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Serve For God's Sake Even When It's Hard Acts 17:5-9 5But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. a 6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

7Or do you not know, brothers[a]for I am speaking to those who know the lawthat the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives?2Fora married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.[b]3Accordingly,she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. 4Likewise, my brothers,you also have diedto the lawthrough the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead,in order that we may bear fruit for God.5For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at workin our membersto bear fruit for death.6But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in thenew way ofthe Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

Joshua 2 Rahab Hides the Spies 1And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. 8Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign 13that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” 15Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. 16And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” 17The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. 19Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. 20But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” 21And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. 23Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. 24And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”

2Some Pharisees came, and to test [Jesus] they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” 5But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.' 7‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”  10Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”  13People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. 

Let's walk in the light - Pastor Kobus Massyn 29-9-2024 Psalm 18:28 (Amp) -  28For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; The LORD my God illumines my darkness. The lamp…   Matthew 5:16 (Amp) - 16Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven. My light comes from the Lord Psalm 119:105 (Amp) -  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Proverbs 6:23 (Amp) -  For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching [of the law] is light, and reproofs (rebukes) for discipline are the way of life, Ephesians 5:8-9 (NIV) - 8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 2 Samuel 22:29 (Amp) -  “For You, O LORD, are my lamp; the LORD illumines and dispels my darkness Job 29:3 (Amp) - When His lamp shone upon my head and by His light I walked through darkness; Give me oil Matthew 25:1-13 (Amp) 1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went to [a]meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish [thoughtless, silly, and careless], and five were wise [far-sighted, practical, and sensible]. 3For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them, 4but the wise took flasks of oil along with their lamps. 5Now while the bridegroom was delayed, they all began to nod off, and they fell asleep. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! The bridegroom [is coming]! Go out to meet him.' 7Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order [trimmed the wicks and added oil and lit them]. 8But the foolish virgins said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.' 9But the wise replied, ‘No, otherwise there will not be enough for us and for you, too; go instead to the dealers and buy oil for yourselves.' 10But while they were going away to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut and locked. 11Later the others also came, and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open [the door] for us.' 12But He replied, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I do not know you [we have no relationship].' 13Therefore, be on the alert [be prepared and ready], for you do not know the day nor the hour [when the Son of Man will come]. My lamp is what matters 2 Corinthians 12:9-10  (Amp) - 9but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough-always available-regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. 10So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God's strength]. Matthew 5:14a - “You are the light of the world. John 8:12 - When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Luke 2:30-32 - 30For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” John 9:5

1And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, 2And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things-- or who is he that gave thee this authority-- 3And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing- and answer me- 4The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men-- 5And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven- he will say, Why then believed ye him not-- 6But and if we say, Of men- all the people will stone us- for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. 7And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. 8And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. 9Then began he to speak to the people this parable- A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. 10And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard- but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 11And again he sent another servant- and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12And again he sent a third- and they wounded him also, and cast him out. 13Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do-- I will send my beloved son- it may be they will reverence him when they see him. 14But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir- come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. - AV

Esther 2:19-3:15 Mordecai Discovers a Plot 19Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. 20Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. 21In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. 23When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king. Haman Plots Against the Jews 1After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. 2And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. 3Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king's command?” 4And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai's words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. 6But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus. 7In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 8Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them. 9If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries.” 10So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. 11And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.” 12 Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king's satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's signet ring. 13Letters were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. 14A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. 15The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

1And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, 2And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? 3And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: 4The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? 5And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? 6But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. 7And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. 8And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. 9Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. 10And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 11And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. 13Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. 14But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. - AV

First ReadingJEREMIAH 26:11-16, 2411Then the priests and the prophets said to the princes and to all the people, "This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears." 12Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying, "The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. 13Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will repent of the evil which he has pronounced against you.14But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the LORD sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears."16Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, "This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God." 24But the hand of Ahi'kam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.GospelMATTHEW 14:1-121At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus; 2and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist, he has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him." 3For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, for the sake of Hero'di-as, his brother Philip's wife; 4because John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."5And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Hero'di-as danced before the company, and pleased Herod, 7so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.8Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter." 9And the king was sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given; 10he sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.12And his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost The Collect: O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: Ezekiel 2:1-5 1He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. 2And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. 3He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. 4The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord God.” 5Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them. Psalm: Psalm 123 1 To you I lift up my eyes, *        to you enthroned in the heavens. 2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *        and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, 3 So our eyes look to the Lord our God, *        until he show us his mercy. 4 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy, *        for we have had more than enough of contempt, 5 Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *        and of the derision of the proud. Epistle: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 2I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. 3And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— 4was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.5On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. 6But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, 7even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.8Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me,9but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. Gospel: Mark 6:1-13 1He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” 5And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6And he was amazed at their unbelief.  Then he went about among the villages teaching. 7He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Day of Pentecost The Collect: Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. or this O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. First Lesson: Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' or 1The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord. Psalm: Psalm 104: 25-35,37 25 O Lord, how manifold are your works! *        in wisdom you have made them all;        the earth is full of your creatures. 26 Yonder is the great and wide sea    with its living things too many to number, *        creatures both small and great. 27 There move the ships,    and there is that Leviathan, *        which you have made for the sport of it. 28 All of them look to you *        to give them their food in due season. 29 You give it to them; they gather it; *        you open your hand, and they are filled with good things. 30 You hide your face, and they are terrified; *        you take away their breath,        and they die and return to their dust. 31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *        and so you renew the face of the earth. 32 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; *        may the Lord rejoice in all his works. 33 He looks at the earth and it trembles; *        he touches the mountains and they smoke. 34 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; *        I will praise my God while I have my being. 35 May these words of mine please him; *        I will rejoice in the Lord. 37 Bless the Lord, O my soul. *        Hallelujah! Second Lesson: Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. or 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Gospel: John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15 26”When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf.27You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. 4I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?' 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Third Sunday after Pentecost Feast of St. Columba's The Collect:  O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: 1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15) 4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” 10So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; [12and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers.] 15He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”19But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” [14Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” 15So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they sacrificed offerings of well-being before the Lord, and there Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.] Psalm: Psalm 138 1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *        before the gods I will sing your praise. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple    and praise your Name, *        because of your love and faithfulness; 3 For you have glorified your Name *        and your word above all things. 4 When I called, you answered me; *        you increased my strength within me. 5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *        when they have heard the words of your mouth. 6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *        that great is the glory of the Lord. 7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *        he perceives the haughty from afar. 8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *        you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;        your right hand shall save me. 9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *        O Lord, your love endures for ever;        do not abandon the works of your hands. Old Testament: Genesis 3:8-15 8They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”10He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” 14The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Psalm: Psalm 130 1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;    Lord, hear my voice; *        let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication. 2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *        O Lord, who could stand? 3 For there is forgiveness with you; *        therefore you shall be feared. 4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *        in his word is my hope. 5 My soul waits for the Lord,    more than watchmen for the morning, *        more than watchmen for the morning. 6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, *        for with the Lord there is mercy; 7 With him there is plenteous redemption, *        and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins. Epistle: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 13But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke” —we also believe, and so we speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence.15Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 18because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. 1For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Gospel: Mark 3:20-35 20and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat.21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 28“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” 31Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

True and False ShepherdsText: Zechariah 10:1-6But before Zechariah can continue on the theme of the coming king, he must firstly develop a number of important points. He must call the people to prayer, and he must draw a distinction between true and false pastors!APOLOGIES - this recording is not best quality - sorry about the extreme echo.Read the NOTES HERE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio Recording Sermon OutlineSpeaker: Rev. Scott StrickmanSermon Series: Joined Together, Growing TogetherEphesians 6:13-18, Titus 3:3-7 (ESV) 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.Sermon OutlineWhenever we put on the helmet of salvation it reminds us of three things: 1. We were once in bondage – Titus 3:3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 2. We have been freed – Titus 3:4-6But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior 3. We are now heirs of God – Titus 3:7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal lifePrayer of ConfessionHeavenly Father, each day we are afflicted by the evil one, who desires to keep us in bondage. Too often, we do not put on your armor, we do not trust in your work of salvation, we doubt your character. By the power of your Spirit, help us to see that your goodness and loving kindness is fully present in Jesus, the one who saved us according to his rich mercy and made us co-heirs with him. Amen.Questions for ReflectionWhat connected with you from the sermon or the passage?Which tactic of the evil one have you struggled with: I don't need God's salvation… Am I truly saved?… I will never have God's salvation.What has given you assurance of salvation in Jesus?Salvation in Jesus depends on his character and not on how worthy we are. How is this reassuring? How might this be difficult to receive?Christians are not only saved and rescued by Jesus, but they are co-heirs with him. What does this look like in day-to-day life? What do you sense God calling you to do from this passage?

Audio Recording Sermon OutlineSpeaker: Rev. Scott StrickmanSermon Series: Joined Together, Growing TogetherEphesians 6:13-18, Titus 3:3-7 (ESV) 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.Sermon OutlineWhenever we put on the helmet of salvation it reminds us of three things: 1. We were once in bondage – Titus 3:3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 2. We have been freed – Titus 3:4-6But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior 3. We are now heirs of God – Titus 3:7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal lifePrayer of ConfessionHeavenly Father, each day we are afflicted by the evil one, who desires to keep us in bondage. Too often, we do not put on your armor, we do not trust in your work of salvation, we doubt your character. By the power of your Spirit, help us to see that your goodness and loving kindness is fully present in Jesus, the one who saved us according to his rich mercy and made us co-heirs with him. Amen.Questions for ReflectionWhat connected with you from the sermon or the passage?Which tactic of the evil one have you struggled with: I don't need God's salvation… Am I truly saved?… I will never have God's salvation.What has given you assurance of salvation in Jesus?Salvation in Jesus depends on his character and not on how worthy we are. How is this reassuring? How might this be difficult to receive?Christians are not only saved and rescued by Jesus, but they are co-heirs with him. What does this look like in day-to-day life? What do you sense God calling you to do from this passage?

