Podcasts about almighty god

“Where are You, God?” If you’ve ever whispered that question through tears, sleepless nights, or silent disappointment, you’re not alone. In this episode, we talk about the painful seasons when God feels distant — when prayers feel unanswered and discouragement makes it hard to even find the words to pray. Yet Scripture tells us something steady and unshakable: Jesus promised He would be with us always. Not sometimes.Not when we feel spiritual.Always. Even in silence. Even in valleys. Even in doubt. What We Discuss Why God can feel distant during hardship How discouragement can drain our ability to pray The truth that God hears even unspoken prayers The danger of believing the lie that God has abandoned us Drawing near to God when emotions say He’s far Finding encouragement through Scripture, worship, and Christian community This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today. Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments. https://trinitycredit.org Full Transcript Below: Where Is God? By Alexis A. Goring Bible Reading:“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:20 (NLT) “Where are you, God?” If there was a consistent question I asked God last year, that was it. Little did I know that by the start of this year, God would answer my question in profound ways that proved He hears my every prayer and He is always here with us. It started with simple things that were concerning me, then it snowballed into many other issues and situations that were troubling my heart and keeping me awake at night. Sleepless nights were the norm for me that year. I tried praying my way through it, but at times I was too tired to pray. Have you ever been so discouraged that you can barely talk to God about it? However, God taught me that He knows our hearts and He hears even the prayers we don’t have the energy or capacity to pray. He even considers the tears that roll down our faces when we cry as silent prayers, and He understands our pain before we have words to give voice to it. If you’re looking for someone who knows you better than you know yourself, your Maker (God) fits that bill perfectly. Because we live in a world that is negatively affected by sin, we all may face situations in life that cause us to ask, “God, where are you?” It is then that we are tempted by the enemy to believe that God has forsaken us. But in those moments, we need to believe what the Bible says: God will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). When you feel far away from God, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). If you’re having trouble seeking Him, ask God to help you feel His Presence and experience His peace. Remember: He’s always been pursuing a relationship with you before you realized you needed Him and started seeking Him. Now, there’s the fact that God is invisible (1 Timothy 1:17). But the truth is that He is real (Psalm 14:1). Don’t let His invisibility become a barrier to your seeking Him. Over the years, I’ve heard people debate that since we cannot see God, that must mean He doesn’t exist. Well, to that I’d say, we cannot see the air we breathe, but we know that if we don’t have air, we’d be dead. Same with God. We cannot see Him, but we need Him to live. When we are in pain so deep that we can barely get out of bed in the morning and start going about our day, it is important to remember that God is with us in our pain. Soon after the start of this year, God showed me that He had heard my prayers and questions last year. He did this by inspiring a Christian author to ask me if I wanted to read an early copy of her book that is releasing in January 2026. After seeing that the title of the book is “God, Where Are You?”, I knew this was encouragement from God for me. He recommended a whole book (in addition to the Bible) to answer my question. I agreed to read her book and was blessed by it. The author’s name is Dominique Young. The full title of her book is “God, Where Are You?: Unmasking Your Pain, Uncovering His Presence”. It is advertised on Amazon as “a safe space for your deepest questions and your hidden pain.” It’s for people who have been silently suffering under the heavy weight of anxiety, grief, depression, shame, and spiritual doubt. Through this book, she helps the reader discover how near God is to them through their toughest trials in life. God doesn’t abandon you in the valley lows. He’s with you through it all. And He can heal our brokenness. The author invites the reader to stop pretending they are okay when they are not, face the pain you’ve been hiding, and learn how you are seen by the Almighty God as one He deeply loves. Dominique encourages the reader to remember that even when God is silent, He is near and will not leave you. After reading the first few pages of Dominique’s book, I thanked God for answering my prayers on this topic because it was like He was speaking to me through her messages that were supported with Scripture. I am grateful He used this author’s debut book to encourage me in my faith walk. I believe this book will encourage you, too, if you read it. In closing, I’d like for you to listen to three songs (listed below) that remind us God is here with us and He’s going to stay with us until the end of the world. Song of Reflection #1: “God is with Us” by The Afters. Listen to it HERE. Song of Reflection #2: “I Know You’re There” by Casting Crowns. Listen to it HERE. Song of Reflection #3: “When You Walk Through the Water” by Allison Durham. Listen to it HERE. Intersecting Faith & Life: How does it feel to know that God is right here with you and He’s not going anywhere? Further Reading:Isaiah 41:10Isaiah 43:2Deuteronomy 31:6Psalm 23:4Zephaniah 3:17 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This was a Fourth of July where there would be no fireworks. Just a lot of tears. It was raining when the campers went to sleep that night. But no one knew that the Guadalupe River would turn into a raging flood while they slept. The girls at Mystic Camp were awakened by that flood smashing into their cabins. Some were able to escape. Twenty-four could not. A few days ago, the President recalled that awful night. In the middle of his State of the Union address. He told the story of one of the Mystic Camp girls. Her name, Milly Cate. Eleven years old. In the midst of the surging flood, she prayed for God to save her. And a man who seemed to come out of nowhere, did. I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hope When The Water Is Rising." He was Scott Ruskan. Coast Guard rescue swimmer. You know those guys who come down from a chopper to rescue people from oceans and housetops. Now Scott had gone to college to major in accounting. But Somewhere along the way, he decided his calling was to rescue. But this was his first mission. And he was the answer to Milly Cate's prayer. We know that because the President of the United States told us told the story. He said, "As the waters threatened to sweep her away, 11-year-old Milly Cate McClymond closed her eyes and prayed to God she thought she was going to die. Those prayers were answered when Coast Guard rescuer Scott Ruskan descended from a helicopter above." You know Milly Cate was one of 164 people that he rescued that awful night. He was the only first responder around. The President introduced him and then honored him on the spot with the prestigious Legion of Merit medal for "exceptionally meritorious conduct." But his real "award," well that was the young girl next to him. Milly Cate. Who, facing almost certain death, had one hope that night. A rescuer from above. Thank God, he came. You know in a way, that's my story, too. And, no doubt, the story of many who are hearing this. I want you to hear our word for the day from the Word of God. It tells the greatest rescue story of all. Galatians 1:4: "Jesus gave His life for us... to rescue us." Now with Good Friday approaching, that's what that middle cross at a place called Skull Hill was all about. The greatest act of love in the history of mankind. As the Bible explains, "He carried our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). And that's because instead of living for the One who gave us our life, we have raised our fist and said, "You run the universe, God - I'll run me." And spiritual hijacking carries an unspeakable, eternal death penalty. So there I was, I stood facing the onrushing flood of the judgment of Almighty God. Nothing I could do could pay that death penalty. And here is the stunning rescue story that captured my heart forever. I did the sinning. God's Son did the dying! That's how much He loves me, and you. The Rescuer from above didn't just risk His life to save us. He gave His life. And like a camper facing death that tragic night, my only hope was a Rescuer from above. And I'm compelled to say this today. And get to you with this message, because I don't want you or anybody to miss Him. God says, "I have set before you life and death. Now choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19). I pray you will do that this day. If you have never reached out to the Rescuer to be your rescuer from your sin take care of that now. Say, "Jesus I am yours from this day forward." Check out our website would you, because there you will find what you need know to be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. Because when Jesus comes to rescue you, you ought to grab His hand. Because Hope has come.

Scripture: Psalms 146Title: I Will Praise! SHOW NOTES: For encouragement on your spiritual journey, we invite you to visit our ministry website, Discover God's Truth, where you can access additional resources to enrich your Walk with God. When we praise, adore, and worship the Almighty God, we acknowledge His holiness, supreme power, and loving character. This is our act of sacrifice to honor Him as Creator and Redeemer, and to celebrate His faithfulness, goodness, mercy, and love. We can offer praise and worship through song, scripture, prayer, and silent reflection. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live;I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Psalm 146:1-2 Notice the repetition: “Praise the Lord.” This reflects the psalmist's personal commitment to live a life of praise. This word in Hebrew is Hallelujah! The commitment to praise the Lord involves choosing not to rely on others. We cannot place our trust or dependence solely on people. Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.Psalm 146:3 Praise and adoration belong to God. He is worthy, holy, and the Sovereign Creator. Worship is our way of showing gratitude to the Lord. God created us to worship Him. Praise opens a path for us to experience His presence. God inhabits the praise of His people. Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name. Psalm 103:1 Song: Worthy Of It All – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ7prJcwB8o

A sermon for Lent 1, February 22, 2026. Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,' and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Is the Eternal, Almighty God capable of communicating his mind to his creatures? This is one of the things at stake when we consider the doctrine of the clarity of Scripture. Mike & Matthew give us a few reasons to embrace it and why it is crucial to hold to it if we profess to have any message of hope for the world. They also provide a few principles to bear in mind when we disagree on the interpretation of a passage of Scripture. Scriptures Referenced: Eph 3:3-4; 2Tim 3:14-15 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

Prayer is an invitation to meet with the Creator in a face to face exchange. Prayer is not a wishing well, magic 8 ball, or genie in a bottle. It is engaging with the Almighty God who humbles Himself and inclines Himself to listen as we pour out our hearts before Him. We can wrestle with Him, whisper, cry out, and tell Him all the struggles without needing perfect words. David reminds us that praise is not based on receiving an answer but on remembering who God is and what He has done. Jesus showed us this life of prayer, withdrawing to commune with the Father and teaching that when you pray, the reward is Him and the relationship with Him. Prayer begins by focusing on His holiness, His kingdom, and His will, then trusting how He is providing, forgiving, and giving freedom. The veil has been torn and the invitation is open to draw near, pour out your heart, and engage with Him.Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/rG-Ur7LX-F8Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zkLearn more about us at chestnutmountain.orgFollow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave a review, and let us know what you think.

I am Almighty God walk before me and be blameless.  Bible in a Year:  Leviticus 26-27 & Mark 2

Imagine hearing, “I am Almighty God; walk before me…” Abram heard those words and they are applicable today. Oh, to walk before the Almighty!

Imagine hearing, “I am Almighty God; walk before me…” Abram heard those words and they are applicable today. Oh, to walk before the Almighty! To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1561/29?v=20251111

As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, it’s fitting to reflect on the biblical perspective of leadership. Daniel 2:21 reminds us that God “changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Every president, past and present, serves under God’s sovereign hand. Recognizing their achievements, especially those guided by faith, is a way to honor God’s provision for our nation. Intersecting Faith & Life How can we honor God by recognizing the positive impact of leaders He places in office? In what ways can you personally pray for national leaders and their decisions? Reflect on moments in American history where prayer and faith intersected with leadership—how can this inspire your own spiritual practice? Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today. Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments. https://trinitycredit.org Full Transcript Below: Honoring Our Nation's Presidents By Lynette Kittle Bible Reading: “He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” - Daniel 2:21 What does it take to be President of the United States of America? As our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, we probably have a wide variety of thoughts and answers to this question. Still, throughout history, many men of various backgrounds, political leanings, religious beliefs, and stature have served as the President of the United States. Although we hold elections in the United States, we don’t want to ignore what Daniel explains: that God has a hand in who comes into leadership in our nation and that we really are not the ones in control. As we commemorate yet another President’s Day, it’s biblical to set time aside to honor the many men who have held the office, regardless of our political leanings. Being the President of the United States of America takes bravery and fortitude, as it comes with serious caution and risks to both the sitting president’s life and career. In Prayers and Presidents, author and historian William J. Federer presents statistics on the danger that being President holds: “Not every United States President left the White House on his own accord, with some dying in office and others murdered while serving. Four Presidents left office due to assassination, with the most famous and well-known account being that of the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, and the 35th President, John F. Kennedy. Along with them, lesser-recognized presidents were murdered while in office, including 20th President, James A. Garfield, and 25th President, William McKinley. As well, 40th President Ronald Reagan and soon-to-be re-elected Donald J. Trump survived assassination attempts on their lives. Reagan, while in office, and Trum,p while on the presidential campaign trail before taking office in his second nonconsecutive term as our 47th President at 78 years old.” Regardless of the risks, from the very beginning of our nation’s birth, prayer has been recognized and encouraged by many of our Presidents, including our very first President, George Washington, who carried a well-worn pocket-sized edition of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Providence Forum executive director Dr. Jerry Newcombe describes how General Washington, during the Revolutionary War, felt the odds of winning were too great against us, so on July 4th, 1775—a year before independence—he sent the following order to his troops: “He requires and expects of all officers and soldiers, not engaged in actual duty, a punctual attendance on Divine service, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense.’" Some doubt God’s hand in America’s history and on America’s leaders. But Proverbs 21:1 reveals that, “In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that He channels toward all who please Him.” As well, Proverbs 8:15 reassures us that God has a hand in who reigns and rules on earth: “By Me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just.” God receives glory for directing ways presidents have honored Him, such as the 33rd President, Harry S. Truman, who initiated the National Day of Prayer as an annual observance in 1952, stating: “In times of national crisis when we are striving to strengthen the foundations of peace… we stand in special need of Divine support.” In April 1970, President Richard M. Nixon urged Americans to pray for the Apollo 13 astronauts who were in crisis. As well, after their safe return, he set aside Sunday, April 19, 1970, as a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving. President Ronald Reagan established the National Day of Prayer on May 5, 1988, to be commemorated each year on the first Thursday in May, saying: “Americans in every generation have turned to their Maker in prayer… We have acknowledged… our dependence on Almighty God.”Following the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, our 43rd President, George W. Bush, declared Days of Prayer. Intersecting Faith & Life: We are honoring God when we honor His accomplishments achieved through the leaders He places into office as our presidents. By recognizing their godly accomplishments, we are expressing gratitude and glorifying God for His just decrees. Further Reading: Seeing God’s Hand in America’s Freedom Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Kept Until His Appearing — Part 1: Confession Under the Eye of God Text: *1 Timothy 6:13 "I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession." *Part 1: Confession Under the Eye of God Introduction – A Charge in the Sight of God Every generation of believers needs a reminder that ministry and discipleship take place under divine observation. Paul's letter to Timothy closes with one of the most solemn charges in Scripture. It is a personal letter, yet written for public impact. He calls a young pastor to hold his doctrine, his character, and his courage before the gaze of Almighty God. Have you recently decided to follow Jesus? Take your next step with Jesus: https://cbcgb.co.uk ⛪ ABOUT CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCHES: We believe that our Calvary Baptist Churches are a movement for all people to know God, Reaching Others, Building Lives, Honouring God and Make a Difference. 


Kept Until His Appearing — Part 1: Confession Under the Eye of God Text: *1 Timothy 6:13 "I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession." *Part 1: Confession Under the Eye of God Introduction – A Charge in the Sight of God Every generation of believers needs a reminder that ministry and discipleship take place under divine observation. Paul's letter to Timothy closes with one of the most solemn charges in Scripture. It is a personal letter, yet written for public impact. He calls a young pastor to hold his doctrine, his character, and his courage before the gaze of Almighty God. Have you recently decided to follow Jesus? Take your next step with Jesus: https://cbcgb.co.uk ⛪ ABOUT CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCHES: We believe that our Calvary Baptist Churches are a movement for all people to know God, Reaching Others, Building Lives, Honouring God and Make a Difference. 


15.02.2025

→ Watch on YouTube → Detailed Show Notes → Timestamps: (00:00) The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant include preservation, protection, priesthood, power, a place, and posterity.(09:20) The responsibility of the Abrahamic Covenant is to make Christ's name known to the world and help all to obtain priesthood and temple blessings.(19:29) The Lord places Abraham and his posterity, Israel, in the center of the world. Our challenge is to influence the world without being influenced by the world.(29:51) Abraham and Sarah experience “The Hero's Journey.” Sarah's combat with Pharaoh is similar to Eve's battle with the serpent.(39:01) Abraham grants the superior land to Lot. We should be generous with others as was Abraham.(40:32) Anachronisms in Genesis 14 are clues as to when it was written.(43:20) Melchizedek has largely been removed from the Hebrew Bible, but was on the Brass Plates. Melchizedek is a type of Jesus Christ.(49:57) Abraham and Sarah both gave God the benefit of the doubt in regard to his promise of having seed. Like them, we should do all we can to ensure the Lord's promises are fulfilled.(52:49) The ritual cutting of sacrificial animals in Genesis 15 relates to ancient covenant making.(57:53) Abraham's visionary experience included both light and darkness.(1:01:04) The Lord tells Sarai to choose Hagar to bring forth Ishmael. The word used for bringing forth children relates to the idea of “building.”(1:05:40) Circumcision is a token or sign of the covenant given to Abraham.(1:07:04) How El Shaddai (the Almighty God) can be read as a representation of our Divine Mother in Heaven, with blessings connected to children and life. The historical evolution of Israel's view of the nature of God. → For more of Bryce Dunford’s podcast classes, click here. → Enroll in Institute → YouTube → Apple Podcasts → Spotify → Amazon Music → Facebook The post Ep 359 | Genesis 12-17; Abraham 1-2, Come Follow Me 2026 (February 16-22) appeared first on LDS Scripture Teachings.

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 228 - Almighty God, Thy Word is Cast - Luke 8:11-15: “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” - Devotion - Prayer - Hymn 580 - Almighty Father, Bless the Word - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Preacher), Laura Matzke (Organist)

