Podcasts about after paul

Acts 14.14-15 NLT But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings— just like you!” After Paul and Barnabas were rudely bundled out of Iconium, they fled 19 miles south to the small Roman city of Lystra. They may well have presumed that Paul's status as a Roman citizen would mean that they would receive more respect there. Paul was involved in the healing of a man who had been lame from birth and the people were so excited that they concluded that Paul and Barnabas must be gods. The missionaries were slow to understand what was going on because the people were speaking in their own local language. Things went from bad to much worse when the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, turned up with bulls and wreaths in order to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. Paul was determined to put the matter straight as soon as possible. He was clearly horrified to be thought of as a god. In his fury and sadness, he dramatically tore his clothes and assured the crowd that they had totally misunderstood the situation. Far from being gods, he and Barnabas had come in the name of the one living God. Every public speaker is well aware of the danger of being misunderstood. This is a particularly dramatic illustration, but the principle is the same for anyone who opens their mouth in public. If you are a public speaker then you need always to have more than a small dose of humility. However carefully you prepare and speak, there will be occasions when you are completely misunderstood. This should prompt us all to pray for preachers and teachers who perform such a vital and challenging role. QUESTION: Which particular preacher or teacher do you need to pray for? PRAYER: Loving God, grant us your wisdom and a spirit of humility as we speak your truth and as we listen to others. Amen

After Paul left Athens, he travels 50 miles to Corinth. Here, Paul finds two believers who had been exiled from Rome. These two, Aquila and Priscila, also were tentmakers, so Paul stayed with them working along side of them. But on the sabbath days, Paul would reason from the Scriptures about the Messiah, Jesus. But once again there was opposition from the unbelievers. So Paul went to the Gentiles among the Corinthians, and many, hearing him, believed. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of Christ.” Luke writes, that Paul spent a year and six months there teaching the the Word of God among them. In first Corinthians 2:2, Paul writes to them the word of the cross “..he determined to know nothing among them but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Let turn to Acts 18:1 with Dr. Mitchell on the Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unchanging-word/message

After Paul exhorts the Corinthians not to lose heart and to consider the unseen, he reminds them of the unseen future hope of believers: heaven and the resurrection. But even in this encouragement, he reminds the believers again to live by faith, not by sight, in light of the judgment seat of Christ that comes after death.2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Readings for Friday, July 30, 2021 “Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.” -- Psalm 148:12-13 Morning Psalm 88 1 O Lord, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence, 2 let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. 3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. 4 I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help, 5 like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand. 6 You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep. 7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. 8 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; 9 my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on you, O Lord ; I spread out my hands to you. 10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise up to praise you? 11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? 12 Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness? 13 But I, O Lord, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. 14 O Lord, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me? 15 Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am desperate. 16 Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me. 17 They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me. 18 You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness. Psalm 148 1 Praise the Lord ! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! 2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! 3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. 6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, 8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! 9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! 10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! 12 Young men and women alike, old and young together! 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord ! Midday 2 Samuel 5:1-12 1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. 2 For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. 6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back” —thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David. 8 David had said on that day, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 9 David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inwards. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. 11 King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar trees, and carpenters and masons who built David a house. 12 David then perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. Acts 17:1-15 17 After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.” 4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the marketplaces they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly, they attacked Jason's house. 6 When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.” 8 The people and the city officials were disturbed when they heard this, 9 and after they had taken bail from Jason and the others, they let them go. 10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and when they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, including not a few Greek women and men of high standing. 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Beroea as well, they came there too, to stir up and incite the crowds. 14 Then the believers immediately sent Paul away to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained behind. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left him. Mark 7:24-37 24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. 31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Evening Psalm 6 1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. 3 My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O Lord —how long? 4 Turn, O Lord, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise? 6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7 My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame. Psalm 20 1 The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. 4 May he grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all your plans. 5 May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. 7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright. 9 Give victory to the king, O Lord ; answer us when we call. You can also find all of today's readings at PCUSA.org. The Daily Lectionary podcast is a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Plattsburgh, NY, read by Pastor Timothy J. Luoma.

Today, I am blessed to have here with me Paul Barattiero. He has lectured across the world over the last 22 years. 12 years ago, he set out to educate the world on the vast benefits of molecular hydrogen. His message has focused on the critical role of molecular hydrogen (H2) in reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. His lectures present the causal problem and the solutions through scientific studies. He developed the Echo hydrogen water system as well as other products to modulate immune and cognitive function. Paul has lectured across the world and has been on national television in the USA, Germany, and Switzerland, including Doug Kaufman's television show, Know the Cause. He was featured in “The Truth about Cancer” and has been on radio shows and podcasts worldwide. Paul works diligently to educate individuals on how to prevent disease and no longer suffer. Paul's greatest joys come from serving others. He is passionate about the prevention of pathologies. He founded Synergy Science, Inc. in 2011 and developed a full line of products focused on detoxification, immune boost, and gut recovery. In this episode, Paul Barattiero reveals the pain to purpose story that led him to discover hydrogen water in the first place. Then, Paul dives deep into hydrogen and how hydrogen water can help us optimize our glucose levels. Hydrogen is a powerful selective antioxidant that neutralizes cytotoxic free radicals, helping eliminate oxidative stress and inflammation. Later, Paul answers questions from the Keto Kamp listeners, including how hydrogen water can benefit people with autism, whether or not it's beneficial for our pets, and much more! Synergy Science & use code “ketokamp”: https://www.synergyscience.com/ketokamp Order Keto Flex: http://www.ketoflexbook.com -------------------------------------------------------- / / E P I S O D E   S P ON S O R S  PureForm Omega Plant Based Oils (Best Alternative to Fish Oil): http://www.purelifescience.com Use ben4 for $4.00 off. Upgraded Formulas Hair Mineral Deficiency Analysis & Supplements: http://www.upgradedformulas.com Use BEN10 at checkout for 10% off your order.  Paleo Valley beef sticks, apple cider vinegar complex, organ meat complex & more. Use the coupon code KETOKAMP15 over at https://paleovalley.com/ to receive 15% off your entire order. Text me the words "Podcast" +1 (786) 364-5002 to be added to my contacts list.  [02:45] About Paul's Pain To Purpose Story Paul's wife was sick for the first ten years of their marriage. His wife had gynecological issues, her menstrual cycle was horrible, and she was highly anemic. A friend told Paul about this water system that could potentially help people. After Paul's wife tried the water, it changed her whole life. Within a few months, her menstrual cycle changed, and she was no longer anemic. [10:55] Things You Need To Know About Hydrogen Hydrogen is number one on the periodic table. It's a gas that should be produced in your gut. Your body is designed to produce hydrogen gas in your gut when you ferment or digest food. Hydrogen will reduce oxidation. Plus, it gives direction to over 200 biomolecules that have been identified in the body. Every system in the human body is regulated by hydrogen [20:55] How Hydrogen Can Play A Role In Helping Us Optimize Our Glucose Levels Giving hydrogen water to individuals with diabetes will get their blood glucose levels back to normal. Your body puts cholesterol in your veins. When we have too much oxidative stress in our body, our veins will become less elastic. Your body will put cholesterol into the veins where the walls are weak. Hydrogen is able to change oxidative stress and inflammation. Check out Hydrogen Studies: https://www.hydrogenstudies.com/ [28:55] Hydrogen And The Human Body: Why It Matters You are supposed to have hydrogen in the human body to begin with. We should be creating 10 to 12 liters of hydrogen gas per day. You were designed to have a hydrogen generator in your gut. When you take in pesticides, then you're combating your gut function. So, you need the water to be with you daily. Chemicals get into our system; they destroy us as human beings. It all starts with our gut.   [33:20] Hydrogen: An Option In Human Disease Treatment Oxidative stress and inflammation is the leading cause of disease. As we convert oxygen into fuel, we create oxygen radicals. Well, our antioxidant system is designed to combat that and keep oxidation in a normal range. When your oxidation is rising, you will have what we call oxidation stress. Oxidation is natural, whereas oxidative stress is unnatural. If you want to live a long time, you have to have a healthy gut. [42:55] How Hydrogen Water Can Support People With Autism Because of gut issues, people with autism are not producing ghrelin secretions. Ghrelin secretions happen either in the stomach or the gastrointestinal tract. When the gut is damaged or not functioning, you don't produce ghrelin. The lack of ghrelin will cause sleep issues and brain issues. Hydrogen water can balance the brain within minutes. When hydrogen water hits the stomach, it will signal ghrelin to go to the brain. [52:45] Should You Give Hydrogen Water To Cats and Dogs?  Yes, give your pets hydrogen water. After drinking hydrogen water, animals no longer have kidney and liver issues. Dogs with heart murmurs will live many years longer than expected. Plus, give your dog's meat, not potato chips! Dogs do not eat kibble in the wild. Well, 50% of kibble is sugar and carbs. Pets get cancer simply because of the food that they are eating. [68:30] When Should Hydrogen Water Be Consumed?   Drink the hydrogen water within two to five hours. However, if you fill it in a bottle, you'll have two weeks to drink it. Hydrogen water is better when it's chilled. You will fall in love with water all over again. AND MUCH MORE! Resources from this episode: Synergy Science & use code “ketokamp”: https://www.synergyscience.com/ketokamp Connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-barattiero-cnhp-chs-6855073/ Follow Synergy Science Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergyscienceinc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SynergyScienceInc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EchoWaterIonizer Join theKeto Kamp Academy: https://ketokampacademy.com/7-day-trial-a WatchKeto Kamp on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUh_MOM621MvpW_HLtfkLyQ Order Keto Flex: http://www.ketoflexbook.com -------------------------------------------------------- / / E P I S O D E   S P ON S O R S  PureForm Omega Plant Based Oils (Best Alternative to Fish Oil): http://www.purelifescience.com Use ben4 for $4.00 off. Upgraded Formulas Hair Mineral Deficiency Analysis & Supplements: http://www.upgradedformulas.com Use BEN10 at checkout for 10% off your order.  Paleo Valley beef sticks, apple cider vinegar complex, organ meat complex & more. Use the coupon code KETOKAMP15 over at https://paleovalley.com/ to receive 15% off your entire order. Text me the words "Podcast" +1 (786) 364-5002 to be added to my contacts list.  *Some Links Are Affiliates* // F O L L O W ▸ instagram | @thebenazadi | http://bit.ly/2B1NXKW ▸ facebook | /thebenazadi | http://bit.ly/2BVvvW6 ▸ twitter | @thebenazadi http://bit.ly/2USE0so ▸clubhouse | @thebenazadi Disclaimer: This podcast is for information purposes only. Statements and views expressed on this podcast are not medical advice. This podcast including Ben Azadi disclaim responsibility from any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained herein. Opinions of guests are their own, and this podcast does not accept responsibility of statements made by guests. This podcast does not make any representations or warranties about guests qualifications or credibility. Individuals on this podcast may have a direct or non-direct interest in products or services referred to herein. If you think you have a medical problem, consult a licensed physician.  

Paul's Vision of the Man of Macedonia 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Lydia's Conversion in Philippi 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district[a] of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

After Paul is stoned in Lystra, he regains consciousness and goes back into the city. Pastor Ricky shows how this is a picture of Christ. When both Paul and Christ were mistreated and sinned against, neither one of them cursed their aggressors. They both went back to them to tell them the good news. This is so unlike our human nature. Running away or fighting back are more common but they continued to love.

Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 3 When we first read Romans 3, we felt that there was some confusion in the logic.  For example, Paul   asked a question in the first verse: "What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?" (Romans 3:1, NIV).  Then he answered this question in the second verse.  He said: "Much in every way!  First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God."  Logically speaking, we would then expect Paul to say: "second or third" later, but we couldn't find the second or third in chapter 3, nor in chapters 4 or 5.  When I searched online, I saw that it's not until Romans 9:4-5 before Paul talked about other advantages of the Jews.  So it's not that Paul's logic is unclear.  It's just that we don't understand his reasoning, making it difficult to properly interpret this chapter. Our understanding of the Bible is often influenced by the teaching we receive.  Witness Lee, a leader in the Local Church Movement where I was saved, taught that Romans, chapters 9-11 were inserted to teach about the Jews' election.  This teaching deeply influenced me, so I didn't see Paul's logic here differently.  I'm sure Witness Lee had reasons for teaching this.  Paul's question about the advantages of the Jews began in chapter 3, was touched on in chapter 8, and continued in chapter 9.  As Paul said in Romans 9:4-5 (ESV), "They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.  To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen." Witness Lee may have talked about the other advantages of the Jews in Romans 9, but I rarely heard anyone talk about this during my thirteen years of attending there.  Instead, the statement about Romans 9-11 being inserted to speak about the Jews election left a deep impression on me. So the thought came to me that maybe Romans chapters 3-8 in total were added for that purpose.  I am not criticizing others here.  I am just discussing how we can learn from our predecessors without limitations. In addition to praying for God's revelation, it's important to look at and incorporate teaching from other Bible scholars who have gone on before us.  There are two parts to the process of studying other people's interpretations of the Bible.  One part is to understand the light that others have received; the other part is to unlearn some of the teachings we have received.  We often get some of our understanding of the Scriptures from various Bible teachers.  Many of these teachings are rooted in our memories and even our souls.  On the one hand, these teachings help us to understand the Bible.  On the other hand, they sometimes become concepts, preventing us from further understanding the Bible. When I was in the Local Church Movement, I often encountered Christians from other churches, especially Chinese churches, who condemned the Local Church Movement and Witness Lee of teaching heresy.   I left the Local Church Movement and was led to learn the truths and pursue gifts in the Pentecostal Movement.  My understanding of the Bible and some of its truths gradually differed from the teaching of the Local Church Movement, but to this day, I still disagree with the Chinese churches that condemned it.  There are many things in this movement worth learning by the body of Christ.  I do have a problem with some of the Local Church Movement's teaching.  They stay ingrained in their own beliefs and teachings unwilling to grow and learn from other traditions or denominations.  Witness Lee's understanding of the Bible in some areas isn't correct.  For example, his note on "the word of knowledge," in 1 Corinthians 12 says: "The word of knowledge is the word that imparts a general knowledge of things concerning God and the Lord (8:1-7).  The word of knowledge is mainly of our understanding through teaching." (Notes of the Recovery Version).  This explains why I didn't understand what the word of knowledge was when I first came into contact with the Pentecostal Movement. In the Pentecostal Movement, the miraculous message God has given to some pastors is called "the word of knowledge."  I heard that Derek Prince mentioned at a healing meeting that his wife felt that God wanted to heal someone's leg. He called this the "word of knowledge."   When Prophet Shawn Bolz, who is very gifted in words of knowledge, uses his gift of prophecy, many times he was able to tell the other party's bank account number, birthday, name, social security number, and other information impossible to know.   His gift shocks people into believing that God exists, and often they even get saved. I've attended Shawn's meetings several times and witnessed him using words of knowledge. The Lord Jesus miraculously knew the history of the Samaritan woman's five husbands.  He had never seen Zacchaeus but knew his name (Luke 19:5).  He saw Nathanael while he was still under the fig tree (John 1:48). In the Pentecostal Movement, these are generally called "words of knowledge."  Witness Lee also had this experience.  For example, he mentioned that under no prior knowledge, he pointed out that a person stole chalk and drew circles on the floor, causing the person to repent and be saved (Witness Lee: "Life-Study of Romans"), and during a sermon, he miraculously pointed out that a woman allowed her husband to work overtime to buy high-heeled shoes for her, which led to the woman's repentance and salvation (Witness Lee: "The Fullness of God").  He also said in another message that John Sung pointed to a woman and said that she was a mistress under unknown circumstances, causing the woman to repent after being inspired by the Holy Spirit (Witness Lee: "Practice Being One Spirit with the Lord").  According to the Pentecostal Movement, this phenomenon is called the "word of knowledge." I think that the Pentecostal Movement's interpretation of the "word of knowledge" is correct because, generally speaking, the nine gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 are miraculous gifts.  These miraculous gifts are given by God to help evangelists, prophets, and ordinary Christians influence others to repent and come to Christ.  However, Witness Lee believed that the "word of knowledge" came through our understanding and teaching.  This differs from the interpretation of the Pentecostal Movement, which believes that the "word of knowledge" does not come from understanding but is a miraculous message from God. I think that although Witness Lee studied speaking in tongues in the early days, he distanced himself from it and the Pentecostal Movement.  He might have lacked the experiences or manifestations of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and did not understand what speaking in tongues meant to us today. He criticized the Pentecostal Movement for not focusing on the growth of an individual's spiritual life.  Although he was correct in this, he misunderstood the gifts of the Holy Spirit due to his lack of spiritual experience.  Leaving the Local Church Movement after thirteen years to learn more about the Pentecostal Movement was difficult.  It was a painful process to expand my mind to receive the truths that God was teaching me, but it was well worth it.  The process of understanding the Bible is similar.  We must pray that God will give us revelation, yet still be willing to learn from others who see things differently. I'm grateful for the teaching and training I received in the Local Church Movement.  After leaving, I studied a variety of church movements and realize that many of the things I learned in my former church are true Biblical teachings that I highly recommend other believers to search out and glean from.  Through my journey of discovery in other churches and ministries, I've examined my views and conflicting thoughts concerning several teachings that I now disagree with in the Local Church Movement. Each time I lead our Bible study, I go through a process of sorting out the beneficial things I learned from the Local Church Movement and promote them without reservation.  I then present the views that I've studied in other churches hoping to influence Christians in the Local Church Movement.  I maintain an attitude of gratefulness for what I've learned there while hoping to break through the traditional restrictions that I was taught.  This allows the Holy Spirit freedom to lead us to a deeper understanding of God's Word. This process applies to every Christian group looking to break through the restrictions of their particular denomination.  Each of us inherits spiritual wealth as well as restrictions from our spiritual founders.  My heart is to help people see that when reading the Bible, we should be open to the Holy Spirit and be willing to learn from our predecessors and the body of Christ.  We need to learn to put the teaching to practical use and not allow it to be a hindrance to the leading of the Holy Spirit. When I read Romans 3 this time, I applied this principle.  I tried to incorporate the understanding I learned from my predecessors, and look up to the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Let's recap our discussion in Romans 1 and 2, which was the historical record of the conflict between Jews and Gentiles in early Rome.  This conflict may have been severe enough that Claudius commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. It was after this incident that the Jews from the Roman Church, Priscilla, and Aquila, came to Corinth and met Paul (Acts 18:2).  At this point, Paul had the burden to go and visit Rome (Acts 19:21). Paul wrote the book of Romans in Corinth because he wasn't sure if he could go to Jerusalem or reach Rome safely (Romans 1:10).  It's possible that this conflict may have been extended to the church - Jewish believers had to live according to the law and even required the Gentiles to obey the law. While the Gentiles boasted of their culture, this induced conflicts. But Paul does not shy away from this. In Romans 2:24 (NIV), he quoted the Old Testament to accuse the Jewish believers, "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of them." After Paul greeted and praised the faith of the Roman church in chapter 1 verses 1-17, he began to point out the sins of the Gentiles in verses 18-32. Romans, chapter 2, criticized the Jews. Chapter 3 continued this criticism, but its target audience was the Gentiles. Why am I saying this?   The Holy Spirit showed me that the conflict between the Jewish and Gentile believers could have been caused by erroneous Jewish teaching that led the Gentile believers to backslide.  Paul tried to correct this teaching by immersing himself in the Gentile's lives and teaching them the truth. At this point, we could speculate that Paul asked the Gentiles whether they believed the Jews had more advantages.  There are some, including the fact that they were entrusted with the words of God.  We had to wait until chapter 9 for him to identify other advantages.  Paul seemed to act like an elder trying to stop people from arguing with one another.  He spoke of the Jew's shortcomings as well as pointed out that they had a purpose in God's kingdom.  Chapters 9-11 follow this train of thought as Paul talks about how God elected the Jews and the burden he had for them.  From this point of view, we can see that Romans, chapters 9-11, were not inserted as Witness Lee described. It can be traced back to the beginning of chapter 3.  Paul interjected his spiritual experiences and the topic of justification by faith between chapters 3-8.  He shared his spiritual experiences to help the Gentiles overcome sin and the Jews to overcome the law.  Romans chapter 3 begins with the topic of justification by faith (3:28), and chapter 4 explains Abraham's experience of justification by faith in detail.  Romans chapter 5 continues talking about justification by faith but brings in the viewpoint that the law was brought in so that the trespass might increase (Romans 5:20, NIV). Romans chapter 6 explains how our old man is crucified with Christ so that we may now live with Him. In Romans chapter 7, Paul describes being bound by the law of sin, and chapter 8 talks about Christ's resurrection, releasing us from the law of sin and death.  Paul combines his own experience plus the truth of justification by faith, and then in chapter 9 continues his thoughts that he began in chapter 3 that the Jews were worthy of the Gentiles appreciation and acceptance.  The Gentiles should be grateful that the Jews helped to pass on the Word of God, providing us with the Old Testament.  In addition, Romans 9:4-5 (ESV) says, "They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen." This all ties into Paul's previous train of thought. After Paul finished talking about the Jews, he continued to say in Romans 12 that the people of the Roman Church must "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves" (Romans 12:10, NIV), submit to the authorities (Romans 13:1, NIV), and accept one other (Romans 14:1, NIV). In Chapter 15, Paul specifically mentions that he would bring the Gentile's offering to Jerusalem and bring the blessings of the Gentile churches into Jerusalem. From this, not only can we see Paul's logic, but we can also understand why Paul had to go to Jerusalem. Because of the constant conflict between Jewish believers and Gentile believers at that time, Paul was really burdened. He hoped that they could increase communication and reconcile with each other. This has a lot of spiritual significance for the United States today as the country is currently facing racial conflict.  A man in our study asked why Romans 3:8 (NIV) says, "Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is just!" Previously in verse 5, Paul said, "But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say?" There is no record in the Bible of who slandered Paul for saying "do evil that good may result," but I'm sure Paul had a reason for saying this. Although Paul had not been to Rome before and may not have communicated with the Roman Church, some leaders and believers in this church, including Priscilla and Aquila, etc., communicated with Paul, so he may have indirectly heard the slanderous claims from them. Paul is talking about justification by faith and not because of our works. Of course, this includes good works or bad works.  In Romans 3:10-18, Paul quoted the words of the Old Testament to prove that no one is righteous. In verses 19-20, he said that it is through the law that we become conscious of our sin. Only after becoming aware of our sin, can we gain righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Another man asked why verse 31 in chapter 3 (NIV) says, "Do we nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law."  I answered him by saying that Paul was still talking about his spiritual experience in preparation for what he would say in chapter 8 about being free from the law of sin and death. The Local Church Movement taught that the woman in Chapter 7 represents the law, and the dead husband represents the old man. When the old man dies, the new husband will be Christ. The law is not a source of trouble; the old man is. Whether we are talking about the Old Testament Law or New Testament grace, the requirement is to love God and love others as you love yourself.  The problem is when the old man is in control rather than the new man in Christ.  Living according to the old man will always bring condemnation.  For example, if you are trying to love your wife through the old man and can't do it, you'll be condemned for not loving her.  This is how the law works.  However, if you are alive in Christ, you can love your wife to the point of even laying down your life.  You won't violate the law; instead, you'll perfect and strengthen the requirements of the law, which is to love your neighbor as yourself. The strength of the Local Church Movement is to teach Christians to experience spiritual growth and the renewal of the soul so that the life of Christ can be fuller in us.  This teaching would benefit everyone and is worth learning. I also shared my spiritual experience.  I talked about the hardship of ten years of infertility, the difficulties it caused in our marriage, as well as how to overcome these difficulties and achieve spiritual breakthroughs in faith and prayer.  The result was having a miracle baby.  My own experience also proves that not only do we have to be saved by faith, but every step of our spiritual breakthrough is also through faith.  I shared how, with the help of God, I had step by step internalized into my own spiritual experience (that is ruling my life) what the law had required me from the outside. Initially, my wife asked me from the outside to love and care for her, but I couldn't do it.  But with this change, I had slowly developed love and sympathy for my wife inside. My own experience and what Paul said here are all described in Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV): "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.  And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." In other words, the law restricts and rules us from the outside.  This is because we are still children, and we need the law as our guardian to discipline us.  But its purpose is to bring us to Christ so that we can be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24). The law must go from the outside to the inside of our hearts.  In the Old Testament, the Jews only had the law outside while the law in the New Testament was to be established in our hearts.  But the Jews had a veil over their hearts (2 Corinthians 3:14). Likewise, Christians today can also have a veil over their hearts. God's law, whether it is the Old Testament or the New Testament, is not wrong.  It is because people's hearts have a veil, and their hearts are distorted, which led them to distort the law.  Here Paul is trying to help the believers remove the veil from their hearts because he knows that when our hearts turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away (NIV, 2 Corinthians 3:16). This statement applies not only to the Jews or Jewish believers in the early church but also to anyone in Christianity today.  Is there a veil over our hearts that prevents us from further understanding the richness of God and His Word?  Even the biblical knowledge and truths we learn from our Christian tradition can sometimes become veils that prevent us from further understanding God.  May God have mercy on us, illuminate us, and help remove all our veils!  

This Sunday we'll be continuing in our multi-church series, Lord Make Us One. We'll be discussing what our calling to unity means and how we can live and maintain this calling. The verses that we are going over are from Ephesians chapter 4To get a better context for these verses and the overall theme, I highly recommend checking out the Bible project video on Ephesians.The verses we're reading on Sunday start with Paul begging us to “lead a life worthy of our calling.” The desperate emphasis on this request is reason enough to pause and make sure we know what our calling actually is. Are we meant to do something beyond receiving God's love? Has God called each one of us to something different? Or do we all have the same calling?After Paul begs us to lead a life worthy of our calling, he gives some specific commands that point in the direction grace. He says to be humble towards one another, patient, and to make every effort to move towards peace.It is in our human nature to read these verses and immediately begin thinking of other people who would really benefit from listening to and living out these commands. However, doing that would not be allowing the Holy Spirit to convict places within ourselves that may need it. Let's take a moment to ask ourselves, are there certain people or groups that I find myself glad when they stumble? Are there certain political leaders, activists, or even acquaintances that I use their mistakes as proof for why they are awful? Could I instead be using these possible missteps as an opportunity to provide grace and move toward peace? Where are the places in my life, whether in person or on social media, where I can choose gentleness over judgment?I believe that taking the time to pause and identify these places within ourselves is the first step towards living out the calling given to us by Christ.I hope you can join us on Sunday at 10 AM!Click here for a pdf version of this teachings slideshow.

Humility. It's not a word we find much in our self-love, self-affirming world, right? Yet we wonder why our world is so divided. After Paul has made an exhortation to the Philippians to become united with the same love and the same mind, he gives them the practical way to do this: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4)In other words: Be Humble. Ugh. Paul is telling us that in order to be united, we have to put others before ourselves. It makes sense, really. Every time I get into a fight with my husband, we both have this horrible tendency to fight to win. But when we stop to actually care about each other's thoughts and feelings, we listen more. We talk less. One of us might still be right (usually me, of course...HA) but when we aren't trying to shove our own ideas in each other's faces we're much more likely to listen and then we become united in trying to come to an agreement instead of divided in trying to win. Paul knows what he's talking about here, friends. But this humility thing is really hard for us. Why? Because humility does not come naturally to us. We believe we deserve so much. We deserve to have a night off from the dishes when we're the ones who made dinner! We deserve a thank you from our kids for all the work we do for them! We deserve a raise for all the hours we put in over everyone else! Treat yourself, you're the best! All the while, we've forgotten that we aren't actually the best. We're completely full of sin, and we actually deserve death because of that sin. We see this exact situation in Genesis, when Adam and Eve choose to eat the forbidden fruit. Satan tells them they will be just like God if they eat of the tree. But this was the big lie: Disobeying and trying to be like God made them as opposite of “like God” as they could have ever been. It made them prideful. Of all the people who had the right to self-love and pridefulness, it was Jesus. He is literally equal to God, he IS God, yet he didn't use this against anyone. He could have said he was too mighty for death (he was!) but he chose to go through it because obedience to God's will was more important than his significance. It was because of this humble obedience that he was exalted. (Phil. 2:8-9). Humble obedience makes us most in God's image. That's the great irony. The more humble we become, the less we want to be like God because we know he is the only one who deserves all the glory. Yet the more humble we become the more we become like God. And while we will never become God, because of his humble death on the cross, all of our sin is covered and we will get to share in his victory when he returns. Incredible! So when your home, your marriage, or your church family feels divided, maybe you can ask yourself: am I putting my family's needs above my own? Or do I feel like I deserve all the glory right now? Am I putting down the thoughts of my brothers and sisters in Christ because I feel like mine are better? Or am I humbly listening to their side and choosing to look to their interests in the same way I look to my own?And if and when you fail to be humble, look to Christ and praise him that he chose humility every step of the way to cover when you couldn't.Blog Post by: Emily RichardsonResources Used:

It’s time for the 1982 blockbuster E.T.! The guys are elated to be talking about one of their favorite movies ever as Paul starts it out with his apology to this classic. After Paul admits he was so wrong about E.T. the guys discuss Steven Spielberg, John Williams, E.T. and examine which one wins the title of M.V.P. Mike then reveals his unfortunate allergy as they get into Reese’s Pieces, fish on pizza and a ridiculously steep driveway. The guys continue to sing the praises of the epic score as well as Drew Barrymore’s amazing performance at only 6 years of age and get into the iconic frog and drunk E.T. scene. The mood turns a little somber as the guys talk about the quarantined household, astronauts at your front door and the horror of a sick E.T. In lieu of The Recast, Joe, Mike and Paul close with a list of their top 5 theme park rides that are based on a movie. Remember to order your pizza with plenty of sausages and pepperonis, hold off on the little fishy’s and listen to this classic!Twitter: @ReelItBackPodInstagram: ReelItBackPodFacebook: Reel It BackPart of the Walk-Ons NetworkThank you for listening!