Saul Chosen to Be King 9There was a man of Benjamin whose name wasKish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.2And he had a son whose name was Saul,a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he.From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 3Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.4And he passed throughthe hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land ofShalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them. 5When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant[a]who was with him, Come, let us go back,lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.6But he said to him, Behold, there isa man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor;all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.7Then Saul said to his servant, But if we go,what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?8The servant answered Saul again, Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel[b]of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.9(Formerly in Israel, when a manwent to inquire of God, he said, Come, let us go to the seer, for today's prophet was formerly called a seer.)10And Saul said to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11As they went up the hill to the city,they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, Is the seer here?12They answered, He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the peoplehave a sacrifice today onthe high place.13As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.14So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. 15Now the day before Saul came,theLordhadrevealed to Samuel:16Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin,and you shall anoint him to be prince[c]over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines.For I have seen[d]my people, because their cry has come to me.17When Samuel saw Saul, theLordtold him,Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.18Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, Tell me where is the house of the seer?19Samuel answered Saul, I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind.20As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?21Saul answered, Am I not a Benjaminite,from the least of the tribes of Israel?And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way? 22Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons.23And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, Put it aside.24So the cook took upthe leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.[e] So Saul ate with Samuel that day.25And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saulon the roof, and he lay down to sleep.[f]26Then at the break of dawn[g]Samuel called to Saul on the roof, Up, that I may send you on your way. So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. 27As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God. Saul Anointed King 10Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his headand kissed him and said, Has not theLordanointed you to be prince[h]overhis people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of theLordand you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that theLordhas anointed you to be prince[i]over his heritage.2When you depart from me today, you will meet two men byRachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you,The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and nowyour father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, What shall I do about my son?3Then you shall go on from there farther and come to theoak of Tabor. Three mengoing upto God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.4And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand.5After that you shall come toGibeath-elohim,[j]where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming downfrom the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying.6Then the Spirit of theLordwill rush upon you,and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.7Now whenthese signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do,for God is with you.8Then go down before meto Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings andto sacrifice peace offerings.Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do. 9When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.10When they came toGibeah,[k]behold, a group of prophets met him,and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.11And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, What has come over the son of Kish?Is Saul also among the prophets?12And a man of the place answered,And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb,Is Saul also among the prophets?13When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place. 14Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, Where did you go? And he said,To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.15And Saul's uncle said, Please tell me what Samuel said to you.16And Saul said to his uncle,He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found. But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.

Israel Demands a King 8When Samuel became old,he made his sons judges over Israel.2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.3Yet his sons did not walk in his waysbut turned aside after gain.They took bribes and perverted justice. 4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel atRamah5and said to him, Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways.Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to theLord.7And theLordsaid to Samuel, Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you,for they have not rejected you,but they have rejected me from being king over them.8According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn themand show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them. Samuel's Warning Against Kings 10So Samuel told all the words of theLordto the people who were asking for a king from him.11He said,These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you:he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and someto plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.15He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.16He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men[a]and your donkeys, and put them to his work.17He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves,but theLordwill not answer you in that day. TheLordGrants Israel's Request 19But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, No! But there shall be a king over us,20that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.21And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of theLord.22And theLordsaid to Samuel,Obey their voice and make them a king. Samuel then said to the men of Israel, Go every man to his city.

Change your perspective • Apr 21, 2024 • Eric StillmanThis morning, I am in the third week of a new sermon series through the Old Testament book ofDaniel that will take us up until the summer. I've entitled the series “Faithfulness in exile,” a titlethat may at first glance seem to be about something that happened a long time ago in a kingdomfar, far away, but I believe you will find is very relevant to your life today. Last week we lookedat chapter 1 and how Daniel and the other Israelites are taken into exile in Babylon, where KingNebuchadnezzar attempts to reprogram them out of their faithfulness to their God and into loaylBabylonian servants. The chapter ends with this in verse 17: To these four young men God gaveknowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel couldunderstand visions and dreams of all kinds. As we're about to find out, that is a gift that is goingto come in very useful. Let's read Daniel 2:Daniel 2:1–49 - In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind wastroubled and he could not sleep. 2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerersand astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king,3he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”4 Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants thedream, and we will interpret it.” 5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmlydecided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into piecesand your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you willreceive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”8 Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize thatthis is what I have firmly decided: 9If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty foryou. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation willchange. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.” 10 Theastrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! Noking, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter orastrologer. 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,and they do not live among humans.” 12 This made the king so angry and furious that he orderedthe execution of all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men todeath, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death. 

Awakened to the Gospel 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 April 14, 2024 Acts 17:1-3 1When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.” Whenever the gospel is preached 1. Some people will get angry 2. Some people will elevate that anger to the level of persecution 3. Some people will embrace the message and give their lives to Jesus Acts 17:5-9 5But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. The Gospel Cycle: · Good News Brought to You · We modeled it · Good News Received By You · You Modeled It · Good News Went Out From You Genuine conversion changes our direction Genuine conversion changes our affection Bonhoeffer – Discipleship God honors some with great suffering and grants them the grace of martyrdom, while others are not tempted beyond their strength. But in every case it is one cross. It is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering that everyone has to experience is the call which summons us away from our attachments to this world. It is the death of the old self in the encounter with Jesus Christ. Those who enter into discipleship enter into Jesus' death. They turn their living into dying… Whenever Christ calls us, his call leads us to death. · Transforms idols (Repentance) · Turn to God (Faith) · Turn our lives over to God (Service) Genuine conversion changes our reflection Is the Good News ringing out from my life? Have I turned from my idols? Am I speaking about and looking forward to Jesus's return?

Acts 9:1-9 The Conversion of Saul 1But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Mark 16:1-8 1When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint [Jesus' body]. 2And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” 8So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

The devotion for today, Tuesday, March 05, 2024 was written by Jonathon McClellan and is narrated by Jay Williams. Today's Words of Inspiration come from Titus 3:4-6But when the kindness of God our Savior and Jesus' love for mankind appeared, God saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to God's mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom God poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, Support the show