I believe the book of Revelation is intentionally shaped by the rhythm of the seven Jewish feasts, with deep echoes of the Exodus and Israels wilderness journey woven throughout its visions. We have already seen how this works in chapter 1, where the imagery echoes Passover. Passover marked Israels deliverance from slavery through the blood of a substituteand in Revelation 1:1216, that substitute is revealed in all His risen glory. Jesus stands among His churches as the victorious Lamb who was slain and now lives forever. Because of His sacrifice, the Christian belongs to God. If you have been redeemed by Almighty God through His Son, what is there to fear? Jesus Himself answers that question: Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades (Rev. 1:1718). Our confidence is not rooted in our circumstances, but in the One who has conquered death itself. As we move into Revelation 23 and read the seven letters to the churches, the dominant echo is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately followed Passover. This feast called Gods redeemed people to live holy lives, set apart for Him (Lev. 11:4445; 1 Pet. 1:1617). Israel removed all leaven from their homes as a visible reminder that they belonged to the Lord and were no longer to live under the old patterns of corruption. That same call still comes to us today: You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:1920). Each of the seven churches faced real and pressing challenges in their own dayand what they struggled with are many of the same things we struggle with today, just dressed differently. While we will look at each church individually, here is a brief snapshot of what we will encounter: The church in Ephesus had lost its first love. The church in Smyrna was about to suffer tribulation for ten days. The church in Pergamum struggled with faithfulness to sound doctrine. The church in Thyatira tolerated a false teacher within the congregation. The church in Sardis was spiritually lethargic and nearly dead. The church in Philadelphia faithfully clung to the word of God. The church in Laodicea was lukewarm and missionally useless. In every one of these churches, there was the danger of leavensin quietly working its way through the house. And the call of Christ was to remove it: through renewed love for Jesus and for one another, faithful endurance in suffering, a commitment to truth, intolerance for evil, vigilance against spiritual apathy, unflinching obedience to Christ, and a wholehearted devotion to the mission of God. About forty years before Revelation was written, Paul wrote about Gods expectation for His church: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:1-2). Revelation 1 is about the One who makes our salvation possible. Revelation 2-3 addresses the kind of people He calls us to be. So, when we come to Revelation 4, we encounter the One on the throne who is holy, holy, holy! The City of Ephesus When the gospel came to Ephesus, it was a wealthy and influential trading city, best known for the Temple of Artemis (also called Diana), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The citys economy, culture, and moral life centered on the worship of this goddess. Artemis worship was deeply sexualized and demonic, marked by ritual immorality and idolatry (1 Cor. 10:20). Ephesus was a place where spiritual darkness was not hiddenit was celebrated, institutionalized, and profitable. Into this city, the gospel came with unmistakable power, as it always does in Gods timing and in His way. What we read in the epistle to the Romans was experienced in Ephesus: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes... (Rom. 1:16). When the apostle Paul preached Christ in Ephesus, lives were transformed, and the worship of Artemis was directly challenged. So disruptive was the gospel that those who profited from idolatry feared economic collapse, admitting that Paul had persuaded many that gods made with hands are not gods at all (Acts 19:26). Paul spent over two years there, and in this spiritually hostile environment, God birthed a faithful churchthe same church later addressed by Christ Himself in Revelation 2. What makes Jesus words to Ephesus so sobering is not the citys darkness but the fact that a church born in such devotion, perseverance, and truth would later be warned: You have abandoned the love you had at first (2:4). So what happened? To answer that question, we need to first recognize the many things Jesus praises the church for. What the Ephesian Church Was Doing Right The Ephesian church was commended for many things by Jesus such as their toil, patient endurance, and intolerance for evil. Heraclitus, a native of Ephesus and philosopher, spoke with open contempt of his citys moral corruptionso severe that later writers summarized his viewby saying no one could live in Ephesus without weeping.1 The fact that the church was able to endure for forty years in a city known for its sexual promiscuity and demonized idolatrous worship, while holding on to biblical orthodoxy, is staggering! Because of their orthodoxy and fidelity to the Word of God, the church was intolerant of evil, refused to ignore false teachers, and shared Jesuss hatred of the Nicolaitans. Forty years earlier, Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church: I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears (Acts. 20:29-31). This is what the church did well, and Jesus praised them for it. Now, notice what Jesus does not say to the church in Ephesus. He does not say they were being too orthodox. He does not say they were too truthful, or that their intolerance of evil, false teachers, and the works of the Nicolaitans was too extreme. Jesus does not tell the church to dial it back but instead celebrates these as examples of what they were doing well. What the church did well was refusing to yield to the pressures from their city to conform. Before we look at what the church got wrong, we need to address who the Nicolaitans were and why Jesus hated their teaching. From what we know, the Nicolaitans were a heretical Christian sect associated with the teaching of Balaam (Rev. 2:14-15). They taught that the grace of God permitted freedom to engage in the kinds of things their pagan neighbors enjoyed, such as sexual immorality and full participation in pagan temple feasts. Why? Because grace covered it all. We will come back to Balaam when we look at the church in Pergamum, but for now what you need to know is that Balaam is known for his false teaching that served to seduce the men of Israel to engage in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab that also resulted in the worship of their gods in place of obedience and worship of Yahweh (see Num. 25). The Nicolaitans did not deny Jesus, they just reinterpreted what obedience to Jesus really meant, in that you could both be loyal to Jesus and actively pursue and participate in the kinds of things the Word of God commands the people of God to flee from. The Ephesian church was rightfully commended for their hatred and intolerance of the works of the Nicolaitans because Jesus shares their hatred for the same reasons. Listen carefully. Jesus does not merely disagree with teachings of the Nicolaitans He hates them. He hates any belief that suggests a person can remain loyal to Him while willfully embracing the very sins He died to free us from. The cross was not a license to make peace with sin; it was Gods declaration of war against it. To claim Christ while pursuing what nailed Him to the tree is not freedomit is self-deception. Christ did not die to make sin safe, but to make His people holy. 1 Richard D. Phillips, Revelation, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: PR Publishing, 2017), 91. What the Ephesian Church Got Wrong So what was it that the church in Ephesus lost? Well, we know it wasnt the churchs orthodoxy. It was the love they had at first. What love did they have at first? I believe the love the church lost was a combination of their love for Jesus and others. I believe this because of what the apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the Ephesians and what Jesus said the church needed to do to regain the love they had lost. First, lets look at Jesus criticism in verses 4-5, But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. The way back to regain what they had lost was to first remember where they had fallen or had lost sight of their love, then to repent by doing the works they had done at first. What were the works they had done at first? We are given a few clues in Ephesians about the church from what Paul says at the beginning and the end of his epistle to the Ephesians. 1st Clue: For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers... (Eph. 1:15-16) 2nd Clue: Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. (Eph. 6:24) I believe that the love the Ephesian church lost had to do with the love they had for Jesus and for one another. The New Living Translation captures this in their translation of Revelation 2:4, But I have this complaint against you. You dont love me or each other as you did at first! When a group of religious leaders asked Jesus to identify the most important commandment, His response was clear: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:3739). Genuine love for God leads to love for othersyou cannot claim to love God while refusing to love those who bear His image. As our love for God grows, it overflows into love for those around us, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you find this hard to accept, consider the words of the apostle John: If someone says, I love God, but hates his brother, that person is a liar; for anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20). I believe the Ephesian church, first known for their faith in Jesus and their incorruptible love for Him, became the catalyst that fostered in them a love for one another, which they were known for in the early days of the churchs existence. Their love infused their faith in Jesus, and their love for all the saints was the cocktail God used to push back evil and transform lives! What Revelation 2:1-4 teaches us is that Jesus wants our obedience, but He also wants our hearts! In fact, if Jesus has your heart, He will have your obedience. Conclusion I believe the Ephesian church is listed first among the seven churches because of the danger we face when what we believe and what we do are no longer tethered to a living love for Jesus and His people. Listen carefully. Rather than criticizing the Ephesian church for its zeal for the truth of Gods Word, Jesus praised them for it. Orthodoxy is essential to the spiritual health of both Christians and the church as a whole. When believers abandon orthodoxy, spirituality does not become freer or deeperit becomes hollow and lifeless. So do their churches. But love keeps orthodoxy from hardening into something Jesus also hated. When truth is severed from love, orthodoxy collapses into legalism. And legalism is not holiness; it is a corruption of orthopraxyright living. Christian, we are called to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy. Scripture commands us: As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy (1 Pet. 1:1416). But the way we pursue holiness is not through cold precision or moral superiority. It is through the kind of love the Ephesian church once hadand then lost. This is the first of seven ways Christ calls His people to cleanse His house of leaven. What is that love? Scripture defines it plainly: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth Love never ends (1 Cor. 13:48). This is the love Jesus spoke of that must be true of His followers: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). We live in a nation deeply fracturedso fractured that many believe we are in a cold civil war. Civil conversation between the left and the right is nearly impossible. But it must not be that way in the church Jesus redeemed from the world. Our love for Christ must overflow into genuine love for one anotherstrong enough to allow disagreement without division, conviction without contempt, and truth without hatred. Let me take this one step further. If you love the Jesus who died to ransom people from every tribe, language, people, and nation, then you must be liberated from the partisan blindness that grips both the left and the right. Christian, you belong to another kingdom. Your allegiance is not to a political ideology but to King Jesus. Please hear me: the world will not see, hear, or receive the gospel from the left or the rightbut only from Jesus Christ Himself. By Gods design, His gospel is not entrusted to government but to His church. The mess in the White House, ournation, and the world is evidence that what people need is the One who makes the Gospel the Gospelnamely, Jesus! If you cannot see thatif you cannot believe that while still calling yourself a Christianthen you are in danger of the very thing that threatened the church in Ephesus. You have lost your first love. So I leave you with the same words Jesus spoke to them: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

I believe the book of Revelation is intentionally shaped by the rhythm of the seven Jewish feasts, with deep echoes of the Exodus and Israels wilderness journey woven throughout its visions. We have already seen how this works in chapter 1, where the imagery echoes Passover. Passover marked Israels deliverance from slavery through the blood of a substituteand in Revelation 1:1216, that substitute is revealed in all His risen glory. Jesus stands among His churches as the victorious Lamb who was slain and now lives forever. Because of His sacrifice, the Christian belongs to God. If you have been redeemed by Almighty God through His Son, what is there to fear? Jesus Himself answers that question: Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades (Rev. 1:1718). Our confidence is not rooted in our circumstances, but in the One who has conquered death itself. As we move into Revelation 23 and read the seven letters to the churches, the dominant echo is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately followed Passover. This feast called Gods redeemed people to live holy lives, set apart for Him (Lev. 11:4445; 1 Pet. 1:1617). Israel removed all leaven from their homes as a visible reminder that they belonged to the Lord and were no longer to live under the old patterns of corruption. That same call still comes to us today: You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:1920). Each of the seven churches faced real and pressing challenges in their own dayand what they struggled with are many of the same things we struggle with today, just dressed differently. While we will look at each church individually, here is a brief snapshot of what we will encounter: The church in Ephesus had lost its first love. The church in Smyrna was about to suffer tribulation for ten days. The church in Pergamum struggled with faithfulness to sound doctrine. The church in Thyatira tolerated a false teacher within the congregation. The church in Sardis was spiritually lethargic and nearly dead. The church in Philadelphia faithfully clung to the word of God. The church in Laodicea was lukewarm and missionally useless. In every one of these churches, there was the danger of leavensin quietly working its way through the house. And the call of Christ was to remove it: through renewed love for Jesus and for one another, faithful endurance in suffering, a commitment to truth, intolerance for evil, vigilance against spiritual apathy, unflinching obedience to Christ, and a wholehearted devotion to the mission of God. About forty years before Revelation was written, Paul wrote about Gods expectation for His church: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:1-2). Revelation 1 is about the One who makes our salvation possible. Revelation 2-3 addresses the kind of people He calls us to be. So, when we come to Revelation 4, we encounter the One on the throne who is holy, holy, holy! The City of Ephesus When the gospel came to Ephesus, it was a wealthy and influential trading city, best known for the Temple of Artemis (also called Diana), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The citys economy, culture, and moral life centered on the worship of this goddess. Artemis worship was deeply sexualized and demonic, marked by ritual immorality and idolatry (1 Cor. 10:20). Ephesus was a place where spiritual darkness was not hiddenit was celebrated, institutionalized, and profitable. Into this city, the gospel came with unmistakable power, as it always does in Gods timing and in His way. What we read in the epistle to the Romans was experienced in Ephesus: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes... (Rom. 1:16). When the apostle Paul preached Christ in Ephesus, lives were transformed, and the worship of Artemis was directly challenged. So disruptive was the gospel that those who profited from idolatry feared economic collapse, admitting that Paul had persuaded many that gods made with hands are not gods at all (Acts 19:26). Paul spent over two years there, and in this spiritually hostile environment, God birthed a faithful churchthe same church later addressed by Christ Himself in Revelation 2. What makes Jesus words to Ephesus so sobering is not the citys darkness but the fact that a church born in such devotion, perseverance, and truth would later be warned: You have abandoned the love you had at first (2:4). So what happened? To answer that question, we need to first recognize the many things Jesus praises the church for. What the Ephesian Church Was Doing Right The Ephesian church was commended for many things by Jesus such as their toil, patient endurance, and intolerance for evil. Heraclitus, a native of Ephesus and philosopher, spoke with open contempt of his citys moral corruptionso severe that later writers summarized his viewby saying no one could live in Ephesus without weeping.1 The fact that the church was able to endure for forty years in a city known for its sexual promiscuity and demonized idolatrous worship, while holding on to biblical orthodoxy, is staggering! Because of their orthodoxy and fidelity to the Word of God, the church was intolerant of evil, refused to ignore false teachers, and shared Jesuss hatred of the Nicolaitans. Forty years earlier, Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church: I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears (Acts. 20:29-31). This is what the church did well, and Jesus praised them for it. Now, notice what Jesus does not say to the church in Ephesus. He does not say they were being too orthodox. He does not say they were too truthful, or that their intolerance of evil, false teachers, and the works of the Nicolaitans was too extreme. Jesus does not tell the church to dial it back but instead celebrates these as examples of what they were doing well. What the church did well was refusing to yield to the pressures from their city to conform. Before we look at what the church got wrong, we need to address who the Nicolaitans were and why Jesus hated their teaching. From what we know, the Nicolaitans were a heretical Christian sect associated with the teaching of Balaam (Rev. 2:14-15). They taught that the grace of God permitted freedom to engage in the kinds of things their pagan neighbors enjoyed, such as sexual immorality and full participation in pagan temple feasts. Why? Because grace covered it all. We will come back to Balaam when we look at the church in Pergamum, but for now what you need to know is that Balaam is known for his false teaching that served to seduce the men of Israel to engage in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab that also resulted in the worship of their gods in place of obedience and worship of Yahweh (see Num. 25). The Nicolaitans did not deny Jesus, they just reinterpreted what obedience to Jesus really meant, in that you could both be loyal to Jesus and actively pursue and participate in the kinds of things the Word of God commands the people of God to flee from. The Ephesian church was rightfully commended for their hatred and intolerance of the works of the Nicolaitans because Jesus shares their hatred for the same reasons. Listen carefully. Jesus does not merely disagree with teachings of the Nicolaitans He hates them. He hates any belief that suggests a person can remain loyal to Him while willfully embracing the very sins He died to free us from. The cross was not a license to make peace with sin; it was Gods declaration of war against it. To claim Christ while pursuing what nailed Him to the tree is not freedomit is self-deception. Christ did not die to make sin safe, but to make His people holy. 1 Richard D. Phillips, Revelation, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: PR Publishing, 2017), 91. What the Ephesian Church Got Wrong So what was it that the church in Ephesus lost? Well, we know it wasnt the churchs orthodoxy. It was the love they had at first. What love did they have at first? I believe the love the church lost was a combination of their love for Jesus and others. I believe this because of what the apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the Ephesians and what Jesus said the church needed to do to regain the love they had lost. First, lets look at Jesus criticism in verses 4-5, But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. The way back to regain what they had lost was to first remember where they had fallen or had lost sight of their love, then to repent by doing the works they had done at first. What were the works they had done at first? We are given a few clues in Ephesians about the church from what Paul says at the beginning and the end of his epistle to the Ephesians. 1st Clue: For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers... (Eph. 1:15-16) 2nd Clue: Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. (Eph. 6:24) I believe that the love the Ephesian church lost had to do with the love they had for Jesus and for one another. The New Living Translation captures this in their translation of Revelation 2:4, But I have this complaint against you. You dont love me or each other as you did at first! When a group of religious leaders asked Jesus to identify the most important commandment, His response was clear: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:3739). Genuine love for God leads to love for othersyou cannot claim to love God while refusing to love those who bear His image. As our love for God grows, it overflows into love for those around us, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you find this hard to accept, consider the words of the apostle John: If someone says, I love God, but hates his brother, that person is a liar; for anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20). I believe the Ephesian church, first known for their faith in Jesus and their incorruptible love for Him, became the catalyst that fostered in them a love for one another, which they were known for in the early days of the churchs existence. Their love infused their faith in Jesus, and their love for all the saints was the cocktail God used to push back evil and transform lives! What Revelation 2:1-4 teaches us is that Jesus wants our obedience, but He also wants our hearts! In fact, if Jesus has your heart, He will have your obedience. Conclusion I believe the Ephesian church is listed first among the seven churches because of the danger we face when what we believe and what we do are no longer tethered to a living love for Jesus and His people. Listen carefully. Rather than criticizing the Ephesian church for its zeal for the truth of Gods Word, Jesus praised them for it. Orthodoxy is essential to the spiritual health of both Christians and the church as a whole. When believers abandon orthodoxy, spirituality does not become freer or deeperit becomes hollow and lifeless. So do their churches. But love keeps orthodoxy from hardening into something Jesus also hated. When truth is severed from love, orthodoxy collapses into legalism. And legalism is not holiness; it is a corruption of orthopraxyright living. Christian, we are called to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy. Scripture commands us: As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy (1 Pet. 1:1416). But the way we pursue holiness is not through cold precision or moral superiority. It is through the kind of love the Ephesian church once hadand then lost. This is the first of seven ways Christ calls His people to cleanse His house of leaven. What is that love? Scripture defines it plainly: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth Love never ends (1 Cor. 13:48). This is the love Jesus spoke of that must be true of His followers: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). We live in a nation deeply fracturedso fractured that many believe we are in a cold civil war. Civil conversation between the left and the right is nearly impossible. But it must not be that way in the church Jesus redeemed from the world. Our love for Christ must overflow into genuine love for one anotherstrong enough to allow disagreement without division, conviction without contempt, and truth without hatred. Let me take this one step further. If you love the Jesus who died to ransom people from every tribe, language, people, and nation, then you must be liberated from the partisan blindness that grips both the left and the right. Christian, you belong to another kingdom. Your allegiance is not to a political ideology but to King Jesus. Please hear me: the world will not see, hear, or receive the gospel from the left or the rightbut only from Jesus Christ Himself. By Gods design, His gospel is not entrusted to government but to His church. The mess in the White House, ournation, and the world is evidence that what people need is the One who makes the Gospel the Gospelnamely, Jesus! If you cannot see thatif you cannot believe that while still calling yourself a Christianthen you are in danger of the very thing that threatened the church in Ephesus. You have lost your first love. So I leave you with the same words Jesus spoke to them: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

February 7, 2026Today's Reading: Introit for Sexagesima - Psalm 44:1-2, 7-8; antiphon: Psalm 44:23, 25a, 26aDaily Lectionary: Job 4:1-21; John 2:1-12“But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever.” (Psalm 44:7-8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God has enemies. And by extension, so do those who are baptized into Christ and bear His holy Name. That may sound strange at first. Who would be foolish enough to stand against the Almighty? And yet the Devil did exactly that. He rebelled, and ever since, he has waged war against God and His people. Death entered the world as a result of sin, a grim reminder that the world is not the way it was meant to be. Sin itself constantly seeks to overthrow the Lord and set up idols in His place, false gods of wealth, comfort, power, and self.These enemies of Satan, death, and sin are no match for God, but they are formidable foes for us. Death breaks into our lives, stealing loved ones and filling us with dread. The Devil entices with lies that seem reasonable, and he preys on our weaknesses. Sin deceives us into thinking we know better than God. And we must admit that we are not just victims. Our sinful nature eagerly follows along. The old Adam within us is not reluctant; he is a willing participant in rebellion.But God is not absent or passive. His strength is not found in raw displays of power, but in the humility and sacrifice of Christ Jesus. The cross, which looks like weakness and foolishness to the world, is in truth the power of God unto salvation. There, Christ disarmed the Devil, broke the power of death, and bore the weight of all sin. What looked like defeat was the decisive victory.Through Jesus' death and resurrection, the enemies of God and of us, His people, have been put to shame. The Devil has lost his accusing voice. Death has lost its sting. Sin has been atoned for. And so, like the psalmist, we boast in the Lord. We boast not in ourselves, not in our strength, but in Christ alone. He has saved us from these terrible foes.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O little flock, fear not the foe who madly seeks your overthrow; dread not his rage and pow'r. And though your courage sometimes faints, his seeming triumph o'er God's saints lasts but a little hour. Amen. (LSB 666:1)Rev. Christopher Brademeyer, St. John's Lutheran Church in Oakes, NDAudio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

In a created world that exists under the sovereignty of the Almighty God, it's foolish for mankind to think we control anything. In other words, we should not think more highly of ourselves that we ought. We are all instruments of God—tools in His hand. Join us for a workshop of Isaiah 10!

Healing: who God is, what God does, what God has done through Jesus, what Jesus' followers do “Divine healing is a miracle. It is the power of Almighty God intervening in human affairs and suspending natural law in order to bring healing to our bodies. This is what God's Son did when He was on the planet, and God desires His Church, the Body of Christ, to do the same today. He wants to see miracle working power in your body.” – Pastor Wendell Smith PhD in Faith for Healing  Wisdom for Health Who God is: “They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink.  So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink. It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you (Yahweh-Rapha).” – Exodus 15:22-27  NLT Who Jesus is: Isaiah 53 (Prophetic prediction of who Jesus would be and what He would do) 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn't value him. 4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; (Illness and mental/emotional pain) but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. 6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all. 11 After his anguish, he will see light and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will carry their iniquities.” – Isaiah 53  CSB What Jesus did and has accomplished on the cross: “He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, ‘He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.'” – Matthew 8:14-17  NLT  (quoting Isaiah 53) “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.” – 1 Peter 2:24-25  NLT  (quoting Isaiah 53) Matthew 4:24, Luke 4:38-39, Mark 1:32-34, 6:5-6  Jesus heals blindness, paralysis, leprosy, and raises from the dead… sicknesses of all kinds. Matthew 4:23-24. (that which was beyond medicine) “Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.” – Matthew 4:23-24  NLT Jesus responds to the faith of those who want to be healed and those interceding for them. “A Roman officer pleaded with him, ‘Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.' Jesus said, ‘I will come and heal him.' But the officer said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,' and they go, or ‘Come,' and they come.'  When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel!' Jesus said, ‘Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.' And the young servant was healed that same hour.” – Matthew 8:5-13  NLT “The leader of a synagogue, ‘My daughter has just died,' he said, ‘but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.' So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, ‘If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.' Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, ‘Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.' And the woman was healed at that moment When Jesus arrived at the official's home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. ‘Get out!' he told them. ‘The girl isn't dead; she's only asleep.' Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up!” – Matthew 9:18-26  NLT Mark 9:20-24  “'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!'” Jesus delivered and healed the boy.   Luke 17:19  Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” (leprosy) Many healing miracles through Jesus-followers!  Philippians 2:25-27  Acts 2:43, 3:1-8, 5:12, 14:3, 8-10, 19:11-12, 28:7-9 (and many more Scriptures OT and NT) …using various methods, and same outcome. “A man was sitting, who had never walked, and had been lame from birth. He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, Paul said in a loud voice, ‘Stand up on your feet!' And he jumped up and began to walk around.” – Acts 14:8-10  CSB  “God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.” – Acts 19:11-12  NLT  “As it happened, Publius's father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.  Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.” – Acts 28:8-9  NLT There are many calls to repentance of sin and warnings against a refusal to repent, in association with healing. “Go and sin no more.” – Jesus often said. New Testament church warned: “That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.” – 1 Corinthians 11:29-30  NLT Faith, Miracles and Healing given to many NT believers (not just the first 12). “The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.” – 1 Corinthians 12:9  NLT  “All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.” – 1 Corinthians 12:27–28  NLT Faith is essential in relationship with God. “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” – Hebrews 11:6  NLT Pray and keep on praying! “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” – James 5:12-16  NLT Faith: See, Agree, Act  God, I choose to see you for who you say that you are. God, I choose to agree with what you say. God, I choose to take action based on this faith.