JESUS OUR FRIEND IN FAITH  In Psalm 22 as Jesus was suffering and dying for us on the cross he cried out to his Father and said; Psalm 22:22 I will praise you to all my brothers and sisters; I will stand up before the assembly (the gathering of my friends) and testify of the wonderful things you have done… Let all Israel sing his praises, for he has not despised my cries of deep despair; he has not turned and walked away. When I cried to him, he heard and came." in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews he quotes these words of Jesus to encourage them to not give up because they are going though times of affliction.   Heb.2: 12 [Jesus is saying] ‘I'll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know about you; I'll join them in worship and praise to you. Again, he puts himself in the same family circle when he says, Even I live by placing my trust in God’. And he goes on to say, I'm here with the children God gave me’.  14. Since we, God's children, are human beings--made of flesh and blood--he became flesh and blood too by being born in human form; for only as a human being could he die for our sakes. (so that we could raised with him-Ephesians 2:6) 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham That means that Jesus stands in the place for all humanity towards the Father and he stands in the place of the Father towards all humanity. He has made us one with him as a brother and as a friend in faith.  Jesus is not only the heavenly example to us but a partner with us in a walk of faith – in the way that he trusted totally in the love of his Father to guide him through his life on earth. Jesus is saying that he is one with his earthly friends, his brothers and sisters, and that when they go through their afflictions and trials of faith he will give them his faith to go through their sufferings. In other words we can receive now the very faith that he has always had in the Father. Jesus call us his friends (John 15:15 – for all that I have heard from the Father I have made known to you) Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not bring to naught the grace of God…otherwise Christ died in vain. Tineke and I lived in the Philippines for about eight months many years ago setting in the Filipino leadership in a church that we had been involved in helping to get established established at the time. At the end of one meeting where I’d been talking about faith, a lady asked me to pray for her concerning the shared ownership of their extended family of a small community store, called a sari sari store. There were many opinions as to who owned how much of the store. When I heard her prayer list, of how she felt God needed to give favour to some of the family, and to deal with some of the others to teach them a lesson, I thought it would need a Philadelphia lawyer to deal with the complexity of it all. She said she didn’t have enough faith to pray and that she had told her friends she would use Pastor Paul’s faith. This hadn’t been my plan when I had just taught about having faith but I was quite agreeable about praying and I found myself praying that she would be set free from anxiety and resentment about the situation and find the kind of wisdom spoken about in James re making peace and using entreaty and not starting a family feud etc.   I felt that The Holy Spirit was with us and she was in agreement and surrendered it all into God’s hands and the Amen was real. That was just a shadow of what I came to understand about having the faith OF our friend Jesus not just faith IN Jesus. Our prayers depend on the faith OF Jesus – that is our ultimate act of faith IN him. Romans 8:25 For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts (Jesus) knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because HE (Jesus) intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (verse 34…it is Jesus who is interceding for us). Paul knew the Hebrew Christians were fading in faith so Paul is fervently keen for them, and for all of us, to realize how Jesus desires to impart his own faith to us and bring our needs before his Father on our behalf as we go through the trials and testing of our faith.  Then Paul tells them that we are not to think of our life as one that is doomed to affliction but rather as one that is destined for faith. After Paul tells us about the heavenly example and heavenly participation of Jesus, he tells us about the earthly example and model of Abraham’s struggle of faith, in Abraham’s awkward attempts to develop that complete trust in a loving Father God. Verse 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham  Paul honours Abraham as the ‘father of faith’ (Galatians 3:7)  Abraham was also called the friend of God because of his faith (James 2:23) Jesus and Abraham as ‘friends in faith’ have much in common concerning their faith life, in that they both had to leave their world behind and enter a new one, they learned to trust God totally in times of uncertainty, and they understood ‘resurrection reality’.  We also have these same challenges in our lives as friend of faith.   Abraham is called by God to leave the place where he grew up and leave his family behind, taking only his wife Sarah into a new and unknown land, where he was promised he would have many descendants and be the father of a great nation.  He gets the order half-right - he takes his father and his cousin Lot with him too. This was to cause him trouble on his journey.  We are reminded by this that we who have responded to God to follow Him, can find ourselves still clinging to things 'back there'. We have to leave the old world of thinking that we can control things in life to have them work the way we want them to. We also cling to trusting in the things of the world that have given us some sense of certainty for our safety and security and satisfaction. Abraham faced many uncertainties and made mistakes of judgment but he learned to trust in God through them all. He told half truths    The hardest challenges are the uncertainties of life.  Before Abraham left he was promised a son and many descendants, but he had to wait because despite God’s promise Sarah did not have a child, so Abraham acted impatiently by having a child through Hagar, his wife’s servant girl.  However this did not stop the promised of a son from arriving in due time.  It meant Abraham had to bear the consequences of his impatience but he had God as a friend (James 2:23… Abraham was called a friend of God) and we have Jesus as a friend. A miracle happens. God has not forgotten His promise to Abraham. Sarah, in old age gives birth to a son, Isaac. But this is not the end of Abraham's journey. God tells him to sacrifice his only real God given son on an altar on a mountain. This time his obedience is complete. He puts Isaac on the altar of sacrifice, trusting God that He would either provide another sacrifice, or raise Isaac from the dead.  This is called 'resurrection faith'. 'Resurrection faith' is surrendered faith whereby we place our faith in the hands of the faith of Jesus, who brings forth the will of the Father in our lives... God intervened for Abraham and provided a ram for the sacrifice and tells Abraham He has spared his son. The Father has provided Jesus for us – our resurrection faith.  This was Abraham’s pinnacle of faith, but what a journey! This is the place where God wants to get us, where He wants to get His Church.  Jesus left his heavenly world and became one of us. Then he took us back with him into his heavenly world when he rose from the dead and we stay with him, on earth but living from heaven (resurrection faith). This is where resurrection life flows out of our sacrifice of surrender to God. This where the Church lives in the arena of the miraculous.  We may have had some false starts like Abraham, we may have an Ishmael or two, where we’ve tried to do God's thing in our own way.  But God has us on His journey and He will provide supernaturally the completion of our faith. We can live in His resurrection life, partners and friends with Jesus. Resurrection faith is at the meeting point, where we leave our old world behind and enter into the world that Jesus has prepared for us. That is when we experience the supernatural walk with Jesus that he wants us to have, sharing in his very own faith. This is where there is answered prayer and that is where there is love and hope and faith (1 John 3:19-21).        

After Paul and Silas are beaten and thrown into prison because of preaching about Jesus, they begin praising God and at midnight, God sent an earthquake to set them free! BW2

Note: Enjoy the blooper at the start of the audio. Like we said, we do these live

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1258/29 Why were the disciples told to focus on Israel? After Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, why does he say against such things there is no law? I was kicked out of my church, twice, and I’m wondering what to do now. Any advice? How do we balance the fear of God and intimacy with God?

A new MP3 sermon from Sovereign Grace Family Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Before or After Paul's Conversion? Speaker: Mike Collier Broadcaster: Sovereign Grace Family Church Event: Sunday School Date: 5/2/2021 Bible: Romans 7 Length: 41 min.

After Paul told the Philippians to think about whatever is right, they are to focus on what is pure. Because God is eternal and can never change or morph—who He is will always be the same. As God’s essence can’t have anything added or removed, He is the only perfect, pure Being. Our value for purity comes from the standard of who He is (Ps. 102:25-27; James 1:17; 1 John 1:5). God is both flawless in who He is and how He acts. With God as the foundation of what is true and right, His standard of morality is the standard by which all behavior is measured. True perfection has purity with no flaws, and God is the ultimate example (Deut. 32:4; Ps. 18:30)!

Resources Used: Hey guys this is Megan Rawlings and you are listening to the Talk Bible to Me podcast presented by The Bold Movement.How are you, friend? I am thrilled that you are joining me on this very first episode of season 3. This season, we are going to be working verse-by-verse through the book of Philippians. If you are new to our podcast, howdy, -- so glad you found us and I hope you like the podcast. Real quick, I want to let you know that this podcast is an extension of The Bold Movement which is a ministry that trains women to boldly step into their role in the kingdom of God. There are tons of free resources on the website as well as Bible studies that not only teach you Scripture but also how to study it, and podcasts episodes just like this one. This is all designed to help you grow in your faith and find your role and purpose. You can visit our website at www.theboldmovement.com.Okay sis, Here's how we work. We will read a verse or two of Scripture and then we will pause to work through it and discuss what it means. Easy enough? Cool. With that being said -- get ready, get set, study! (Can you tell I've been watching the Great British Bake Off?)Today we are actually going to be doing an introduction to Philippians. It is so helpful understanding a book of the Bible when you have Who, what's, when, and wheres all figured out beforehand. This also helps us not to make it what we want it. I like to equate taking Scripture out of context to pulled muscles and let's face it, if you have not completed the warm-up, you are more likely to pull a muscle. (my husband totally rolled his eyes at that cheesy analogy, but he's not my target audience… so, there's that.)Alright, let's start with the author of Philippians, Paul. For those of you who are not familiar with our good pal, Paul, here are some quick facts about him:In Acts 22:3-5 Paul says, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia (which is in south-central Turkey), but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.Paul was a Jew trained under GamalielHere's why that was important, “Gamaliel was a doctor of the law and a member of the Sanhedrin. Paul acknowledged him as his teacher in (Acts 22:3), and he was held in such high honour that he was designated ‘Rabban' (‘our teacher'), a higher title than ‘Rabbi' (‘my teacher').” (from The New Bible Dictionary third edition)As stated above, he did indeed persecute the early Church which was called “The Way.” It was on his way to Damascus that Jesus appeared to HIm and Paul converted.After Paul's conversion, he spent 3 years evangelizing to those in Damascus and the surrounding area (Arabia). He wasted no time in proclaiming that Jesus was Christ. You can read more about that in Acts 9 and Galatians 1.Paul was a Roman citizen (which is actually a big deal for this book and I will tell you why shortly)Paul was a zealous man who cared deeply about the Church. He planted so many churches and even wrote letters requesting funds or thanking the churches he planted for investing in new churches.Paul wrote a lot of the books we have in the New Testament and eventually, died as a martyr for the cause of Christ.There is so much we could say about Paul, but I feel like this gives you a pretty good handle on who he is.Now let's learn about who he was writing to and why. Get ready because it's about to get nerdy. Paul was writing to the Church of Philippi. Now, Philippi is located in northeastern Greece and this was actually the first major center where Paul preached the gospel in Europe. The church in Philippi began when Paul saw a man from Macedonia beckon him to come help which is found in Acts 16:6-10. Since you are possibly driving, cleaning, working out (is working out to podcasts a thing?) or doing something, I am going to go ahead and read this passage to you. If you aren't busy, follow along. “6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Okay, so this is where it gets good. Ladies, what I am about to tell you is soooo interesting. Now, Philippi was given an incredibly high distinction call the ius italicum (but I don't speak latin so that's probably not how you say it). This meant that Philippi was foverned by Roman law. O'Brien says, “The rights of purchase, ownership, and transference of property, together with the right to civil lawsuits, were privileges included in the ius Italicum. The citizens of this colony were Roman citizens, while the constitution was modeled on that of Rome itself, with two collegiate magistrates at the head (referred to by Luke as στρατηγοί).”Even though there was a strong Roman influence here, the religious aspect suggests that the inhabitants of Philippi were from mixed backgrounds although the official imperial religion tended to dominate the city as a whole. The Jewish community was not huge considering there was not a regular synagogue congregation (for which ten men were required). In Acts 16:13 we learn of Paul informally meeting outside the city by the river where several women met on the Sabbath for prayer (Acts 16:13). It says, “13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.”Get this, In Peter O'Brien's commentary on Philippians, he says, “Acts 16:13, 16 identifies the gathering of the Jews on the Sabbath as a proseuchē (“house of prayer”) and notes that Paul spoke only to women gathered at the river. From these details, some postulate that this group had fewer than ten Jewish men and thus lacked the minimum number established in the rabbinic texts to form a minyan or quorum. However, this position fails to appreciate that proseuchē was a common term used to identify Diaspora meetings, and synagōgē (“house of assembly”) was the preferred choice for those gatherings in Judea. Additionally, Luke states that Paul spoke with the women there; he does not state that few men were present. Luke's emphasis on women here counterbalances his later emphasis on the Philippian jailer. Luke often pairs stories about men and about women; thus, his focus on Lydia as one among this group of women matches his wider practices. We need not read into his argument from silence that Jewish men were not present or were few in number. Jews in Paul's day were not only part of a religion; they were also an ethnic group that had a political presence in Roman cities and often had limited self-governing privileges. Jews were one of many Eastern ethnic groups that puzzled and intrigued Romans. Today some Christians, especially those without many Jewish neighbors, tend to see Jews only through the lens of religion, but the ancient world held a broader definition of what constituted a Jew and the Jewish community.” Isn't that wild?!Okay, this is so good, but I don't want to overwhelm you too much so we are going to take a quick commercial break.We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a message from our sponsors. We are able to continue podcast episodes like this because of our Patreon supporters, Jerri Lewis, Kelsey Graf, Soyon Barber, Julie Carter, Amy Mathis, Jill Walters, and Dave Hanzel. If you like what you hear, would you consider becoming a partner of The Bold Movement? Our plans range from $5 a month to $50 a month with exciting incentives for growing Christian women. Just visit www.patreon.com/theboldmovement.Okay, that was fun… you can get your name read off too if you join our Patreon supporters and become financial supporters of this podcast and ministry. Enough about that, let's get back to the intro to Philippians.If we continue in Acts 16, we learn of a slave girl who was possessed following Paul and Silas. Let's read about that, “16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.” Do you guys remember when I mentioned Paul was a Roman citizen? Yeah, you can't do that without a trial. CRAZY! O'Brien said, “The charge brought against Paul and Silas (16:20–21) by the owners of the slave girl, though dictated by commercial interests, appears to have played on the anti-Jewish prejudices of the Philippians, and it is possible that animosity against the Jews at Philippi may account for the continuing hatred of the populace against the infant Christian church. Claudius had taken steps to discourage Judaism and had expelled the Jews from Rome.” I want to encourage you all to read the rest of Acts chapter 16. While Paul and Silas were in prison, some pretty crazy things happened and it is really cool what else happens. Later on, they get out of jail and the point that they are Roman citizens is made. Trust me, read it.Philippians was written in the early 60 A.D. and according to Gordan Fee it “reflects all the characteristics of a “letter of friendship,” combined with those of a “letter of moral exhortation.” The main theme of Philippians is to encourage the church in Philippi. Paul wants the Philippians to live their lives as solid Christians who obey the commands of God. I hope that as we study Philippians you and I find that same encouragement and become movers and shakers for the kingdom of God. I cannot wait to continue with you. Now that we have completed our warm-up exercise (was Matt right? Is that lame?) tune in next week to study Philippians 1:1-2 “The Salutation.” The Bold Movement is a ministry that helps Christian women gain confidence in their Biblical literacy, faith, and evangelism through customizable content strategically created to work with our community support to enhance and expand the kingdom of God. I'll be back next week and I hope you join me. This is a quick reminder that you can partner with us through our patreon at patreon.com/theboldmovement. Okay ladies next time, go out and be bold.