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________SexagesimaO Lord, how manifold are your works! in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.Psalm 104:25 (BCP) ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. SeptuagesimaLord, you have been our refuge: From one generation to another. Venite Psalm 95:1-7Come, let us sing to the Lord; *let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, *and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, *and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Psalm 22 Deus, Deus meus1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *and are so far from my cryand from the words of my distress?2O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *by night as well, but I find no rest.3Yet you are the Holy One, *enthroned upon the praises of Israel.4Our forefathers put their trust in you; *they trusted, and you delivered them.5They cried out to you and were delivered; *they trusted in you and were not put to shame.6But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *scorned by all and despised by the people.7All who see me laugh me to scorn; *they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,8“He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; *let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”9Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *and kept me safe upon my mother's breast.10I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *you were my God when I was still in my mother's womb.11Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *and there is none to help.12Many young bulls encircle me; *strong bulls of Bashan surround me.13They open wide their jaws at me, *like a ravening and a roaring lion.14I am poured out like water;all my bones are out of joint; *my heart within my breast is melting wax.15My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.16Packs of dogs close me in,and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *they pierce my hands and my feet;I can count all my bones.17They stare and gloat over me; *they divide my garments among them;they cast lots for my clothing.18Be not far away, O Lord; *you are my strength; hasten to help me.19Save me from the sword, *my life from the power of the dog.20Save me from the lion's mouth, *my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.21I will declare your Name to my brethren; *in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.22Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;all you of Jacob's line, give glory.23For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;neither does he hide his face from them; *but when they cry to him he hears them.24My praise is of him in the great assembly; *I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.25The poor shall eat and be satisfied,and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *“May your heart live for ever!”26All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.27For kingship belongs to the Lord; *he rules over the nations.28To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *all who go down to the dust fall before him.29My soul shall live for him;my descendants shall serve him; *they shall be known as the Lord's for ever.30They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *the saving deeds that he has done. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The LessonsGenesis 11:27-12:8 English Standard VersionNow these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans. And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. You are God(Te Deum laudamus)You are God: we praise you;You are the Lord: we acclaim you;You are the eternal Father:All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you.The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;Father, of majesty unbounded,your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory.We believe that you will come and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. Mark 9:14-29 English Standard VersionAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. A Song of Praise(Benedictus es, Domine Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34)Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; * you are worthy of praise; glory to you.Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; * on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you, beholding the depths; * in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The SuffragesShow us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;Let your people sing with joy.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care;And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. Sexagesima (Anglican Prayer Book)O LORD God, you who see that we do not put our trust in anything that we do: Mercifully grant that by your power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our LORD. Amen.A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceLord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.For MissionAlmighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________EpiphanyAnd nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.Isaiah 60:3 ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. EpiphanyThe Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him. Venite Psalm 95:1-7Come, let us sing to the Lord; *let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, *and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, *and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Psalm 23 Dominus regit me.1The Lord is my shepherd  *therefore can I lack nothing.2He shall feed me in a green pasture *and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.3He shall convert my soul *and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness, for his Name's sake.4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil *for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.5Thou shalt prepare a table before me against them that trouble me *thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.6But thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life *and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 24 Domini est terra1The earth is the Lord's, and all that therein is  *the compass of the world, and they that dwell therein.2For he hath founded it upon the seas *and prepared it upon the floods.3Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord *or who shall rise up in his holy place?4Even he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart *and that hath not lift up his mind unto vanity, nor sworn to deceive his neighbour.5He shall receive the blessing from the Lord *and righteousness from the God of his salvation.6This is the generation of them that seek him *even of them that seek thy face, O Jacob.7Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors *and the King of glory shall come in.8Who is the King of glory *it is the Lord strong and mighty, even the Lord mighty in battle.9Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors *and the King of glory shall come in.10Who is the King of glory *even the Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The LessonsProverbs 6:12-19 English Standard Version12 A worthless person, a wicked man,    goes about with crooked speech,13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,    points with his finger,14 with perverted heart devises evil,    continually sowing discord;15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;    in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.16 There are six things that the Lord hates,    seven that are an abomination to him:17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,    and hands that shed innocent blood,18 a heart that devises wicked plans,    feet that make haste to run to evil,19 a false witness who breathes out lies,    and one who sows discord among brothers.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. You are God(Te Deum laudamus)You are God: we praise you;You are the Lord: we acclaim you;You are the eternal Father:All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you.The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;Father, of majesty unbounded,your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory.We believe that you will come and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. Ephesians 5:1-14 English Standard Version5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,“Awake, O sleeper,    and arise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.”Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. A Song of Praise(Benedictus es, Domine Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34)Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; * you are worthy of praise; glory to you.Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; * on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you, beholding the depths; * in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The SuffragesShow us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;Let your people sing with joy.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care;And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. Epiphany 2 (Anglican Prayer Book)ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, you who rule over all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the prayers of your people, and grant us your peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our LORD. Amen.A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceLord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.For MissionAlmighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Malachi 3:16-4:6But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in itswings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down thewicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says theLord of hosts. Malachi 4:2-3 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scripture Reading: Acts 4:32-5:16 32 The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common. 33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. 34 For there was no one needy among them because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales 35 and placing them at the apostles' feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need. 36 So Joseph, a Levite who was a native of Cyprus, called by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and placed it at the apostles' feet. 1 Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property. 2 He kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife's knowledge; he brought only part of it and placed it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of the land? 4 Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God!” 5 When Ananias heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped all who heard about it. 6 So the young men came, wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me, were the two of you paid this amount for the land?” Sapphira said, “Yes, that much.” 9 Peter then told her, “Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!” 10 At once she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the whole church and all who heard about these things. 12 Now many miraculous signs and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By common consent they were all meeting together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high honor. 14 More and more believers in the Lord were added to their number, crowds of both men and women. 15 Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some of them. 16 A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. They were all being healed. Main ThemesThe GoodOur reading begins immediately after we are told that all the believers were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:31). There seems to be a pattern that after such outpourings of the Spirit the community experiences power and unity.One Heart and MindWe are told first that the community is of “one heart and mind.” This expression is not exclusive to biblical writers. The exact same expression and also close variations of it were used by other writers to express unity, particularly in friendship relationships (although not exclusively). I think that this is an important clue. I have been in several situations where believers wonder what such unity means and how to achieve it. Perhaps the answer is familiar—too familiar—so we rather avoid it. We should be true friends of our brothers and sisters in Christ.Moreover, the expression “one heart and mind,” literally “one heart and soul,” seems to recall the Old Testament. The mention of heart and soul in the same phrase appeared in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). Undoubtedly the reference that would have been in every ancient Jew's mind would have been the Shema prayer in Deuteronomy 6:5-6. (The Shema prayer is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. It was a daily prayer for ancient Israelites and is still recited by Jewish people today.)Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind [literally, heart], your whole being [literally, soul], and all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5-6The Ideal CommunityWe have already discussed the “ideal community” that was the early church in chapter 2. At the end of chapter 4, we encounter that ideal community again. Everything was held in common. (The imperfect verbs suggest not a sale of all property upon conversion but believers selling their property when needs arose and contributing to a common fund supervised by the apostles.)Much like the idea of being of “one heart and mind,” the idea of holding everything in common was especially attributed to friends. Biblically speaking, it seems like the fulfillment to Deuteronomy 15:4-5:However, there should not be any poor among you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the land that he is giving you as an inheritance, if you carefully obey him by keeping all these commandments that I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 15:4-5That the goods were deposited at the apostles' feet means that the apostles were the managers who would supervise distribution among the needy. The location at their feet also indicates submission. The apostles were the leaders of the movement. That the apostles used all the funds for the needy contrasts them with members of the religious elite who exploited others economically. The contrast intensified by the fact that the goods were distributed according to need.The apostles gave testimony with great power, which probably implies miraculous works and bold speech. We are also told that “grace was on them all.” This phrase is difficult to interpret. Consider when the same words were used to speak about Jesus.And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor [literally, grace] of God was upon him. Luke 2:40, emphasis addedConsider also Paul's use of the word in Romans and Ephesians:And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. Romans 12:6But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:7-8So, grace could mean God's favor, empowerment, or both.Barnabas—The Good ExampleMaybe Barnabas was singled out because his monetary contribution to the church was the largest. Although some scholars think so, one must wonder whether Luke—who seems critical of the wealthy and concerned for the poor—would have thought that to be reason enough. The more likely explanation is that this reference works as an introduction to Barnabas, who will play a larger role later in the story.Joseph was an incredibly common name at the time, so giving a “Joseph” a nickname was not unusual. (The same is true of the name Simon.) We could also make a connection with instances in the Old Testament in which a person was renamed—naming a person signified authority over them. So, perhaps this shows Barnabas submission to the apostles. His nickname, however, relates not to submission but to encouragement. Later passages in Acts confirm that the name was well placed. Barnabas is from Cyprus. Many Jews lived in Cyprus at the time. Perhaps Barnabas' associations with Cyprus help explain his wealth. Cyprus was a prosperous land both rich in minerals (especially copper but also gems) and agriculture. Presumably, this made the field Barnabas sold quite valuable.Notice that Barnabas does everything right. That's the point. He sold a field. He placed the money at the feet of the apostles. He showed generosity, charity, love, unity, and submission to the leadership. I point this out because we are about to read the “bad example.” In my opinion, the chapter division was placed incorrectly. The story of Barnabas is clearly meant to be contrasted with story of Ananias and Sapphira.The BadAnanias—What Did He Do Wrong?Immediately after the introduction of Barnabas, we read “Now a man named Ananias.” Like I said above, these two stories are clearly meant to be read together and contrasted. Let's review what Ananias did.Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property. He kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife's knowledge; he brought only part of it and placed it at the apostles' feet. Acts 5:1-2We learn the key detail from the verses that follow: Ananias pretended like the money he placed at the apostles' feet was all the sale proceeds.What is so wrong about this? Think about it. After all, the guy donated a bunch of money to the church. Doesn't the good outweigh the bad (that is, the lie)? Was he required to give the whole amount? Did he keep back too much? Let's address these questions.Sanctity, Honor, and HypocrisyWe could say that the early chapters of Acts describing the “ideal community” emphasize sacrificial giving, and Ananias failed to give sacrificially. However, as we will discuss in a moment, Peter makes clear that Ananias had no obligation to give. Instead, the passage in chapter 5 emphasizes the community's sanctity.Ananias and Sapphira wanted to be honored in God's community. One does need to read much of the Bible, Old or New Testament, to encounter verses about the dangers of seeking honor for oneself.You are still exalting yourself against my people by not releasing them. Exodus 9:17How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don't seek the praise that comes from the only God? John 5:44As all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of the experts in the law. They like walking around in long robes, and they love elaborate greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' property, and as a show make long prayers. They will receive a more severe punishment.” Luke 20:45-47Notice that even if sharing was voluntary, the incentive to engage in the practice for selfish reasons is still there. When voluntary practices become a dominant practice of a group, they exert considerable influence on other members to conform to the new standard. Moreover, benefactors in the ancient Mediterranean world expected public honor. Honoring oneself by pretending to engage in sacrificial behavior is also a blatant example of hypocrisy. If you participated in our study of John, then you know that this was a recurring (perhaps the main) issue that Jesus had with the religious leaders.He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.'” Mark 7:6“Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward! But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4Of course, I cannot mention hypocrisy without quoting the “7 woes.”“But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves!“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.' Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.' You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too!“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” Matthew 23:13-33Hypocrisy is obviously bad. But is it really that big of a deal? After all, we do not read of Jesus slashing through Pharisees and leaving them for dead. We also do hear of the apostles attempting to violently subjugate anyone, or performing destructive miracles that force the crowds to behave honestly. How is Ananias worse than the experts in the law and the Pharisees such that he should be struck dead on the spot? God judged impostors within the community much more severely than false prophets or leaders outside of it.The apostle Paul expresses a similar distinction in his first letter to the Corinthians.I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside? But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you. 1 Corinthians 9-13God sacrificed his one and only beloved son to create a path for salvation; He also protected the early church from the sins of hypocrisy and self-aggrandizing which would have prevented the good news from going forth to the world.Satan Filled His HeartAnanias's behavior seeking to deceive the community recalls the betrayal of Judas: both men had Satan in their hearts. Recall Luke's description of Judas:The chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find some way to execute Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. He went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard how he might betray Jesus, handing him over to them. They were delighted and arranged to give him money. So Judas agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus when no crowd was present. Luke 22:2-6We learn from Peter's question that Ananias' heart was “filled” by Satan.But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of the land? Acts 5:3There are at least two important observations that should be noted. First, whether our modern sensibilities like it or not, scripture does seem to speak of supernatural evil entities. Satan is at work opposing God. In fact, Peter's question makes Satan and the Holy Spirit the main players in the conflict, not Ananias and Peter. Paul expresses a similar idea in his letter to the Ephesians.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. Ephesians 6:12Among the more progressive Christians (not to mention nonbelievers), the idea of personal forces of evil (I mean evil creatures with agency, as opposed to simply the concept of evil) is often denied. To do so, one would have to interpret references to Satan as figures of speech meaning something like, “Why have you chosen evil?” This is both an implausible reading of the text and certainly not what the original writers meant to convey or original audience understood.The other observation we should make is that Ananias, working for the enemy, commits no small sin. In the story, he is an agent of Satan infiltrating the community of God. He seeks to embed the spirit of Satan with the Spirit of God. God does not allow it. Put another way, whereas some onlookers may have viewed Ananias' action as at worst merely selfish from a personal perspective, it was in fact Satan's activity to infiltrate the community with hypocrisy.Sapphira—A Quick DetourI want to discuss the rest of Peter's response to Ananias. Before we do that, let's briefly discuss Sapphira.The name “Sapphira,” in its various spellings, means “beautiful” and appears almost exclusively among wealthy Jerusalem families in this century. This lends credibility to Luke's account. Given the usual authority structure in ancient households, one should not be surprised that Ananias took the lead. Notice, however, that verse 5:1 attributes the sale of the property to both spouses. Although in the ancient Jewish world land sales would have generally involved exclusively men, we have record of contracts that included women as co-sellers.Legalities aside, the main point made by God's punishment of Sapphira is that even if she was of subordinate rank in a patriarchal society, she was not excused in disobeying God. God is the ultimate authority. If Sapphira did not have an opportunity to stop her husband from withholding funds or lying about it, she had an opportunity to be honest. She did not take that opportunity.Was It Not Yours?Now, let's return to Peter's response. At the risk of being misunderstood, I must admit that the story of Ananias and Sapphira is one of my favorites in the New Testament. No, not because I wish all sinners in the church to be struck dead. (I would surely be dead too.) It is because it conveys a couple of ideas that are central to Christian morality: Christian freedom and sins of conscience.Listen to Peter's words once more.Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? Acts 5:4aDid Ananias sin because he did not give enough to the church? Did he sin because he kept some money for himself? No! The story of Ananias and Sapphira is not about money. It is not about tithing.Ananias' field was his to do as he pleased. He could have kept it. He could have sold it and kept all the money. He could have donated 10% of the proceeds, 20%, 50%, or 100%. Ananias had what we often call the “Christian freedom” to do as he believed was right.Christian FreedomOne of the “go to” passages for Christian freedom is in Galatians 5. I will read it, although in my opinion, it is not the best passage to explain the concept.For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery. Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all! 3 And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace! For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait expectantly for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight—the only thing that matters is faith working through love. Galatians 5:1-6That quotation from Galatians clearly teaches that we are no longer bound by or saved by obeying the law of the Old Testament. The reason I think it is not the best text to explain Christian freedom is because it does not explain the alternative. (This is not a critique of the passage, only of how it is used.) If we don't have to follow the Old Testament law, then what? What do we follow now?I would rather explain Christian freedom by focusing on any particular moral issue. Given that we are reading Acts 5, let's pick the topic of giving to the church. How does the New Testament address this topic? What are the “commands”?Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. Romans 12:11-13Contribute to the needs of the saints. Got it. But how much? Practice hospitality. Got it. But when? To whom? Is there something like a safe-harbor rule to know when I have done enough?Surely when Paul addresses this topic at length in his letter to Timothy he answers all those questions and provides details.For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either. But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that. Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that. Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession for in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you before God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who made his good confession before Pontius Pilate, to obey this command without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ—whose appearing the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reveal at the right time. He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.Command those who are rich in this world's goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others. In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:7-19Wait, I still didn't catch it. How much—exactly—do I have to give to the church? The uncomfortable answer is: Scripture does not say. Then what is a Christian to do?! Allow me to repeat Peter's words:Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? Acts 5:4aAs uncomfortable as this might be, Christians have freedom regarding how they “pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.” This is not say that nothing is truly right or truly wrong, but it does mean that the application of moral principles may be different in different situations, and that people have a range of acceptable decisions from which to choose.Sins of ConscienceWhere was the sin of Ananias? Was it in his actions? He gave a bunch of money to the church. Surely that in itself does not deserve punishment but praise. He did lie. (This is implied in the text, but quite clearly so.) So that must be it. But what if he had lied for a different reason. Imagine Ananias had kept some of the money to help someone who was poor but who was embarrassed to receive help publicly from the church. That lie may or may not be justified, but one would hardly argue that God would have struck Ananias dead for that. So, where is the sin of Ananias? In his heart. Ananias' great sin is not the “what,” it is the “why” behind his actions.Why we do something is often more important than what we do. We find this idea discussed at length in chapter 14 of the letter to the Romans. I quote a redacted version below. Keep in mind that the context of this text is a question: Should Christians abstain from eating food sacrificed to pagan Gods? (In ancient markets, much of the meat being sold would have been sacrificed to the gods. So this was a very real, very practical problem for believers to navigate.) Some believers said yes, some said no. Paul wrote: Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him. Who are you to pass judgment on another's servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. . . .But you who eat vegetables only—why do you judge your brother or sister? And you who eat everything—why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God.Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean. For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you consider good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat. . . . Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves. But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14:1-23, emphasis addedPaul's statements are incredible. Take his statement about unclean foods, for example. On one hand, no food is unclean. (This means that there is no food we cannot eat or that would be sinful to eat.) On the other hand, food is unclean if one believes it to be unclean. Why? Because if one believes God commands not to eat something but he eats it anyways, in his heart he have disobeyed God. That is a great sin.Does this mean that morality is subjective? Not at all! Love, generosity, and kindness are objectively good. Cruelty, avarice, and covetousness are objectively wrong. What it means is that whether someone is being generous or greedy can generally not be determined without looking at their heart. And we (people) cannot see the heart of man, but God can.All a person's ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates his thoughts. Proverbs 21:2But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don't be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7I, the Lord, probe into people's minds. I examine people's hearts. I deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done. Jeremiah 17:10For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. Hebrews 4:12-13Allow me to conclude by reminding us of the day of judgment. In that day, all will be revealed. This is the fear of some and the hope of others.Meanwhile, when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known. 3 So then whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops. Luke 12:1-2 [I left out many discussion points regarding some of the text we read today, particularly the section about miracles. If we have time we will discuss those, but the blog seems long enough for one week.]