To Know the Surpassing Greatness of his Power Ephesians 1:15-23 by William Klock Do you ever wonder how I pray for you as your pastor?  You know I pray about the needs and concerns each of you shares with me, but I'm talking more generally about how I pray for you all as Living Word Church.  It occurred to me this week that in all my years in ministry no one has ever asked me that.  But I do pray for you and our text today from Ephesians—it's 1:15-23 if you want to follow along—this text is one of my favourite prayers.  For you.  In fact, I have this printed sheet taped inside my prayer book.  And what's on it is five prayers, all taken from Paul's letters; prayers he prayed for the churches he cared for.  Prayers inspired by the Holy Spirit.  About fifteen years ago it struck me that I should pray these Spirit-inspired pastoral prayers for you.  And so I typed them up, tweaked the wording a bit to fit the form of a collect, printed them out, and stuck them inside the back cover of my prayer book.  And each day at Morning Prayer, I pray one of these prayers for you.  And this one is, I think, maybe the most important. This prayer is still part of Paul's introduction to his letter to the Ephesians.  Last week we read that long run-on sentence that's all about the Father fulfilling his promises to Israel in Jesus; how we as Jesus' people share in the inheritance that was promised to Abraham, to Jacob, and to David; and how God's indwelling Spirit is the downpayment and guarantee of that inheritance.  And we heard that this inheritance is God's new creation.  That long run-on sentence was sort of Paul's opening shout of praise to God for what he's done. Starting with Chapter 2, Paul's going to use the rest of the letter to unpack this great shout of praise, to preach it, and to explain how it applies to us—how it shapes the church.  But first, there's this prayer.  Paul prays that his brothers and sisters in Ephesus will really and truly hear this message, that they'll take it to heart, and that they will be transformed by it.  In short: Paul's told them about the promised inheritance they have as the Messiah's people, now he prays that the knowledge of that inheritance will transform them. Before we get into Paul's prayer, there are three Old Testament passages we need to be familiar with, because they're what give shape to Paul's vision of the Messiah and the church.  The first is Psalm 110.  Psalm 110 is one of those Old Testament passages it's worth getting into your memory, because it echoes so powerfully throughout the whole New Testament.  It is, far and away, the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New.  This is the psalm, written by King David, that begins with the words, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”  When the first Christians wanted to stress that Jesus isn't just Saviour, but that he's even more importantly Lord of all, the King of kings, this was their favourite Old Testament passage. And then there's Psalm 8.  It's a close second behind Psalm 110.  It's the psalm that begins, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”  For Paul writing to the Ephesians, the really important part begins in verse 4, where David praises God for what he has made us as human beings.  David sings, “What is man that you are mindful of him?…You have made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honour.  You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet…O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”  The psalm echoes Genesis and God's creation of human beings as his image bearers.  That means to be the priests and stewards of his garden-temple.  That's what we were created to be and it's the vocation we rejected when we, instead, chose sin—to try to be gods ourselves.  In Paul's day many of the Jews saw not only the human vocation in Psalm 8, but they saw it as a prophecy of the Messiah who would be the truly human one—a new Adam who will get it right this time; a Messiah whom, according to Psalm 110, God would raise to his right hand to reign until he's put all his enemies under his feet. And then, what does the Messiah's victory look like?  Isaiah, especially chapter 11, was a favourite of the early Christians.  “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”  So Isaiah is talking about the king who will arise from the line of David.  “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”  That's the Messiah.  And his kingdom?  It should sound familiar: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat…the lion shall eat straw like an ox…and a little child shall lead them.” This was the new world that Israel expected the Messiah, the great King from the line of David, this is what they expected him to usher in.  God's Spirit would rest on him—That sounds like what happened at Jesus' baptism, doesn't it?—and through his wisdom and understanding, his counsel and power, his knowledge and the fear of the Lord, he will set this broken world to rights.  He will bring God's justice to warring nations and hurting people.  Peace will reign and the knowledge of God's glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.  This was an incredibly important passage for Paul, because when Paul looked at the little churches that were popping up all over the Greco-Roman world, in pagan cities, right under Caesar's nose, challenging the old gods, and most importantly bringing Jews and gentiles together in one family in the Messiah, Paul saw with absolute clarity the beginnings of the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy.  Through the Messiah, in these churches where Jews and gentiles were becoming one, where they were worshipping together the God of Israel across their social, cultural, and ethnic boundaries, the wolf and the lamb were lying down together at peace.  In them, Paul saw a foretaste of what's to come. Putting all these layers together, we can sum up what the Messiah was to be and do in four points.  Israel expected the Messiah (1) to be the King who would defeat the powers of evil; (2) the King who would rescue God's people from their bondage to those evil powers; (3) the King who would build a temple for God to dwell in; and (4) the King who would bring God's justice or righteousness and his peace to the whole world.  That's the Messiah.  And in doing those things, Jesus inaugurates the new creation. But Paul also recognised that the Church, that we who are united with the Messiah by faith share in that messianic ministry begun by Jesus.  Filled with God's Spirit, we are the temple Jesus built.  And we confront the powers with his victory and proclaim the liberating gospel to those in bondage.  We live out God's justice and peace.  And most importantly in this passage here: As a people full of the knowledge of God and his purposes for creation, we anticipate that day when the whole earth will be full of “knowing-God” as the waters cover the sea.  The church is the beginning of God's new creation in the midst of the old. So now we're ready to understand Paul's prayer.  It begins at verse 15: “Because of all this and because having heard of your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus, and that you show love to all God's saints, I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Now, they weren't perfect Christians.  No one ever is.  They weren't a perfect church.  No such thing exists this side of eternity.  But Paul had lived with these people.  He'd got to know them.  When he was away from them, he heard what other visitors had to say about them.  And he knew that, however imperfectly, they were faithful to the Lord Jesus.  Faithful.  What does that mean?  It means not just believing the right things about Jesus, but more importantly, committing yourself to him.  That's probably why Paul calls him “Lord Jesus” here.  You can believe all the true things about Jesus you want, but what makes a Christian is when you give your loyalty, your allegiance to Jesus as creation's true Lord.  When we repent and turn away from our sins and from our selfishness, when we stop trying to play at being gods and to write our stories for ourselves, and instead choose to live for him and to live in hope of his kingdom, his new creation, and not just as some thing in the distant future, but something we are beginning to live out here and now, Brothers and Sisters, that's what a Christian is.  Paul saw these men and women doing that.  He saw how much it cost them.  They were shunned by their families because they'd stopped worshipping the old gods; losing their jobs, because their guilds kicked them out for the same reason; their fellow citizens considered them disloyal for not taking part in the civil religion of Ephesus and of Caesar; just waiting to take the blame for bringing down the wrath of the gods on the city should some natural disaster strike.  Faith in Jesus cost them something.  It cost a lot.  And Paul saw that they were willing to count that cost.  And, too, he saw their love for each other and for their brothers and sisters struggling in other places.  Poor as they were, they sent money to the even poorer Christians in Jerusalem.  They supported and cared for each other like family.  However imperfect their faith may have been, in them Paul saw clear evidence of the gospel's power at work.  And he prayed for that power to continue to work in them So he goes on in verse 16.  Here are the specifics of that prayer: “I pray that the God of Messiah Jesus our Lord, the Father of glory, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened.  Then you will know what the hope is that goes with God's call; you will know the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; and you will know the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who are faithful, according to the working of his strength and power.” Paul longs for them to be enlightened by the Spirit.  Wisdom and revelation.  Here's what Paul means.  Wisdom and revelation are two facets of the same thing.  When you hear “wisdom” think of the book of Proverbs.  Wisdom is what you need if you want to truly live as a human being according to God's design.  But thanks to King Solomon as the paragon of wisdom in Israel, wisdom is also a royal thing associated with kings.  Now remember Isaiah 11.  This is why Isaiah described the coming messianic king, the one who is truly human, the new Adam, Isaiah describes him as perfectly wise.  And Paul knows that the people who are in the Messiah, share in that wisdom, that “revelation”.  Think of “revelation” as “insight” into God's design for living.  This broken world sorely lacks that wisdom and that insight, but it is ours in Jesus the Messiah.  In him we have the knowledge of God that the world lacks, the knowledge that will one day fill the earth.  The knowledge that, as the church lives it out in daily life, acts as the salt of the earth, as light in the darkness, that gives everyone around a anticipatory glimpse of creation set to rights.  Paul prays that their hearts will be opened to this knowledge.  He saw it happening already in their faith and in their love for each other, but he prayed that the Spirit would open their hearts more and more to the knowledge of God.  That the Spirit would clear away the fog that surrounds us.  Our world has its own ideas about wisdom—and they're often wrong.  Think of how the world tells us to think about ourselves, our relationships, about work and vocation, about sex and money and power, about God.  All very different from what God, in his wisdom, says about all those things.  As Jesus' people we need to take our cues and to glean our wisdom from God and from the scriptures, not the world, not worldly philosophies, not TV or movies, not social media, not motivational speakers, but from God.  As C. S. Lewis astutely pointed out in The Screwtape Letters, the devil doesn't need to put wrong ideas into people's heads; he just needs to keep the true ones out.  Brothers and Sisters, we need the eyes of our hearts opened to know God. And Paul says here that this knowledge primarily consists of three things.  These all come from that picture of the Messiah in Isaiah 11.  Paul wants us to know the hope, the inheritance, and the power.  The hope is for Jesus' victory at the cross and the empty tomb to change the whole world, bit by bit, here and there, wherever it's needed, to bring creation under the rule of the Messiah.  The inheritance is the promise that the Messiah will inherit and will rule the nations—every square inch of creation.  And I think we often forget, but this shapes the mission of the church.  This is our vocation.  This is our way today of being fruitful and multiplying and filling the earth and wherever we go we bring the power of the gospel, the reign of the Messiah, and the reconciling peace of his kingdom. And the power.  Brothers and Sisters, we forget the power of the gospel.  Verses 19 and 20 are a little difficult to translate into English because of the way Paul heaps up the words for power.  He literally says something like, “that you may know what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe according to the energy of the might of his strength, which he worked out in the Messiah.”  Greatness, power, energy, might, strength.  Rooted in the resurrection of Jesus.  The living God raised Jesus from the dead.  The greatest display of his power in history.  It went out like a shockwave, pushing away the great stone from the tomb, and reverberating through creation.  New creation bursting into the old.  And, Brothers and Sisters, the church—we—are the working model of that new creation, of that power that is transforming the world as the good news of Jesus goes out and continues to reverberate through creation. But there's more to it than just Jesus' resurrection.  Remember that “Messiah” means the “anointed King”.  Jesus is Lord.  That's a big part of this picture too.  So Paul goes on in verse 20: “This is the power at work in the Messiah when God raised him from the dead and sat him at his right hand in the heavenlies, above all rule and authority and power and lordship, and above every name that is invoked, both in the present age and also in the age to come.  Yes, God has ‘put all things under his feet,' and has given him to the church as the head over all.  The church is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all in all.” Don't forget Psalm 110.  There's an echo here of Daniel 7, too.  The Messiah has been raised to sit at God's right hand—to his throne as creation's true Lord.  And the practical thing that means for the church is that no matter how things may look from our perspective here, Jesus sits above every authority, every CEO, every billionaire, every ruler, every king.  There is no name on earth that anyone can invoke that will trump the name of Jesus.  This was a jab at Caesar, whose cult was especially prominent in Ephesus, but it applies just as much to the kings and power-brokers of our own day.  Think of the names in the news.  Think of all the rivalries in business or in politics or in culture.  Brothers and Sisters, Jesus outranks them all.  And in this lies our vocation as the people of the Messiah.  A people, Paul says here, who is Jesus' own body.  This sovereign power—a power rooted on the one hand in God's power and glory and in the other in the love, mercy, and humility Jesus puts on display at the cross—this sovereign power is our vocation.  God created Adam and Eve to bear his image—to be good and wise stewards of his creation.  Remember we saw that in Psalm 8.  Paul's prayer here is that we would recognise that Jesus is that truly good and wise human, now enthroned at God's right hand and that through the gospel he is creating a people—you and me—to learn that godly wisdom, to learn that godly knowledge, and to share in his godly rule.  God has made Jesus the head of the church so that the church can now act, now live out that delegated authority as his body.  We're called to be a community that embodies Psalm 110 and Psalm 8 and Isaiah 11.  Brothers and Sisters, the church is the fullness of the one who fills all in all.  We are God's new creation, however small, however imperfect, however incomplete at the present, but still God's new creation in the midst of the old, full of light and life and gospel power and authority, proclaiming the Lord Jesus and his kingdom and causing that Easter shockwave to continue to reverberate through creation until the knowledge of God's glory fills the earth as the waters cover the sea. And if that seems impossible, if it seems ridiculous, if it seems overwhelming, if makes you afraid, think how it must have seemed to the people in those little churches around Ephesus in a.d. 50.  A handful of churches, each with ten or fifteen or maybe thirty people.  Mostly poor, more women than men, more slaves than freemen.  They lived for Jesus in the midst of a hostile world permeated through and through with paganism.  Everyone thought they were weird and crazy, impious and disloyal.  In not too many years some of them would be rounded up, arrested, tortured, sent to the arena to be eaten by lions because of their faith in Jesus.  The emperor would burn others alive as human torches to light his garden parties.  These little churches had no programmes.  No Sunday school or youth group.  No bands or fog machines.  No ad campaigns.  They didn't even have their own buildings.  They just studied and preached God's word, they loved and cared for each other, and they taught the world what grace and mercy and true holiness looks like.  They had the good news about Jesus, crucified and risen, and in that was a power that outshone everything.  Imagine how ridiculous and impossible it might have seemed to them: this idea that Jesus is Lord and that the knowledge of God will one day fill the earth.  And then drop them into a modern-day city.  I found myself thinking of the view we had from the US Consulate in Montreal, up on the twentieth floor of a skyscraper, looking out over the city and the steeples every few blocks—more than I could count, as far as the eye could see.  Even in little woefully unchurched Courtenay, you don't have to walk very far in any direction to find a church.  Brothers and Sisters, the power of the gospel is real.  Even though there's so much more work to do, just look at how the gospel has transformed the world since the days Paul wrote to those little churches in Ephesus.  Jesus really is Lord and the fact that you and I are here today to worship the God of Israel instead of worshipping whatever pagan God's our ancestors worshipped is proof of that power.  When someone tells me, “I'm leaving, this church is too small,” I pray Paul's prayer here all the more for them and I pray it for all of you and for myself: that we would be full of the knowledge of God and the power of the gospel and that we would trust it and have faith in what God has promised it will accomplish through us.  The proof of Jesus' reign and the power of the gospel is all around us.  May he open the eyes of our hearts to see it. Let's pray: Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, open the eyes of our hearts to the power of the knowledge of you.  Remind us of our calling in Jesus and the hope and inheritance we have in him.  Give us the faith and courage to be the people you have made us, to be the vanguard of your new creation as we live and proclaim your good news.  Give us a passion to see the knowledge of your glory covering the earth as the waters cover the sea.  Make us faithful stewards, we ask through Jesus our Lord we pray.  Amen.

We can learn a lot about the nature of God from his Divine Name revealed in Scripture. When God said to Moses, “I am who I am,” this was a revelation of a name as well as a refusal of a name. Fr. Mike explains how this mystery reveals truths about God: he is infinitely above all things; we cannot comprehend him, yet he draws close to us. This Divine Name expresses the steadfast, faithful, unchanging love of God for his people, even when we betray and abandon him. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 205-211. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

"Annihilationism is the belief that those who die apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ will be ultimately destroyed. Thus, annihilationists reject the historic view of hell as conscious, endless punishment.” - Dr. Christopher W. Morgan Hell is eternal, and people do exist there. To remove hell from existence takes away the urgency to witness, the desire to live righteously and obey God, and the respect and fear of Almighty God. Learn more in this episode with Bill and Annette about why hell is eternal and many people are headed there. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries please visit us at: https://soulchoiceministries.org/  You can find more of Bill's teachings at: BillWieseTV-YouTube

In this episode, we discuss the nature of God, “who” God is, beginning with God the Father. Our reading explains how the Creed begins with God the Father because he is the first Divine Person of the most Holy Trinity. God is one Divine Being made up of three persons, and his identity is a deep mystery. Fr. Mike explains that God is a single ‘what' made up of three ‘who's.' Despite this mystery, God is not an anonymous force. He has revealed himself to us by making his name known to us, and he has thus made himself accessible. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 198-204. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

The Almighty God! Have you ever quietly wondered why that power is not more evident in society today? We'll explore power in this study.1 Cor 1:18 - 2:5

Daily Dose of Hope January 27, 2026   Scripture: I Corinthians 3   Prayer:  Almighty God, Search our hearts today.  Show us those places that we need to change.  Show us where we aren't fully devoted to you and your Kingdom.  Lord, we need your wisdom and guidance.  On our own, we falter and drift.  Lord, we want to know you more.  We want to be a living example of your love and holiness.  Help us, Jesus.  Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently journeying through Paul's pastoral letters, chronologically.  Thus far, we have read through Galatians, I Thessalonians, and II Thessalonians.  We are currently in I Corinthians.    Today's reading was I Corinthians 3. Paul continues to have harsh words for the Christ-followers at Corinth. They think they live by the Spirit, but Paul tells them they actually are still living by worldly standards. He had to teach them like babies in the faith; they lack maturity. They are drinking milk rather than being able to eat solid food.  One example of this is their view of Christian leadership. They see leadership as focusing on an individual, that person having a following, pitting one person again another. In a sense, they view Christian leadership as a popularity contest. Paul makes the case that there are no individual superstars in Christian leadership. Different people have different tasks at different times. Some people plant, some people water, and others harvest. One task is not better or more important than another. They are all necessary for expanding God's Kingdom. My own experience is that Christian leadership has to be rooted in humility. The way our churches are structured doesn't always lend itself to this so we have to be very, very intentional.  I know I have to very, very intentional.  Ministry isn't about me as a pastor, it's always about Jesus and what he desires for his church. Jesus is of course our ultimate example of leadership. As a servant leader, he washed dirty feet, touched lepers, and ultimately gave up his life for those he led. No superstardom there, just a lot of rolling up sleeves, getting dirty, and experiencing sacrifice.   We find a beautiful example of Christian leadership in Philippians 2:5-8: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