After Paul was saved, he had something to tell others about the grace of God.

"Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us." Philippians 3:17 How's your christian walk going? After Paul has just told us about the prize that he is pressing on towards which is holiness and to be like Christ, Paul is now stressing the importance to imitate or to follow the example of those who do walk in holiness. Are you walking in holiness? What does a Christians walk look like when they are not walking in holiness? Why is it important to walk in holiness? How can we walk in holiness?

Before dissecting Jason Kreis’ Olympic Qualifying roster, Paul and Sam sink their teeth (yes, they share a single set of teeth) into the recent news that MLS is investigating Inter Miami’s Blaise Matuidi signing from last year. Then Sam has a meltdown about NBA Top Shot. After Paul restores order, our intrepid hosts discuss MLS moments that would make great Top Shots and chat about Christian Pulisic’s situation at Chelsea.  Sponsors!  Vuori! Receive 20% off your first purchase and enjoy free shipping and returns on any U.S. orders over $75 at vuoriclothing.com/TSS! Netgear! Find out what makes Netgear America’s number one choice for WiFi at netgear.com/bestWiFi! American Giant! Get 15% off your first order when you use promo code TSS at american-giant.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Study Notes 2 Timothy Protect the treasure that has been entrusted to you. David Anderson Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately (2:15). On Paul’s 2 missionary journey, the church in Lystra and Iconium highly recommended a young man named Timothy (Acts 16:1-2). Paul heeds their recommendation, circumcises Timothy and takes him on missionary journeys where he trains him. At the end of Acts, Paul is imprisoned in Rome and probably released around AD 62. After Paul travels towards Macedonia, he leaves Titus in Crete (which we will study next week) and leaves Timothy in Ephesus for a very difficult assignment (1 & 2 Timothy). Unfortunately, Paul’s prediction to the Elders of the Ephesian church was realized, I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Even from among your own group men will arise, teaching perversions of the truths to draw the disciples away after them (Acts 20:29-30). The Ephesian heresy: The Ephesian false teachers were preoccupied with myths, genealogies, useless speculation, profane chatter, absurdities, so-called “knowledge” (1 Tim. 1:4, 6, 4:7, 6:4, 20-21). They wanted to use the Law to make themselves look good, but the Law was given to condemn, convict and to show us that salvation does not come from law-keeping but by Christ’s grace (1 Tim.1:8-17). The Ephesian false teachers were also undermining the roles of men and women in the church as well (1 Tim. 2:9-15). Asceticism was prevalent in the Ephesian heresies. This false doctrine of extreme self-denial in order to release the soul from the body caused them to prohibit marriage, abstinence from certain foods (1 Tim. 4:3-5). The false teachers were characterized by: envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions, constant bickering and greed (1 Tim. 6:4- 10, 17-18). Some like Hymenaeus and Philetus had strayed further and further from the truth, even saying the resurrection has already occurred (2 Tim. 2:16-18). The false teachers undermined the people’s faith and captivated weak women who are overwhelmed with sins (2 Tim. 3:6). The time was coming when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things. And they will turn away from hearing the truth (2 Tim. 4:3-4). In 2 Timothy, Paul is in Rome as a prisoner again (2:9), but it is not the house arrest of Acts 28 or 1 Timothy. Sometime has passed and Paul is probably imprisoned in a dark, cold, and dank dungeon in Rome. According to tradition, Paul was beheaded under Nero’s persecution at Tre Fontane near the 3 milestone on the Ostian Way in Rome (Bruce). He declares in 2 Timothy 4:16, “At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted me–may they not be held accountable for it.” Paul is lonely and awaiting his execution (4:6) and he wants Timothy to encourage him in Rome with his shepherding heart (1:4, Phil. 2:20). As Paul faces death, his heart turns toward encouraging and equipping his dear Timothy and the difficult assignment he has given him in Ephesus. Paul’s message is unlike any of his other eleven epistles. Paul’s words to Timothy are personal, intimate, and soaked with love and care. On the eve of his own death, Paul explains to Timothy three ways to steward this wonderful gift of God’s Word that Timothy has been entrusted with. 1) So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2:1). Timothy needed to hear this message as much as Paul longed to have his companion with him gain (1:1-4, 4:9, 21). Timothy’s gift needed rekindling (1:6), his fear needed to be addressed head on (1:7) and be cautioned of his potential shame over the gospel and Paul (1:8). Post A.D. 64 (Rome’s burning), it was even more difficult and dangerous to be a Christian. Many of Paul’s partners chose to pull back and protect themselves from the hostility and attacks on the faith (4:10). Unlike Demas and others who were running from the suffering (4:10), Paul exhorts Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 1) Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus 2) Entrust the Word to faithful people 3) Seize your share of suffering Stewardship begins by living it out. If you want the Word of God to have an impact on others, it needs to begin with you. You can’t give away, what you have not received. Grace is what strengthens and unfortunately our pride and natural gifts and abilities can be the greatest enemies of grace! 2) And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well (2:2). Entrust the Word to faithful people so that they will teach others. Paul is not talking about seminars or finding the right book to read. He is talking about discipleship. The reason Paul says, “and entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses” is Timothy was a living example of this discipleship process. Timothy was Paul’s spiritual child in the faith. Paul had poured months and years into Timothy. For some reason, we picture Paul as this self-sufficient, self-starter, conquering missionary of Jesus Christ. Paul was never alone, except for those moments he was forced to be in prison. He was always pouring into people’s lives and expecting them to do the same. Paul tells Timothy to entrust, disciple and equip “faithful” people: trustworthy, faithful, and dependable. 3) Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner unless he competes according to the rules. The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops. Think about what I am saying and the Lord will give you understanding of all this. (2:3-7). Paul exhorts Timothy to seize or embrace his share of the suffering (1:8, 2:3, 3:12, & 4:5). There is as Paul describes in Philippians 3:10, a fellowship of suffering. Accepting or taking your share of suffering is joining the world-wide fellowship of that suffering that of course Jesus Christ has led us in. Taking this opportunity to put yourself under this weight and carrying it with the world-wide Body of Christ. Peter says, your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering (1 Pet 5:9). Paul gives us 3 illustrations: 1) the singular focus of the soldier, 2) the training and discipline of the athlete and 3) the hard-working farmer. Each metaphor offers a different reward: pleasing the one who recruited him, being crowned as the winner, and the first share of the crops. Additional advice: Don’t wrangle over useless, damaging words (2:14), avoid profane chatter (2:16), avoid youthful passions (2:22), reject foolish and ignorant controversies (2:23), must not engage in heated disputed (2:24). Make every effort to be a proven worker, teaching the message of truth accurately (2:15), pursue righteousness, faithful- ness, love, and peace (2:22), be kind towards all, apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness (2:23- 24). Continue in the complete and sufficient truth of Scripture despite the coming doctrinal assault (3:1-16). Preach the Word despite the moving culture and waves of dissent; for Christ is going to judge the living and the dead (4:1- 8). Why faithfully release God’s Word? The power of Jesus Our reward and reign In order for others to Truth will no longer Christ over death: with Christ: obtain salvation: be tolerated & Scripture is sufficient. Jesus is the only One who gave us this holy calling, broke the power of death and brought life and immortality. He is the One who is able to protect, strengthen, and deliver what has been entrusted (1:9-10, 12, 4:17-18). Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David; such is my gospel (2:8). Please the One who recruited him (soldier), crowned winner (athlete),and enjoying the first share of the crops (farmer) (2:4-7). We will reign with Christ (2:12), Christ will judge the living and the dead (4:1) and will award the crown of righteousness (4:8). Paul’s in prison but God's message is not imprisoned! Endure hardship so that others can obtain salvation (2:9-10). Perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth and they will come to their senses and escape the devil's trap where they are held captive to do his will (2:25-26). People will no longer tolerate truth but will turn to myths and will love pleasure rather than loving God (3:1-9, 13, 4:3-4). Scripture is God breathed, complete and sufficient for every good work (3:16- 17).

Olly Magnus has had an interesting journey through life! CEO of Magnus Group, a transport, warehousing & freight specialist company, initially started as a shipping agency by his father Paul in 1973. After Paul’s death in 2018, Olly sold up his own business to buy shares in Magnus Group and bring the business back under family ownership. We connected with Olly following a social media post entitled “This man is…” which openly revealed how he was dealing with life challenges, this is that story...

After Paul returns from Mount Sinai to talk with God, he returns to Damascus for 3 years, giving him enough distance from the intense scrutiny from the Christian leadership in Jerusalem as well as learning a tent making trade that would help fund his travels.

We've all got treasured memorabilia from our beloved band that we love to exhibit. That's the thought behind this new feature on Jamily Matters. Our first guest for the "PJ Merch" series is the morning show host for Minneapolis' CITIES 97.1 (and HUGE PJ fan), Paul Fletcher. After Paul and Roche discuss some behind the scenes radio stuff (2:37), Billie Jean joins them in showing off about some of their favorite Pearl Jam items (13:53). It's like Antique Roadshow...for Pearl Jam stuff!Visit CITIES 97.1.com for more info about Paul Fletcher.

Paul Tei Paul Tei was born and raised in Hollywood, Florida. As an actor he's been in some of the most indelible television shows such as Bloodline on Netflix and Burn Notice-one of cables biggest hits. After Paul received his MFA in directing at The Theatre School at De Paul University,he moved back to Miami where he founded the Mad Cat Theatre Company. Paul has remained the Artistic Director since it's humble origins in the fall of 2000. Paul has directed all but two of the company's productions and has written or co-written almost half of the company's plays over it's history. In addition to Mad Cat, Paul has directed over 70 productions from Miami to San Francisco, LA to New York as well as the re-mounting of Kristina Wong's Going Green the Wong Way at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which had it's world premiere in Miami with Mad Cat Theatre Company. His BA in Theatre from Barry University helped round out his talents in the theatre by allowing him to pursue puppetry, sound, light, costume and set design. He currently resides in LA. Screen Heat Miami Screen Heat Miami (SHM) is hosted by veteran Miami based producers Kevin Sharpley and JL Martinez and each week covers the latest trends in the film, tv, and entertainment industry, including interviews with global and local industry leaders, all told from a "Miami" point of view.