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________The First Week of AdventThe glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.Isaiah 40:5 ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. In AdventOur King and Savior now draws near: Come let us adore him. Venite Psalm 95:1-7Come, let us sing to the Lord; *let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, *and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, *and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Psalm 22 Deus, Deus meus1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *and are so far from my cryand from the words of my distress?2O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *by night as well, but I find no rest.3Yet you are the Holy One, *enthroned upon the praises of Israel.4Our forefathers put their trust in you; *they trusted, and you delivered them.5They cried out to you and were delivered; *they trusted in you and were not put to shame.6But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *scorned by all and despised by the people.7All who see me laugh me to scorn; *they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,8“He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; *let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”9Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *and kept me safe upon my mother's breast.10I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *you were my God when I was still in my mother's womb.11Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *and there is none to help.12Many young bulls encircle me; *strong bulls of Bashan surround me.13They open wide their jaws at me, *like a ravening and a roaring lion.14I am poured out like water;all my bones are out of joint; *my heart within my breast is melting wax.15My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.16Packs of dogs close me in,and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *they pierce my hands and my feet;I can count all my bones.17They stare and gloat over me; *they divide my garments among them;they cast lots for my clothing.18Be not far away, O Lord; *you are my strength; hasten to help me.19Save me from the sword, *my life from the power of the dog.20Save me from the lion's mouth, *my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.21I will declare your Name to my brethren; *in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.22Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;all you of Jacob's line, give glory.23For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;neither does he hide his face from them; *but when they cry to him he hears them.24My praise is of him in the great assembly; *I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.25The poor shall eat and be satisfied,and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *“May your heart live for ever!”26All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.27For kingship belongs to the Lord; *he rules over the nations.28To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *all who go down to the dust fall before him.29My soul shall live for him;my descendants shall serve him; *they shall be known as the Lord's for ever.30They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *the saving deeds that he has done. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The LessonsIsaiah 5:8-29- English Standard VersionWoe to those who join house to house,    who add field to field,until there is no more room,    and you are made to dwell alone    in the midst of the land.The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing:“Surely many houses shall be desolate,    large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath,    and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”Woe to those who rise early in the morning,    that they may run after strong drink,who tarry late into the evening    as wine inflames them!They have lyre and harp,    tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts,but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord,    or see the work of his hands.Therefore my people go into exile    for lack of knowledge;their honored men go hungry,    and their multitude is parched with thirst.Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite    and opened its mouth beyond measure,and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down,    her revelers and he who exults in her.Man is humbled, and each one is brought low,    and the eyes of the haughty are brought low.But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice,    and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture,    and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood,    who draw sin as with cart ropes,who say: “Let him be quick,    let him speed his work    that we may see it;let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,    and let it come, that we may know it!”Woe to those who call evil good    and good evil,who put darkness for light    and light for darkness,who put bitter for sweet    and sweet for bitter!Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,    and shrewd in their own sight!Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,    and valiant men in mixing strong drink,who acquit the guilty for a bribe,    and deprive the innocent of his right!Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,    and as dry grass sinks down in the flame,so their root will be as rottenness,    and their blossom go up like dust;for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,    and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,    and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them,    and the mountains quaked;and their corpses were as refuse    in the midst of the streets.For all this his anger has not turned away,    and his hand is stretched out still.He will raise a signal for nations far away,    and whistle for them from the ends of the earth;and behold, quickly, speedily they come!None is weary, none stumbles,    none slumbers or sleeps,not a waistband is loose,    not a sandal strap broken;their arrows are sharp,    all their bows bent,their horses' hoofs seem like flint,    and their wheels like the whirlwind.Their roaring is like a lion,    like young lions they roar;they growl and seize their prey;    they carry it off, and none can rescue.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. You are God(Te Deum laudamus)You are God: we praise you;You are the Lord: we acclaim you;You are the eternal Father:All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you.The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;Father, of majesty unbounded,your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory.We believe that you will come and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. Mark 1:40-45 - English Standard VersionAnd when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. A Song of Praise(Benedictus es, Domine Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34)Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; * you are worthy of praise; glory to you.Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; * on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you, beholding the depths; * in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The SuffragesShow us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;Let your people sing with joy.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care;And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. The First Week of AdventAlmighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceLord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.For MissionAlmighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost The Collect: O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 1Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. 3Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. 14Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 16Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18and the Lorddrove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” 19But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” 21And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!” 22Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.” 25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. Psalm: Psalm 78:1-7 1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *        incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; *        I will declare the mysteries of ancient times. 3 That which we have heard and known,   and what our forefathers have told us, *        we will not hide from their children. 4 We will recount to generations to come   the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, *        and the wonderful works he has done. 5 He gave his decrees to Jacob   and established a law for Israel, *        which he commanded them to teach their children; 6 That the generations to come might know,   and the children yet unborn; *        that they in their turn might tell it to their children; 7 So that they might put their trust in God, *        and not forget the deeds of God,        but keep his commandments; First Lesson: Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16 or Amos 5:18-24 12 Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. 13 She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. 14 One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate. 15 To fix one's thought on her is perfect understanding, and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, 16 because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought. or 18Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; 19as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake. 20Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? 21I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. 23Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. 24But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream. Psalm: Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20 or Psalm 70 17 The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of her, 18 and love of her is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality, 19 and immortality brings one near to God; 20 so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom. or 1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; *        O Lord, make haste to help me. 2 Let those who seek my life be ashamed   and altogether dismayed; *        let those who take pleasure in my misfortune        draw back and be disgraced. 3 Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me turn back, *        because they are ashamed. 4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; *        let those who love your salvation say for ever,       “Great is the Lord!” 5 But as for me, I am poor and needy; *        come to me speedily, O God. 6 You are my helper and my deliverer; *        O Lord, do not tarry. Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words. Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13 1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.' 12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.'13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Pastor James continues our sermon series in the gospel of Mark looking at Mark 12:18-27.“He who does not prepare for death is more than an ordinary fool. He is a madman.” - Charles Spurgeon“The best moment of a Christian's life is his last one, because it is the one that is nearest heaven.” - Charles Spurgeon“Death is the funeral of all our sorrows.” - Thomas Watson“Death is but a passage out of a prison into a palace.” - John Bunyan“Death is not now the death of me, but death will be the death of my misery, the death of my sins; it will be the death of my corruptions. But death will be my birthday in regard of happiness.” - Richard Sibbes“Let thy hope of heaven master thy fear of death. Why shouldest thou be afraid to die, who hopest to live by dying?” - William Gurnall“Has this world been so kind to you that you would leave it with regret? If we really believe that home is elsewhere and that this life is a ‘wandering to find home,' why should we not look forward to the arrival?” - C.S. Lewis"We may positively state that nobody has made any progress in the school of Christ, unless he cheerfully looks forward towards the day of his death, and towards the day of the final resurrection.” - John CalvinMark 12:18-27“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.”  Deuteronomy 25:5-6But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him…”  1 Corinthians 2:9Life Church exists to glorify God by making disciples who treasure Christ, grow together, and live on mission. Salisbury, NCFollow us online:lifechurchnc.comFacebookInstagramYouTubeTwitter

Galatians 2:6But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.Support the show