January 26, 2026Today's Reading: Luke 10:1-9Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 2:1-3:10; Romans 15:1-13“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Church needs workers. The Lord has ordered His kingdom in such a way that people bring His Word of peace to other people. This is one particular work, but there is a lot of work that goes into supporting this work, too. When Jesus sent out the seventy-two ambassadors to speak peace, He also appointed the sons of peace who received them to support their work by providing housing, food, and drink so that the ambassadors of peace could continue their proclamation.The Church needs workers. Titus was one of those church workers, a laborer in the Lord's harvest. We recognize Titus as a pastor and a confessor. St. Paul called him “my partner and fellow worker for your benefit” (2 Corinthians 8:23). St. Paul also describes his work in more detail in his letter to Titus: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you” (Titus 1:5). The Church also needs administrators. The Church needs workers. What work are you able to do? Can you preach? Can you teach? Can you comfort? Can you serve? Can you make music? The Church has many needs and a variety of professional offices, each with its own qualifications and requirements (your own pastor is an excellent resource for discovering these opportunities to work in the Church).The Church needs workers. But the Church also needs sons and daughters of peace to receive these workers. The Church needs workers, and those workers need the Church to support them. Make sure your pastor and other professional Church workers get paid a decent salary, “for the laborer deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7b). “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few,” says Jesus. “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” The Church needs workers, and both the Church and the workers need your prayers. Whether you work or receive, support or pray, know that the Lord Jesus is the Lord of the harvest. He is the one who sends workers to the Church, so that the kingdom of God may come near you.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You called Titus to the work of pastor and teacher. Make all shepherds of Your flock diligent in preaching Your holy Word so that the whole world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “A local church's elders do not rule on their own merits or according to their own designs but as subjects and delegates of Christ the chief shepherd…. Our elders may appear to be painfully ordinary men, but under their loving leadership, we receive the ministry of Christ himself…. “Our holiness is not merely personal. It is also the foundation of our corporate identity as the church. The surprising thing about the Bible's testimony is that the word saints does not single out exemplary church members, or church members whose gifts and graces are only of a particular variety. In fact, in biblical terms, there are no individual saints. In its sixty appearances in the New Testament, the word is always plural and always used as a description of all the Christians in the church…. We are not lone saints…; we are corporate saints, members of a holy company…. “The church in eternity will appear more lovely, but it will not be more loved.”~Megan Hill in A Place to Belong: Learning to Love the Local Church “God allowed his Son to suffer as if a condemned sinner, so that we might be delivered from the penalty of our sins. This is God's righteousness, that we are not justified by works (for then they would have to be perfect, which is impossible), but by grace, in which case all our sin is removed.”         ~John Chrysostom (c. 347-407), early church leader in Constantinople “And so, we, having been called through His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified through ourselves or through our own wisdom or understanding or piety or works which we wrought in holiness of heart, but through faith, whereby the Almighty God justified all men that have been from the beginning….”~Clement of Rome (died c.100 AD), early church leader in Rome, from a letter written c. A.D. 96 “This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest gospel and is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word by heart, but occupy himself with it every day as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546) in his commentary on St. Paul's Letter to the Romans “The body of Scripture is a doctrine sufficient to live well…. Theology is the science of living blessedly forever. Blessed life arises from the knowledge of God…. And therefore it arises likewise from the knowledge of ourselves, because we know God by looking into ourselves.”~William Perkins (1558-1602), Cambridge-based Puritan theologianSERMON PASSAGERomans 1:1-17 (ESV) 1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Warnings of Earthquake Judgments (1) (Audio) David Eells, 1/25/26 I'm going to talk to you today about many warnings about earthquakes that have been prophesied to come to America. Some of these are old, and some are recent, which confirms them because God is still speaking through His prophets. God warns ahead so that many get the warning. If it was immediately fulfilled it wouldn't be a warning. He has been patient and very merciful towards people.  A recent earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck off the coast of Oregon at 7:25 p.m. PT on January 15, 2026, according to preliminary data. The quake occurred offshore at a shallow depth of about 7 km, which is why it was widely felt across western Oregon and coastal communities. No tsunami warnings were issued by the National Tsunami Warning Center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Early reports indicate the epicenter was well offshore, but shallow quakes travel far — and fast. If you felt shaking, swaying, or a sudden jolt, you're not alone. The offshore area near the Oregon–California border is part of a seismically active region where earthquakes occur regularly due to the interaction between tectonic plates along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Most earthquakes in this area occur offshore and are often not felt on land, though larger events have the potential to be widely felt along the Pacific Northwest coast. (This 6.0 quake, which happened very near a fault line, is a precursor to a much larger earthquake.) https://x.com/JosetteCaruso_/status/2012012701334024207?s=20 https://x.com/KristyTallman/status/2012057788932112687?s=20 It seems the Lord is blessing America to undo the damage done by liberals, who also have pushed the Land for Peace upon Israel, for which God said He would judge the US with earthquakes. It seems He is judging the liberals' rebellion against law and government. I believe the Lord told me that we are seeing spiritual earthquakes happening. We are certainly seeing spiritual shifts and separations of the earth here, a polarization of left from right. A clear separation of radical left from what is right. The Lord has shown us that He can fulfill prophetic dreams, visions, and prophecies in a physical or spiritual way (and sometimes both), depending on the actions of His people. Considering His mercy and grace being shown toward America, are we still going to see great physical quakes judging America? We are seeing tremendous precursors of earthquakes come and miraculously go as if by God's hand. He is still telling us He is going to judge apostate Christianity in America, bringing them into Babylonish captivity. Are these precursors being put down to show God's mercy once more, or are they a warning to pray against coming quakes? We saw massive riots and demonstrations on the East Coast in DC and the West Coast in Portland during and then following the inauguration. In the last several months, we've seen protests and riots against ICE, the National Guard, and other law enforcement in Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, Minneapolis, and other cities. These could be symptoms of the spiritual earthquakes. Are the physical quakes still coming, or will both be true? This event has been considered in the past as a potential warning of a POSSIBLE pending large earthquake on the west coast. Now, let me share with you some revelations the Lord has given concerning these earthquakes.     More Shaking and Tsunami to Come for Russia and Japan and then for California     8/3/25 Alison Pound (David's notes in red)   The Lord says: The ring of fire is erupting. One side has gone off. The other side, where California is, will react to the Russian side. Do you remember, I will shake the earth like a cottage. (A cottage has a flat floor, walls and a roof) Think of how big the Earth is. Then think of Me shaking it. One side goes down, the other side goes up. Then it is the turn of the first side to go up, whilst the other side goes down. There was no breakage, no land fell off into the sea on the Russian side. But when the Californian side reacts to the Russian side shaking, the land will break up, and a chunk will fall into the sea. Everyone will be able to see this chunk sticking up at the cracked edge and submerged under the sea at the outer sea edge. Keep watch. The shaking on the Russian side has not ended. There will be more before the other side reacts. On the Japan and Russia coastlines, there will be another tsunami. This will be most devastating. It will happen first, and then the shaking will begin on the US coastline. Alaska will not be devastated at this time. But the Japan tsunami and the Russia shaking will set off the other side of the ring of fire. No, this is not a tribulation quake. These are the birth pangs. They lead up to the tribulation. The tribulation begins in America after WWIII, when she is bombed. Then, in a series of events, the World Order will be brought down hard upon the whole earth. (The present day prosperity of NESARA/GESARA under Trump's administration will be reversed as we can clearly see in Revelation chapters 12 and 13.) A moment of triumph for satan. A moment is all I will grant him. To wear out the saints. The earthquakes will not stop when the tribulation begins. It will not be like that. Volcanic eruptions will continue. Weather events, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, famines, plagues. But in all of this, I Am with you! TO HIS CHOSEN: You are Mine! Psalm 91. It will not come near to you. I will not allow it. I will preserve My beloved. All of My precious ones. Only those who have not prepared themselves by drawing near to the throne of Grace will be taken out of the way in those days. Sleep (death) will be a merciful act of God in those days. Isaiah 24:19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.   To Whom it was Given to Hurt the Earth and Sea 01/04/26 Alison Pound Revelation 7:2   Thursday 1st January 2026 I Am about to visit Japan. And then California also. Everything I told you I would do, I will do to them. I Am about to do it. I told you. My true prophets will know because I will tell them. Just before I do it, I will tell them. I will say to them, it is time. I will tell them to brace for impact. Because you, and they, will feel the impact of what I Am going to do. The shaking and the destruction of the earth and the people in those places will be immense. Shocking. It will be all that the survivors around the earth can talk about for a long time. That is, when they start talking. Because when this happens, at first, they will not talk. The shock will hit them. Some will then shake their fists in the air and will no longer follow Me. These ones did not know Me at all well before. But others will turn to Me in a big way. Prepare for this. Many will want to talk about Me suddenly. They will have questions. They will want to get right with Me. And My hand of mercy will be outstretched to these. Be ready to speak. Donald Trump is going. He will go shortly after California goes. And California is about to go. The seabed is in turmoil. Out of California, the underwater volcanoes are coming to life. Angels have been sent to command them to erupt. Angels are My messengers. They put My judgments into action. Remember the scrolls and the decrees? (The Book of Revelation, see below) Keep watching and waiting. When you see that Japan has had a magnitude 8 earthquake, a tsunami will follow. Then you will know California is next. The shaking will shift tectonic plates. I will shake the earth like a cottage. I have not told you this before, but this earthquake, the one that takes out California, will be felt further away than any earthquake before it. Other volcanoes in the vicinity will also erupt. Remember, I told you to keep an eye on the ring of fire? This is the time. This is the time when shipping will be interrupted and new paths will be found for the ships in order to bypass the volcanic activity. [In 2012 the Lord spoke about this, but I just did not understand at the time. He said: Way below the earth's crust, there will be a disturbance far greater than any before. Out upon the waters of the Pacific, there is going to be a disturbance that comes from far below. Shipping will be lost at this time. There will become an area that must now be avoided.] The Earth will never be the same again after this. Many, many sea creatures will die and will be washing up on far shores. This will go on for months. Dear one, this will be a terrible time for the people of the earth. Very trying. But incredibly, the wicked will continue to be wicked. It will be like they think time is short and they must get a whole lot more wickedness in before they go. Their hearts will harden, if that were at all possible. And although I Am in judgment mode and I Am very angry, I will be very controlled and perfect in all My judgments. You will have access to Me at all times. I will not be like the angry father here on earth who does not want to talk to anyone when he is in his angry mode. I do not want you to keep away from Me. But draw near and remain. This is the only way. Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,   California! This is What is Going to Happen 6/23/22 McKana Isaiah 24:20-21(KJV) 20. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 21. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. Considering the impending grave danger and catastrophe coming shortly, there is not enough warning to alarm and prepare the people in the regions. The imminent danger is not localized to a specific place or region. From what the Lord revealed to many of us, the nature and intensity might vary but the East, the West, the North, the South and the Center are in the same prophesied calamities of the judgment hands of Almighty God. The Lord has shown me in dreams and visions, over eight times, what is coming to California. The revelations given were: 1. Swarms of earthquakes in the ring of fire, two times. 2. A big earthquake in the region of California, many times. 3. Buildings in Los Angeles rattle, give off and crumble to the ground like dust. 4. Buildings all the way down the mountain range of the west coast rattle and crumble like the side of a mountain crumbling and falling off to the ground. 5. The land under the Pacific Ocean moves to the East, Northeast, and towards the East Coast. 6. The land from the floor of the Pacific Ocean moves, climbs over the coastline, and crumbles, bringing total destruction. 7. The land moving from the floor of the ocean, over the coastline, cracks the land along the fault line and breaks off the land to throw it down to the ocean. I have seen this in a vision which looked like “real action.” From these visions, dreams, and revelations, this is what is going to happen to California. There will be wide, big swarms of earthquakes along the ring of fire, under the ocean, on the coastline of North and South America, East of Australia, East of the small islands in the Pacific, East of the Philippines, East of China, Japan, Russia, and South of the land and coast of Alaska. This earthquake will bring about the movements of the floor of the ocean. The land of the floor of the Pacific Ocean, east [she means west] of California and Oregon, will move towards the East Coast. One part of the floor of the Pacific Ocean moves to the East and then to the northeast to be submerged under the land on the floor, subducted. The next part of the land from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, South and adjacent to the first one, will move towards the East Coast. It will climb over the East (West) Coast of California. It will crumble and fall back to the floor and will ultimately break off the East (West) Coast of California along the San Andria fault line. This land movement and the shaking, so big, will bring a big tsunami to go further East and inundate the inland. All, what I have seen.   One of the visions below will give a short glimpse of what is befalling California.   California Earthquake-Last Warning (Vision of October 15, 2017. 1:30 AM and 4:00 AM)  I see chairs and tables being pushed. A few, finely dressed people are pushing a whole set of tables and chairs as they are together, quarter of a football size, all at once, row after row. They are pushing them first to the East, then to the North and push them all to store them in a house, big auditorium-like setting. One group is pushing the set of tables and chairs to the North-East and storing them in the same way. They pushed it over a high cliff like stairs. After they are done, the whole stairs made of stone collapsed and sank to the ground, crumbling. I turned to the right, and a row of high-rise buildings was crumbling like the side of a mountain, falling to the ground with the dust cloud and debris falling to the ground. I looked far to the North. There is a range of mountain buildings. The buildings look resting on a small but very long range of hills. They started crumbling from the North down South. I started screaming loud “Sound the alarm, warn them, tell them!” to the station on the left, but it is too late. No alarm, no warning, no escape. The whole row after row of the buildings along the mountain range collapsed and fell to the ground with so many people in them. No warning, no time to escape, all gone. I held my head and started crying, screaming and shouting, then I woke up. Then at 4:00 AM, I saw another dream, the same region, first a standing metallic pole, a wave from the pole to the West and from the pole to the North. It is an Earthquake with the poll, Epicenter, close to and in the middle of the range of the mountain building I saw above, the fault lines. It is an Earthquake like we have never seen before, a California Earthquake. I have to think, inquire, and ask what it is. It is the land moving like a table Cascadia Subduction zone and the San Andreas fault line. I saw the California Earthquake few years ago. This one is a warning that time has run out and is imminent. Sudden without warning. Lord have mercy.   California  Summary of Visions and Dreams from 2016  1. Thou city who claims to be the City of the Angels, who has exalted yourself into heaven and sent all the dirty, filthy things of fashions and things, till even the foreign countries come here to pick up our filth and send it away, with your fine churches and steeples, and so forth, the way you do, remember, one day you'll be lying in the bottom of this sea The world is falling apart, fifteen hundred mile chunk of it, three to four hundred miles wide, will sink maybe forty miles down into that great fault out yonder. William Branham, 1933. 2. The earthquakes began in the west, around Idaho and Wyoming, and then quickly spread in every direction. I saw a huge earthquake hit Utah and then California. There were earthquakes all over California, but they were especially devastating in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. San Francisco appeared to turn upside down. Sarah Menet-1979 3. The United States is going to experience in the not-too-distant future the most tragic earthquakes in its history. One day soon this nation will be reeling under the impact of the biggest news story of modern times. It will be coverage of the biggest, most disastrous earthquake in history. It will cause widespread panic and fear. Without a doubt, it will become one of the most completely reported earthquakes ever. Television networks will suspend all programming and carry all day coverage. David Wilkerson Prophecy 1994 4. The shape of the United States is going to change if we do not cry out to God. Whenever man turns away from God it will start to decay. The Earth will not yield itself to you. Earthquakes are not going to strike only the coastal areas of the United States but also the Midwest of the United States. JOHN PAUL JACKSON, 2007 5. A massive Earthquake that seemed to crack off the coast of California. It reminded me of a saltine cracker that just cracks in two. The great cities of the West Coast fall into the ocean all the way from Mexico to Alaska and a giant wave flooded inside, and much of the West Coast was not there. It has disappeared into the Pacific Ocean. Maurice Sklar, March 14, 2014 6. The landscape of America is about to change. There will be many signs I perform as a warning for your nation. The Lord says, the oceans will come as far as the Rockies in some areas on the West Coast. The Grand Canyon will begin to fill with water. Dr Patricia Green, 7/7/2015 7. There is a massive earthquake coming to America, says the Lord. There is a massive earthquake that is about to take place; we have never heard of this kind. Everything will shake, says the Lord. My people are not listening says the Lord. This earthquake will wake up everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Times are changing, and that means our earth is changing. Be ready for change these days. Everything will happen quickly, says the Lord. When the world is saying peace, peace, then comes a sudden destruction. Dawn Obrien 6/21/2016 8. I saw a very devastating Earthquake in the West Coast of the US, with collapsed buildings and the earth split, from South to North along a fault line, and people scrambling to save the victims. McKana, 5/23/2013   “Redmond #9 – Unforgettable”  Julie Teig - 5/5/2011 (David's notes in red) (First, I want to give a little background: I used to be a volunteer member with a group that helped with wine competitions for charity events, which is why God gave me this dream the way He did. Briefly, wines would be tasted and judged by professional wine makers, writers for wine magazines, and wine distributors, etc.) On or about May 5, 2011, I had the following dream: I was at work and someone had given me a very large bottle of red wine as a gift. I no longer drink much wine, so I decided to re-gift it to my boss, Bill, because I know he and his wife like to entertain and enjoy wine. My boss said, “Wow, this is great! Call Lindsey (his wife) and tell her you are coming over to dinner with this wine.” I felt a little uncomfortable about calling her and inviting myself to dinner, and I didn't really want to go because they had recently moved into a new high-rise condo downtown, and I had visited them previously, but I don't like heights too much. (They are on the 37th floor). The bottle of wine, like I said, was very large and, in my mind, I was thinking “magnum”, but the bottle appeared to be much larger than that. I told my boss, “Let's see what, if any, award the judges gave this wine in the competition!” The label on the wine bottle said, “Redmond #9” so I'm reading over the spreadsheet listing all the wines, searching for it, and I found it listed just as the label reads, “Redmond #9.” I noticed that it did not receive a medal, but in the comments made by the judges, it only said, “Unforgettable”. End of the dream, and I woke up. After playing it over in my mind several times, I knew I was to remember “Redmond #9, Unforgettable” So I started asking the Lord what that meant, and is it “unforgettable good” or unforgettable bad”…? I received a revelation then the following Saturday, May 7, when I was watching a video posted by Glynda Lomax where she was talking about the very strong feelings she was having about a large earthquake coming to America, and she kept saying “8+, 8+ earthquake,” and then I remembered my dream and the wine bottle, “Redmond #9, Unforgettable.” (meaning 8+ 'magnitude' earthquake) http://wingsofprophecy.blogspot.com/p/videos.html So I started searching on Google maps for “cities in the US named Redmond,” and I found in the first few hits Redmond, WA, and Redmond, OR. The two cities are approximately 6 hours and 330 miles apart. This area or location seemed relevant to someone's dream that was recently shared about a possible tsunami hitting the Western part of the US from an earthquake (upper US area). Then, even more recently, the supposed next BIG earthquake to hit at the 188-day interval shows it as the upper Northwest US. (I remember this but we've looked and cannot find it, it's lost from the site now)  In addition, since the wine bottle in my dream appeared to be much larger than a magnum, which holds the equivalent of 2 bottles of wine, I searched for wine bottle sizes. I found this chart very interesting! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_bottle   Volume (litres) Ratio Name Notes 0.1875 0.25 Piccolo "Small" in Italian. Also known as a quarter bottle, pony, snipe or split. 0.25 0.33 Chopine Traditional French unit of volume 0.375 0.5 Demi "Half" in French. Also known as a half bottle or split. 0.378 0.505 Tenth One-tenth of a U.S. gallon* 0.5 0.67 Jennie "White Spirit" in Welsh. Also known as a 50 cl bottle. Used for Tokaj, Sauternes, Jerez, as well as several other types of sweet wines. 0.620 0.83 Clavelin Primarily used for vin jaune. 0.750 1 Standard   0.757 1.01 Fifth One-fifth of a U.S. gallon* 1.5 2 Magnum   2.25 3 Marie Jeanne Also known as a Tregnum or Tappit Hen in the port wine trade. 3.0 4 Jeroboam (a.k.a. Double Magnum) Biblical, First king of Northern Kingdom. "Jeroboam" has different meanings for different regions in France.[5] 4.5 6 4.5 6 Rehoboam Biblical, First king of separate Judea 6.0 8 Imperial   6.0 8 Methuselah Biblical, Oldest Man 9.0 12 Mordechai Biblical, Cousin of Esther Queen of Persia 9.0 12 Salmanazar Biblical, Assyrian King 12.0 16 Balthazar Early Christian folklore, one of the Wise Men 15.0 20 Nebuchadnezzar Biblical, King of Babylon 18.0 24 Melchior Early Christian folklore, one of the Wise Men 20.0 26.66 Solomon Biblical, King of Israel, Son of David 25.0 33.33 Sovereign   27.0 36 Primat   30.0 40 Melchizedek Biblical and other Middle East religions   Then about a week later, a woman who used to work in our office in San Diego, CA, sent an update email telling us she was working in our Seattle, WA office now and that she and her family had finally arrived safely and had found a nice place to live in “Redmond, WA” which reminded me of my dream and prompted me to get this written down and send it to you.   Please Check Out of Hotel California Soon Brian Lake – 3/7/2022 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginning of sorrows.” Mark 13:8 The Lord Jesus gave me a dream during the early morning hours of March 1, 2022. I found myself swimming in the Pacific Ocean somewhere off the coast of Southern California. The water started to churn, and all of the swimmers were being tossed around. After realizing that this was a tsunami, I started shouting for people to get to higher ground. The strength of the swirling waters made it very difficult for them to get back to shore. As I was starting to drown, I woke up. Christian prophetic warnings have gone out to California for nearly 100 years. Because the great earthquake has not yet happened, most Californians now ignore any and all earthquake warnings. Joseph Brandt was shown the great California earthquake in his 1937 dream/vision. He was also shown the collapse of the Boulder (Hoover) Dam. https://444prophecynews.com/dream-earthquake-sink-los-angeles-much-of-california-and-japan-joe-brandt/ Millions have hardened their hearts and refuse to leave the state. They love the good weather and numerous attractions that California provides. They love Hollywood, the Music Center, and their professional sports teams. They love swimming in the ocean and skiing in the mountains. (idolatry) Many of my family and friends do not understand or comprehend the magnitude and extent of this prophesied great earthquake. They remember the Northridge quake (1-17-1994) and the Whittier Narrows quake (10-1-1987). They reason that the next quake could not possibly be any larger than either of those two. Unfortunately, this quake will affect a wide area: from north of San Francisco to Cabo San Lucas. All of the beloved Pastors, Rabbis, and Priests in California have been warned, in one way or another, about this great earthquake. Most of them have chosen not to warn their congregations. As a result, the blood of their sheep will be on their own hands. (Ezekiel 33) All glory to the Lamb and the One who sits on the throne! In Messiah, Brian Lake   West Coast Evacuation Not as an Escape Clause 8/5/25 LaTonya Canada-Christ August 1, 2025 “LaTonya, take a message: “It is My will that My people love Me, truly love Me – not as an escape clause or insurance policy. I desire for them to actually enjoy My ways, right living, and honoring one another in the beauty of holiness. It is not inconceivable to think that I would want My people to want to be with Me, not as a chore or task, but in genuine fondness, service, and requited love. Why is this such a foreign idea? I want love and closeness as much as the next. But I will not accept scraps like a begging dog. For I am a GREAT KING! The offer is still open, but for some, it will be too late. That is all.” Jesus Christ, the Great King of kings.   Evacuate the West Coast 8/5/2025 - LaTonya Canada-Christ Saints, Last week, upon hearing of the earthquakes in Russia, I began to pray for my loved ones and friends. 16 years ago, we were called to warn WA churches and the West Coast state authorities of earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. So, I asked the Lord whether I should warn my family and friends who have refused the warnings previously to evacuate. And the following was His response. “LaTonya, I know you want to warn them, but they have been warned. They don't want Me, so what does it matter to warn them to move? Where can you go from Me? Pray that they discern a need for My salvation of their souls and return to Me.” For those who are not hardened, warn them to evacuate their sin and the West Coast, seeking the Lord's direction. The key is salvation first. When COVID happened, the Lord asked me a question. “Why do the people have to wait to lose everything before they heed My warnings to move?” He said, “When the disasters happen, then people figure out how to move, if they live to do so.” We are praying for all concerned. Jesus gave us free-will. Note: The 5 state authorities warned were Hawaii, CA, OR, WA, and Alaska. Psalms 2:8, Nehemiah 4:14, Deuteronomy 7:9, Ezekiel 36:24-33, Acts 17:30-31   I Will Not Stop It! Earthquake Warning 4/15/2019- Ken Dewey A MESSAGE FROM THE LORD I move at His command now: I AM that I AM and I move now to warn you again of the soon coming storm of Earthquakes coming upon many people. I speak first now of Japan, for I see that in the ground [plates of the Earth below Japan], alignment that is ready for another even greater Earthquake. I move to warn you that you, who have ears to hear, must hear, prepare your hearts and lives for this day is coming, that will be a most terrible time. If you are trusting in Me, I will move My mighty hand to help you, but I CANNOT STOP THE PLATES FROM MOVING because there is so much false worship of Idols in Japan, and men turning to stones to worship, I cannot hold My judgment upon such evil worship. In Japan, so many today are worshipers of themselves, and see themselves in the Light that are led to do all that is both false and evil, saying it is all good. SHAKING WILL COME. I SEE IT COMING. 1,2,3 IT WILL BE, shaking will start… The Shaking will be like a trigger on a gun, that when it happens, it pulls the shaking in the coast of North America. California is in direct hit of the coming shaking. For those who are watching, know that the plates are lining up for the shaking. All know that it is coming, and coming soon. Prepare your hearts for it, for I will NOT STOP IT. The sin is too great, and the door has been opened too wide for the enemy to destroy you. You have chosen him over Me, and walk deliberately away. I speak not just to Japan and California, for the shaking coming which I wrote in my Word will happen, and SHAKE MANY PLACES across America, and the World. But watch Japan, knowing that it triggers even more….. Know it is coming, prepare your hearts because the Shaking will come, even now it is in the ground, working. Thus saith the Lord, open your hearts now to Me and repent and receive My only way to escape. Run to the finished work and see your Savior, for HE HAS DONE ALL TO SAVE YOU. Do not put it off, do not be so deceived to think you will yet have time, because TIME IS SHORT. I have many people whom I love and will help them in their many trials and troubles. I WILL NOT FAIL YOU WHO TRUST ME. I have written this Word as I have heard it in Spirit Speaking. Lord, open your people's eyes to see and hearts to know and be ready for such a time coming. Help, O Lord, remember mercy. Desert Prophet Eve Brast, in a dream, saw 7 large earthquakes that went around the world, disrupting the crust. These first 3 revelations resemble this in magnitude and scope. Bill Weather was shown 8 signs by the Lord for a Mega Japan Quake and tsunami to ruin the U.S. West coastline as a sign of, weeks later, the coming of the California Mega Quake. (Dates are always subject to change due to the Lord's people praying and judgments being delayed, etc. A delay is not necessarily a delete. See: Prophecies, Dreams & Visions: Date setting and delays? How to judge the false.) Below are prophecies by Joe Brandt and William Branham from the 1930's that confirm what the Lord is showing Bill Weather: In 1937, Joe Brandt saw an Earthquake sink Los Angeles, much of California, and Japan. (Many times God lessens the severity of a judgment through prayers of faith.)    The Coming Earthquake Introduction by Jessica Madigan (Mei Ling) On Christmas Eve, in 1965, my husband, my closest friend, Fran Brandt, and her husband, Joe, were celebrating with sandwiches, and coffee, and fruit cake...For some reason, Joe—Fran's husband—ventured to speak of the coming California earthquake. ... Joe was saying that he had an accident—a fall from a horse when he was 17, and for days he had a concussion. During this period, a continuous dream came again and again—as if he were viewing a tremendous earthquake and inundation in California and other parts of the world. I listened—politely—made some comment, and turned to talk to Fran about a new movie—or some equally world-shaking event. I was vaguely aware that Joe had brought in a sheaf of papers—and he said he would put it in my downstairs desk [in 1965] until I had time to read the "dream". That time did not arrive until, by accident, I came across them this last week [in 1967]—pages upon pages—written in a boy's handwriting, about the coming California earthquake. It would take weeks to research all this material—but I phoned my former geology professor and read portions to him. COULD THIS HAPPEN? COULD CALIFORNIA GO DOWN IN JUST THIS WAY? WOULD OTHER AREAS BE AFFECTED IN A MATTER OF HOURS? He answered in the affirmative. Joe had written (sleeping and dreaming—and in drowsy awakening—about positions of various FAULTS, strata of rock, earth movements, so much material that a geologist of many years would scarcely attempt such a work [this geological data was omitted from Jessica's book]. Yet—here it was—waiting for me to find it for two years. ... Consciously, he knew nothing of geology or of the possibility of a coming earthquake. The notes are 30 years old—yellowed with age—and yet there is a clarity and an unbelievable reality in them. Some of the highlights must be given—because, I am certain now, as I was not certain on Christmas Eve of 1965, that the California earthquake WILL come . . . and its coming is close at hand. Since Joe covered the AREAS AROUND THE WORLD WHICH WOULD BE AFFECTED, not all of these can be given, ... but for those of us in THIS LAND . . . especially CALIFORNIA, these are the highlights of that vision.    Dream of an Earthquake Sinking Los Angeles, Much of California and Japan Joe Brandt - 1937 (Link) I woke up in the hospital room with a terrific headache—as if the whole world was revolving inside my brain. I remember, vaguely, the fall from my horse—Blackie. As I lay there, pictures began to form in my mind—pictures that stood still. I seemed to be in another world. Whether it was the future or it was some ancient land, I could not say. Then slowly, like the silver screen of the "talkies," but with color and smell and sound, I seemed to find myself in Los Angeles—but I swear it was much bigger, and buses and odd-shaped cars crowded the city streets. I thought about Hollywood Boulevard, and I found myself there. Whether this is true, I do not know, but there were a lot of guys my age with beards and wearing, some of them, earrings. All the girls, some of them keen-o, wore real short skirts. . . and they slouched along—moving like a dance. Yet they seemed familiar. I wondered if I could talk to them, and I said, "Hello," but they didn't see or hear me. I decided I would look as funny to them as they looked to me. I guess it is something you have to learn. I couldn't do it. I noticed there was a quietness about the air, a kind of stillness. Something else was missing, something that should be there. At first, I couldn't figure it out, I didn't know what it was—then I did. There were no birds. I listened. I walked two blocks north of the Boulevard—all houses—no birds. I wondered what had happened to them. Had they gone away? Again, I could hear the stillness. Then I knew something was going to happen. I wondered what year it was. It certainly was not 1937. I saw a newspaper on the corner with a picture of the President. It surely wasn't Mr. Roosevelt. He was bigger, heavier, big ears. If it wasn't 1937, I wondered what year it was. . . My eyes weren't working right. Someone was coming—someone in 1937—it was that darned, fat nurse ready to take my temperature. I woke up. Crazy dream. The next day: Gosh, my headache is worse. It is a wonder I didn't get killed on that horse. I've had another crazy dream, back in Hollywood. Those people. Why do they dress like that, I wonder? Funny glow about them. It is a shine around their heads—something shining. I remember it now. I found myself back on the Boulevard. I was waiting for something to happen and I was going to be there. I looked up at the clock down by that big theater. It was ten minutes to four. Something big was going to happen. I wondered if I went into a movie (since nobody could see me) if I'd like it. Some cardboard blond was draped over the marquee with her leg six feet long. I started to go in, but it wasn't inside. I was waiting for something to happen outside. I walked down the street. In the concrete they have names of stars. I just recognized a few of them. The other names I had never heard. I was getting bored, I wanted to get back to the hospital in Fresno, and I wanted to stay there on the Boulevard, even if nobody could see me. Those crazy kids. Why are they dressed like that? Maybe it is some big Halloween doings, but it don't seem like Halloween. More like early spring. There was that sound again, that lack of sound. Stillness, stillness, stillness. The quiet is getting bigger and bigger. I know it is going to happen. Something is going to happen. It is happening now! It sure did. She woke me up, grinning and smiling, that fat one again. "It's time for your milk, kiddo," she says. Gosh, old women of thirty acting like the cat's pajamas. Next time maybe she'll bring hot chocolate. Where have I been? Where haven't I been? I've been to the ends of the earth and back. I've been to the end of the world—there isn't anything left. Not even Fresno, even though I'm lying here right this minute. If only my eyes would get a little clearer so I can write all this down. Nobody will believe me, anyway. I'm going back to that last moment on the Boulevard. Some sweet kid went past, dragging little boys (twins, I guess) by each hand. Her skirt was up—well, pretty high—and she had a tired look. I thought for a minute I could ask her about the birds, what had happened to them, and then I remembered she hadn't seen me. Her hair was all frowzy, way out all over her head. A lot of them looked like that, but she looked so tired and like she was sorry about something. I guess she was sorry before it happened—because it surely did happen. There was a funny smell. I don't know where it came from. I didn't like it. A smell like Sulphur, sulfuric acid, a smell like death. For a minute I thought I was back in chem. [Chemistry class]. When I looked around for the girl, she was gone. I wanted to find her for some reason. It was as if I knew something was going to happen and I could stay with her, help her. She was gone, and I walked half a block, then I saw the clock again. My eyes seemed glued to that clock. I couldn't move. I just waited. It was five minutes to four on a sunny afternoon. I thought I would stand there looking at that clock forever waiting for something to come. Then, when it came, it was nothing. It was just nothing. It wasn't nearly as hard as the earthquake we had two years ago. The ground shook, just an instant. People looked at each other, surprised. Then they laughed. I laughed, too. So this was what I had been waiting for. This funny little shake. It meant nothing. I was relieved and I was disappointed. What had I been waiting for? I started back up the Boulevard, moving my legs like those kids. How do they do it? I never found out. I felt as if the ground wasn't solid under me, knew I was dreaming, and yet I wasn't dreaming. There was that smell again, coming up from the ocean. I was getting to the 5 and 10 store and I saw the look on the kids' faces. Two of them were right in front of me, coming my way. "Let's get out of this place. Let's go back East." He seemed scared. It wasn't as if the sidewalks were trembling—but you couldn't seem to see them. Not with your eyes you couldn't. An old lady had a dog, a little white dog, and she stopped and looked scared, and grabbed him in her arms and said: "Let's go home, Frou, Frou. Mama is going to take you home." That poor lady, hanging on to her dog. I got scared. Really scared. I remembered the girl. She was way down the block, probably. I ran and ran, and the ground kept trembling. I couldn't see it. I couldn't see it. But I knew it was trembling. Everybody looked scared. They looked terrible. One young lady just sat down on the sidewalk all doubled up. She kept saying, "earthquake, it's the earthquake," over and over. But I couldn't see that anything was different. Then, when it came, how it came. Like nothing in God's world. Like nothing. It was like the scream of a siren, long and low, or the scream of a woman I heard having a baby when I was a kid. It was awful. It was as if something—some monster—was pushing up the sidewalks. You felt it long before you saw it, as if the sidewalks wouldn't hold you anymore. I looked out at the cars. They were honking, but not scared. They just kept moving. They didn't seem to know yet that anything was happening. Then, that white car, that baby-sized one, came sprawling from the inside lane right against the curb. The girl who was driving just sat there. She sat there with her eyes staring, as if she couldn't move, but I could hear her. She made funny noises. I watched her, thinking of the other girl. I said that it was a dream and I would wake up. But I didn't wake up. The shaking had started again, but this time was different. It was a nice shaking, like a cradle being rocked for a minute, and then I saw the middle of the Boulevard seem to be breaking in two. The concrete looked as if it were being pushed straight up by some giant shovel. It was breaking in two. That is why the girl's car went out of control. And then a loud sound again, like I've never heard before—then hundreds of sounds—all kinds of sounds; children, and women, and those crazy guys with earrings. They were all moving, some of them above the sidewalk. I can't describe it. They were lifted up. And the waters kept oozing—oozing. The cries. God, it was awful. I woke up. I never want to have that dream again. It came again. Like the first time, which was a preview and all I could remember was that it was the end of the world. I was right back there—all that crying. Right in the middle of it. My eardrums felt as if they were going to burst. Noise everywhere. People are falling down, some of them are hurt badly. Pieces of buildings, chips, flying in the air. One hit me hard on the side of the face, but I didn't seem to feel it. I wanted to wake up, to get away from this place. It had been fun in the beginning, the first dream, when I kind of knew I was going to dream the end of the world or something. This was terrible. There were older people in cars. Most of the kids were on the street. But those old guys were yelling bloody murder, as if anybody could help them. Nobody could help anybody. It was then I felt myself lifted up. Maybe I had died. I don't know. But I was over the city. It was tilting toward the ocean—like a picnic table. The buildings were holding, better than you could believe. They were holding. They were holding. They were holding. The people saw they were holding and they tried to cling to them or get inside. It was fantastic. Like a building had a will of its own. Everything else breaking around them, and they were holding, holding. I was up over them—looking down. I started to root for them. "Hold that line," I said. "Hold that line. Hold that line. Hold that line." I wanted to cheer, to shout, to scream. If the buildings held, those buildings on the Boulevard, maybe the girl—the girl with the two kids—maybe she could get inside. It looked that way for a long time, maybe three minutes, and three minutes was like forever. You knew they were going to hold, even if the waters kept coming up. Only they didn't. I've never imagined what it would be like for a building to die. A building dies just like a person. It gives way, some of the bigger ones did just that. They began to crumble, like an old man with palsy, who couldn't take it anymore. They crumbled right down to nothing. And the little ones screamed like mad—over and above the roar of the people. They were mad about dying. But buildings die. I couldn't look anymore at the people. I kept wanting to get higher. Then I seemed to be out of it all, but I could see. I seemed to be up on Big Bear near San Bernardino, but the funny thing was that I could see everywhere. I knew what was happening. The earth seemed to start to tremble again. I could feel it even though I was high up. This time it lasted maybe twelve seconds, and it was gentle. You couldn't believe anything so gentle could cause so much damage. But then I saw the streets of Los Angeles—and everything between the San Bernardino mountains and Los Angeles. It was still tilting towards the ocean, houses, everything that was left. I could see the big lanes—dozens of big lanes still loaded with cars sliding the same way. Now the ocean was coming in, moving like a huge snake across the land. I wondered how long it was, and I could see the clock, even though I wasn't there on the Boulevard. It was 4:29. It had been half an hour. I was glad I couldn't hear the crying anymore. But I could see everything. I could see everything. Then, like looking at a huge map of the world, I could see what was happening on the land and with the people. San Francisco was feeling it, but she was not in any way like Hollywood or Los Angeles. It was moving just like that earthquake movie with Jeanette McDonald and Gable. I could see all those mountains coming together. . . I knew it was going to happen to San Francisco—it was going to turn over—it would turn upside down. It went quickly, because of the twisting, I guess. It seemed much faster than Hollywood, but then I wasn't exactly there. I was a long way off. I was a long, long way off. I shut my eyes for a long time—I guess ten minutes—and when I opened them I saw the Grand Canyon. When I looked at the Grand Canyon, that great big gap was closing in, and Boulder Dam was being pushed, from underneath. And then, Nevada, and on up to Reno. Way down south, way down. Baja, California. Mexico too. It looked like some volcano down there was erupting, along with everything else. I saw the map of South America, especially Colombia. Another volcano—eruption—shaking violently. I seemed to be seeing a movie of three months before—before the Hollywood earthquake. Venezuela seemed to be having some kind of volcanic activity. Away off in the distance, I could see Japan, on a fault, too. It was so far off—not easy to see because I was still on Big Bear Mountain, but it started to go into the sea. I couldn't hear screaming, but I could see the surprised look on their faces. They looked so surprised. Japanese girls are made well, supple, easy, muscles that move well. Pretty, too. But they were all like dolls. It was so far away I could hardly see it. In a minute or two, it seemed over. Everybody was gone. There was nobody left. [Brother Branham said: "Japan . . . she's ready to rock to pieces right now. And there's no way you can stop it, because they have neglected to do exactly what God told them to do. Instead of preach Gospel, they have built buildings, and had fine scholarships, and educations" (Uncertain Sound, #61-0415E)]. I didn't know time now. I couldn't see a clock. I tried to see the island of Hawaii. I could see huge tidal waves beating against it. The people on the streets were getting wet, and they were scared. But I didn't see anybody go into the sea. I seemed way around the globe. More flooding. Is the world going to be drenched? Constantinople. Black Sea rising. Suez Canal, for some reason seemed to be drying up. Sicily—she doesn't hold. I could see a map. Mt. Etna. Mt. Etna is shaking. A lot of area seemed to go, but it seemed to be earlier or later. I wasn't sure of time, now. England—huge floods—but no tidal waves. Water, water everywhere, but no one was going into the sea. People were frightened and crying. Some places they fell to the streets on their knees and started to pray for the world. I didn't know the English were emotional. Ireland, Scotland—all kinds of churches were crowded—it seemed night and day. People were carrying candles and everybody was crying for California, Nevada, parts of Colorado—maybe even all of it, even Utah. Everybody was crying—most of them didn't even know anybody in California, Nevada, Utah, but they were crying as if they were blood kin. Like one family. Like it happened to them. New York was coming into view—she was still there, nothing had happened, yet the water level was way up. Here, things were different. People were running in the streets yelling, "end of the world." Kids ran into restaurants and ate everything in sight. I saw a shoe store with all the shoes gone in about five minutes. 5th Avenue—everybody running. Some radio blasting—bigger—a loudspeaker—that in a few minutes, power might be shut off. They must control themselves. Five girls were running like mad toward the YMCA, that place on Lexington or somewhere. But nothing was happening in New York. I saw an old lady with garbage cans, filling them with water. Everybody seemed scared to death. Some people looked dazed. The streets seemed filled with loudspeakers. It wasn't daylight. It was night. I saw, like the next day, and everything was topsy-turvy. Loudspeakers again about fuel tanks broken in areas—shortage of oil. People seemed to be looting markets. I saw a lot of places that seemed safe, and people were not so scared. Especially the rural areas. Here, everything was almost as if nothing had happened. People seemed headed to these places, some on foot, some in cars that still had fuel. I heard—or somehow I knew—that somewhere in the Atlantic land had come up. A lot of land. I was getting awfully tired. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to go back to the girl—to know where she was—and those two kids. I found myself back in Hollywood—and it was still 4:29. I wasn't up on Big Bear at all, I was perched over Hollywood. I was just there. It seemed perfectly natural in my dream. I could hear now. I could hear, someplace, a radio station blasting out—telling people not to panic. They were dying in the streets. There were picture stations with movies—some right in Hollywood—these were carrying on with all the shaking. One fellow in the picture station was a little short guy who should have been scared to death. But he wasn't. He kept shouting and reading instructions. Something about helicopters or planes would go over—some kind of planes—but I knew they couldn't. Things were happening in the atmosphere. The waves were rushing up now. Waves. Such waves. Nightmare waves. Then, I saw again. Boulder Dam, going down—pushing together, pushing together breaking apart—no, Grand Canyon was pushing together, and Boulder Dam was breaking apart. It was still daylight. All these radio stations went off at the same time—Boulder Dam had broken. I wondered how everybody would know about it—people back East. That was when I saw the "ham radio operators." I saw them in the darndest places, as if I were right there with them. Like the little guy with glasses, they kept sounding the alarm. One kept saying: "This is California. We are going into the sea. This is California. We are going into the sea. Get to high places. Get to the mountains. All states west—this is California. We are going into the. . . we are going into the. . ." I thought he was going to say "sea," but I could see him. He was inland, but the waters had come in. His hand was still clinging to the table; he was trying to get up, so that once again he could say: "This is California. We are going into the sea. This is California. We are going into the sea." I seemed to hear this, over and over, for what seemed hours—just those words—they kept it up until the last minute—all of them calling out, "Get to the mountains—this is California. We are going into the sea." I woke up. It didn't seem as if I had been dreaming. I have never been so tired. For a minute or two, I thought it had happened. I wondered about two things. I hadn't seen what happened to Fresno and I hadn't found out what happened to that girl. I've been thinking about it all morning. I'm going home tomorrow. It was just a dream. It was nothing more. Nobody in the future on Hollywood Boulevard is going to be wearing earrings—and those beards. Nothing like that is ever going to happen. That girl was so real to me—that girl with those kids. It won't ever happen—but if it did, how could I tell her (maybe she isn't even born yet) to move away from California when she has her twins—and she can't be on the Boulevard that day. She was so gosh-darned real. The other thing—those ham operators—hanging on like that—over and over—saying the same thing: "This is California. We are going into the sea. This is California. We are going into the sea. Get to the mountains. Get to the hilltops. California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Utah. This is California. We are going into the sea." I guess I'll hear that for days.    Confirming Prophecies of William Branham A prophecy that I made about 1935 or something like that, said: "The time would come that the sea would weep its way into the desert." Look what'll take place. If those thousands of square miles fall down into the lava of the earth and slide in, there'll be millions who die at one time. And that'll cause such a tidal wave. . . Remember, plumb up into the Salton Sea is a hundred or two hundred feet lower than the sea level. That water will probably come almost to Tucson with that tidal wave coming across there. And the sea shall weep its way into the desert (William Branham, Trying to do God a Service without being in the Will of God, p. 6:25). [The Spirit of the Lord came upon the Prophet as he was preaching in Los Angeles]: "We don't know what time. And you don't know what time that this city one day is going to be lying out here in the bottom of this ocean." "O, Capernaum," said Jesus, "Thou who exalted into heaven will be brought down into hell, for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, it'd have been standing till this day." And Sodom and Gomorrah lays at the bottom of the Dead Sea, and Capernaum's in the bottom of the sea. Thou city, who claims to be the city of the Angels, who's exalted yourself into heaven and sent all the dirty filthy things of fashions and things, till even the foreign countries come here to pick up our filth and send it away, with your fine churches and steeples, and so forth the way you do; remember, one day you'll be laying in the bottom of this sea. There's a great cavernous honeycomb under you right now. The wrath of God is belching right beneath you. How much longer will He hold together this sandbar hanging over that? That ocean out yonder, a mile deep, will slide plumb back to the Salton Sea. It'll be worse than the last day of Pompeii. Repent, Los Angeles. Repent the rest of you and turn to God. The hour of His wrath is upon the earth. Flee while there's time to flee and come into Christ." Let us pray." (Choosing a Bride, p. 35:3-5). [And again]: "The last meeting I had in California, while speaking, and didn't know nothing happened till I got on the street, It told California, I said, "Capernaum, Capernaum, the city that's called by the name of the angels (that's Los Angeles), you've exalted yourself into heaven, but you'll be brought down into hell. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom that's been done in you, it would've been standing till this day." "Now, the last few days, the great roaring and popping. Then, here come out a paper of science that said, "It's all honeycombed; it's got to go under." They just know it." "And you watch, the water will come plumb back into the Salton Sea. Los Angeles is doomed for judgment. I tell you before it happened, that you might know when it does happen. I never spoke that by myself. And I've never had Him to tell me one thing but what happened. And you can bear record of that. That's right. When? I don't know." "I went out, and they told me what I said. And I listened, went back and searched the Scripture. You know, Jesus said, almost in the same words about Capernaum; and Sodom and Gomorrah was in the bottom of the Dead Sea, I suppose was then. And later, about a hundred years later, Capernaum slid into the sea, and it's in the sea. The same God that put Sodom in the sea for its sins, the same God that put Capernaum in the sea for its sins, the same God will put Los Angeles in the sea for its sins, that city of corruption." (Works is Faith Expressed, p. 8:61-64).