Bible Study with Jairus- Acts 17 In the beginning of Acts 17 it tells us that Paul and Silas came to the synagogue in Thessalonica to preach the gospel. Some people were persuaded, but it also led to the opposition of many Jews. The Jews wanted to bring Paul and Silas out to the crowd but could not find them. Because of this, the Jews dragged Jason out who had received Paul and Silas. Because of this, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and upon their arrival, they started to preach the gospel in the synagogue. The people there were more open-minded than the Thessalonians. When the Jews in Thessalonica heard about it, they came over to stir up trouble again. The believers then sent Paul to the coast and escorted him to Athens, while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. When Paul arrived in Athens, he asked the people who escorted him to let Silas and Timothy come over. Then the Bible records: 17:16 (NIV) While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17:17 (NIV) So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 17:18 (NIV) A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. The Christian woman who was leading our Bible Study asked, “Why is it that the Jews of Thessalonica were so opposed to Paul's evangelism and when Paul arrived in Berea, why did the Jews from Thessalonica travel to Berea to oppose Paul? Why is it wherever Paul and Silas went, they went to the synagogue first to preach the gospel? And why is it when Paul arrived in Athens, he still let Silas and Timothy to come over? It seems that Timothy had always been with Paul, but why is it he didn't mention Timothy when he was in Thessalonica and Berea? After the Jews brought Jason to the crowd, why was it recorded in Acts 17:7-8 (NIV) that: "Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus. When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil." Why were they thrown into turmoil? There are a lot of questions here but we can only answer one at a time so let's start with why the Jews were thrown into turmoil when they heard Jesus was king. I shared that there was a historical background to this which I learned while I was studying Christian theology. During the time when the Israelites were against Roman rule, there were several different Jewish factions. The Herodians and Sadducees mentioned in the Bible were Roman advocates; but the Pharisees and the Zealots advocated for independence and were opposed to Roman rule. In particular, the Zealots advocated the use of violent and revolutionary means to overthrow Roman rule, and they launched violent uprisings against Roman rule but were brutally suppressed by the Romans. After the brutal crackdown, the Zealots were almost completely exterminated. The Pharisees were basically politically cautious. They didn't fiercely advocate revolution, and thus survived. But the faction that advocated cooperation with the Romans occupied a large part of Israel's upper class. Why were the Jewish crowds and the city officials thrown into turmoil when they heard that Jesus was another king? One of the reasons may be that many Jews advocated cooperation with the Romans. It can be said that they were "Jewish traitors”. So, if Jesus (another king) came and if He was able to lead the Israelites in a successful revolt, would they have to liquidate the history of these traitors? And Jesus is really the king of Israel. Not only were these Jews afraid that He would become king, but even his disciples were hoping that He would really be king in order to lead them to revolutionary success and to drive the Romans out and restore Israel's glory. Looking at these two examples, the identity of the Lord Jesus as a Jewish king does bring hope but it also poses a threat to some groups of people. Although Jesus had already been crucified when Paul preached the gospel, talking about Him as another king of the Jews could have caused another Jewish revolution.  The revolts might have been successful and the Roman advocates would be called traitors.  If the revolution wasn't successful the Israelites would be brutally suppressed by the Romans again.   Therefore, there were valid reasons why the Jews fiercely opposed evangelism. It could even be said that it was a very legitimate reason to protect the Israelites from harm. Those who hold this view believe that the people who were opposing Paul's evangelism were actually protecting ordinary Israelites from the Romans, because the history of the fierce suppression of the Zealots was still fresh in their memory. It may be for these reasons, plus several others, that these Jews from Thessalonica had gone to Berea to oppose Paul's evangelism. In both places, Paul was forced to leave. Please note that the first time Paul was forced to leave Thessalonica and flee to Berea, he was with Silas. The second time Paul was forced to leave Berea and was escorted to Athens while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. When he arrived in Athens, the one who escorted Paul had taken orders from him and went back to call Silas and Timothy to come over Athens, and left. Here, I guess the person who escorted Paul is just one person, or even if it's a few people, they were all gone. After Paul was left alone, he encountered a lot of difficulties. Herein lays the problem. When American pastors and teachers travel to other countries to preach, they spend many exhausting hours on the plane and then often proceed directly to the place they are to preach.   Many times they are already exhausted when they reach their destination. They need to be strengthened by the Lord before they can finish their sermon. Even though we have airplanes and better traveling conditions, a long flight is still exhausting.  If that's the case, imagine that if you were Paul, and you traveled long distances to evangelize and you were continuously being chased. Now you are alone in Athens, and Athens is full of idols. How would you react? Let's look at Paul's reaction. Acts 17:16-18 (NIV) says that: 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. How should we look at this passage? The church that I was saved in was more in favor of Paul's work. In my spiritual education, Paul was rarely criticized. But when the Lord led me to look at the teachings of some of the Bible teachers outside the traditions of my evangelical church, I heard some criticisms towards Paul. I heard a message from Rick Joyner that there are statistics showing that 80% of the Exegetical and Hermeneutical Work of Bible after Martin Luther's Reformation have been about Paul. Rick saw Paul once in a vision. Paul told him that everyone has highly exalted him. They should not take his work to analyze the four Gospels. Instead, they should use the words of the four Gospels to measure his works. Rick Joyner also said that Paul's life has undergone three stages of growth and change. The initial stage seems to be what he said in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians (NIV), “My immediate response was not to consult any human being.” There seems to be some pride in saying these words; but in the second stage, he claims that “For I am the least of the apostles” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 15:9) and “I am less than the least of all the Lord's people” (NIV, Ephesians 3:8); Later he said, “I am the worst sinner of them all.” (NIV, 1 Timothy 1:15). These verses show that Paul had also undergone a process of constant humility. There is some controversy that arises when reading Paul's work. The controversy revolves around the issue of Paul's teachings being infallible. Paul is a human being and all human beings are bound to make mistakes. But if Paul was used to write the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, could there be any errors? If you believe that Paul can't be wrong, that doesn't really make sense because humans are bound to make mistakes. If you believe that Paul can be wrong, then how do you decide which subjects he was right or wrong about? This is an issue in particular with the controversy about Paul's prohibition of women preaching. Was Paul wrong to base it on the customs of that time, or were his words the revelation of the Holy Spirit? How we should view Paul's teachings? Whether Paul is right or wrong in this matter has become a big debate in Christian exegesis. But for now, we won't discuss the issue of whether women should or shouldn't preach. We certainly believe that Paul's words are the revelation of the Holy Spirit, but we also believe that Paul went through a learning process because he experienced failure. Although the Biblical education I received did not say that Paul's experience in Athens was a failure, I have heard other Bible teachers mention that Paul's attempt to win people's hearts in accepting Christ through debating at Athens was a failure. They specifically compared what is written in Galatians 3:5 with Paul's experience in Athens. Paul says in Galatians 3:5 (NIV), "So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?" Here, Paul specifically mentioned that the Galatians started with the Spirit so that they should not fall into the flesh. He preached the gospel by relying on the Holy Spirit. He had also performed miracles to bring the Galatians to salvation. Let's take a look again at Chapter 17 verses 16-18 (NIV): 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. I agree more with the argument that Paul's debating may not have had good results here. Allow me to explain my thoughts.  As I mentioned earlier, Paul was chased twice by the Jews. He was accompanied by Silas the first time, and the second time; he was accompanied by an escort. When he arrived in Athens, the person who escorted him went back to assist Silas and Timothy so they could come quickly to Athens. In this interval, Paul was alone. Even if Paul possessed remarkable abilities/powers, he would still feel lonely when he was alone. The Bible tells us “How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight?” (NIV, Deuteronomy 32:30). The principle that God established was to partner us with the body of Christ. At this time, when Paul was left alone, he might have faced an attack and incitement of the enemy. My personal view is that after Paul experienced the continuous attacks and rejection of the Jews plus the fact that he was left alone in Athens and saw that the city was full of idols, he became greatly distressed. Then I think he started to reason and ask himself, was he still in the spirit? The Bible does not explain this so we do not know for sure. But the view I mentioned before, that is, the result of Paul's hopes of spreading the gospel to the Athenians through debating did not go very well. So Paul's experience in Athens is regarded as one of his failures. Let me discuss the inspiration that I received during this meeting. It can be said through the word "react" or more appropriately, "to be influenced by the environment". In our spiritual experience as Christians, we should be seated in heavenly places in Christ, but sometimes our flesh or minds are provoked and make us react in our minds and in the flesh. Afterwards, we often regret the experience. I recently listened to a very early message from an American pastor named Jack Deere about the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He mentioned a very interesting experience that he had. He said that he is a pastor in a not so well-off place in the United States. As a pastor, he is often misunderstood and attacked by others. One day, a female Christian, in a church where he served as a pastor, said to him, "You are just serving as a pastor here for the money." He was very angry and he answered her back. Things like this seemed to happen all the time. He asked the Lord, “What is going on?” The Lord said that this is the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He said, “When will it end?” The Lord replied, "When you can treat those who criticize you with a gentle and kind spirit." Jack Deere is a pastor who moved from the evangelical church to the charismatic movement. He is well-known in the Christian world in the United States. He is also one of the few American pastors I know of that teaches the discipline of the Holy Spirit. Supposedly, he's also a person who pursues deeper spirituality, but he shared this experience to let us see that a person who pursues spirituality is often influenced by the environment especially when they are not mature enough. When Jack Deere's spiritual discipline was more mature, he would respond more gently and lovingly to those who criticize him. When a Christian is practicing to be more spiritual, we need to learn not to react to the environment or be influenced by the environment. Instead, we should react to the heavenly reality and our communication with the Lord, and out of our position of sitting together with Christ in heavenly places.  Reacting to the environment or what you see will end up pulling you down to the level of the environment itself. Can Paul's experience here be pulled down by the surrounding environment? We know that Paul is a man with heavenly experience and vision, but there are times that people become weak, especially when he is constantly attacked by Jews, and his co-workers Silas and Timothy are not beside him to assist him. He might have been very knowledgeable since he received training from Gamaliel, and he was good at debating. After he was enraged in the spirit, his soul also became agitated: "You guys know how to debate, I also know to debate. Your philosophy is great. My philosophy is also very impressive." As you can see here, not only did he debate with the Jews and God-fearing people, but he has also debated with the people he met in the marketplace every day, and some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers who have argued with him. We are not sure whether Paul is like this, but those who hold the view that Paul has done nothing wrong is untenable because Paul is a human being, and every human being has a process of learning and continuous maturing. In his later years, Paul did not think that he was fully mature yet, saying that “I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” (NIV, Philippians 3:14). If Paul's later years are not fully mature, then Paul's experience should be a process of continuous maturity. The only difficulty is how we see Paul's continuous maturity process with the help of the Holy Spirit, but at the same time not be affected in accepting the fact that the Holy Spirit has spread the Word of God through Paul's mouth. Judging from my limited personal evangelistic experience, many times we encounter some atheist Chinese, who often debate with the people who are preaching the gospel. I personally feel that these debates are often not very effective. The best way is to influence them through prayers and testimonies of love. Of course, among many Christians who advocate Power Evangelism, there are many who use the power of the Holy Spirit to let the atheists be convinced. The debate is usually not very effective. Debates often let us fall to the battlefield of the mind, and debates are things that often happen after we have fallen into a reprobate mind. I slowly learned a lesson, that is, when a person is not ready to accept Christ, or the Holy Spirit hasn't yet reached a point where he has begun to work on the person to open up his/her mind, we don't need to have too much debate with him/her. Instead, we can silently pray for the person with an attitude of give and take in the service of love. It has a better effect as time passes. In addition to this it's important to be spiritually paired with other believers no matter how knowledgeable or spiritual you may be.  Paul knows this very well. But does the absence of Silas and Timothy affect Paul's judgment? Although Paul is an apostle, the Bible clearly says that Silas is a prophet. If Silas is there, will Silas pray to God to get any prophetic revelation on how to do the work of evangelism in the city of Athens? Or if Timothy is there, will he be more eloquent to deliver and preach the gospel? Although Timothy is younger than Paul, we have seen how young people can do many things better in the church. When people who don't know much about God come to church, the effect when the pastor preaches a profound sermon is often not as good as the testimony of a few Christians who have faith in the Lord from the very start. The latter is more appealing to those who have just come into contact with the gospel. This is also my personal point of view. I think that Paul may be more suitable to teach those who want to seek and experience the truth on a deeper level, but Timothy may be more suitable to test the waters first in Athens. Their human hearts are not prepared yet for the idol worshipping people so we should let Timothy pave the way through his words. Or let Silas pray to God to see what strategic or spiritual guidance God has, and then find ways to preach the gospel here. But it seems that it wasn't mentioned here that Paul has received any revelation or God's guidance. Instead, the Bible mentions that he had reacted because he was angry in the spirit. Is this reaction completely from God?  We don't know. But I think that those who hold the view that since Paul was an apostle, everything he did was right and he didn't need to seek God's guidance, and he won't ever make mistakes is untenable. Although Paul was an apostle, he has the ability to make mistakes and will need a process of learning from them. I personally think that Paul should not be in a rush and do things hastily. He should take a rest and wait until Silas and Timothy come to discuss the matter together and then take action. In other words, Paul is too rash here. This may be one of Paul's weaknesses. Of course, our analysis is not necessarily right, but it can provide us with another idea, that is, to understand the process of Paul's growth in God. Paul was a person, not a God. Did he have any shortcomings? It's safe to say that it's very natural for everyone to have weakness. Did Paul have any weaknesses? If what we propose here exposes the weakness of human nature, what is Paul's weakness? What effect does Paul's weakness have on his ministry? We don't know the specific weaknesses that Paul had, but it's impossible for a person not to have any weakness. Even if people don't have obvious weaknesses, they need to be paired with other believers who have different giftings.  Therefore, the pairing of Silas and Timothy to Paul is very important. Of course, we are not totally negating the effect of Paul's evangelism in Athens. Although he wasn't good at convincing the Athenians through debating, he had attracted some people who were seeking the truth. Acts 17:19-21 (NIV) says: "Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)” You can see that the explanation in verse 21 is that the Athenians and the foreigners who live there are very busy, and they have no time to take care of other things. So these people took Paul and brought him to Areopagus to talk about these new lessons/ideas which stood out to us. Going back to what we mentioned earlier, Paul may not have the silver tongue of Timothy, or the effect of preaching the gospel to the newcomers or those who are occupied by the world's affairs, but Paul didn't fail to attract those who really seek the truth. Paul's personality may be more suitable to people who are diligent seekers of truth. Paul spoke a very famous passage in Acts 17:24-27 (NIV) which says that: "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” We have no intention of belittling Paul, and the experience here is also the highlight of Paul's experience in Athens. But I personally don't think that idolizing Paul or assuming that he doesn't have a process of continuous maturity, is correct. Paul is a human being. When he is continuously attacked and left alone, he will be weak and will be incited by the environment to react. And such a reaction usually pulls us down to the level of the environment or the enemy, letting us lose the commanding heights of victory in Christ. An example is Pastor Jack Deere that I mentioned earlier. When others criticize you, don't rush to react. Instead, rest in the Lord and ask His wisdom and follow his leading to deal these criticisms. Similarly, I think that Paul should not be rash here. He should seek the Lord on how to evangelize Athens which was occupied by idols. He should also wait for Silas and Timothy to come and discuss first before making any decisions. It's not that Paul has no wisdom, but Paul was constantly attacked and alone. He needs to get a good rest and to be taken care of. We have a new couple coming to our Bible study. I hoped to give them a prophetic word before the end of our meeting. I prayed to God and asked Him, “Are there any prophetic words to give and bless them?” I heard the Holy Spirit say two names, Aquila and Priscilla. I prophesied by faith that: I feel that God believes that you are Aquila and Priscilla. They have the same line of work as Paul, but they have also taken care of him. Although Paul is an apostle, the apostles also need to be cared to and helped by people. I feel that God called you to be Aquila and Priscilla to train the Paul of tomorrow, because in this era, God will raise and widely use many Paul-like apostles. God called you to be Aquila and Priscilla to cherish those who are serving as apostles. Whether this person is still your child, or a little brother or sister in your church, God will use you to fulfill them in order to make them become servants like Paul. As we saw in this chapter, Paul also has weaknesses and there are times that he needs help and to be paired with other believers. Paul's encounter with Aquila and Priscilla was a turning point in Paul's spirituality, because the couple, Aquila and Priscilla, is very compassionate. They were tentmakers just as Paul was and they had received Paul. We believe that Aquila and Priscilla have tended Paul to a large extent, so after Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, it could be said that spiritually, he became more mature. How God used Aquila and Priscilla to take care of and complete Paul's ministry, God will also use you two to come along side and complete the Pauls of tomorrow. I prophesied that according to the principle that “everyone can prophesy” (1 Corinthian 14:31), it's not because I am a prophet. I was saved in an Evangelical church, but I learned the gift of prophecy after I first came into contact with the American modern prophetic movement in 2015. Of course, I studied five courses at a prophetic school, and their teachings helped me to go and activate this prophetic gift. I prophesied with inspiration and faith. I don't know if these words are correct for the couple because they didn't give me feedback. However, after other friends who were in the meeting with me verified Acts 18, they began to discover Paul's experience of encountering Aquila and Priscilla. It seems that perhaps, I am speaking by the Holy Spirit. Because when I prophesied, I was not sure when Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, nor was I very familiar with the content of Acts 18. I hope that when we have the opportunity to read Acts 18, we can learn more about how Aquila and Priscilla have tended and helped Paul with the help of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for reading, listening or watching.  

After Paul has opened their eyes in greater measure to the coming of Jesus and the trouble preceding it, he turns to how we live in light of this coming day. How do we live in trying times?  Paul was preparing them for life as if there would be time...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.IntroductionSilas is mainly referred to in Acts 15-18. “Silas” first appears in Acts 15:22. He is referred to by his full name, Silvanus, in 2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1; and 1 Pet 5:12.His ministry is rich:Silas is a prophet—one of two who encourage the faithful in Antioch (15:32). In some sense, bringing the Word of God—or a word from God.He's also a writer. He assisted both Paul (1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1) and Peter (1 Pet 5:12).And he is Paul's colleague in ministry. After Paul's disagreement with Barnabas, Paul takes Silas with him (in lieu of Barnabas himself) on the trip to the cities where Paul and Barnabas had established congregations (Acts 15:40). Compared with Barnabas, Silas is perhaps more an assistant than a partner. Nevertheless, especially considering their Philippian experience, they must have been bonded.Acts 16:19-40The situation in Acts 16:16ff. – economic motivation for persecution.Notice the verbs: seized, dragged, stripped, beaten, flogged, thrown, fastened.Lack of due process. Both Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. When I’m treated unfairly, do I pout?I often assumed these were happy songs. Maybe so, yet the Psalms include many darker, though situationally more appropriate, prayers.Praying and singing are excellent therapy for the cuts and bruises, and even for the injustice.The miraculous release reminds us of Peter’s release from prison in Acts 12.Further:Thessalonica: After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia (Acts 17:1). Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas (17:4a). While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly. (17:5b).Berea: That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea (17:10). When Paul leaves Thessalonica, Silas stays behind with Timothy, and is thereafter associated exclusively with him and only secondarily with Paul (17:14, 17:15b, 18:5a).Corinth: Preached there along with Paul and Timothy (Acts 18:5). The trio are also mentioned in 2 Cor 1:19.For us:Don’t be afraid of opposition. An extra reason—besides Jesus’ and Paul’s promise that it is unavoidable, and Peter’s promise that the spirit of glory will rest upon us—is relational. It draws people together when they shareabout their hardships—or share them, going through them together.When you’re in trouble, sing (Acts 16:25)!Be faithful. Peter tells us Silas is a “faithful” brother.We will not be perfect, but we can be faithful.It’s nice when busy people need us, and can depend on us. Silas was such a person.Accept differing degrees of closeness between Christians, even when they spend a significant amount of time together.Consider Jesus and the 3, or Paul and Timothy.And that’s okay! Be content to be the "number two guy."