In this episode, we look at Justice and how God expect us to learn and follow after justice and justice alone.Isaiah 61:8-9For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”Psalm 89:14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”Psalm 82:3Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute,”Isaiah 1:17Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and please the widow's cause,”Luke 11:42But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the othersColossians 3:25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.Ecclesiastes 3:17I said to myself, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.”Hosea 12:6But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.Deuteronomy 16:20Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.Leviticus 19:15Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.Proverbs 24:24-25Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. 25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.Amos 5:24But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!Psalms 106:3Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.Zechariah 7:9This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.Psalms 37:27-29Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. 28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed ; the offspring of the wicked will perish. 29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.Proverbs 21:15When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.Luke 18:1-81 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.'4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don't fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually come and attack me!' ”6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/622a9079e8fb640012cb94f3. I pray that God would "give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18I, pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance" https://plus.acast.com/s/blueprint-of-faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode, is a reminder that God is all about justice because his throne is founded on being Just. As Christians we are called to treat everyone justly.Isaiah 61:8-9For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”Psalm 33:5He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.Psalm 89:14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”Deuteronomy 32:4The Rock, His work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”Hosea 12:6But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.Deuteronomy 16:20Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.Proverbs 21:15When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.Leviticus 19:15Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.Psalms 33:5The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.Proverbs 24:24-25Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. 25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.Amos 5:24But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!Psalms 106:3Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.Zechariah 7:9This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.Psalms 37:27-29Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. 28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed ; the offspring of the wicked will perish. 29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.Romans 12:19Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.Micah 6:8He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?Psalms 25:8-148 God is fair and just; He corrects the misdirected, Sends them in the right direction. 9 He gives the rejects his hand, And leads them step-by-step. 10 From now on every road you travel Will take you to God. Follow the Covenant signs; Read the charted directions. 11 Keep up your reputation, God; Forgive my bad life; It's been a very bad life. 12 My question: What are God-worshipers like? Your answer: Arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye.13 They settle down in a promising place; Their kids inherit a prosperous farm.14 God-friendship is for God-worshipers; They are the ones he confides in.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/622a9079e8fb640012cb94f3. I pray that God would "give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18I, pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance" https://plus.acast.com/s/blueprint-of-faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost The Collect: O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Old Testament: Genesis 25:19-34 19These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 20and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. 21Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.23And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.” 24When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) 31Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Psalm: Psalm 119:105-112 105 Your word is a lantern to my feet *        and a light upon my path. 106 I have sworn and am determined *        to keep your righteous judgments. 107 I am deeply troubled; *        preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word. 108 Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips, *        and teach me your judgments. 109 My life is always in my hand, *        yet I do not forget your law. 110 O The wicked have set a trap for me, *        but I have not strayed from your commandments. 111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; *        truly, they are the joy of my heart. 112 I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes *        for ever and to the end. Old Testament: Isaiah 55:10-13 10For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Psalm: Psalm 65: (1-8), 9-14 [1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *        to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem. 2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *        because of their transgressions. 3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *        but you will blot them out. 4 Happy are they whom you choose   and draw to your courts to dwell there! *        they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,        by the holiness of your temple. 5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,   O God of our salvation, *        O Hope of all the ends of the earth        and of the seas that are far away. 6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *        they are girded about with might. 7 You still the roaring of the seas, *        the roaring of their waves,        and the clamor of the peoples. 8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; *        you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.] 9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly;   you make it very plenteous; *        the river of God is full of water. 10 You prepare the grain, *        for so you provide for the earth. 11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *        with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase. 12 You crown the year with your goodness, *        and your paths overflow with plenty. 13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *        and the hills be clothed with joy. 14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,    and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *        let them shout for joy and sing. Epistle: Romans 8:1-11 1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law—indeed it cannot,8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow.4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!” 18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

This episode is a sermon that I preached at Bethel Lutheran Church in Cupertino, California. It is about Romans 8 and the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. It is also about zombies. First Reading Genesis 25:19-3419These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 20and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. 21Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23And the LORD said to her,
     “Two nations are in your womb,
          and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
     the one shall be stronger than the other,
          the elder shall serve the younger.”
24When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.27When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.29Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) 31Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Second Reading Romans 8:1-111There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law — indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Gospel Matthew 13:1-9, 18-231That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!”18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!” 18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Today, we'll be looking at Psalm 3:3-6  and identifying the deep and beautiful truths that are immensely applicable and incredibly important to our lives today.Psalm 3:3-6But you, Lord, are a shield around me,    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.I call out to the Lord,    and he answers me from his holy mountain.I lie down and sleep;    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.I will not fear though tens of thousands    assail me on every side.We want to be the men God has called us to be. Pursue Him and His righteousness today.If you have questions about how you can get involved or would like to speak to our team, email robbys@covenant.cc.Join our facebook group to stay up date with everything Brotherhood at https://www.facebook.com/groups/covenantbrotherhood

Pastor Brad Franklin talks about pleasing man or God. Watch this episode on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/wT-5Eec4eiw Click here to watch the senior slideshow:https://youtu.be/GjCcLceyMmESermon Notes: Scripture:1 Thessalonians 2:1-4 2 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. 3 For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. 4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.Psalm 37: 23 Leader: The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, All: And He delights in his way.  Amen. Questions for consideration: 1.     Do you alter yourself before certain people in order to make or keep them happy?2.     Do you act or speak in a certain way to fit in with one crowd and then transform yourself to fit in somewhere else?Pleasing people can become very exhausting. IF you're goal in life is to please someone else, that in itself can become an idol.  You must not be defined by someone else.  You're number one goal is to honor God first and then prioritize your life in that way.  Hebrews 11:6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 13:16So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Make the Commitment Today ·       I no longer will let other people press me into their mold.  I'm going to be what God wants me to be. ·       I'm going to do what God wants me to do. ·       I'm going to fulfill the plan that God has for my life, not somebody else's plan for my life. 

Romans 12:1-2Summary: If I am going to live successfully, I must allow God to replace old though habits with new biblical patterns. I'm learning to think for life!  Intro:  When we think about habits, we normally consider the things that we do. Today we are going to talk about habits in the way we think. If we think about it, we can identify habits in our way of thinking or mindsets that can be either good or bad, helpful or hurtful. The Bible teaches us to replace the unbiblical though patterns with new godly ways of thinking. When I refuse this, I end up wandering like Israel in the dessert.1.     I continue to wander when I live with an entitlement mindset.Numbers 11:4–6 (ESV) Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat!5We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.6But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”The answer : A Grace mentality.  I move forward by  trusting the Gods grace.2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.           2.    I continue to wander when I live with a victim mindset.Exodus 14:10–14 (ESV) When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?12Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”13And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.14The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”            The answer – A Victor Mentality.  I learn to trust Gods power and promise. 1 Corinthians 15:57–58 (ESV) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.3.    I continue to wander when I live with a self-centered mindset.Exodus 32:1 (ESV) When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”The answer: A Christ centered mentalityColossians 2:10 (NLT) So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.                                   4.    I continue to wander when I live with a divisive mindset.Numbers 12:1–2 (ESV)1Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.  2And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.                                  The answer: A uniter mentality.                   Matthew 5:9 (ESV) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.Ephesians 4:1–3 (ESV) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.5.    I continue to wander when I have a faithless mindset.Numbers 13:27–33 (ESV)  And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”  30But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”                       The answer :  A faith-filled mindset.                                 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV) for we walk by faith, not by sight.Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.Action Steps:·     Allow God to change these mindsets in you.·     Ask God to show you where you have other wilderness mindsets.·     Seek Gods answer to each in the scripture. What other mindsets do I have that are keeping me form living the life you want for me?     o  Lustful mindseto  Anxious mindseto  Hateful mindseto  Fearful mindseto  Unforgiving mindseto  Critical mindseto  Prideful mindseto  Careless mindseto  Foolish mindseto  Lazy mindseto  Negative mindset·     Ask God to help you grow into your new identity in Jesus.  Eph 1-3

Romans 12:1-2Summary: If I am going to live successfully, I must allow God to replace old though habits with new biblical patterns. I'm learning to think for life!  Intro:  When we think about habits, we normally consider the things that we do. Today we are going to talk about habits in the way we think. If we think about it, we can identify habits in our way of thinking or mindsets that can be either good or bad, helpful or hurtful. The Bible teaches us to replace the unbiblical though patterns with new godly ways of thinking. When I refuse this, I end up wandering like Israel in the dessert.1.     I continue to wander when I live with an entitlement mindset.Numbers 11:4–6 (ESV) Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat!5We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.6But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”The answer : A Grace mentality.  I move forward by  trusting the Gods grace.2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.           2.    I continue to wander when I live with a victim mindset.Exodus 14:10–14 (ESV) When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?12Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”13And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.14The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”            The answer – A Victor Mentality.  I learn to trust Gods power and promise. 1 Corinthians 15:57–58 (ESV) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.3.    I continue to wander when I live with a self-centered mindset.Exodus 32:1 (ESV) When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”The answer: A Christ centered mentalityColossians 2:10 (NLT) So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.                                   4.    I continue to wander when I live with a divisive mindset.Numbers 12:1–2 (ESV)1Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.  2And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.                                  The answer: A uniter mentality.                   Matthew 5:9 (ESV) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.Ephesians 4:1–3 (ESV) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.5.    I continue to wander when I have a faithless mindset.Numbers 13:27–33 (ESV)  And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”  30But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”                       The answer :  A faith-filled mindset.                                 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV) for we walk by faith, not by sight.Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.Action Steps:·     Allow God to change these mindsets in you.·     Ask God to show you where you have other wilderness mindsets.·     Seek Gods answer to each in the scripture. What other mindsets do I have that are keeping me form living the life you want for me?     o  Lustful mindseto  Anxious mindseto  Hateful mindseto  Fearful mindseto  Unforgiving mindseto  Critical mindseto  Prideful mindseto  Careless mindseto  Foolish mindseto  Lazy mindseto  Negative mindset·     Ask God to help you grow into your new identity in Jesus.  Eph 1-3