To the Praise of his Glory Ephesians 1:3-14 by William Klock We'll be looking this morning at Ephesians 1:3-14.  It never ceases to amaze me the riches that come from simply slowing down as I read the Bible.  Over the last several months I've taken multiple occasions to just sit down with Ephesians, to read it slowly, to pay attention, and to be immersed in it.  To pay specific attention to Paul's choice of words and his grammar.  To notice how his choices of words and phrases bring echoes of the Old Testament into his letter and to meditate on how what Paul says here fits into the great biblical story of Israel's God and his people.  As I said last week, in Ephesians Paul gives us the view from the mountaintop.  He shows the whole panorama of the great story of redemption. Verses 3-14 are an invitation into that story.  I think a lot of us—especially if you're a theology nerd—a lot of us reading these verses easily lose the forest for the trees.  We see words like “election” and “predestined” and they stir up modern controversies over whether or not God chooses us or we choose him; over whether God elects specific people for eternal life or if he also positive elects others for damnation.  This is the fuel for heated arguments.  And, I suspect, were Paul to hear these arguments he'd ask something like, “Wait?  That's what you got from what I wrote?”  Because I think the thing that Paul wants us to notice here, what he wants to centre us on, is the praise of God in light of that great story.  In fact, I'd never noticed before, but in Paul's Greek, this whole section is one long sentence proclaiming the mighty and saving deeds of God.  It's like Paul wanted us to hear one, beautiful, heart-stirring musical chord, or get a single amazing impression from a beautifully painted image, but since words and language don't work like that, since you have to express them one at a time, Paul composed this as one, single rush of words meant to move us to praise.  Consider how be begins in verse 3, “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.”  Blessed be God.  It's not meant to just be a factual statement that God is blessed.  To really get the sense of it in English it might be better to say, “Let us bless God.”  Because, Brothers and Sisters, that's Paul's real point here. Pagans praised their gods.  But Jews did something more: they blessed the God of Israel.  In fact, the word that Paul uses is one that for the Greeks simply meant to speak good of someone, but the Jews gave it a much fuller and deeper meaning to translate their Hebrew words for bless and blessing.  To understand this takes us all the way back to the beginning of the story.  When God created the world and filled it with life, he blessed that life that it might be fruitful, that it might multiply, and that it might fill the earth.  The fish, the birds, and eventually the man and the woman.  God blessed them.  And in the Hebrew worldview, it was God's blessing that brought human flourishing and that provided all that is good in creation.  And so, in return, the Jews blessed God.  Obviously, human beings don't have the ability to grant the goodness and flourishing with our blessings that God can with his, and so to bless God took the form of praise and thanksgiving for his goodness, for his faithfulness, and most of all for his mighty and saving deeds in history.  And all that is summed up in those words, “blessed be God”.  To this day, Jewish prayer begins with the words Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-Olam, Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe.  But then when we unpack it, what we find is that at the heart of blessing God is telling his story, not just to rehearse for ourselves his greatness, but to proclaim it to everyone else.  Read through the Old Testament and you see God's people praising him first and foremost by telling the story of his mighty deeds: sometimes what he'd done for the person giving the praise, but more often for his creation and his providence, and most of all for his recuse of Israel from their Egyptian slavery.  The Exodus was the great act of God in history that showed his blessing and for which his people blessed him in return. When the people of Israel gathered together, they rehearsed what God had done, whether it was Israelites in the days of David, sitting around campfires and hearing those stories faithfully passed down from generation to generation, or the people of Paul's day reading the scriptures in the synagogue, they told the mighty deeds of God as an act of praise.  Brothers and Sisters, the same goes for us.  I suspect a lot of us hardly ever think of it this way.  We read the Bible for knowledge.  We read the Bible to win arguments.  We read the Bible because we know it's a good thing to do or because we hope God will speak to us.  But, first and foremost, we read the Bible—in public worship and in private worship—to rehearse the mighty and saving deeds of God as an act of praise and as a call to praise.  Just read the psalms and see how they proclaim the great story as an act of praise and a means of blessing God.  The modern trend in worship, I think, gets this precisely backward.  We begin our services with praise—I often hear people say it's to get us in the right frame of mind—and then we hear scripture, then we receive the Lord's Supper.  The biblical model is the other way round: To read and to hear scripture is the first act of praise, everything else follows in response.  Thomas Cranmer, the architect of our liturgy, understood this.  In Morning and Evening Prayer, we first hear the scriptures, and then we sing the canticles (which are themselves mostly scripture).  At the Communion, we hear the scriptures, we receive the Lord's Supper, and after all that, we sing the Gloria in praise and thanksgiving.  So this is what Paul's getting at in verse 3: “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah! He has blessed us in the Messiah with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.” But why?  Because, in Jesus, God has already blessed us.  With what?  With every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.  That means, with the life of the Spirit, that foretaste of the age to come and the day when we, ourselves, will be resurrected to life with God just as Jesus has been.  Because, in Jesus and the Spirit, God has blessed us by making us heaven-on-earth people.  Through Jesus and the Spirit, God has begun the work of bringing heaven and earth, God and man, separated by sin, back together—in us. But Paul doesn't just leave it at that.  He tells the Jesus story, the church story, but he does it in a way that echoes the bigger story all the way back to creation.  He never mentions Adam or Abraham, the Exodus or the Exile.  Instead, he describes what God has done for us in the Messiah using the words and phrases that Israel typically used to tell those stories. Now, because this whole passage is one long sentence and because it's clear Paul wants us to hear it sort of like a music chord, let me read through the whole thing in one go starting with verse 4.  Here's what he writes: “He chose us in him before the world was made, so as to be holy and without blemish before him.  In love, he foreordained us for himself, to be adopted as sons [and daughters] through Jesus the Messiah, according to the purpose of his will.  So that the glory of his grace, the grace he poured out on us in his beloved one, might receive its due praise.  In [the Messiah], through his blood, we have deliverance—the forgiveness of sins, through the riches of his grace, which he has lavished on us.  With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his purpose, just he wanted it to be and set it forward in him as a blueprint for when the time was ripe.  His plan was to sum up the whole cosmos in the Messiah, everything in heaven and on earth in him.  In him we have received the inheritance.  We were foreordained to this, according to the intention of the one who does all things in accordance with the counsel of his purpose.  This was so that we, we who first hoped in the Messiah, might live for the praise of his glory.  In him you too, who heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and believed it—in him you were marked out with the Spirit of promise, the Holy One.  The Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the time when the people who are God's special possession are finally reclaimed and freed.  This, too, is for the praise of his glory.” So Paul begins with the language of having been chosen.  It's almost like he's rehearsing the Passover story.  Being chosen resonated with the Jews.  Their father, Abraha, had been chosen and called from the paganism of Ur.  In the Exodus, the Lord had declared Israel to be his chosen.  Paul wants that mighty act of God's goodness and mercy to echo into our story—to hear the Lord declare to Pharaoh that Israel was his beloved, his firstborn son.  Paul writes in verse 5 that we've been marked out as sons and daughters of the Father because of his love for us—love poured out in Jesus, love poured out at the cross as he shed his blood—blood that has marked us out as holy and washed us clean of sin.  Blood that has united us with Jesus, his son, and made us his children by adoption. And the language of deliverance and redemption in verse 7.  This is what Paul's getting at.  Again, his choice of words is important.  The word he uses is the one used most often in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to refer to the deliverance, the redemption of his people from Egypt.  It's a word that often carries the idea of buying a slave so that he can be set free and in the Bible it very often and more specifically recalls the image of Israel being redeemed from Pharaoh's slave market and being set free by God—a freedom through which Israel was meant to proclaim and to live out God's amazing and redeeming grace.  But there's also an echo of Israel's long-hoped for deliverance from exile—an exile the people were still living out when Jesus was born.  And, unlike the Exodus, the exile was the result of Israel's sins.  And so the prophets, like Isaiah, had spoken of a new exodus, a deliverance from exile, but this time round it would be an exodus that had to address, that had to deal with Israel's sins. And that's why Paul writes of blood.  The blood of the Passover lamb was for the purification of the people.  Somehow blood would have to be shed to purify Israel and to and the long exile, so they could once again live in his holy presence and so that they could once again be fit to serve his purpose as priests and stewards of his temple.  This is why Jesus so often did things that echoed the Passover theme.  He was calling to mind this doubled tradition: The first exodus, deliverance from slavery, but also the promised and hoped-for second exodus in which God would somehow redeem his people from their sins and from the effects of that sin.  So when Paul, in verses 7 and 8, writes of the blood through which we have deliverance and the forgiveness of sins, when he writes of the riches of God's grace and how it's been lavished so richly on us, he wants us to see these layers of the great story: of creation, of exodus, of exile, of forgiveness, of redemption.  He wants us to see the glorious cross of Jesus, but he also wants us to see how the whole story has been one act after another, one great drama unfolding through history that shows us who God is, that reveals his grace and mercy, his goodness and faithfulness that then find their full fruit, that explode in one great act of glory in the events of the new exodus.  All these notes coming together a beautiful, harmonious chord. Why?  Because Paul knew that without this, we're prone to forgetting our vocation, just as Israel had.  That's why Paul goes on to talk about God making known the secret of his purpose—the great mystery—with all wisdom and insight.  In Paul's day the Jews—many of them at any rate—associated the idea of torah—of Gods' law—with the idea of God's divine wisdom.  This fusion of torah and wisdom was God's great design for life and for flourishing and not just that, but for life and flourishing that would cause his people to give him glory.  Brothers and Sisters, the gospel isn't just the good news that we've been forgiven and promised eternal life.  The gospel is also about vocation—a vocation that goes all the way back to Israel—even to Adam and Eve.  It's about being freed from our bondage to sin and death so that we might live to the glory of God as heaven-on-earth people, as the firstfruits of his new creation, as pockets of the age to come in the here and now. And Paul reminds us in verse 10 that this was God's plan, his blueprint all along, one that would be fulfilled in the “fullness of time”—when the time was right.  None of it was an accident.  What we so often take in as disconnected Bible stories, was all along one great drama, setting the scene, establishing the plot, so that at the cross and the empty tomb, God could reveal his glory by leading his people in a new exodus.  As Paul puts it here, the plan was to sum up the whole cosmos in the Messiah—everything in heaven and on earth in him.  Restoring the creation we see in Genesis, where heaven and earth and God and man were one.  Bringing to fruition the image evoked by the tabernacle at the end of Exodus: of God once gain dwelling in the midst of his redeemed people.  That image at the end of Exodus in which the people complete the construction of the tabernacle and the shekinah, the great cloud of God's glory, descends to fill it is one of the  most powerful images in all of scripture—looking back to how things are supposed to be and looking forward to a day when human beings really are fully restored to live in God's presence—no veil, no sacrifices, just life in his awesome presence.  This is what Paul describes as an act of praise, the climax of the great story, a new exodus, a Jesus-shaped Passover—all now to be at the heart of Christian praise. But God's presence entering the tabernacle wasn't the end of the story.  Remember, once God had set apart his people and made them holy and taken up his presence in their midst, they were ready for him to lead them into the promised land—to receive the inheritance that he had promised to Abraham.  And in verses 11-14 Paul shows us how life in Jesus and the Spirit is the realisation of what that was pointing to all along.  Psalm 2, for example, was pointing this way all along.  That's the psalm where God says, “You are my son and today I have begotten you.  Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your inheritance.”  The promise land and the promise of it was always pointing to something greater—to God's claim on all of creation, on all the nations, on all the peoples.  The story proclaims: someday the entire earth will be God's holy land. And here in Ephesians, Paul is saying that in Jesus and the Spirit, God has now given us—given those who are in the Messiah—this inheritance.  “Everything belongs to you,” he says in First Corinthians.  And here he says that the gift of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling, the tabernacling presence of God in us is the earnest, the down payment, the guarantee of the full promised inheritance.  Sometimes it seems like we think of the Holy Spirit in every way except for the very thing Paul tells us over and over that he represents.  Brothers and Sisters, the gift of the Spirit is the guarantee that what Jesus began when he rose from the grave, he will surely one day finish.  It's the guarantee that God's work of renewal and new creation in Jesus will, without a doubt, put a final end to sin, to sorrow, to corruption, to decay, and even to death itself.  It is the guarantee that the reunion of God and man that began when God took up his residence in the tabernacle, and that went a step further at Pentecost when he took up his residence in his people, will be fulfilled in the ultimate tabernacle of a new heaven and earth.  It's the guarantee that that the fellowship between God and human beings in the garden at the very beginning of the story will also be the end. It's easy to forget.  As Paul writes in Romans, the whole world is groaning under the weight of our mismanagement.  We still live with the effects of sin and corruption, of decay and death.  Like the Israelites when the spies returned from Canaan and warned that there were giants in the land and heavily fortified cities.  They gave up.  They became overwhelmed.  They forgot the promise.  They begged Moses to take them back to Egypt.  The things they feared were no joke.  But they forgot that the God who was with them is the God will one day dill the whole earth with his glory.  The tabernacle—God's presence with them—was meant to remind them of that truth and that inheritance.  And, Brothers and Sisters, the Spirit in us serves the same function.  In him we have the full title deed, even if we don't yet have the whole earth.  But that title deed, that earnest, that guarantee has been given to us by the Father to empower us to go out as his gospel people—to be heaven on earth, to bring his presence into the darkness, to challenge the corrupted principalities and powers of the old age, and to bring the light and life of new creation into the old.  And all, Paul finishes, the final notes in the chord, “is for the praise of his glory”. Brothers and Sisters, to live in assurance and hope of God's promise of life is to live a life of praise.  It's to live a life that blesses God and that makes his glory known in the earth.  That means that if we want to know what the life of the Christian and what he life of the church should look like, maybe we should work backward from that goal.  We should be asking ourselves what it is that we can do that makes God's glory known.  Asking ourselves what we can do that shows the world our sure and certain hope in the inheritance—the new creation—in which we live.  Not running back to Egypt in fear, but ready to march around Jericho and to blow our gospel trumpets and trust God to do what he's promised.  I think if we work backwards from the goal of filling the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God, it becomes a lot easier to ask whether what we do, what we value, what we invest in, how we treat others displays our hope in God's kingdom to the world around us.  So, Brothers and Sisters, let us bless God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.  Let our lives be one great shout of praise.  Rehearse and proclaim the great story of redemption that proclaims his glory.  And let this Passover-shaped, this cross-shaped, story of redemption and renewal transform you so that you—that we all—might live for the purpose of filling the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God—to the praise of his glory. Let's pray: Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, through whose blood you have forgiven our sins, made us sons and daughters by adoption, and brought us into the great drama of your people, shape us, we pray, with your story.  Fill us with faith and assurance in the knowledge that, having plunged us into your Spirit, you have given us assurance of the promised inheritance that we might live faithfully in hope and to the praise of your glory.  Amen.