Fight for Unity, not our Ideas! Ephesians 4:1-6 January 17, 2021 I. Introduction: A. The pain of division is deep and the blessing of unity is sweet to the soul! 1. In 2020 and the start of 2021 our nation has felt the pain of division and it has reached into the church, our friendships and families. 2. As I have sought to process this, I certainly do not have all the answers and to be honest with you, I do not even know where much of the truth is with so many lies, distortions, exaggerations, half-truths, withheld or censored information, truth and views being promoted from personal agendas by extremist politicians on both sides of the aisle, and by the media of every type! 3. This I do know for sure – division should not have reached into the church as the church is supposed to be the one place of unity in the world. The ultimate answer to divisions comes from Jesus and His Word, which has no lies, distortions, exaggerations, half-truths. B. After Paul spent the first three chapters in the book of Ephesians teaching us amazing truths about who we are as believers and as a church, now there is a major transition where Paul distills all this truth into real life wisdom regarding how these truths are supposed to work out in our lives. C. Turn to Ephesians 4:1 where we see this major transition. Read v1a 1. Therefore, the first word in this verse is simply saying this – here is the conclusion from everything that you heard in the first three chapters. So chapters 4-6 become the “so what” of everything we learned in chapters 1-3. 2. He gives us the first “so what” in v1-6. As I read, it watch for what I believe to be the heart of the passage: “a fitting lifestyle for believers is to fight for unity by tolerating others!” 3. As I read this section, remember that the Jews and gentiles made up this church with very different backgrounds and had a long history of hostility towards each other! 4. Read v1-6 • Let’s look at this big idea a piece at a time! Let’s start with … II. A fitting lifestyle for believers A. Now he is talking about the way we walk as believers, our lifestyle. 1. Read v1a-b 2. He starts off with a serious plea to live our lives in a way that is worthy, that is fitting, that is suitable, B. He is talking about a life that is appropriate of the calling to which we have been called. 1. Read v1c 2. That is what we learned in chapters 1-3, who we are as believers and as a church! • So he is calling us into a fitting lifestyle for believers and that consists in III. Fighting for unity! A. In verse 3, we are told specifically to work hard, to give intense effort to guard the unity of the spirit. 1. Read v3 2. A great application of this verse is what my good brother Ron Benton has said to me often– we need to fight for unity not for our ideas! B. In addition, it will take a fight to be unified. 1. We in the church are different in so many ways: not only ethnic differences but political, background differences, different degrees and kinds of brokenness, age differences, gender differences, socio economic differences, spiritual maturity differences, spiritual gift differences, etc., etc. 2. Add on top of this that in 2020 things like masks, racial tensions and politics provided plenty of bait for us to create divisions. 3. Here is the worse part – sometimes we fight over interpretations of the Bible like Democrats and Republicans fight in Congress! 4. All of these have the potential to rub against us in a way that can create division within a church. C. Then in v4-6 Paul shares seven unities that all believers share, this becomes the basis of our unity, the foundation upon which our unity stands. For the sake of time, I will read them but only illustrate two of these as to how they practically become the basis of our unity! Read v4-6 1. Illustrate - a) Lord – Jesus Christ is the Lord – if we want unity, we must seek the lordship and will of Jesus rather than our own wants and ideas or we will constantly be divided. (1) This is about not my will but thine be done. It is about seeking and fighting for God’s will over my best ideas or deepest desires! b) Faith – there is one body of truth that God has given us that we put our faith in and that is the Bible. It is our constitution, blueprint and owner’s manual! (1) If we want unity our decisions, beliefs, practices and ways must come from the same starting point and authority – the Bible! (2) We will never be unified if we look instead to how the business world does things, how my political party does it, how psychology does it, how other organizations do it, best practices of others, my own best ideas, how my family did it, etc. (a) There may be help with some of these things but they cannot be our starting point or the foundation for our discussions! (2) 1 Corinthians 3 says that there are believers who are carnal. They walk like mere men, nothing in their life or thinking is different from those of the world! (a) Your chances of unity in discussion with a believer like that are about as good as a discussion with a person who does not know the Lord or accept the Bible II. Now we know that a fitting lifestyle for believers is to fight for unity, but how do we get there? It is all in our attitudes, it comes … III. By tolerating others! A. To be honest with ourselves it is easy to be with people who are just like us but people who are very different from us take a lot of work! B. Tolerance simply means bearing with someone who is very different from me, one who thinks very differently from me even someone that has opinions that mine very different from me! 1. Most of the world today defines tolerance as choosing to love, accept and treat with respect and kindness anyone and everyone, except for those who disagree with us! Especially biblically minded Christians 2. Biblical tolerance is choosing to love, accept and treat with respect and kindness anyone and everyone, even those who disagree with us! C. In verse 2, he shows us the three attitudes that will be necessary to tolerate other believers who are very different from you to fight for unity. 1. Watch for these as I reread v2 – 3a D. Unity comes when we diligently watch over our own hearts and attitudes. So let me ask you a few questions to consider before the Lord this week. 1. What do you learn about your own heart by the way you responded to people and ideas that are very different to yours in 2020? 2. How closely did your heart match up to the three key attitudes in verse 2 that are necessary to show tolerance to others in love? a) Humility – means lowliness of mind, is just the opposite of pride where deep down I think I am better than, and of greater value that other person who is different from me. b) Gentleness – this simply means you are not harsh, forceful, stern or rough. Instead you are delicate, mild and tender with people and ideas that are different than yours c) Patience – this is the one of the three that challenges me the most when I understand what it means. I love the way one Greek dictionary says it is– a state of emotional calm without complaint or irritation when faced with something or someone that provokes you or a misfortune. (1) It goes on to say another way to say it is like this – “to remain seated in one’s heart” or “to keep ones heart from jumping” (2) That means that someone who is very different from me or an idea that is very different from mine or one of the issues of 2020 comes in front of me like bait. Either I can sit there in my heart quietly and without complaint and respond with humility and gentleness or I can take the bait and my heart jumps with irritation and harshly respond to them. E. Interesting to note that two of these three qualities (gentleness and patience) are fruits of the Holy Spirit. That means I need to depend upon the Holy Spirit to produce this in my life and when these attitudes are not present that is evidence that the Holy Spirit is not in control of my life II. Conclusion A. I remember as if it was yesterday when God was first challenging me about my impatience with those who had different ideas than mine. My heart was in the habit of jumping up out of its seat and being irritated and sucked into a divisive argument. 1. I remember going to a meeting knowing that ideas will be expressed that I did not agree with and knowing the tendency of my heart to jump and be sucked into a divisive argument. 2. I prayed for hours before that meeting that the Holy Spirit would control me and I would not be sucked in and jump out of the seat of my heart. 3. God supernaturally did it and I remember coming home so excited because the strong difference of opinion came but I did not jump out of the seat of my heart. Instead, I responded with gentleness! The next morning I woke up still amazed and rejoicing in what God did and I remember that God tapped me on the shoulder and said, I do not expect that from you for just one meeting but rather as part of your lifestyle every day when encountering people and ideas that are different than yours! B. That drives me to depend desperately upon the Holy Spirit moment by moment to have “a fitting lifestyle that fights for unity by tolerating others!

Join Pastor John White, and The Village Church of Byron, as they conclude Paul's letter to Titus. Our theme as we study through Titus has been, “A call to consistent Christian living through sound doctrine, holy conduct, and good works.” After Paul issued a call to remind, remember, and change, we wrap-up the book of Titus with the wonderful reminder that we can trust the Gospel.Visit The Village Church of Byron and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.r can send mail to: P.O. Box 327, Byron, MI 48418Founded in September of 2017, The Village Church of Byron is unapologetically devoted to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Through this podcast, we are asking God to use us in the hearts and lives of people throughout the world.If we can ever help you or answer any questions, please contact us at info@thevillagemi.com.

Acts 16:1-15 NIV 1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

It's the first combo of J.P., Josh, and Paul! After Paul gets up to speed with the ketchup, mayo and vest conversation from last time out Josh tells a story from the week about an incident he saw at their third-rate taco joint (7:30) and should they be calling it 'third-rate'? That prompts a talk about old working days. 19:00 - J.P. gives his review of The Pit Room in Houston from a couple weeks back. Simply amazing. Worth the hype.  24:30 - Yeah Rona is on the upswing with the 1,000,000th case in Texas. Paul and J.P. get in a knockdown dragout about how Texans would respond to a shutdown from a certain President-elect.  29:15 - J.P.'s off the cuff speech about what makes Texans so great and why we'll get through all this. 32:00 - Will anyone join J.P. on a quick golf and BBQ trip? Nope 35:30 - The Greenberg turkey plant exploded in Tyler, which brings up a fair question. Is turkey really that great?  40:30 - Mixing in some sports with Russell Westbrook's comments about the culture on the Rockets. 46:30 - This Week in Texas Sports & History features the birthday of Hall of Famer Ken Houston, who has ties to a member of the crew. A surprise birthday call is made to a certain web designer. The story of the Twin Sisters path to the Texas Revolution. And  why does the Mavericks fan have to display the Sam Cassell "dance" to Paul?   'The Texas Porch' is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Tune-in, I-Heart and all major podcast outlets. Also at www.thetexasporch.com Catch the Dallas Cowboys post-game episodes after each game! Subscribe here. Twitter:   @TexasPorchPod    Facebook: TexasPorchPod

 Ephesus: A Congregation in TroubleEphesus was a local assembly of God people on the coast of what is now Turkey. At that time it was a huge metropolitan city especially noted for it magnificent temple dedicated to Artemis. The goddess protector of young girls, also of childbirth/midwifery... You can read about Paul establishing the congregation in Acts 19:1-40 and dynamically drawing them out of a culture dedicated to the occult and sorcery. In Acts 20:17-38 you can read Paul's farewell warning to the elders there about false teachers who would soon attack them like ravenous wolves, and in Revelation 2:1-7 you can read Christ's assessment of Ephesus; they beat back the false teachings, persevered in the truth, but they appear to have lost much of their zeal and enthusiasm for the precious truth revealed to them. After Paul left Ephesus he travelled to Jerusalem where he was arrested, imprisoned, and sent to Rome for a trial. While under house arrest in Rome Paul wrote quite a bit concerning the Ephesian church: the book of Ephesians itself [a very high enthusiastic doctrinal message], plus 1st and 2nd Timothy which are written to Timothy concerning problems in the Ephesus church. Timothy was specifically sent there and commissioned to correct the situation [many aspects of this instruction are applicable to any congregation if necessary].Our purpose to day is to review Paul's instructions to Timothy.Request a free copy of THE CHURCH JESUS BUILT Keep Reading »

After Paul describes his deep hope in Jesus, he urges the Philippians to be like him. This means staying away from enemies of the cross and staying close to those who walk in the way of Jesus. This is a call to them and to us today to remember our identity and destiny.

Teaching Notes“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained...”Proverbs 29:18YOU ARE THE CHURCH. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. Acts 16:6-11“When they came to the border...After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once…” Acts 16:7, 10WHEN “THEIR STORY” BECOMES YOUR STORY, you shift from OBSERVATION TO OWNERSHIP. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatiranamed Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. Acts 16:12-15The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. (Acts 16:14)WHEN “THEIR STORY” BECOMES YOUR STORY, you shift from INFORMATION TO INTIMACY. Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. 19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. Acts 16:16-24WHEN “THEIR STORY” BECOMES YOUR STORY, you shift from ACTIVITY TO ADVENTURE. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. Acts 16:25-34WHEN “THEIR STORY” BECOMES YOUR STORY, you shift from FOREIGNERS to FAMILY. A2 Communities - join the revolution!If you’ve gone through the training - activate If not, then get into the training! Going Deeper1. In your life, describe the moment where “their faith” (e.g. your parent’s, your spouse, etc) became your faith? If you’re not sure, simply share who’s faith you most admire. 2. Whose story in Acts 16 do you most connect to? Luke’s shift from Observation to Ownership? Lydia’s shift from Information to Intimacy? Everyone’s shift from Activity to Adventure? The Jailor’s shift from Foreign to Family? 3. How connected do you feel right now to the A2 Revolution and/or Westside’s A2 Community initiative? What description below best fits you and why? Ecstatic Enthusiastic Curious Resistant Confused 4. What do you need to help you take your next step? Sunday Set ListThere’s Nothing That Our God Can’t Do- Passion MusicControl- Mitch LangleyPeace Be Still- The Belonging CoThe Blessing- Elevation WorshipBe sure to follow our Spotify Worship Playlist, updated weekly with the upcoming Sunday’s set!

Tim, Charlie and Paul are joined by Talia to about Talia's Liverpool story. First up we celebrate the holiday weekend and #ThisMeansMoreChallenge​ organized by #LFCFoundation​. Talia provided the wonderful music to accompany the collage of photos. We talk Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, the leadership example of James Milner and our welcoming Supporters Club here in Delaware. After Paul forgets to ask, Tim asks the really important questions about Talia's music and how she put the music together for this video. The Bigger cause we were supporting #FoodBankofDelaware​, and the activities that happened this weekend.

Today’s Scripture: After five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders, [a]with an [b]attorney named Tertullus, and they [c]brought charges to the governor against Paul. 2 After Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying to the governor, “Since we have through you attained much peace, and since by your providence […] The post Acts 24:1-9 appeared first on Mary DeMuth.