IntroductionThere was a king of the Moabites named Balak and the children of Israel had just defeated the Amorites and were on their way to Moab. And the Moabites were afraid. So, Balak, the king of Moab calls Balaam, a man who had contact with the spirit world, to curse Israel. But Balaam could not curse them even though he tried several times and from different places.Numbers 23:16–20 (NKJV)16Then the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”17So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”18Then he took up his oracle and said: “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor!19“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?20Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.What did God speak through the Balaam's mouth? That God is not like man to ever lie. Sometimes we humans lie, either on purpose to get out of a situation, or by mistake because we thought it was the truth. But God does not lie even by mistake. He doesn't say, “Hey, I've been here for so long that it slipped my mind when I said that.” Not so with God at all.A very polished way of preaching, but very subtle and false, is this: “No matter what happens, we know that God is faithful.” Please, allow me tell you what is encapsulated in this statement, something that is not explicitly said, but is implicitly intended: “Whether God will do what He has promised or not, He remains faithful.”All Christians claim that God is faithful until it comes down to something specific where they need proof that it works. As long as it is spoken in general, all agree that the Word of God is true. But when we need something specific from the Word to be fulfilled in our lives, we shy away with statements like: “Well, you can never really know anything for sure.” We say He is faithful because the Bible says so, and there is no way we can be born-again Christians unless we affirm it as the Bible does. But we find out if we really believe that He is faithful when we are faced with something that He has said and has not yet manifested in our lives.Outside the church, we know exactly what the words mean. But in the church of Christ, it's as if “the smoke and the glory of God overshadow us to such an extent” that words no longer mean anything. I hope you get the irony. For example, if someone outside the church takes a loan from the bank and, at some point, he stops paying the installments, he will be considered “unfaithful” by the bank, no matter how the economy and situations change. Why? Because that someone promised and signed a loan agreement with the bank that he would return the money regardless of changes in the country's economy and world's economy or in his financial situation.When it comes to God, we think completely differently without realizing it: “Well, God is God, even if He doesn't do exactly what He said, He is still faithful. He doesn't have to do everything he said, but He's still faithful.” And so, we shroud everything in a cloud of ungodly mystery and ambiguity, even demonic I might say. And we bring into the scheme all the pompous theological words to gain more credibility in our unbiblical claims, such as: “Well, God in His sovereignty may have decided to do something different in a certain situation than what He said in the Word.” And then the common people will tend to say: “I don't really understand anything this man wants to say, but he certainly knows more than I do because he went to the seminary. So, I'll believe what he says. ” The Definition of Faithfulness“God is always faithful” means that He will always do what He said He would do and He has already done what He said He would do.A simple definition of faithfulness would be this: “When you speak and promise something, you also do it.” God is always true to His Word. Faithfulness is not something like: you say one thing, and then if another idea comes to you, you do something else and still remain faithful. No, that's a lie. Verse 20 of the passage above says that once God has blessed something or someone, that blessing cannot be reversed. The blessing is irreversible. God's Faithfulness in SalvationGod said in Psalms 103:2-3,Psalm 103:2–3 (NKJV)2Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:3Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.Did God say that? Will He do that? Yes, of course.Has He forgiven all our sins even if we have done some very bad things or are still doing them? Yeah, sure. He has forgiven all our past, present, and future sins. How do we know this? Because He said so. Did He heal all our physical ailments? Yes, of course. How do we know this? Because He just said so in the passage above. But many Christians hold back when it comes to healing.As long as you don't have to see something tangible (like for example in the area of ​​forgiveness of sins), God is faithful. But when it comes to something visible (like physical healing), He is no longer faithful. We take no chances, because if nothing happens, then all eyes are on us. We are afraid.If someone receives Jesus in his heart, we lead him in the prayer of repentance. And if after a week that person comes and tells us: “I don't know what's happening to me, but I feel like I'm no longer saved” we probably ask him: “Well, why do you feel that way?” To which the person responds, “I just don't feel like God has forgiven me.” What do we usually respond as Christians at that time? “Well, I don't know what to say, maybe He hasn't forgiven you, who knows?” NO, not at all. But we will tell him: “You don't have to live by feelings. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10 that if we make Him Lord, we will be saved. We live by faith and not by sight or feeling. We all have these feelings from time to time, but you don't have to dwell on them. These feelings must be ignored.”But what do we do when we get to financial blessing or healing, and we don't feel healed? Instead of saying: “I don't go by what I feel, but by what the Word of God says” – we say something like: “I trust God. He knows better what is good for me.” Now we are saying something different from what God said.In Luke 5:17-26, we see Jesus again as in Psalms 103:2-3, putting the forgiveness of sins on a par with physical healing:Luke 5:17–26 (NKJV)17Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.18Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.19And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.20When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”22But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?23Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, ‘Rise up and walk'?24But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”25Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.26And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”Basically, what Jesus is saying here is that neither forgiving sins nor healing someone is an easy thing. Both are very hard to do. But in order to demonstrate that He has the power and authority to forgive sins (a thing that could not be tangibly proven in itself), Jesus heals the sick man (a tangible thing). In this way, Jesus shows that just as God's will for people is to forgive their sins and for this, He was going to give His life on the cross, in the same way, His will is to heal them physically. Therefore, physical healing was also included in the sacrifice on the cross along with the forgiveness of sins. Like ChildrenJesus says in Matthew 18:3 that unless we become like little children, we will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. What is the characteristic of the children that Jesus is talking about here? A child's blind faith in what his father tells him even if he doesn't see something right away. When a father promises his children that they will go to theme park or the circus, those children are already happy, as if they are going at that moment, just because the father promised them. But if that father is a bad father, he could tell them: “Oh no, we don't go to any parks anymore. I tricked you. I just told you that as a joke to see how you react.”God is not like that at all. He never says, “Oh, did I say in My Word that I healed you? No, it's not like that. Do you really take the Bible seriously?” I know, it may seem funny. But this is exactly how we think about God and relate to Him. God Is Sovereign All the TimeWe often hear the phrase: “God is in control. He is sovereign. God, in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty, knows that in this particular situation, something else would be better.” How many of us know that God was sovereign and had all knowledge when He made the promises as well? God has not gained new information from the time He gave us a promise to the time we need that promise.God didn't say something, and then later said, “Oh, I probably shouldn't have said what I said in such a libertine way. It will go to people's heads.” God knew all of us when He made the promises. Objections and Personal Negative Experiences“But what about that? With that man's situation? I have an aunt or an uncle who has not been healed or died, etc.” We all have or have been through similar situations. But the Bible tells us to walk by faith and not by sight.James 1:5–8 (NKJV)5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives (only to some??) to all liberally and without reproach (you don't have to feel bad that He gave it to you), and it (might be given if it's God's will and if He is in a good mood??) will be given to him.6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting (don't even consider that it might not happen), for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.7For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.Notice how extreme and extravagant God is: He gives to all, generously, without rebuke or blackmail. He is absolute, clear, and pragmatic. And, in this passage, it is not only about wisdom, but about everything we ask from God. In verses 7 and 8, James makes the transition from one specific thing (wisdom) to all things in general, using terms like “anything” and “unstable in all his ways.”Then let's observe the apparent redundancy: “to ask in faith, without doubting.” There are two ways of thinking that always come into conflict. Let's say that someone is sick and has in his family an aunt Marta (fictitious name) who is also sick and has not been healed even though she prayed. And he also has an uncle John (also a fictitious name), who died even though he believed in healing. When that person wants to pray for healing, there will be two thoughts in his mind. “Lord, You said that by Your stripes I am healed and I believe (thinking number 1, full of faith), but aunt Marta was not healed, and uncle John died even if he believed (thinking number 2, with doubt).” That is why James says through the Holy Spirit to ask in faith, without doubting.Is it easy not to doubt? The concept is simple, but not easy. When pressure comes into our lives, it is also when our very loyal logic and past negative experiences (both our own and others') present themselves to our minds. But, we will never gain anything by not believing God.Another important thing worth mentioning here is that first comes the temptation to doubt and then the actual doubt. Being tempted to doubt does not mean that we have already doubted. But only if we begin to speak and act on that temptation to doubt, that's when we have committed the sin of doubt. The temptation to doubt, which can come at any time and to anyone, should not be confused with doubt itself.There is another type of prayer among Christians when they pray for others, a type of prayer through which man never makes a mistake, only God does: “Whatever is Your will, Lord, with this situation, Your will be done.” And whether the man is healed or not, or whether he dies or not, that prayer will always be fulfilled. It is a very prudent and safe prayer for man, but not for God. Or we pray in the following way: “Lord, You see that this person is struggling financially, and You know better why that is. Therefore, we now pray that Your will be done.”Jesus never prayed like this for people to get something from God. Have you noticed this? Yes, perhaps when we do not know God's will regarding a future situation or an important decision, we can pray this way, but not when we have His will regarding that situation revealed in Scripture. But do you know why we pray like that? Because we want to stay in the boat (like the other disciples) and walk on the water (like Peter did) at the same time. And this is not possible. Jesus didn't tell Peter to come to Him on the water, then 5 minutes later, in His sovereignty, changed His mind and let Peter sink, so that it wouldn't go up to his head and consider himself better than the other disciples. Peter began to sink because of his doubt. He began to walk on the waters in faith, but along the way he let doubt enter, because he had probably never heard of any other man ever walking on the waters. And when he also saw the waves around him, he completely succumbed to doubt. But, the Word that Jesus gave him, would have supported him to walk on the waters all the way to Jesus. How Do I Build My FaithRomans 10:17 (NKJV)17So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.Faith does not come by hearing or meditating on cases of people who have not been delivered, healed, or helped. We cannot allow ourselves to ask ourselves all kinds of questions like: “I wonder what happened in that situation and what was the reason why the person in question did not heal.”We also cannot command ourselves or force ourselves to have faith when faced with need and pressure. Faith is built before we face the need by regular meditation on the Word. Living by faith must be a lifestyle. You just expose yourself to the Word, and faith comes. At some point, in your mind and emotions, the Holy Spirit makes a “click” and your conviction becomes unshakable. We must acquire a tunnel-like mindset that only looks ahead at the light at the end of the tunnel (that is, what the Word says) and pays no attention to what it sees or feels around it.In Numbers 21:6-9 we read:Numbers 21:6–9 (NKJV)6So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.7Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.8Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”9So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.I don't think it was that easy for the Israelites to look at the bronze serpent. Because while they had to look at that snake that Moses made, poisonous snakes were still crawling among them, coiling around them and maybe even biting them. However, God assured them that they would not die, but live, if they continued to look intently at that snake raised by Moses and not at what was happening around them. The Language Locates UsPsalm 91:1–2 (NKJV)1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”Let's notice that in verse 2, the one who says about the Lord “He is my refuge” does not do it in the church, but in his personal life when he is faced with a problem. This is not about what we say or sing in a church service. It is only when we step outside the church that we realize what we really believe. We sometimes hear some Christians speaking in their daily life: “Wow, this and that happened to me and I'm done.” And if we try to say something from the Word, we receive the following reply: “Yes, let's see how it will be when you end up like me and go through the same situation.” This may or may not be true.No matter how much we think about ourselves as being spiritually mature, and knowing a lot, and having had a lot of revelations, or going to seminary, our everyday language locates us exactly where we are in our spiritual growth.Psalm 91:7 (NKJV)7A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.The psalmist is not speaking here of people outside the church, but of people in the same church perhaps, our brothers and sisters (on our left and right), next to us, for whom the Word did not work. Maybe they got sick or died. And you remain firm in your faith and say: “it will not come near me.” The Truth Is Not With the MajorityNumbers 13:1–2 (NKJV)1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,2“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan (to see if they can take the land, or if I am going to give it to them, or if they like it and if you still want Me to give it to you???), which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”Notice that these spies were not ordinary people, but leaders. And God was saying one thing, and most of these spies were saying a totally different thing.Numbers 14:2–9 (NKJV)2And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!3Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (It was better when we were not saved and didn't know anything about this churchy stuff about faith)4So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.6But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; (only 2 men of all those 12 spies were different, meaning aprox. 16%)7and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. (not just good)8If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.'9Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”God is not at all blessed to send Jesus to pay all this huge price and make all kinds of promises to us, and then having us not going and taking what has already been given to us. It does not bless God at all.When the spies came back, the people said: “Most of the spies, our leaders, said that we cannot take the land. Since 10 out of 12 said it, it must be true. They know what they are talking about, because they are also leaders. Even though we've come all this long way out of Egypt and even though God said what He said. ”If you assume the majority is right, you will almost always be wrong. Out of about 1.6 million Israelites only 2 entered the promised land, that is 0.000125%.When Jesus came to earth and preached the gospel to the people and to the Pharisees and Sadducees, did most of the people believe what He was teaching? NO. But who was right? They or Him? If you believed Jesus, you received life, and if you believed them, you received death.If we take a look at religious systems (and I mean even born-again Christians), many people in the body of Christ have education, but no revelation from the Word of God. Only someone with revelation will say, “What God said in His Word, He wants us to have. It belongs to us.”Numbers 14:9 (NKJV)9Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”The two faith-filled spies did not see with their natural eyes that their protection was taken from the Canaanites, but by revelation and by faith.God waited for that whole generation to die in the wilderness. The people of Israel did not believe and because of this God turned them back into the wilderness towards the Red Sea and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until they died. The church is the same way today for the most part. But God us bringing the church again in these times close to Canaan and encourages us to enter the promised land. But will you enter, or will you decide to stay with the majority?Let's also think about the pressure on the next generation of Israel. Little John has grown up and is now an adult. And he remembers how his grandfather told him about the promised land that they would enter, but his grandfather died and he was unable to enter. “Why would I succeed?” is John wondering. Father and mother also died. Aunt Martha died. When we let doubts enter our minds, suddenly evidence is created to support our doubts. If that generation had looked at who didn't get in, they wouldn't have gotten in either. Faithfulness and Speech2 Corinthians 1:18–20 (NKJV)18But as God is faithful (or according to how faithful God is or the same way God is faithful), our word to you was not Yes and No.19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.20For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.God's faithfulness is closely related to His Word. He is faithful to His given Word. God doesn't say, “Yeah, I said that, but I've learned a lot since then and I know all about you.” Little by LittleIn Exodus 23:30, God told Moses that He would give him the land not all at once, but LITTLE BY LITTLE:Exodus 23:29–30 (NKJV)29I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.30Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.If we expect God to do everything for us in our way and we just enter the “land” without any opposition or fight of faith, we are mistaken. Little by little we enter into the great inheritance of salvation. Mind renewal doesn't happen overnight.