January 25, 2026Today's Reading: Matthew 19:27-30Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 1:1-21; Romans 14:1-23“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Matthew 19:30)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Has anyone ever made such a complete 180-degree turn in life as St. Paul? Writing to Pastor Timothy, St. Paul confesses, “formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” of the Christian faith (1 Timothy 1:13). He lists “persecutor of the church” as one of his bonafide to prove his zeal in the flesh (Philippians 3:6). He presided over the murder of the first martyr, St. Stephen (Acts 7:58). It took a miraculous appearance from the risen Lord Jesus Christ in His glory to convert Saul, to pick him up from the Damascus road, and turn him from the way of death to the way of life. Blinded by the light, Saul fasted and prayed until God sent him a minister to baptize him, absolve him, and feed him. No one converts themselves, after all. St. Saul didn't opt for a quiet life of faith. Following his conversion, the book of Acts says, “Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 9:22).St. Saul (later known as St. Paul) was the first to preach Jesus in many places during his several missionary journeys. But he also bears another peculiar distinction that explains his new zeal for preaching—he was the last eyewitness of the resurrection. After rattling off some other witnesses, he tells the Church at Corinth, “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Corinthians 15:8). That's the way things run in the kingdom of God. “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Although St. Matthew wrote these words of Jesus, St. Paul personified them. “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10a).Your conversion may not have been as noteworthy as St. Paul's; in fact, it may have just been a splash of water on your forehead with a few dozen people looking on. But God's grace is never in vain, and by His grace you are what you are: a child of God and a fellow saint with St. Paul.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You turned the heart of him who persecuted the Church and by his preaching caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world. Grant us ever to rejoice in the saving light of Your Gospel and, following the example of the apostle Paul, to spread it to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

How fortunate is this world to have the Almighty God as the “God of all comfort” for comfort is needed. How are some ways the comfort of God helps us?