The Law and Grace as Parts of the Bigger Story Today we're learning about the Law and Grace while studying a section of Galatians 3. In this video, you'll learn new insights into central Gospel concepts about the law and grace. We'll approach the passage in ways that will help you to #ReadTheBibleBetter today and in the future. We'll learn about: The context and motivation behind the writing of Galatians. What Paul is communicating in this passage of scripture. The central gospel truths about the law and grace – including how they intersect, how they differ, and how to understand them side-by-side. How to Learn from This Passage At the end of this video, we'll synthesize what we've read and let it teach us something important about how we live our lives today as Christians and believers in the gospel. Regardless of its age, this message provides timeless course-correction for all Christians. The Big Ideas and Helpful Highlights of the Law and Grace in Galatians 3 Understanding Context Paul's Audience and Motivation Paul was writing to offer encouragement and correction to the churches in Galatia – churches he helped found and teach. His primary audience was that of non-Jewish followers of Jesus. After Paul's departure from Galatia, these new Christians had been told they needed to start following Jewish law. Paul writes to correct that teaching. Context within the Passage In this teaching, we're focusing on Galatians 3, verses 21-24, but we need to understand what's been communicated as this passage is introduced to really understand its meaning. Paul outlines the core relationship between God and His chosen people. He starts with its origins in the promise God gave to Abraham, and teaches that that promise will ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. In this context, Paul explains that the law was a trustee of God's people until the time for the promised inheritance to be fully given. Paul argues that the point of God's promise was the gift of salvation for all – not the means by which one might get there. In Paul's explanation, viewing the law as the means proves his point. One need only try to live in perfect accordance with the law to see that it is impossible. The law cannot bring righteousness. How This Helps You Read the Bible Better Paul's message has relevance not only for early Christians grappling with the role of the Jewish law. It is also for Christians today as we grapple with the tendency of many to use rigid rules and social expectations as substitutions for authentic engagement with God. When we cling to the rules as our path to God, we cut ourselves off from true ability to live in Grace. How to Learn Even More as You Study Learn new practices designed to help you dig into scripture from different angles and perspectives with my FREE Guide “5 Practices for Engaging Bible Study.” Sign up for your download here! Marina's Website (www.MarinaLMcClure.com) Marina on Facebook Marina on Instagram Marina on Pinterest Marina on Twitter SIGN UP for my NEWSLETTER to get all the latest! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marinalmcclure/message

“And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NIV)   “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.” Acts 16:7 (NIV)   “We can make our plans, but the Lord directs our steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)   When plans change, remember...   God has a better perspective.   “So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’  After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God called us to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16:8-10 (NIV)   It’s part of a bigger purpose.   “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer.  We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.  One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Acts 16:13-14 (NIV)   “Once we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future.  She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.  This girl followed Paul and the rest of us shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.’  She kept this up for many days.  Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!’  At that moment the spirit left her.” Acts 16:16-18 (NIV)   To give God praise.   “The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.  After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown in prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.” Acts 16:22-24 (NIV)   “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.  At once the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.” Acts 16:25-26 (NIV)

After Paul went through his belief about his fellow countrymen one day coming to faith in Jesus he launches into a time of praise and worship. In this reading, we see an exalted view of God and the reasons He should be praised.

We are in a series called Faith Foundations where Paul is telling Timothy what he must do and teach to the church in Ephesus. After Paul describes the goal of our instruction, he begins to give thanks to the Lord…

After Paul defends his faith before the Sanhedrin, Jesus stands by him, reassuring him of his presence and reminding him of his purpose. Paul will testify in Rome. Shortly thereafter a group of 40 Jews devise an evil plot to assassinate Paul. But even...

After Paul explained the extravagant grace that God bestows on us one could get confused and believe that one could remain in their sin so that they could get more grace. Paul reminds the Roman Christians that in their past they were baptized into Christ and their baptism signaled a break with the bondage of sin. It also signaled a resurrection future for them.

Everything God has revealed about Himself can only be understood through Jesus’ life, teaching, death, burial, and resurrection. Learning to apply this revelation knowledge to our lives is preceded first by experiencing it in our hearts. God revealed His Son to the apostle Paul first, as he meditated on Old Testament Scriptures about the Messiah (Gal. 1:16-17). After Paul brought this to life in his own heart, he was set apart into his apostolic ministry. One reason the early apostles changed the whole world was that they followed this same process. They knew the Word of God, experienced that Word in their hearts, learned how to live it, and then they showed it to the world. You, too, can change the world just like they did when you first experience God in your heart as Jesus has revealed Him to be.

Acts 17: 15, 22-18:1 - Paul speaks in Athens to an audience that opposes him Psalm 148 - In hardship, learn to praise with all your life John 15: 16-19 - When we have more to tell. In case you need the readings Acts 17: 15, 22-18:1 After Paul's escorts had taken him to Athens, they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said: “You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious. For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.' What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything. He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,' as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.' Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination. God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world with justice' through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.” When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We should like to hear you on this some other time.” And so Paul left them. But some did join him, and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. Psalm 148 R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights. Praise him, all you his angels; praise him, all you his hosts. R. Let the kings of the earth and all peoples, the princes and all the judges of the earth, Young men too, and maidens, old men and boys. R. Praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven. R. He has lifted up the horn of his people; Be this his praise from all his faithful ones, from the children of Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia. R. John 16: 12-15 Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/support

Happy Monday, friends! How was your celebration of the resurrection yesterday? Ours was obviously radically different. For one, the quarantine, for two, all of us lived in Alabama until the Summer of 2018, so this was our second Easter apart from our family back home in Dixie. Our church was not able to gather together in person in one room or place, but two interesting things happened. First, for the live-stream of our church's Easter celebration, we had so many people play a role. Three different worship teams - one a husband, wife and friend who led from our church building, another one of our deacons leading from his home, and then my wife and our two eldest daughters leading from our house, with an assist from my son reading Scripture. In addition to that, we had testimonies and encouraging words and Scriptures from at least seven other families, and then a short message from me. I was exhilarated and encouraged by hearing from so many of our church family. As we discussed last week, the church isn't just made up of a pastor and worship team, but a whole family gifted to reach the lost, build each other up, and serve the King. And then, we had an extra treat in the afternoon. My wife and daughters, joined with our pastor neighbor and his family for a time of worship outside in the afternoon. They played and sang from their yard, and we from ours, maintaining more than six feet of distance. Other neighbors came and joined in - all maintaining distance, with one family across the street. Four churches were represented. It wasn't a huge crowd, and it wasn't the most polished worship set ever, but it was really amazing and exhilarating to experience. Our together-celebration was lowered, but our proclamation was increased in a variety of ways. Thanks be to God. As you might have noticed, I sometimes steer clear of controversy on this show. There is a reason for that, and it is not that I want to avoid controversy. The main reason I avoid it is because biblical controversy is best handled in a local church setting, in the midst of relationships and leadership and pastoring. Where questions and discussion can happen face to face and unfold via relationship. A podcast just doesn't allow that to happen. I don't avoid every controversial passage, but do dance around a few that I'd be much rather cover in our local church context. That said, we're not going to steer so broadly around controversy today. We're going to turn the bow of this ship into the storm. We're not going straight into the middle of this storm, and by that metaphor, I mean I am not going to answer every possible objection and issue some might have with 1 Timothy 2, but I do want to give at least the beginnings of an answer. Batten down the hatches! 1st Timothy 2 is quite the controversial passage. Who does Paul think he is to tell women how to dress and to be quiet? Well, I'm not going to dive deep into this, but I will share a couple of things. In 1st Timothy 2, Paul does indeed tell women to dress in Kosmios/κόσμιος apparel. This is a difficult word to translate well, because it only appears twice in the Bible. The other time it appears is in 1 Timothy 3:  An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy. 1 Timothy 3:2 The same word that is translated as 'modest' in 1 Timothy 2 is translated as 'respectable' in 1 Timothy 3. So, Paul in one passage tells women to dress in this way, and in the second passage tells church leaders to behave and have this kind of character. Sensible/modest/appropriate. Who does this guy think he is? And the answer is that he is, under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, writing the Words and commands of God. That's what the Word of God is for. It is to tell us how God wants us to live, how to please Him. Sometimes that manifests itself in how we dress, sometimes in how we behave. We are followers of God, and we follow Him via His Word: 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 Ok, I hear you saying - I guess some of that makes sense, but what about this WOMEN MUST BE SILENT business. That just sounds ridiculous, sexist, and old-fashioned. I can appreciate where you are coming from, but I don't think that 'sexism' is the right conclusion, and I think I can come pretty close to proving that. First, allow me to say that I am what is called a biblical Complementarian theologically. That means I believe that God has given men and women equal worth and value, but different roles in the earthly Kingdom of God. Not everybody agrees with that, but I believe that it is beautiful when practiced biblically, with no hint of selfish sexism. Take Ephesians 5: 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:22-24 WHOA! How can it NOT be sexist to ask wives to submit to their husbands?! Have you met men?! Yeah, I get it. But, let's back out a little bit and see the verse in its context: 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband. Ephesians 5:21-33 So - this gives us a little bit of a clearer picture as to what is going on here. Paul calls wives to submit to their husbands, and I believe that is the Word of God. Keep reading - Paul then calls husbands to love their wives like Christ loved the church - by providing and caring for her. How did Christ take care of His church? BY DYING for it!! So - wives are called to SUBMIT. Husbands are called to SACRIFICE. Which of those two 'S' words are easier? Is it easier to sacrifice your wants/needs/desires/safety/physical well-being for another? To endure pain for them so that they don't have to? To utterly give yourself for them? OR is it easier to submit to a person - an imperfect person?! The fact is that BOTH of those things are hard. You might believe that husbands and wives should EQUALLY submit to each other and EQUALLY sacrifice for each other. You're entitled to your opinion, but that's not how the Bible lays it out. Husbands must sacrifice themselves for their wives. Wives are called to submit to their husbands. Is that sexist? I think a husband demanding submission who is unwilling to sacrifice is indeed sexist and sinful and abhorrent and a perversion of marriage. The greatest possible perversion of marriage is husband to wife physical or mental or emotional abuse. That a man could be called to sacrifice himself for his wife, and rather than do that, he abuses her? That is an abomination, and it is infuriating, and such men will face incredibly harsh judgment. They should be in JAIL on earth, and tortured in eternity. Likewise, I think a wife who demands her husband sacrifice himself for her (in the way Christ laid down His life for the church) and then refusing to follow His Godly leadership is also sexist, in a way. Husbands are to bear the bulk of sacrifice in the relationship, though wives should sacrifice for their husbands from time to time. Wives are to bear the bulk of the submission in the relationship, though husbands should certainly submit to their wives in things from time to time, as is fitting in an Ephesians 5:22 sort of way. That is what I believe the Bible teaches. Does that make me sexist? I don't think so, but you can feel free to think of me that way. Ultimately, I want to please God and love my wife well. Back to the silence thing. First of all, let me say that I believe the translators of the KJV somehow missed it when they translated the Greek word 'ἡσυχία hēsychía' as 'silence.' I think the translators of the CSB got the sense of the word much better by using the word 'quiet.' I do not believe that Paul is here forbidding women to speak in the least. First of all, etymologically, it comes from a root word that means to 'be settled.' For instance, consider a passage that uses the same word: 12 Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and provide for themselves. 2 Thessalonians 3:12 Is 2 Thessalonians 3:12 - directed at men and women - a command to be silent? It certainly doesn't appear that way. 'Silent' doesn't make any sense whatsoever in that passage. Quiet does. Being settled does. Since Paul is writing to Timothy about pastoring, and since he is about to introduce the topic of elders/pastors, I believe the context is 1 Timothy 2 in about how women should act during a church gathering when they are being taught. I note here that the same word is used of the men in Acts 22: “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” 2 When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter Acts 22:2 In other words, the men were listening and being quiet - which seems somewhat appropriate for some church services. (Although I actually like interaction in teaching quite often - as did Jesus, Paul and others) So - is Paul telling women to dress modestly, be quiet and submit? It all depends on how you frame it. Framed in a biblical way, those commands make sense and are lovely and beneficial for all. Paul does indeed tell men to be work in a quiet/sensible matter, to submit to all governing authorities, to sacrifice for their wives, to be gentle to them and never harsh, to not ever be bitter with her, and to love/take care of her in the same way the husband takes care of himself. Beloved: There are commands in the Bible from God. Some of them are written to women. Some to men. Some to children. Some - many - to pastors/shepherds/leaders. Some to followers. Some to moms. Some to fathers. Some to bosses, some to workers. This is what is meant by the Lordship of Christ. This is what is meant by 'following Him.' If you don't want to be told how to live life and what to do, you are going to struggle with the Bible and following Jesus completely. If you think you can pick some verses and commands to really love and follow and then rule the others as archaic and dated, then God isn't Lord -you are. You are the arbiter of your behavior in that scenario. This sort of approach doesn't work as workers in the workplace, nor as law-abiding citizens under traffic laws, etc., or as students in school, nor soldiers in the military, and it sure doesn't work under the authority of the King of Kings. Is He good? Do you trust Him? Is He really working all things for the good of those who know Him and are called according to His purposes? He is - so follow Him and trust His ways and commands. It's not easy to sacrifice for my wife, but I must. I'm sure it can often be difficult for her to follow my leadership, but I can sure help with that by sacrificing for her, by being gentle, taking care of her, loving her, listening to her, cherishing her, and by never being bitter or harsh with her, or the kids. One more thing: The beginning of this passage is important and often ignored by Christians. I can't think of a time in my lifetime that it has been more important for Christians to walk in and embrace the whole truth and counsel of the beginning of 1 Timothy 2: First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 This is an hour to pray for our leaders. Whatever you think of our president, vice president, governor and congressional leaders - HIT YOUR KNEES and pray for them! Let me be very clear - this is not a partisan text in the least. It means that Christians should have been crying out to God for Barack Obama and Bill Clinton with the same amount of vigor and fervor as they cry out to God for Donald Trump and George W. Bush. There is not a president beyond the reach of God's hand, nor is there a world leader that we should not pray for. Allow me to close with some thoughts from a younger John Piper on our calling as Christians to pray for our world leaders, and allow me to challenge you to raise the level of your prayers for our leaders - in these desperate times, we must pray that they repent, that they listen to wisdom, that they seek the Lord and that God would work mightily through them. Not just our favorites, but all of them. If I'm a sailor on a boat going through a terrific storm, and I have a number of disagreements with our ship's captain, you'd better believe I'm going to be rooting for him and praying for him in the midst of the storm, because I don't want to go down with the ship. That's logical. Plus, we have this clear command to do so, and it has no exceptions! After Paul has stressed that we pray for all men, he singles out kings “and all in high positions” to make sure that we include them. Why? It is clear from verses 4–7 that what Paul wants to emphasize is that nobody be excluded from our good will, for nobody is beyond the grace of God. Why then do kings and those in high positions come in for special mention? I can see at least two reasons. The first is that these people had characteristics that made it especially difficult for the early Christians (and for us) to pray for them. For example, they were so distant, so remote, if not in actual miles, then at least in accessibility. It is hard to pray earnestly for someone you don’t know, and especially hard to pray for somebody you never see. Yet, this difficulty must be overcome, Paul says. You must pray for them: emperors like Nero, proconsuls like Gallio, governors like Pilate, kings like Herod. They may seem remote and inaccessible, but remember, they are not remote and inaccessible to God. And by prayer you can get as close as one of their intimate advisers. Another characteristic that makes rulers hard to pray for is that they are often godless men, insensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This was almost universally true in Paul’s day. And in most countries around the world today I think it would still be true. I am not automatically enthused when a politician claims to have had a religious experience. It does not matter where or when we have lived, to obey God’s command to pray for all in high positions will involve us in praying for many people indifferent or hostile to our faith. But this should not cause us to hesitate one moment to pray for them, first, because God may save them and bring them to a knowledge of the truth, and second, because God uses rulers to accomplish his purposes whether they believe in him or not. When God wanted to punish his rebellious people, Israel, he turned the haughty king of Assyria into the rod of his anger (Isaiah 10:5) and stirred him up to attack Israel. Once Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon, said to himself: Is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? (Daniel 4:30) And God took away his reason and made him eat grass like an ox until he learned this lesson (Daniel 4:34, 35): The dominion of the Most High is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing; and he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say to him, “What doest thou?” No king, no president, no premier, no Ayatollah can stay the hand of the Lord when he has purposed to do a thing. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). “Many are the plans of the mind of a man (of a king!), but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established” (Proverbs 19:21). Therefore, we have strong encouragement to pray for kings and for all in high positions, whether they are believers or not, because our God reigns, and none can stay his hand! John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007).