Ash Wednesday The Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: Joel 2:1-2,12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12 1Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near— 2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come. 12Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. 14Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? 15Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy. 17Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'” or 1Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. 3“Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. 4Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. 5Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 8Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,10if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. 11The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. 12Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. Psalm: Psalm 103 or 103:8-14 [1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *        and all that is within me, bless his holy Name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *        and forget not all his benefits. 3 He forgives all your sins *        and heals all your infirmities; 4 He redeems your life from the grave *        and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness; 5 He satisfies you with good things, *        and your youth is renewed like an eagle's. 6 The Lord executes righteousness *        and judgment for all who are oppressed. 7 He made his ways known to Moses *        and his works to the children of Israel.] 8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, *        slow to anger and of great kindness. 9 He will not always accuse us, *        nor will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *        nor rewarded us according to our wickedness. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, *        so is his mercy great upon those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, *        so far has he removed our sins from us. 13 As a father cares for his children, *        so does the Lord care for those who fear him. 14 For he himself knows whereof we are made; *        he remembers that we are but dust. [15 Our days are like the grass; *        we flourish like a flower of the field; 16 When the wind goes over it, it is gone, *        and its place shall know it no more. 17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever                                on those who fear him, *        and his righteousness on children's children; 18 On those who keep his covenant *        and remember his commandments and do them. 19 The Lord has set his throne in heaven, *        and his kingship has dominion over all. 20 Bless the Lord, you angels of his,     you mighty ones who do his bidding, *        and hearken to the voice of his word. 21 Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, *        you ministers of his who do his will. 22 Bless the Lord, all you works of his,     in all places of his dominion; *        bless the Lord, O my soul.] Epistle: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 20We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,4but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 1“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

5But nowI am going to him who sent me, andnone of you asks me, Where are you going?6But because I have said these things to you,sorrow has filled your heart.7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, forif I do not go away,the Helper will not come to you. ButifI go,I will send him to you.8And when he comes, he willconvict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:9concerning sin,because they do not believe in me;10concerning righteousness,because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;11concerning judgment, because the ruler of this worldis judged. 12I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13Whenthe Spirit of truth comes,he willguide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, butwhatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.14He willglorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.15All that the Father has is mine;therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

“Secret Place Must Be Stronger Than Public Place”Matthew 6:6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. YOU NEED TO GET TO THE SECRET PLACE!Matthew 6:6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.The secret place is where you get alone with God and spend time in fellowship with Him.When you prayMartin Luther“As it is the business of tailors to make clothes, and the business of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray!Prayer - to offer a devout petition of praise or thanks to God, to enter into spiritual communion with God.Prayer is not a monologue at God, it's a dialogue with God.Psalm 25:14 AMPThe secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.Psalms 25:14 TPTThere's a private place reserved for the devoted lovers of Yahweh, where they sit near him and receive the revelation-secrets of his promises.YOU NEED TO GET TO THE SECRET PLACE!The secret place is where you get alone with God and spend time in fellowship with Him.Matthew 6:6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.YOU NEED TO GET TO THE SECRET PLACE!On average, Americans check their phones 262 times per day—that's once every 5.5 minutesOn average, people spend 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones per day.71% of Americans say they check their phones within the first 10 minutes of waking up.74% of Americans feel uneasy leaving their phone at home.48% of people say they feel a sense of panic or anxiety when their cell phone battery goes below 20%.45% say that their phone is their most valuable possession.43% use or look at their phone while on a date.YOU NEED TO GET TO THE SECRET PLACE!Matthew 6:6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openlyThe Fruit On Display Exists Because Of The Root Hidden AwayJeremiah 17:5-6Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.Jeremiah 17:7-8“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”Jesus lived a show and tell life. Colossians 1:15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.Luke 5:15Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.Luke 5:16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.Lonely = erēmos - solitary, deserted places, secret placesSecret strength from God in the public place, comes from secret time with God in the private place.Luke 5:17And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.The power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal fulfill his purpose after he pulled away and spent some private time in the secret place with God.In the Secret place, you access the reward of the protection of God. Psalm 91:1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.Psalms 32:7Lord, you are my secret hiding place, protecting me from these troubles, surrounding me with songs of gladness!In the Secret place, you access the reward of the peace of God. Psalm 139:13,15-16For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 15  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.In the Secret place, you access the reward of God. Matthew 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Jeremiah 29:13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.YOU NEED TO GET TO THE SECRET PLACE!The secret place is where you get alone with God and spend time in fellowship with Him.YOU NEED TO GET TO THE SECRET PLACE!

This morning rant is our advocate Jesus and he is waiting for you and I to give him permission to act on our behalf. The bibles principle is as we confess, Jesus springs into action on our behalf. 1 John 2:1-2My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.1 Timothy 2:5For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,Hebrews 8:6But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.Hebrews 9:15For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.Hebrews 9:24For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;Hebrews 12:24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/622a9079e8fb640012cb94f3. I pray that God would "give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18I, pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance" https://plus.acast.com/s/blueprint-of-faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy August! Today on Finding Something REAL, we are introducing Leonie! Leonie is one of the exchange daughters that Janell's family has hosted. They talk about her experience going from being an only child to spending a year as the older sister of Janell's four kids. They talk about Leonie's plans for after graduation and why she was hesitant to come back on the podcast. Leonie expressed that this is her first time being around people who take their faith seriously. She never really went to church except for Christmas, but other than that never really experienced faith until she saw one of her friends in Germany praying and reading the bible. Janell and Leonie chat about Leonie's faith journey so far, the people who inspire her, her experience praying, and why love is the most compelling thing for her. We hope you enjoy today's episode! ___________We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!Christmas 2020 EpisodeHansel & GretelMacGyver (1980s version)Redeeming Love - Francine RiversCase for Christ - Lee Strobel “Ebenezer” meaning Hebrews 11:6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Third Sunday of Easter The Collect: O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. First Lesson: Acts 9:1-6, (7-20) 1Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.6But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” [7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” 15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”17So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”] Psalm: Psalm 30 1 I will exalt you, O Lord,   because you have lifted me up *         and have not let my enemies triumph over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried out to you, *        and you restored me to health. 3 You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; *        you restored my life as I was going down to the grave. 4 Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; *         give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness. 5 For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *         his favor for a lifetime. 6 Weeping may spend the night, *         but joy comes in the morning. 7 While I felt secure, I said,   “I shall never be disturbed. *         You, Lord, with your favor, made me as strong as                            the mountains.” 8 Then you hid your face, *         and I was filled with fear. 9 I cried to you, O Lord; *         I pleaded with the Lord, saying, 10 “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *         will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness? 11 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; *         O Lord, be my helper.” 12 You have turned my wailing into dancing; *         you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy. 13 Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; *         O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever. Epistle: Revelation 5:11-14 11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”14And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped. Gospel: John 21:1-19 1After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Ash Wednesday The Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: Joel 2:1-2,12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12 1Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near— 2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come. 12Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. 14Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? 15Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy. 17Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'” or 1Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. 3“Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. 4Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. 5Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 8Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,10if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. 11The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. 12Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. Psalm: Psalm 103 or 103:8-14 [1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *        and all that is within me, bless his holy Name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *        and forget not all his benefits. 3 He forgives all your sins *        and heals all your infirmities; 4 He redeems your life from the grave *        and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness; 5 He satisfies you with good things, *        and your youth is renewed like an eagle's. 6 The Lord executes righteousness *        and judgment for all who are oppressed. 7 He made his ways known to Moses *        and his works to the children of Israel.] 8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, *        slow to anger and of great kindness. 9 He will not always accuse us, *        nor will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *        nor rewarded us according to our wickedness. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, *        so is his mercy great upon those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, *        so far has he removed our sins from us. 13 As a father cares for his children, *        so does the Lord care for those who fear him. 14 For he himself knows whereof we are made; *        he remembers that we are but dust. [15 Our days are like the grass; *        we flourish like a flower of the field; 16 When the wind goes over it, it is gone, *        and its place shall know it no more. 17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever                                on those who fear him, *        and his righteousness on children's children; 18 On those who keep his covenant *        and remember his commandments and do them. 19 The Lord has set his throne in heaven, *        and his kingship has dominion over all. 20 Bless the Lord, you angels of his,     you mighty ones who do his bidding, *        and hearken to the voice of his word. 21 Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, *        you ministers of his who do his will. 22 Bless the Lord, all you works of his,     in all places of his dominion; *        bless the Lord, O my soul.] Epistle: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 20We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,4but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 1“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:5 - 13 (KJV) 5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6But thou, when thou prayest, enter […]