To the Saints and Faithful Ones in Messiah Jesus Ephesians 1:1-2 by William Klock Last week I was on my gravel bike, riding the logging roads through the foothills to Campbell River and back while pondering St. Paul's letter to the Christians at Ephesus.  As I passed the turn for Rossiter Mainline I was remembering the first time I made that gruelling climb.  It goes up to the top of the north shoulder of Mount Washington, so it's not just a big climb; it's a steep climb.  And it's a commitment.  Round trip is over a 100km.  I'd been looking at topographic maps and it looked to me that if you got up to the top, there ought to be a really spectacular view of the inland mountains you can't see from down here: Alberta Edward, Alexandra Peak, Golden Hinde.  Maybe, I thought, you might even be able to see down to Buttle Lake.  So off I went.  In mid-March.  And at about 600m of elevation, after the worst of the climbing, I hit snow.  But I'd committed too much already so I kept pushing on.  I rode in the ruts left by a lone truck that had been there recently.  Then those ended and I pushed my bike through shin-deep snow.  And the whole time I was looking up in expectation.  And finally I got to the top.  And what a let down.  All I found was a huge gravel clearing in the trees where the logging trucks turn around to go back down the mountain.  And the trees were tall and thick.  There was zero view.  Absolutely nothing to see.  At all.  I was not a happy camper.  I was cold.  My toes were wet and frozen.  I was tired.  It was about 60km home.  At least a lot of it was downhill.  So back down I went, through the trees, across the clear cuts, and then I rounded a corner and the view took my breath away.  It wasn't the view I expected.  I was so focused on the view I expected at the top, I never thought to look behind me at the view of where I'd been.  The real view was looking down over the Comox Valley and the Strait and over the coast range on the Mainland.  And it was all snowy and green and blue.  And as I stood there looking around, I noticed I was also looking down on at least half a dozen of my favourite gravel rides.  I noticed, not only how different everything looked from above, but how those trails and logging roads weren't really how I imagined.  I had a map of the mountain in my head that I'd got from ground level, but that bird's eye view changed a lot.  It was really neat.  It was worth the exhaustion and the wet, frozen toes. I say this to introduce St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians.  Lord willing, we'll be making our way through this six-chapter epistle over the next several months.  And I think the best way to describe it is that it's the unexpected view from the mountain top.  Emphasis on unexpected, because too often too many of us read Ephesians with the wrong expectations.  Like me looking for one view and finding the real gem was an entirely different one.  We've got Paul's other letters and he was always writing to a church in crisis.  In Rome the Jewish and Gentile believers were splitting the church into factions.  In Corinth they thought Christian liberty meant tolerating sin, engaging in chaotic worship, and abusing the Lord's Supper.  In Galatia, fear of persecution and false teachers were temping the people to retreat back into the Jewish law.  But Paul didn't write to the Ephesians to address any particular crisis or problem they were having.  He was in prison when he wrote.  Maybe in Rome, in the early 60s, waiting to appeal his case to Caesar, but possibly right there in Ephesus in the early or mid 50s.  It's hard to be sure.  But he was in prison and he wrote this letter to the Christians in Ephesus and the surrounding cities to encourage and exhort them.  The church there had been established by Apollos, but Paul had been their pastor for about three years.  He loved these people.  He couldn't be with them.  So he wrote to them.  And what he wrote to them was about how to be the church. All this makes Ephesians the perfect place to get a view of what the church is supposed to be.  It's easy to get lopsided views if we put all the emphasis on, say, Romans or Galatians.  This happened at the Protestant Reformation and the end result was that a lot of modern scholars decided that Ephesians probably wasn't written by Paul at all—because it doesn't fit with Romans and Galatians.  But, if we let Ephesians take us up to the lookout on the mountain and look down on Romans and Galatians and Paul's other epistles from there, if we let that view shape how we read Paul's letters as a whole, everything starts to harmonise and make sense and it's easy to see that it really was Paul all along. The structure of Ephesians is really pretty simple.  In the first three chapters Paul writes about our calling as the church, as the people of God.  And then, in Chapters 4 to 6 he writes about living that calling out.  4:1 is the pivot between the two.  A lot of you probably know that verse by heart: “I appeal to you as a prisoner in the Lord, to walk in a way worthy of your calling.”  To walk.  Some translations say “live”.  It's this wonderful Greek word paripateo that literally means “to walk around”.  It's a great image of life as we go our way, as we make our journey together as the church.  Paul writes that as we embark on this journey of life as the Messiah's people it's essential that how we do it in a way worthy of our calling.  But what does “worthy” mean.  Here's another Greek word, axios.  It's the idea of bringing a scale into balance.  Picture an old-fashioned scale.  You've got A on one side and to get it to balance out you've got to add just the right amount of B to the other until they're both hanging at an equal height.  Or, in modern terms, you might think of adjusting a crescent wrench, dialing it in, so that it perfectly fits the nut you need to unscrew.  Or finding that pair of shoes or that dress or those pants that just fit perfectly.  Not sort of fit.  But perfectly fit.  Like the balanced scale.  That's axios.  The calling we've been given by Jesus and the Spirit is hanging on one side of the scale.  Now we've got to walk in such that we match it.  That's a big ask.  But Paul's also clear: We've got God's word to show us what and how and we've got God's Spirit to make it possible. Brother and Sisters, that's Ephesians.  Let your walk be worthy of your calling.  And the emphasis isn't on “you” singular, but on “y'all” plural.  He's talking to us as the church, as the people of God.  Of course, that's going to have implications for us as individuals, but Paul's emphasis here is on our life together in Jesus and the Spirit.  So…we're ready to jump into it…Chapter 1, verses 1 and 2.  Paul writes: “Paul, an apostle of Messiah Jesus through God's purpose to the saints in Ephesus who are also faithful in Messiah Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.” This is Paul's salutation, but even here he gets to the church's calling.  He introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus the Messiah.  In this case he doesn't dwell on his authority.  He could have.  He'd met the risen Jesus and had been given his calling to take the gospel to the gentiles, he could speak with authority as one of the eye-witnesses and as someone specially equipped for this apostolic ministry, but Paul doesn't need to do that here.  He might do that, for example, writing to the Corinthians.  He had to remind them of his credentials, because they'd sort of kicked him to the curb.  But here he's writing to friends.  I think Paul's main emphasis here is, instead, on the purposes or the will of God.  He'll come back to this idea of God's purposes in the verses that follow and especially in Chapter 3.  But I think this is his real reason for bringing up the fact that he's an apostle.  Because Paul knew that there was no way he ever would have found himself in this position if it hadn't been for God—and the same is true for the Ephesian Christians in their own ways.  Remember, Paul was a Pharisee, he was a member of the governing council of the Jews, and he hated Christians with a passion.  As far as he was concerned, Christians—at that point they were almost all Jewish—were traitors to their people and their God.  They were following a man who had been crucified as a false messiah and Paul didn't believe for one second the reports that Jesus had been raised from the dead.  When they stoned Stephen for preaching about Jesus, Paul held everyone's coats so that they'd be less encumbered throwing their stones.  He was the last person who would ever become a follower of Jesus. And then it happened.  On the way to Damascus to round up more Christians, Paul met the risen Jesus.  Not a ghost, not an apparition, not a dream, but the real and actual Jesus.  And everything changed.  It took Paul a good long while to sort out what it meant, but he knew from the beginning that if Jesus was really alive, then he really was the Messiah—the anointed King of Israel and the world's true Lord.  It meant God's new age, his new creation had begun.  Somehow.  Some way.  So Paul went off to Arabia by himself to think it all through in light of the scriptures and the story of Israel that he knew so well.  And when he'd done that and came back, he knew: God had a plan all along.  Jesus wasn't some fluke.  He was the plan.  Everything in history had been working towards Jesus and everything from now on would be working from Jesus. And just as God had had a purpose in calling Israel and making them his people to be a light to the nations, so it meant that everyone who believed and found themselves part of this new Israel, part of this new people of God centred in Jesus the Messiah, they were part of God's continuing plan.  Paul had been called and set apart as a messenger of this plan, but the Ephesian Christians were called and set apart in their own way as well, to live and to proclaim and to witness it. So, remember that Ephesians is about what it means to be the church.  Paul starts out reminding us that none of this is random.  God had a purpose and that's why he's called us.  Again, think of 4:1 right in the middle of Ephesians, where Paul reminds them (and us) to walk worthy of our calling—to walk according to the plan God has for us.  Christianity isn't just some therapeutic thing that provides forgiveness of sins, a feel-good life, and heaven when you die.  It's about being born again in Jesus the Messiah and then credibly living that new life, God's new creation, in the midst of the old, proclaiming the good news of the king and growing his kingdom until it fills the earth.  The church, empowered by the Spirit of God, is Jesus means fulfilling the mission of renewal he began at the cross.  So that's Paul's introduction of himself. Next he addresses them.  He calls them the saints who are also faithful in Messiah Jesus.  First, saints.  Paul's literally addressing the “holy ones”.  He's not singling anyone out, as if there were some especially holy people in the Ephesian church and he's writing to them and not to the rest of the ordinary Christians.  He's talking about all of them.  Brothers and Sisters, understand, holiness or sainthood isn't some status to be achieved that sets us apart from ordinary Christians.  The Christian who struggles with sin every minute of the day is just as much a saint as the most mature of believers.  It's not a status we earn.  Holiness, sainthood is conferred on each of us by Jesus and the Spirit.  To be holy is to be set apart.  That's what Israel was: a people set apart to fulfil God's purposes in the world.  To be light in the darkness.  He set them apart by giving them his law—a way of life that was different from everyone else in the world.  And he gave them the visible mark of circumcision.  He made them a holy people.  Saints.  And now, in Jesus the Messiah, God has done the same for us, for the church. But before I get ahead of myself, there's the second thing Paul addresses them as.  He calls them “faithful” or the “faithful ones”.  And it's important to understand what “faith” or “faithfulness” means, because we've often reduced it to just believing the right thing.  We've got this idea that to be a Christian means believing the right thing about Jesus and about the good news of his death and resurrection.  Jesus died for our sins and if we believe that, if we give our intellectual assent to it, well then, that's that.  When I was a kid, our family was involved for a few years with an organisation with the mission to evangelise children.  It was a popular programme, because the kids that signed up got to leave school early once a week.  We'd walk over to a nearby church and we'd hear Bible stories and sing gospel songs and we'd hear about Jesus.  And every week the leaders would close by inviting everyone to say a prayer with them to acknowledge Jesus as their Saviour.  When they asked who prayed the prayer and kids raised their hands, they marked them down as successes.  They were good to go.  They'd said the prayer.  They were Christians now.  Except there was no discipleship.  There was no church.  There was no Christian community.  Never mind, what all us Christian kids seemed to understand that the adult leaders didn't: Those non-Christians kids were just coming and were just raising their hands because they liked getting out of school early.  Saying a prayer, even giving our intellectual assent to Jesus as Saviour, isn't being “faithful”.  For that matter, baptism alone isn't “faithful” either.  It's God's covenant sign that marks us out as his people—externally—but Paul is clear elsewhere that—as has always been the case for God's people in the old covenant and the new—it's faithfulness that truly marks us out.  And faithfulness, yes, means belief, but it also means trust and loyalty and allegiance.  As St. James writes in his epistle: faith without works is dead—it's not faith at all.  Faith means walking worthy of our calling.  Admire Jesus, confess Jesus all day long.  Great.  But until you've actually committed to him and faithfully start walking with him according to his plan, not yours, friend, you're not a Christian. But then the key thing about all this.  Paul doesn't just address them as the faithful saints.  He addresses them—and us—as the faithful saints in Messiah Jesus.  “In the Messiah”.  Paul uses that phrase a lot.  He uses it in Ephesians more than he does anywhere else.  And for Paul “in the Messiah” is shorthand for “belonging to the Messiah”.  Brothers and Sisters, you can't make yourself a saint.  And if you're going to be faithful, you've got to be faithful to something.  Jesus.  Without him, we're wretched sinners, enemies of God, faithless and committed to idols to self and to sin and doing all the things that make this broken world broken.  We serve ourselves and we worship idols.  We hurt others, we abuse others, we use others for our own purposes.  We break our relationships.  We break our promises.  We build unjust and unfaith systems and institutions.  We exploit creation itself in unsustainable ways.  We take no thought for the wellbeing of others or for generations to come, whether it's polluting the world they'll have to live in or running up obscene levels of debt that will leave them encumbered.  Even Israel, called and set apart by God and given his law to make them a light in the darkness, even thy ended up being all but swallowed by all this brokenness and darkness. Enter Jesus.  If you're following along in a Bible, you may have noticed that when I read our text and read the word “Messiah”, your Bible probably reads “Christ”.  About ten years ago I made the decision to start using “Messiah” instead of “Christ” in my translations of the New Testament.  I did that as I realised way too many people have no idea what “Christ” means and an awful lot of people think it's Jesus' last name.  It's not.  Christos is just the Greek word for the Jewish title, “Messiah”.  And “Messiah” refers to the anointed king that God had promised to his people through David and through the Prophets.  The anointed king—meaning the king called and set apart as holy in order to fulfil God's purposes.  That's who Jesus is.  That's what the title “Christ” or “Messiah” means.  Jesus is the one set apart by God to set this broken world to rights, to inaugurate God's new creation and the age to come and to rule it through his Spirit-renewed people until all his enemies have been put under his feet.  And Jesus did this first by dying the death his people deserved.  He didn't deserve it.  They did.  But he paid the wages of their sin.  And then God raised him from the dead, defeating sin and death, and began the work of fulfilling God's promise to bring life back to a world mired in death.  Jesus' resurrection was the beginning of God's new creation.  And here's why Paul stresses that we are saints and faithful in the Messiah: because it is when we let go and turn away—that's “repentance”—when we turn away from sin and self, from our idols and false gods, rejecting the corrupted principalities and powers of this world, and instead believe the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection, trusting him and giving him our loyalty and allegiance—our faithfulness—we find ourselves united with him.  He forgives our sins and makes us holy.  And—this is important for Ephesians and the whole question of what the church is and is to be.  Brothers and Sisters, Jesus' calling becomes our calling. And that brings us back to the whole “walking worthy of our calling” thing.  It brings us back to the fact that faith is more than just believing the right thing.  Because if we believe that Jesus, when he rose from the dead has inaugurated God's new creation, that he's begun the process of setting this fallen world—and fallen humanity—to rights, that he's begun the process of wiping away the tears and making all the sad things of the world come untrue.  That he has, as Paul highlights here, poured out his grace on us and given us peace—the Hebrew idea of shalom, of wholeness and of well-being rooted in our fellowship with God.  Brothers and Sisters, it means that he's called us into that same messianic mission.  He's made us heaven-on-earth people.  In forgiving us and lifting the weight of our sins from us and in pouring his Spirit into us to give us a foretaste of the life to come, Jesus has given us a vision of this world set free from sin and death and a vision of life lived in God's presence and fellowship.  Jesus has given us hope.  And that's more than mere belief, it's more than intellectual assent to a creed.  It's not less than that.  But it's also so much more.  It's life and it's hope.  And not just for us.  It's life and hope that, once we've known and experienced it, should become our passion.  With the foretaste we've been given, with that hope before us, we ought to be a transformed people doing everything we can, with the help of the Spirit and following the scriptures, to be a people who forsake the sins and the selfishness that have made the world such a dark place; it ought to make us a people full of light and life, a people eager to bring God's grace and God's peace to everyone around us.  To lift the veil on God's new world, to give them a glimpse of redemption and new creation, to share with them the hope we have. Brothers and Sisters, remember that hope when you come to the Lord's Table this morning.  Here he reminds us that Jesus changes everything.  Here he reminds us that it is Jesus body and blood, shed on the cross, that purify us from sin.  Here he reminds us that it is Jesus who makes us his people.  And here he reminds us of the hope—the great feast of new life and fellowship with God—that is our hope.  Come and remember that you are his saints.  The ones made holy and set apart by Jesus to fulfil his purposes.  And then go out into the world as the faithful ones, filled with grace and peace, equipped to walk worthy of your calling. Let's pray: Almighty God, through Jesus your son, the Messiah, you have poured out your grace and your peace on us, you have forgiven our sins, you have welcomed us into your fellowship, you have given us hope; remind us, we pray, that you have also given us a calling, a purpose: to proclaim that Jesus is Lord to the ends of the earth, and be living, walking, breathing pockets of your new creation in the midst of the old.  Make us faithful to that calling.  Give us the grace necessary to turn aside from sin and from self and walk worthy of that calling; through Jesus the Messiah, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

January 15, 2026Today's Reading: Catechism: First CommandmentDaily Lectionary: Ezekiel 37:15-28; Romans 6:1-23“You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” (The Small Catechism, The First Commandment)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.One of my favorite exercises in Confirmation is having the confirmands noodle on the question of how many commandments you can break at one time with one sin. It is always interesting to see how they think through the process because we so often think we can reduce that number to one, but we have to sin on a Sunday to break the Third Commandment!The point of the exercise is to make it clear that the Commandments are so intertwined that it doesn't matter how many Commandments you break; breaking any single one of them is a damnable offense. And the reason you break Commandments Two through Ten is because you've already thrown the First into the trash.Why do you despise God's Word and His preaching? Because you decided you didn't want to hear from God that day. Why did you want to throat punch someone? Because you know better than God that he really deserves it! Why did you ignore Mom's request to take out the trash? Because you know better how your time should be spent, not her.All of these sins have one thing in common: you are the one who knows best, not God your Father. You decided that you know better than God how to live your life. You have made yourself God, then. It may not seem like it, but that is the truth of the matter. Any time you decide that you know better than Almighty God how to live your life, you have replaced Him as God.The blessing in all of this is that once you realize how you try to game the system, you can dial back the idolatry of self (which is what this behavior actually is) and see how you can react positively to God's Word and commands. You can take comfort in the forgiveness given you in Christ, and resting in that peace, you can fear, love, and trust in God above all things.No, you never will be able to keep the Commandments properly. But by striving in faith to love and trust in God as He desires to be loved, by following the examples of faithful Christians around you, and by gladly receiving the Gifts God freely gives, you begin to learn how you can live faithfully: with a repentant heart and trusting that His forgiveness is yours, because He loves you more than you will ever know.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.I know my faith is founded On Jesus Christ, my God and Lord; And this my faith confessing, Unmoved I stand on His sure Word. Our reason cannot fathom The truth of God profound; Who trusts in human wisdom Relies on shifting ground. God's Word is all sufficient, It makes divinely sure; And trusting in its wisdom, My faith shall rest secure. (LSB 587:1)Author: Rev. Duane Bamsch, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Wichita Falls, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

The 2025 Oklahoma Republican Party Platform - Part 2 II. EDUCATION Preamble: We acknowledge our dependence upon Almighty God and ask His blessings upon our students and their parents, teachers, and nation. It is the right and responsibility of parents (hereafter to mean parents and/ or legal guardians) to direct their children's upbringing and education whether public, private, charter, or education by other means without interference, regulation, or penalty from the government. The primary goal of public schools should be to teach proficiency in the basic subjects of phonics-based reading, written and oral communication, mathematics, sciences, history, founding documents, Godly heritage of our nation, critical thinking skills, basic morals, and civics. Locally elected school boards should have the authority to determine and implement all public-school curricula, policies, and procedures for their districts. We demand open accountability from all tax-funded education in Oklahoma. The federal government has no constitutional role in education. A. Philosophy We Believe 1. We believe the traditional family unit, consisting of a (husband) man, (wife) woman, and child(ren) is the foundation of our social structure. The Oklahoma Department of Education and the various 7 Boards of Regents should uphold and teach this definition of traditional family at all levels of public education. 2. We believe individuals should have the right to choose their own education and career tracks. 3. We believe to comply with the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, we favor elimination and complete defunding of the Federal Department of Education. 4. We believe in and affirm the right of students and school employees to the free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment, including the right to wear and display religious symbols, voluntary vocal prayer, optional Bible and religious study, religious expression including holidays, and equal access to use of school facilities for these activities. 5. We believe the only flags to be displayed at, or in, any Oklahoma school are the flags of the United States of America and the State of Oklahoma. Students should start the day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, including "one nation under God", and be taught the history of and respect for our United States flag. 6. We believe the K-12 public-school system is for the benefit of children of legal residents of the United States. 7. We believe the responsibility to teach children the philosophy, values, and theology to live by belongs to a child's parents. We Support 1. We support all parents fulfilling their God-given responsibility to educate and raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, free from government control. 2. We support parental access to examine and evaluate all educational and assessment, records pertaining to their children. 3. We support notification to parents that should be clear, simple, and descriptive when any alternative school programs are offered. Active parental consent to opt in must be obtained without repercussion. 4. We support The Ten Commandments being displayed in public schools as a means of moral guidance along with our national motto "In God We Trust" and the Bill of Rights. Public schools shall not prohibit the teaching of the Judeo-Christian worldview upon which our country was founded. 5. We support the recognition of, instruction in, and honor given to men motivated by Judeo-Christian ethics who made great contributions to the development of traditional Western Civilization. 8 6. We support proficiency in math, reading, writing, and other basic skills before computer technology and calculators are used. 7. We support notification of parents of medical treatment sought by students including dispensing of any pharmaceuticals. We oppose mandatory healthcare in public schools, vaccinations for students, and any forced mental health evaluations or prescriptions. We Oppose 1. We oppose the imposition of national curricula, testing, data collection and teacher certification, Common Core State Standards and associated assessments, and federally mandated programs such as "No Child Left Behind", "Race to the Top," Early Learning Guidelines and Core Competencies. 2. We oppose any government required community service condition for graduation. 3. We oppose overt racism by schools in the name of thinly disguised faux efforts to "eliminate racism" which seek to achieve atheist, Marxist, or Socialist political outcomes. 4. We oppose government expansion and control by the use of public tax dollars to fund and interfere with private forms of education. 5. We oppose the teaching of humanist character education programs, such as Social Emotional Learning (SEL). B. Curriculum We Believe 1. We believe that curricula should include the basics: phonics-based reading, grammar, composition, mathematics, government, history, science, spelling, penmanship, geography, and economics. We encourage the teaching of art, music, foreign languages, and sports/physical fitness. 2. We believe parents must maintain their right and responsibility to educate their children regarding sexuality and sexual conduct. We believe sexual abstinence is the only safe way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and pregnancy. 3. We believe local school boards should exercise their right to choose curriculum and textbooks, including the Bible as a literature or history text, without state limitations. 4. We believe Biblical creation and intelligent design must be taught and must receive equal funding, class time, and materials as other theories such as evolution. 5. We believe the heritage of the United States of America should be taught in public schools and include representative limited government, the lives and beliefs of the Founders, influence of the Bible and religion on our laws and principles, and the concept of free enterprise. We believe students should study directly from the primary founding documents, which teach that the distribution of power is among three branches of federal government and the difference between federal and state government teaching that our nation is a constitutional republic. 6. We believe English, the dominant language of our nation, should be the primary language taught in 9 public schools with other languages only offered as electives. We Support 1. We support curricula that promotes the U.S. national sovereignty and the singing of traditional songs and teaching of patriotic literature in all grades. We respect different cultures, but support prioritizing our commonalities as U.S. Citizens. 2. We support the right of parents to personally observe all classroom instruction, activities, and curriculum choices. 3. We strongly support the teaching of the scientific biologically verifiable X and Y chromosomal definition of male and female at birth. 4. We support teaching the basic rules of finance, such as economics, saving, investing, borrowing, balancing a checkbook, and living within a budget. We Oppose 1. We oppose the portrayal of homosexual, promiscuous, or fornication behaviors in a positive light in public schools. 2. We oppose the teaching of non-chromosomal gender and LGBTQ+ lifestyle, history, and demonstration. 3. We oppose one-world government and global citizenship. 4. We oppose teaching multiculturalism that promotes cultural segregation. We are created in God's image. There is one race: the human race. 5. We oppose the implementation of all revisionist U.S. history in education. 6. We oppose the teaching of the theory of anthropogenic global warming without providing equal time for instruction in the complex systems of geo-physics that cause observable climate change, such as solar variations, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions. C. Administration and Management We Believe 1. We believe that all education and management decisions should be returned to the control of parents, elected school boards, teachers, and administration at the local level. 2. We believe schools should protect the privacy of any personal information or data collected on a student or their family. 3. School elections should be on the same date as general elections. 4. We believe security options should be pursued, including but not limited to officers and school 10 employees who are qualified to be armed. 5. We believe teachers, school administrators, and the local school board should work together to set and implement policies that give teachers the freedom and authority to lawfully maintain order, discipline, and safety. 6. We believe teachers should not be coerced to adjust standards for any failing students, including athletes. 7. We believe the Teachers Retirement Fund should be actuarially funded with full public disclosure. We Support 1. We support the freedom of local school boards to hire, direct, train, retain, or terminate any teacher who fails to provide the highest quality of instruction based on merit, not years of service. The evaluation criteria should be determined by local school boards for their school districts. 2. We support extensive background checks of prospective school employees, with the right of local school boards to refuse employment to anyone. 3. We support public independent auditing of all public schools and institutions of higher education in Oklahoma. 4. We support the enforcement of Oklahoma statutes that prohibit teachers from strikes, walkouts, or semblance thereof during the school year by penalizing any district that closes its schools with a funding cut equivalent to the daily payroll and expenses of the district. 5. We support professional development for teachers; however, we believe classes should not be canceled in order for public school employees to attend political conventions, electioneering, campaigning, voting, or union meetings. 6. We support right-to-work laws, which provide all public-school administrators, teachers, and staff the choice to refuse to join or financially support any union, political party, or any other organization. All options are to be made available to teachers, staff, and parents. 7. We support requiring public schools to provide parents the platforms of all educational organizations for which a teacher or staff member is eligible to join. 8. We support local school districts placing year-end excess monies into an interest-bearing account to encourage fiscal responsibility, and they should not be penalized by the State Department of Education for doing so. 9. We support the consolidation of the technical, operational, and administrative resources of school districts, but do not support the closing of individual schools. 10. We support local school board appointed textbook committees to select the state/district funded textbooks and the elimination of the Oklahoma State Textbook Committee. 11. We support the right of parents to determine and guide their children's medical needs including vaccination. Schools must disclose all legal exemptions when making requests. 11 12. We support the independent testing of radiation levels in all public schools with full disclosure of the proven hazards and impacts of radio frequency, electromagnetic, and microwave radiation upon children and youth (e.g.: mitochondrial and DNA damage and destruction). We Oppose 1. We oppose Public School Districts receiving any state funding to pay or collect any employee's organizational and/or union dues by using the payroll deduction system or any other accounting/collection system of the school district to provide centralized dues collection. 2. We oppose the collection by the government of personal information or data on students or their families, aka: data mining. 3. We oppose the designation of public schools as "gun free zones". 4. We oppose the issuance of bonds by school districts to fund operational expenses. 5. We oppose any non-chromosomal sex/gender use of locker rooms, sports team qualifications, or public restrooms. While we support a positive, competitive spirit in all activities, we oppose student athletes competing as anything other than their genetically determined sex/gender. 6. We oppose automatic teacher tenure. 7. We oppose schools requiring access to medical documents, including vaccination/immunization records, for enrollment. All medical determinations should be decided by the parents. 8. We oppose mandatory year-round schooling. 9. We oppose mandatory expansion of public school from birth on; aka: universal childcare 10. We oppose the teaching or presence of any inappropriate, harmful, or perverse content such as sexualized information, pornography, illustrations, or books with this material. 11. We oppose any increased state funding for the government schools. D. Higher Education We Believe 1. We believe higher education is a privilege, not a right. There are many options for education to be explored and determined by each individual. 2. We believe the Constitutional rights of college/university students, including their right to due process, must be protected. 3. We believe the Constitutional right to carry shall not be infringed upon at any college/university in Oklahoma. 4. We believe all publicly funded institutions of higher education should offer curriculum designed to train a student for a viable career path upon graduation. Responsibility for the market need for a specific degree should rest with the institution. 12 5. We believe there should be a required course in phonics for elementary teacher certification, as well as for certification at all levels of reading and language arts. We Support 1. We support the freedom of each individual college/university to hire, direct, train, retain, or terminate any teacher who fails to provide the highest quality of instruction based on merit, not years of service. 2. We support the freedom of each individual college/university to develop its own standards, course curriculum, scholarships, tuition, and fees. 3. We support budgeting tied to comprehensive planning processes with increases in funding directly related to specific goals and objectives listing expected improvements. 4. We support any student being able to use all scholarships, grants, or other financial aid to obtain a degree in the field of their choice, including religious studies. 5. We support strict adherence to the law that requires the majority of the nine-member Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College ("OSU") to be actively engaged in farming or ranching. We Oppose 1. We oppose all Marxist ideology such as Critical Race Theory (CRT), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and all other critical theories. 2. We oppose the enactment of any compelled speech policies forcing students, staff, or faculty at public colleges/universities to use other people's preferred or gender-neutral pronouns. 3. We oppose public higher education funding of one-sided studies intended to prove anthropogenic global warming for the purpose of justifying wealth redistribution 4. We oppose higher education funding and teaching of all aspects of gender reassignment: research, surgery, mental health, and "affirming care". 5. We oppose non-U.S. citizens being able to take advantage of taxpayer-funded scholarships, grants, or other financial aid to obtain a degree. 6. We oppose the requirement of completing and submitting a FAFSA form for enrollment in Oklahoma colleges and universities. III. Government Preamble: The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land and should be interpreted according to the original intent of the founding fathers as explained in the federalist papers. We call for reaffirmation of our God-given rights enumerated in the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights. The Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Ordinance of 1787: The Northwest Territorial Government, and the Constitution of the United States together establish the exclusive basis 13 of the rule of law for our nation. These Organic Documents supersede all subsequent legislation, judicial decisions, and declared emergencies. Our founding fathers based these first laws on traditional Judeo- Christian ethics and values. We believe these documents are the basis for law, order, and behavior, allowing individuals, including government officials, the freedom to involve God in all activities according to their consciences. We believe all persons are responsible and should be held accountable for their actions. We believe in transparent and honest government with minimal intrusion, providing protection for all its citizens with fair and equitable treatment, enforcement, and justice. We realize without economic freedom there is no political freedom. We believe the greatest incentive for the creation of wealth lies in the respect for private property rights and the free enterprise system as the best and most efficient distribution of resources. A. Financial & Tax Issues i. Budget We Believe 1. We believe all governmental budgets should be balanced by decreasing spending, eliminating fraud, and eliminating duplication of services. 2. We support transparency and audits in government spending. 3. We believe the US Congress should ban earmarks. 4. We believe individuals, families, churches, and private organizations should take responsibility in meeting the needs of the citizens of the community. 5. We believe in a welfare policy that promotes the traditional American family unity, a strong work ethic, and individual responsibility. Those who repeatedly misuse the system, or fraudulently represent themselves shall forfeit further assistance. 6. We believe all able-bodied recipients of welfare and other federal entitlements should be required to work. 7. We believe in the implementation of "sunset laws," "zero-based budgeting," and performance audits to require justification for government programs. 8. We believe designated funds should be spent only for the stated purpose and not placed in the general fund. We Support 1. We support a full and complete public audit of the Federal Reserve System. 2. We support the elimination of barriers to purchase insurance across state lines. 3. We support total state control of Medicaid programs. 4. We support requiring a balanced federal budget, except in times of congressionally declared war. 14 5. We support the repeal or consolidation of federal, state, and local programs found to be non- performing, duplicative, or not authorized by the constitution. 6. We support the elimination of government funding for the Public Broadcasting System, the National Endowment for the Arts and National Public Radio. 7. We support making the Congressional Pension and health care benefits the same as the benefits the citizens use such as private savings, Social Security, and Medicare. 8. We support a requirement that all bills presented in Congress identify the specific Constitutional authorization (Article I, Section 8). 9. We support lowering the national debt by cutting non-defense spending. 10. We support abolishment of the federal minimum wage. 11. We support repeal of federal legislation that requires paying prevailing union wages on government contracts. 12. We support the elimination of funding for Planned Parenthood and other programs promoting or providing preborn baby murder. 13. We support a free market-based public transportation system as opposed to government funding. 14. We support abolishing the Federal Reserve. We Oppose 1. We oppose raising the debt limit. 2. We oppose the use of continuing resolutions to fund the federal government in lieu of passing an annual federal budget. 3. We oppose paying congressional members during any government shutdown. 4. We oppose simply 'printing money' to allow increased spending. 5. We oppose the nationalization of private businesses and enterprises, and efforts to support or subsidize in return for partial or complete control of private enterprises. 6. We oppose federal programs that enlarge the number of US citizens dependent upon government for their basic subsistence. 7. We oppose all congressional pay increases until the federal budget is balanced. 8. We oppose socialized medicine, the Affordable Care Act, or any other nationalized health care system. 15 ii. Taxation We Support 1. We support the repeal of the 16th Amendment, the elimination of the Internal Revenue Service, and replacement of the current tax system based on income with a simple system such as the Fair Tax. 2. We support eliminating taxation on income and property. 3. We support that any tax or fee set up for a particular purpose should be used solely for that purpose or should be repealed. 4. We support lowering or removing the state sales tax on groceries. 5. We support legislation requiring that state lottery funds be applied in addition to, not as a replacement for, state funding of schools. 6. We support requiring all initiative petitions to define the funding mechanisms. 7. We support tax policies that promote personal savings and capital formation. 8. We support the elimination of the marriage penalty, capital gains taxes, the earned income tax credit, the alternative minimum tax, double taxation of dividends, and inheritance tax. 9. We support requiring a two-thirds majority vote by Congress to increase taxes. 10. We support legislation requiring that all state fuel and vehicle taxes and tag fees go to state, county, and local transportation infrastructure. 11. We support reducing fuel taxes, both federal and state for agricultural use. 12. We support abolishing the income tax entirely. We Oppose 1. We oppose the creation of a tax on services as this will negatively impact working families and individuals. 2. We oppose the use of sales tax and use tax revenue bonds for advance local capital improvements. City and county improvements should be authorized only on a pay-as-you-go basis, and should not incur new taxes or bonds. 3. We oppose taxes or other incentives for businesses that encourage the exportation of jobs from the United States to foreign nations. 4. We oppose the use of restrictive fuel taxes for regulation of carbon or particulate matter emissions. 16 iii. Economic Development We Believe 1. We believe in free, open, and fair markets. 2. We believe that Oklahoma's efforts to attract industry should be grounded upon the establishment of a favorable and friendly "economic climate" rather than upon tax and other governmental subsidies to individual businesses. We Support 1. We support the revision of corporate laws and regulations to encourage business and economic development while reflecting free market principles. We Oppose 1. We oppose and discourage government competition with the private sector. 2. We oppose market interference by the government in setting insurance premiums. 3. We oppose public-private partnerships and the use of eminent domain. 4. We oppose governmental efforts to stimulate the economy or bail out troubled entities through massive increases in governmental spending, crushing debt, or massive tax increases. 5. We oppose a temporary assistance package for lenders or borrowers in mortgage foreclosures. The free market should be allowed to work. 6. We oppose the existence of a minimum wage. iv. Social Security We Believe 1. We believe Social Security is a contract with the United States workers and not an entitlement. Taxpayers should have the option of ownership and control over individual Social Security funds, including allowing a percentage of their Social Security tax to be placed in private investments of their choosing. We Support 1. We support repealing the 1993 Clinton tax on Social Security benefits.