Happy Monday, friends! How was your celebration of the resurrection yesterday? Ours was obviously radically different. For one, the quarantine, for two, all of us lived in Alabama until the Summer of 2018, so this was our second Easter apart from our family back home in Dixie. Our church was not able to gather together in person in one room or place, but two interesting things happened. First, for the live-stream of our church's Easter celebration, we had so many people play a role. Three different worship teams - one a husband, wife and friend who led from our church building, another one of our deacons leading from his home, and then my wife and our two eldest daughters leading from our house, with an assist from my son reading Scripture. In addition to that, we had testimonies and encouraging words and Scriptures from at least seven other families, and then a short message from me. I was exhilarated and encouraged by hearing from so many of our church family. As we discussed last week, the church isn't just made up of a pastor and worship team, but a whole family gifted to reach the lost, build each other up, and serve the King. And then, we had an extra treat in the afternoon. My wife and daughters, joined with our pastor neighbor and his family for a time of worship outside in the afternoon. They played and sang from their yard, and we from ours, maintaining more than six feet of distance. Other neighbors came and joined in - all maintaining distance, with one family across the street. Four churches were represented. It wasn't a huge crowd, and it wasn't the most polished worship set ever, but it was really amazing and exhilarating to experience. Our together-celebration was lowered, but our proclamation was increased in a variety of ways. Thanks be to God. As you might have noticed, I sometimes steer clear of controversy on this show. There is a reason for that, and it is not that I want to avoid controversy. The main reason I avoid it is because biblical controversy is best handled in a local church setting, in the midst of relationships and leadership and pastoring. Where questions and discussion can happen face to face and unfold via relationship. A podcast just doesn't allow that to happen. I don't avoid every controversial passage, but do dance around a few that I'd be much rather cover in our local church context. That said, we're not going to steer so broadly around controversy today. We're going to turn the bow of this ship into the storm. We're not going straight into the middle of this storm, and by that metaphor, I mean I am not going to answer every possible objection and issue some might have with 1 Timothy 2, but I do want to give at least the beginnings of an answer. Batten down the hatches! 1st Timothy 2 is quite the controversial passage. Who does Paul think he is to tell women how to dress and to be quiet? Well, I'm not going to dive deep into this, but I will share a couple of things. In 1st Timothy 2, Paul does indeed tell women to dress in Kosmios/κόσμιος apparel. This is a difficult word to translate well, because it only appears twice in the Bible. The other time it appears is in 1 Timothy 3:  An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy. 1 Timothy 3:2 The same word that is translated as 'modest' in 1 Timothy 2 is translated as 'respectable' in 1 Timothy 3. So, Paul in one passage tells women to dress in this way, and in the second passage tells church leaders to behave and have this kind of character. Sensible/modest/appropriate. Who does this guy think he is? And the answer is that he is, under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, writing the Words and commands of God. That's what the Word of God is for. It is to tell us how God wants us to live, how to please Him. Sometimes that manifests itself in how we dress, sometimes in how we behave. We are followers of God, and we follow Him via His Word: 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 Ok, I hear you saying - I guess some of that makes sense, but what about this WOMEN MUST BE SILENT business. That just sounds ridiculous, sexist, and old-fashioned. I can appreciate where you are coming from, but I don't think that 'sexism' is the right conclusion, and I think I can come pretty close to proving that. First, allow me to say that I am what is called a biblical Complementarian theologically. That means I believe that God has given men and women equal worth and value, but different roles in the earthly Kingdom of God. Not everybody agrees with that, but I believe that it is beautiful when practiced biblically, with no hint of selfish sexism. Take Ephesians 5: 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:22-24 WHOA! How can it NOT be sexist to ask wives to submit to their husbands?! Have you met men?! Yeah, I get it. But, let's back out a little bit and see the verse in its context: 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband. Ephesians 5:21-33 So - this gives us a little bit of a clearer picture as to what is going on here. Paul calls wives to submit to their husbands, and I believe that is the Word of God. Keep reading - Paul then calls husbands to love their wives like Christ loved the church - by providing and caring for her. How did Christ take care of His church? BY DYING for it!! So - wives are called to SUBMIT. Husbands are called to SACRIFICE. Which of those two 'S' words are easier? Is it easier to sacrifice your wants/needs/desires/safety/physical well-being for another? To endure pain for them so that they don't have to? To utterly give yourself for them? OR is it easier to submit to a person - an imperfect person?! The fact is that BOTH of those things are hard. You might believe that husbands and wives should EQUALLY submit to each other and EQUALLY sacrifice for each other. You're entitled to your opinion, but that's not how the Bible lays it out. Husbands must sacrifice themselves for their wives. Wives are called to submit to their husbands. Is that sexist? I think a husband demanding submission who is unwilling to sacrifice is indeed sexist and sinful and abhorrent and a perversion of marriage. The greatest possible perversion of marriage is husband to wife physical or mental or emotional abuse. That a man could be called to sacrifice himself for his wife, and rather than do that, he abuses her? That is an abomination, and it is infuriating, and such men will face incredibly harsh judgment. They should be in JAIL on earth, and tortured in eternity. Likewise, I think a wife who demands her husband sacrifice himself for her (in the way Christ laid down His life for the church) and then refusing to follow His Godly leadership is also sexist, in a way. Husbands are to bear the bulk of sacrifice in the relationship, though wives should sacrifice for their husbands from time to time. Wives are to bear the bulk of the submission in the relationship, though husbands should certainly submit to their wives in things from time to time, as is fitting in an Ephesians 5:22 sort of way. That is what I believe the Bible teaches. Does that make me sexist? I don't think so, but you can feel free to think of me that way. Ultimately, I want to please God and love my wife well. Back to the silence thing. First of all, let me say that I believe the translators of the KJV somehow missed it when they translated the Greek word 'ἡσυχία hēsychía' as 'silence.' I think the translators of the CSB got the sense of the word much better by using the word 'quiet.' I do not believe that Paul is here forbidding women to speak in the least. First of all, etymologically, it comes from a root word that means to 'be settled.' For instance, consider a passage that uses the same word: 12 Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and provide for themselves. 2 Thessalonians 3:12 Is 2 Thessalonians 3:12 - directed at men and women - a command to be silent? It certainly doesn't appear that way. 'Silent' doesn't make any sense whatsoever in that passage. Quiet does. Being settled does. Since Paul is writing to Timothy about pastoring, and since he is about to introduce the topic of elders/pastors, I believe the context is 1 Timothy 2 in about how women should act during a church gathering when they are being taught. I note here that the same word is used of the men in Acts 22: “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” 2 When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter Acts 22:2 In other words, the men were listening and being quiet - which seems somewhat appropriate for some church services. (Although I actually like interaction in teaching quite often - as did Jesus, Paul and others) So - is Paul telling women to dress modestly, be quiet and submit? It all depends on how you frame it. Framed in a biblical way, those commands make sense and are lovely and beneficial for all. Paul does indeed tell men to be work in a quiet/sensible matter, to submit to all governing authorities, to sacrifice for their wives, to be gentle to them and never harsh, to not ever be bitter with her, and to love/take care of her in the same way the husband takes care of himself. Beloved: There are commands in the Bible from God. Some of them are written to women. Some to men. Some to children. Some - many - to pastors/shepherds/leaders. Some to followers. Some to moms. Some to fathers. Some to bosses, some to workers. This is what is meant by the Lordship of Christ. This is what is meant by 'following Him.' If you don't want to be told how to live life and what to do, you are going to struggle with the Bible and following Jesus completely. If you think you can pick some verses and commands to really love and follow and then rule the others as archaic and dated, then God isn't Lord -you are. You are the arbiter of your behavior in that scenario. This sort of approach doesn't work as workers in the workplace, nor as law-abiding citizens under traffic laws, etc., or as students in school, nor soldiers in the military, and it sure doesn't work under the authority of the King of Kings. Is He good? Do you trust Him? Is He really working all things for the good of those who know Him and are called according to His purposes? He is - so follow Him and trust His ways and commands. It's not easy to sacrifice for my wife, but I must. I'm sure it can often be difficult for her to follow my leadership, but I can sure help with that by sacrificing for her, by being gentle, taking care of her, loving her, listening to her, cherishing her, and by never being bitter or harsh with her, or the kids. One more thing: The beginning of this passage is important and often ignored by Christians. I can't think of a time in my lifetime that it has been more important for Christians to walk in and embrace the whole truth and counsel of the beginning of 1 Timothy 2: First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 This is an hour to pray for our leaders. Whatever you think of our president, vice president, governor and congressional leaders - HIT YOUR KNEES and pray for them! Let me be very clear - this is not a partisan text in the least. It means that Christians should have been crying out to God for Barack Obama and Bill Clinton with the same amount of vigor and fervor as they cry out to God for Donald Trump and George W. Bush. There is not a president beyond the reach of God's hand, nor is there a world leader that we should not pray for. Allow me to close with some thoughts from a younger John Piper on our calling as Christians to pray for our world leaders, and allow me to challenge you to raise the level of your prayers for our leaders - in these desperate times, we must pray that they repent, that they listen to wisdom, that they seek the Lord and that God would work mightily through them. Not just our favorites, but all of them. If I'm a sailor on a boat going through a terrific storm, and I have a number of disagreements with our ship's captain, you'd better believe I'm going to be rooting for him and praying for him in the midst of the storm, because I don't want to go down with the ship. That's logical. Plus, we have this clear command to do so, and it has no exceptions! After Paul has stressed that we pray for all men, he singles out kings “and all in high positions” to make sure that we include them. Why? It is clear from verses 4–7 that what Paul wants to emphasize is that nobody be excluded from our good will, for nobody is beyond the grace of God. Why then do kings and those in high positions come in for special mention? I can see at least two reasons. The first is that these people had characteristics that made it especially difficult for the early Christians (and for us) to pray for them. For example, they were so distant, so remote, if not in actual miles, then at least in accessibility. It is hard to pray earnestly for someone you don’t know, and especially hard to pray for somebody you never see. Yet, this difficulty must be overcome, Paul says. You must pray for them: emperors like Nero, proconsuls like Gallio, governors like Pilate, kings like Herod. They may seem remote and inaccessible, but remember, they are not remote and inaccessible to God. And by prayer you can get as close as one of their intimate advisers. Another characteristic that makes rulers hard to pray for is that they are often godless men, insensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This was almost universally true in Paul’s day. And in most countries around the world today I think it would still be true. I am not automatically enthused when a politician claims to have had a religious experience. It does not matter where or when we have lived, to obey God’s command to pray for all in high positions will involve us in praying for many people indifferent or hostile to our faith. But this should not cause us to hesitate one moment to pray for them, first, because God may save them and bring them to a knowledge of the truth, and second, because God uses rulers to accomplish his purposes whether they believe in him or not. When God wanted to punish his rebellious people, Israel, he turned the haughty king of Assyria into the rod of his anger (Isaiah 10:5) and stirred him up to attack Israel. Once Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon, said to himself: Is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? (Daniel 4:30) And God took away his reason and made him eat grass like an ox until he learned this lesson (Daniel 4:34, 35): The dominion of the Most High is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing; and he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say to him, “What doest thou?” No king, no president, no premier, no Ayatollah can stay the hand of the Lord when he has purposed to do a thing. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). “Many are the plans of the mind of a man (of a king!), but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established” (Proverbs 19:21). Therefore, we have strong encouragement to pray for kings and for all in high positions, whether they are believers or not, because our God reigns, and none can stay his hand! John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007).

February 23, 2020, | Pastor Nathan Elms 1st Church CLT Progress only begins when we perceive our incompleteness… The Greek philosophers gave us five loves, the bible only accepts four of them: • Storge: Affection Love • Phileo: Friendship Love (today) • Eros: Romantic Love. • Agape: Divine Love. What is the fifth? Epithumia: lust, desire. (the bible does not accept this as love) In this series we are going to talk about Phileo… We need real friendship … which is much more meaningful than common interests. We need real friendship … which is much more meaningful than common interests. Beautiful picture of spiritual friendship: When the apostle Paul was writing his last letter, just before his execution in Rome, he described his situation to Timothy. “Only Luke is with me” (2 Timothy 4:11). (Luke probably cared for Paul in prison since ancient prisons usually did not really feed inmates.) That statement hints at the close friendship between Luke and Paul. Luke was born a Greek in Antioch and became a physician before being converted. After his conversion we know that he joined Paul, Silas and Timothy in Troas on Paul’s second missionary journey. In the book of Acts Luke described being shipwrecked with Paul on the island of Malta. The book of Acts ends with Paul being jailed in Rome with his friend Timothy close at hand. After Paul’s death, Luke went home to Greece where he wrote his two-volume history of Jesus and the early church—the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. His second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, is mostly about Paul’s missionary journeys. In four passages, Luke includes himself in the story, using the pronoun “we” to narrate various events. Paul never had a better friend. It’s easy to overlook the importance of having a friend who isn’t in your life to compete with you, but is there to help complete you.  Add notes Reasons you need to connect with friends: Number one: It’s safer. It’s safer when you walk with others through life. There’s safety in numbers. It’s a whole lot less risky. Ecc 4:10 But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Second, support changes everything. It keeps you from giving up. When other people are walking with you, they keep you going. There’s an old Zambian proverb, ‘When you run alone, you run fast. But when you run together, you run far.’ The life that you live is not a 50-yard dash, it is a marathon and you want to run far. Have you ever seen geese flying in V-formation? The reason they do that is that they can fly farther in that formation because it creates an updraft and they don’t get as tired when they fly together. And when we fly, when we walk, when we run through life together, we’re a whole lot less tired. It’s safer. It’s supportive.

Our Digital Enterprise CIO Assembly brought us together with Chief Data Strategist of Oracle, Paul Sonderegger. After Paul delivered our Opening Keynote Address, he chatted with #millenniumlive about all things data, including, "the hidden data economy", what the company’s focus is as we start the new year, as well as what truly sets Oracle apart from their competitors.