.noagendanotes.com RSS Podcast Feed Full Summaries in PDF No Agenda Lite in opus format NoAgendaTorrents.com has an RSS feed or show torrents Last Modified 04/23/2023 16:48:18This page created with the FreedomController Last Modified 04/23/2023 16:48:18 by Freedom Controller