The world feels like it is falling apart, but our Almighty God is in control of all things. We may never know why things happen the way they do, but we do know that our Almighty God is also our heavenly Father and that all things come from his fatherly hand. The Providence of God The Providence of God Almighty The Providence of God, our Almighty Father

Don't forget to grab your free scripture journal at ⁠⁠⁠PrayingChristianWomen.com/journal ⁠⁠⁠today! What if the spiritual battles you face aren't meant to be fought with your own strength? What if the obstacles in your life—whether they be fears, anxieties, or spiritual attacks—are actually terrified of the One who stands beside you? In this empowering devotional on Psalm 48, we explore the awe-inspiring imagery of Mount Zion—the city where God makes Himself known as a stronghold. We move beyond the text to uncover the fascinating historical context of the Roman "Helmet of Salvation," discovering how a soldier’s crest was more than decoration; it was a declaration of ownership and intimidating power. We learn that when we stand firm in our identity, the enemy doesn't just see us; he sees the entire Kingdom of God backing us. Join host Jaime Hampton on the Praying Christian Women podcast for a session of deep encouragement and spiritual strengthening. If you’ve felt defeated by the start of the year or overwhelmed by invisible battles, this episode offers a fresh perspective on your victory in Christ. Come ready to "put on" your salvation, stand firm in the City of God, and watch the enemy flee. Discover More: Explore additional episodes of Praying Christian Women, Mindful Christian Prayers, and other Christian podcasts at Lifeaudio.com Check out our new podcast, Christian True-Crime Junkies!, on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts! Connect with Us: Stay updated and engage with our community: On Substack @PrayingChristianWomen On Facebook @PrayingChristianWomen On Instagram @PrayingChristianWomen On YouTube: @PrayingChristianWomen Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

While the origins debate is basically a religious debate, many people have been taught that evolution is science and creation is religion. But even according to the evolutionists' own rules of science, evolution is not good science. Let's examine the claims of evolution in light of what science knows today.Life has never been seen to develop from nonliving materials. Yet evolution says it did. Mutations, said by evolutionists to have created all the kinds of living things, have never been seen to produce one creature who was more complex or better able to survive. Then again, the moon has moonquakes, a magnetic field and internal heat—all indications that it is far younger than evolutionists believe. The Cretaceous limestone was produced from sediment in water and extends in one continuous band from Northern Ireland through Europe and Asia to Australia. This suggests that the entire area was beneath the sea all at the same time, yet evolution refuses to accept Noah's Flood as a global and historical event.If language evolved, why are the most ancient languages the most complex? If religion evolved, why do the most ancient forms of religion worship one God, a Creator, while later forms of the same religions have many gods—who are much more like human beings?I could list many more examples showing that only the Bible's account of history makes sense in light of what we know today.Psalms 111:10"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever."Prayer: Dear Lord; the very stones cry out that You are indeed Creator and Almighty God. Help me to add my voice to this witness, and tell others of Your forgiving love in Jesus Christ. In His Name. AmenREF.: Brown, Walter T. The scientific case for creation: 116 categories of evidence. Bible Science Newsletter. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

It will be utterly in vain for impenitent sinners to think to do thus with respect to the torments of hell. They will not be able to endure them, or at all to support themselves under them: the torment will be immensely beyond their strength. What will it signify for a worm, which is about to be pressed under the weight of some great rock, to be let fall with its whole weight upon it, to collect its strength, to set itself to bear up the weight of the rock, and to preserve itself from being crushed by it? Much more in vain will it be for a poor damned soul, to endeavor to support itself under the weight of the wrath of Almighty God. What is the strength of man, who is but a worm, to support himself against the power of Jehovah, and against the fierceness of his wrath? What is man's strength, when set to bear up against the exertions of infinite power? Matt. xxi. 44, "Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

As recipients of God's amazing affection, no matter how little we think we are worth, the God of the universe, the Almighty God, the One who thought us up, and who thought we were such a good idea that He went through with making us – He ascribes the highest possible value to us! He values our lives at the price of His only Son's life. We are beloved! We are cherished and treasured by the Almighty God of the universe!

The Almighty God humbled Himself by coming down from heaven's throne, taking on human flesh, and dwelling among us. The miracle of the Incarnation is the foundation for Christmas because without it there is no Christianity and no salvation. In this message from Pastor Jeff Schreve called, THE MIRACLE OF THE INCARNATION, he shares three profound discoveries regarding the birth of Jesus. This message is from the series, THE MIRACLES OF CHRISTMAS.

In this episode of Pray the Word, David Platt praises God for great and amazing deeds and his faithfulness towards his people.Over 3 billion people have never heard the gospel.At Radical, we're fueling 140 gospel projects in 42 countries to change that—equipping local leaders and mobilizing believers where Jesus is least known.Through December 31, every gift is doubled up to $750,000.Would you pray about being part of this?Learn more at Radical.net/everywhereExplore more content from Radical.

Message from Pastor Daniel Bernard on December 21, 2025

Pulling from both the Old and New Testament, Dr. Michael Youssef reveals why the Almighty God chose the humble town of Bethlehem—Bethlehem Ephrathah—as the birthplace of His Son. More than 700 years before Christ's birth, the prophet Micah foretold the exact location, declaring that the Ruler of Israel would come forth “for Me”—God Himself (Micah 5:2). Dr. Youssef proclaims with authority that this was no accident. God bypassed the power of Rome, the intellect of Athens, and the religion of Jerusalem to send a clear message: the hope of the world is not found in human wisdom, government, or religion—it is found in Jesus Christ alone. Through Scriptural truths and historical context, Dr. Youssef calls every listener to humble themselves, repent, and receive the only Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ—because one day, every knee will bow before Him.

Have you considered the great mystery of Almighty God humbling Himself by coming down from heaven's throne, taking on human flesh, and dwelling among us? The miracle of the Incarnation is the foundation for Christmas because without it there is no Christianity and no salvation. In this message, Pastor Jeff Schreve shares three profound discoveries regarding the birth of Jesus. It's called, THE MIRACLE OF THE INCARNATION and it's from the series, THE MIRACLES OF CHRISTMAS.

Has Christ returned as a female in China? Believe it or not, this is the shameless assertion of the Church of the Almighty God, also known as Eastern Lightning. Unfortunately, this is not a fringe group of fanatics, but a cult that is growing globally with millions of devotees and deep pockets. This edition of Hank Unplugged is dedicated to discussing the dangers of Eastern Lightning, what CRI is doing to combat the cults and how you can help make a difference.For further study: CRI Resource: The Eastern Lighting Cult: Christ Returns to Earth as a Female? https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-special-print-issue-48-02-03-the-eastern-lighting-cult-christ-returns-to-earth-as-a-female-hup1225/As a preview of the extensive and new primary research done on this topic, please see Hank's From the President column from this issue, “Christ Returns to Earth as a Female — An Exposé of the Eastern Lightning Cult “ https://www.equip.org/articles/christ-returns-to-earth-as-a-female-an-expose-of-the-eastern-lightning-cult/  and also one of the feature articles by Hank, “Contrasting Eastern Lightning Deception and Essential Christian D-O-C-T-R-I-N-E”.https://www.equip.org/articles/contrasting-eastern-lightning-deception-and-essential-christian-d-o-c-t-r-i-n-e/

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!Good morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)YouTube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comIII John John writes to his dear friend Gaius, praising him for his faithfulness and love in supporting fellow believers, even those who are strangers. Gaius walks in the truth, and John expresses great joy in hearing that his spiritual children are living faithfully. He encourages continued support for those doing God's work, as they rely on the hospitality of believers. John contrasts Gaius with Diotrephes, a man who rejects authority, spreads malicious words, and refuses to welcome other believers. He warns against following such bad examples and instead urges believers to imitate what is good. He also commends Demetrius for his strong reputation and faithful life. John hopes to visit soon and closes with greetings of peace and love from mutual friends in the faith.  We will greatly prosper in Christ as we walk in truth and express love through our actions. Like Gaius, we are called to support those who serve God, even if we do not know them personally. Our hospitality and encouragement can genuinely make a difference in the work of the gospel. Meanwhile, we must avoid following the example of pride or selfishness, as seen with Diotrephes. Our goal is to be recognized for our kindness, humility, and commitment to serving others. When we live with integrity and care for our fellow believers, we bring joy to those in leadership and honor God with our lives. Let us continue to walk in truth, serve faithfully, and love deeply every day.  Almighty God, thank You for the truth that shapes our lives and for people who encourage us to walk faithfully. Help us to be like Gaius, generous and welcoming to those who serve in Your name. Grant us discernment to recognize what is good and courage to turn away from pride and division. Fill our hearts with joy as we serve others and open our homes in love. May we be known for building up the body of Christ, not tearing it down. Let our words bring peace, our actions show grace, and our lives reflect the light of Christ.  Thought Questions: Why has hospitality become so rare, particularly toward unfamiliar people? How do you show kindness to brethren who pass through? Why did Diotrephes accuse John and refuse to accept Christians? How do you prevent a level of pride that does such evil to brethren? Demetrius received a good testimony from everyone. How do you think he built that reputation, and how are you doing the same?

Isaiah 9:6 tells us what Jesus, the name above all names, means to us. Pastor Greg Laurie brings us insight in this message. Notes: Focus verse - Isaiah 9:6 Jesus Christ.That is the name above all names. Isaiah 9:6For unto us a Child is born,Unto us a Son is given;And the government will be upon His shoulder.And His name will be calledWonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. From Heaven’s perspective, Jesus was given.From earth’s perspective, Jesus was born. Jesus lived our life and then He died our death. The first Christmas gift was not a gift to a child but the gift of a child. Each of these descriptions of Jesus’ name deals with an important part of our life. Jesus said, “Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of Me.(Hebrews 10:7 KJV) Jesus is in the Old Testament concealed and in the New Testament revealed. Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad.”(John 8:56 KJV) Jacob wrestled with Jesus.Before conquering Jericho, Joshua met Jesus and bowed before Him. Let’s look at these descriptions Isaiah gives us of Christ. #1 His name is Wonderful: this takes care of the dullness of life. Wonderful comes from the word wonder. There is nothing this world has to offer that will fill the void in your life.That’s where Jesus comes in. The word, wonder, means:amazement, surprise, astonishment, admiration, bewilderment, worship, and awe. The best way to sum it up is, “God is awesome!” Knowing this wonderful God personally takes care of the dullness of life. When the shepherds shared what happened,“All that heard it wondered at these things told to them by the shepherds.”(Luke 2:18) Everything about Jesus was wonderful:His birth, His life, His words, His death, and His resurrection. Wonder will lead to worship and a desire to know Jesus better. #2 His name is Counselor: this takes care of the decisions of life. Do you know that God wants to give personal counsel and direction to you? Psalm 73:24 (NKJV)You will guide me with Your counsel,And afterward receive me to glory. Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, Jesus Christ, is offering you His counsel. Jesus, our Counselor, has a plan for our lives. Jesus has given us His word so we might learn to think and act biblically.Everything you need to know about God and life is found in Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16–17All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is trueand to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.It is God's way of preparing us in every way,fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. But your Counselor, Jesus, is very involved and wants the best for you. Jesus, our Counselor, prays for us too. #3 His name is Mighty God: this takes care of the demands of life. Jesus Christ was not just a “good man,” but the “God-Man.” The Creator became a creation.He did not lose His deity, but He added humanity. Eternal, yet an infant, the Infinite became touchable. Jesus was fully God and became fully man. Jesus did not become identical to us, but He did become identified with us. Jesus could not have identified with us more closely than He did.It was total identification without any loss of identity. Jesus claimed to be God many times. On one occasion, Jesus was crossing the Sea of Galilee and He fell asleep.What could be more human than that? Jesus rebuked the storm and it stopped instantly.What could be more divine than that?He was fully God. Being fully human reminds you that He understands what you are facing. Some say, “It’s very hard to be a Christian.” It’s impossible to be a Christian without the power of Jesus Christ. That’s like trying to run your electric car with no charge. We work out what God has already worked in. We don’t manufacture the power, we access it. You say, “I can’t break free from drugs or drinking or immorality.”The bible says, “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.” #4 His name is Everlasting Father: this takes care of the future of life. We know life is not merely what we experience here and now on earth.As Christians, we will live forever. God is the Everlasting Father. He will always be there for you. With so many broken homes today and absentee fathers, this is a great comfort. You have an Everlasting Father who chose you. After His resurrection, Jesus said to Mary, “I go to my Father and your Father.” #5 His name is Prince of Peace: this takes care of the disturbances of life. In the storms of life, we all long for peace within. Isaiah 9:6And the government shall be upon His shoulder. For over 2000 years we are awaiting the fulfillment of this verse when Jesus returnsand establishes His kingdom (at the end of the 7-year Tribulation). When Christ returns there will be no more corruption, war, or terrorism. He will reign righteously as King of kings and Lord of lords. The five names represent five dimensions of what every believer needs:“Wonderful” answers our disillusionment.“Counselor” answers our confusion.“Mighty God” answers our weakness.“Everlasting Father” answers our loneliness.“Prince of Peace” answers our turmoil. Every knee will bow. Will you bow before Him today? — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many Americans do not fully know the faith-filled story behind the nation’s origins. In today's prayer and devotional, Lynette Kittle shares how long before the United States existed, a small group of Christian separatists—the Pilgrims—risked everything to worship Jesus freely and to practice their faith without fear. Their journey, grounded in prayer, Scripture, and dependence on God, laid a foundation that ultimately influenced the birth of a nation built on biblical principles. Seeking to follow Christ according to their convictions, the Pilgrims left England due to persecution and later departed Holland when secular influences threatened their children’s faith. Their bold voyage across the Atlantic in 1620 was not a pursuit of comfort but a pursuit of the freedom to worship God in truth and sincerity. America’s early identity was shaped through this legacy of faith, humility, and thanksgiving. Even before our nation was formed, colonial leaders called for days of prayer, fasting, and gratitude to God. Later, Presidents Washington, Adams, and Madison continued this practice, acknowledging that national blessings flow from the hand of Almighty God. Eventually, Thanksgiving became a national holiday through the persistence of Sarah Josepha Hale, who believed a national day of gratitude was a “pledge of Christian faith in God.” Today, the same call remains: remember what God has done, give Him thanks, and pray for America to remain anchored in His truth. Today's Bible Reading:“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done.” – Psalm 105:1 Takeaway Truths America’s earliest foundations were shaped by believers seeking freedom to worship God. Thanksgiving has deep Christian roots tied to prayer, humility, and national gratitude. God calls His people to remember His works and proclaim His faithfulness to the nations. We can pray for America to return to biblical truth and godly leadership. Let’s Pray Dear Father,We lift our voices to praise and thank You for America. We acknowledge that it was Your hand that guided the Pilgrims to a new land where they could worship Christ freely. Thank You for establishing this nation on godly principles and granting us the blessing of religious liberty. Remind us this Thanksgiving of the believers who trusted You enough to leave everything behind for the sake of Your glory. Strengthen and restore America’s spiritual foundation. Lead our nation’s leaders to return to Your Word, Your truth, and Your righteousness. Above all, thank You for the gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ—undeserved, unearned, and freely given. May our hearts remain humble and full of gratitude for all You have done. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Additional Scriptures James 4:10 Psalm 33:12 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 Psalm 105:1–5 Related Resources 7 Epic Things You Didn't Know about Pilgrims - Crosswalk.com The Christian Roots of Thanksgiving – Christianity.com More encouraging devotionals available at LifeAudio.com Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In a season of Stillness, but I'm still here. ❤️‍