David's Notes:2:33 - Howard Dayton's scripture index for verses on money. https://encour.nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2350-verses-on-money.pdf 3:24 - What is Biblically Responsible investing? Download from my website @ www.theother90.com 5:17 - APA studies on stress from money https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/money “Stress in America” studies by the APA consistently showcase the fact that the majority of Americans rank money as a significant source of stress in their life. 6:17 - Money stress top reason for divorce https://money.renolon.com/divorce-and-money-statistics/ 10:06 Retirement is made up https://catalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/pdf/9781118705124.excerpt.pdf 11:58 - Retirement in the Bible Numbers 8:22-26 (not 28… I was close) https://biblehub.com/esv/numbers/8.htm 12:32 - Seeking of self is not Biblical - James 3:16-17 https://biblehub.com/esv/james/3.htm 15:40 - “The New Retirementality” by Mitch Anthony https://www.amazon.com/New-Retirementality-Planning-Living-Dreams/dp/1119611482/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=The+New+Retirementality&qid=1638598158&sr=8-2 15:53 - Boomerang Retirees https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WR196-2.html https://www.retireguide.com/guides/working-after-retirement/#:~:text=A%202017%20survey%20from%20RAND,the%20right%20opportunity%20presented%20itself 18:12 - Proverbs 13:22 - A wise man leaves an inheritance https://biblehub.com/esv/proverbs/13.htm A thought provoking excerpt from Randy Alcorn on leaving an inheritance: https://www.epm.org/resources/2017/Mar/10/leave-inheritance-children/ 20:37 - You can be content now Phil 4:11-13 https://biblehub.com/esv/philippians/4.htm#:~:text=11Not%20that%20I,who%20strengthens%20me. 21:35 - Paul on meat sacrificed to idols 1 Corinthians 10 https://biblehub.com/esv/1_corinthians/10.htm 22:03 - Consumership vs Ownership https://www.inspireinvesting.com/post/inspired-investing-an-introduction-to-biblically-responsible-investing 22:52 - Ownership confers responsibility https://www.inspireinvesting.com/post/inspired-investing-an-introduction-to-biblically-responsible-investing 26:09 - Owning Stock vs Used Car - Entitled to profits and vested in the success/continuation https://www.biblicalleadership.com/blogs/how-important-are-the-companies-involved-in-biblically-responsible-investing/ 27:41 - 1 Corinthians 10:31 https://biblehub.com/esv/1_corinthians/10.htm#:~:text=31So%2C%20whether%20you%20eat%20or%20drink%2C%20or%20whatever%20you%20do%2C%20do%20all%20to%20the%20glory%20of%20God.%2032Give%20no%20offense%20to%20Jews%20or%20to%20Greeks%20or%20to%20the%20church%20of%20God%2C%2033just%20as%20I%20try%20to%20please%20everyone%20in%20everything%20I%20do%2C%20not%20seeking%20my%20own%20advantage%2C%20but%20that%20of%20many%2C%20that%20they%20may%20be%20saved 29:51 - Matthew 6:21 https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/6.htm#:~:text=21For%20where%20your%20treasure%20is%2C%20there%20your%20heart%20will%20be%20also “The Treasure Principle” by Randy Alcorn https://store.epm.org/the-treasure-principle-revised 33:35 - How much should we give? What's the right amount? “God and Money” by Gregory Baumer and John Cortines A helpful walk through a better question to ask about giving. https://www.amazon.com/God-Money-Discovered-Business-Paperback/dp/1628624736/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=god+and+money&qid=1638630278&sr=8-1 34:04 - Psalm 24:1 https://biblehub.com/esv/psalms/24.htm 34:23 - God gives us the ability to even earn wealth Deuteronomy 8:17-18 https://biblehub.com/esv/deuteronomy/8.htm#:~:text=17Beware%20lest%20you%20say%20in%20your%20heart%2C%20%E2%80%98My%20power%20and%20the%20might%20of%20my%20hand%20have%20gotten%20me%20this%20wealth.%E2%80%99%2018You%20shall%20remember%20the%20LORD%20your%20God%2C%20for%20it%20is%20he%20who%20gives%20you%20power%20to%20get%20wealth%2C%20that%20he%20may%20confirm%20his%20covenant%20that%20he%20swore%20to%20your%20fathers%2C%20as%20it%20is%20this%20day 35:35 - Estimated giving in OT (hint… it was more than 10%) Levitical Tithe Leviticus 27:30-32 https://biblehub.com/leviticus/27.htm#:~:text=Instruction%20on%20Tithes,on%20Mount%20Sinai Numbers 18:21, 24 https://biblehub.com/numbers/18.htm#:~:text=21Behold%2C%20I%20have,among%20the%20Israelites.%E2%80%9D Annual Festival Giving Deuteronomy 14:22-27 https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/14.htm#:~:text=22You%20must%20be,of%20your%20hands Tri-Annual Giving to the Poor Deuteronomy 14:28-29 https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/14.htm#:~:text=22You%20must%20be,of%20your%20hands 36:28 - Is Tithing OT? 36:39 - Abraham tithing to Melchizedek Genesis 14:20 https://biblehub.com/esv/genesis/14.htm#:~:text=20and%20blessed%20be,tenth%20of%20everything 36:44 - Jacob promised a tithe to the Lord Genesis 28:22 https://biblehub.com/esv/genesis/28.htm#:~:text=22and%20this%20stone%2C%20which%20I%20have%20set%20up%20for%20a%20pillar%2C%20shall%20be%20God%E2%80%99s%20house.%20And%20of%20all%20that%20you%20give%20me%20I%20will%20give%20a%20full%20tenth%20to%20you.%E2%80%9D 38:57 - Christian Giving statistics https://pushpay.com/blog/church-giving-statistics/ 40:00 - Money is dangerous 1 Timothy 6:6-10 https://biblehub.com/esv/1_timothy/6.htm#:~:text=6But%20godliness%20with,with%20many%20pangs 41:51 God raised standards and came to fulfill the law Matthew 5:17-30 https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/5.htm#:~:text=17%E2%80%9CDo%20not,go%20into%20hell 42:30 - Cheerful Giving vs Compulsive Giving 2 Corinthians 9:7 https://biblehub.com/esv/2_corinthians/9.htm#:~:text=7Each%20one%20must%20give%20as%20he%20has%20decided%20in%20his%20heart%2C%20not%20reluctantly%20or%20under%20compulsion%2C%20for%20God%20loves%20a%20cheerful%20giver 44:52 - People “crash diet” with their budgets 46:07 - Count the cost of your financial and charitable life goals Luke 14:28 https://biblehub.com/esv/luke/14.htm#:~:text=28For%20which%20of%20you%2C%20desiring%20to%20build%20a%20tower%2C%20does%20not%20first%20sit%20down%20and%20count%20the%20cost%2C%20whether%20he%20has%20enough%20to%20complete%20it%3F 47:05 - Life is vapor. We still need to plan, but be prepared to hold it loosely. We're not looking for precision in our speculation, but a trajectory we want to move in. James 4:13-17 https://biblehub.com/esv/james/4.htm#:~:text=13Come%20now%2C%20you,it%20is%20sin 48:11 - Reverse Budgeting… Prioritized spending that removes the need to “calorie count” every dollar … essentially funding priorities up front Reverse Budgeting It's not exactly how I'd define everything, but this article fleshes it out a little more: https://joywallet.com/article/reverse-budgeting/ 50:09 - The Parable of Talents Matthew 25:14-30 https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/25.htm#:~:text=The%20Parable%20of%20the%20Talents,weeping%20and%20gnashing%20of%20teeth.%E2%80%99 50:28 - Seeking Wise Counsel Proverbs 19:20 https://biblehub.com/esv/proverbs/19.htm Proverbs 20:5 https://biblehub.com/esv/proverbs/20.htm Proverbs 12:15 https://biblehub.com/esv/proverbs/12.htm Proverbs 15:22 https://biblehub.com/esv/proverbs/15.htm Proverbs 16:16 https://biblehub.com/esv/proverbs/16.htm Ecclesiastes 4:13 https://biblehub.com/esv/ecclesiastes/4.htm#:~:text=13Better%20was%20a%20poor%20and%20wise%20youth%20than%20an%20old%20and%20foolish%20king%20who%20no%20longer%20knew%20how%20to%20take%20advice 51:35 - A Christian financial planner is different than a Christian who happens to be a financial planner 55:00 - Storing up treasures in heaven Matthew 6:19-21 https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/6.htm#:~:text=19%E2%80%9CDo%20not,will%20be%20also 56:33 - The principle of building on rock and not sand… it applies to all areas of our life, including finances. Matthew 7:24-27 https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/7.htm#:~:text=24%E2%80%9CEveryone%20then,fall%20of%20it.%E2%80%9D 58:33 - Diversification is Biblical Ecclesiastes 11:2 https://biblehub.com/esv/ecclesiastes/11.htm We don't know what will happen in the future, which is precisely why we diversify: James 4:13-17 https://biblehub.com/esv/james/4.htm#:~:text=13Come%20now%2C%20you,it%20is%20sin 59:01 - How to contact David - David@theother90.com www.theother90.com 1:00:04 - What's in your portfolio? Request an Impact Report by emailing David at David@theother90.com This is if you want to see an apples-to-apples comparison of your portfolio and a comparable Biblically responsible portfolio (that screens out companies profiting from pornography, abortion, and other things that are antithetical to the Christian faith.) 1:00:38 - See what's in your portfolio @ www.inspireinsight.com Type in your tickers and see what the companies you're invested in are doing to make a profit (or are donating their profits towards supporting) 1:01:08 - The Other 90 Financial's 3 Founding Principles If you take away anything, let it be these 3 foundational things: God owns it all We're stewards/managers Money is a tool Colossians 3:23-24 - Worship god with your finances by doing it for the Lord. It's really that simple! https://biblehub.com/esv/colossians/3.htm#:~:text=23Whatever%20you%20do%2C%20work%20heartily%2C%20as%20for%20the%20Lord%20and%20not%20for%20men%2C%2024knowing%20that%20from%20the%20Lord%20you%20will%20receive%20the%20inheritance%20as%20your%20reward.%20You%20are%20serving%20the%20Lord%20Christ Founder & Financial Planner Phone: (812) 307-5456 Proud member of Inspire Advisors. Investment Advisory Services are offered through Inspire Advisors, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser with the SEC. inspireadvisors.com Investment Advisory Services are offered through Inspire Advisors, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser with the SEC. The Other 90 Financial and Inspire Advisors, LLC are affiliated entities. Inspire Advisors, LLC and its affiliates do not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fencour.nl%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F08%2F2350-verses-on-money.pdf%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1jQuDKSonl3mVdoRfrWN8preOOn8NWLcqJE0TznARa2rXsLXEJDH78bnw&h=AT2eXkieN98crtBYtk4-CBKvkAfd3U0MD7IFpscW7KeSogON2hMlK0BwUHHC_Wawn8ICwHgOoy9ukpbXmcZ5-LS-MIl3GVIAQJPyjlEVDFmpAH12KPXLDcVBwIa3v5TUscw

The LORD has called us to steward the things well that he has deposited in our lives. This is EVERY good deposit God has put in your life. That is what you are entrusted with. So my hope is that we steward it well for His Glory, not for your own performance level. God isn't after our performance, but he gives us wisdom when we seek him to be entrusted well.SOME VERSES THAT SHOW US WE ARE ENTRUSTED WITH PRECIOUS GIFTS BY GOD -2 Timothy 1:13-14  13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.Genesis 2:15The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. - He gave work as a gift and called man to take care of it - that is an ENTRUSTMENTRomans 12:6But since we have special gifts which differ in accordance with the diversified work graciously entrusted to us, if it is prophecy, let the prophet speak in exact proportion to his faith;Ephesians 3:2assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was entrusted to me [to share with you] for your benefit;I am praying over you guys and hoping that God has shown you at least a piece of the importance of his entrustments to us, they are all around us and you may not even know it. So I want to pray over you……. FOR THE FULL SHOW NOTES -- JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FROM OUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT (link in the bio)! --- @ENTRUSTEDBYHIM Sources: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/words/Entrust SHOP The Daily Grace Co - https://bit.ly/2ZBTKEthttps://www.thedailygraceco.com/?rfsn=4622173.2d757f