Podcasts about Apollos

Episode #337 of 15 Minutes and a Big Idea. A Podcast by The Mended Collective. In this episode, we examine 1 Corinthians 16:12-14. Big Idea: Don't Seek Yourself 1) Apollos is Valuable 2) Be Strong 3) Be Loving Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/15bigidea/?view_public_for=110691360592088 The Mended Collective: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSlUSkU2N0UEy4Bq1HgpFEQ Email: 15bigideapodcast@gmail.com Theme Music: "Advertime" by Rafael Krux

Spiritual maturity pairs bold conviction with the humility to receive correction.► Gather with us live online and in person every Sunday at 9:30a and 11:00a: https://live.fbcw.org/► Watch/listen to our services: https://fbcw.org/worship-with-us/► Give to help our mission: https://fbcw.org/give/

Rev Adam White shares his deep expertise on Corinthians with us. He shares the historical context of the church in Corinth. This is part three of the foundation of this series on Corinthians.

Introduction: How to Have a Church Service, God's Way (1 Corinthians 14:26-40) BUILD UP believers. (1 Cor 14:26b) ELIMINATE the chaos. (1 Cor 14:27-33a) WOMEN don't preach. (1 Cor 14:33b-35) 1 Timothy 2:12-14 - I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. None of this is up for DEBATE . (1 Cor 14:36-40) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: What Should a Worship Service Look Like? Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:36You know, just a few days ago, in this very room, it was complete chaos. It was so good. I mean, VBS, it was complete chaos, right? You're going to hear more about it later. We're going to show you a video. But just kids on top of kids, people screaming and throwing. There was slime dripping from the ceiling. Wasn't supposed to, but there was.01:06And it was just, it was chaos and it was beautiful. Which is fine for vacation Bible school, but chaos is not something that should describe Sunday morning. And that takes us to the passage we're looking at today. So I'm going to ask you to please pray for me.01:36Faithfully represent God's Word. That's all we try to do here at Harvest Bible Chapel. We're not preaching our opinion or scratching itchy ears. We just want to represent the Word of God. And I'm asking you to please pray for me to do that faithfully, and I will pray for you to receive what it is that the Lord has said in His Word. All right? Let's just take a moment and pray.02:09Father, when we open the Bible, the question is, is this from God?02:21Father, we have solidly come to that conclusion.02:25We believe that this is your word.02:28When it says things that we like, and when it says things that we maybe struggle to believe, It's your word. And I pray today, Father, for all of us. You eliminate any distractions or preconceived notions and allow us to receive what it is that your word actually says. We pray in Jesus' name. And all of God's people said, Amen. 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Chapters 11 through 14.03:04in 1 Corinthians is all about corporate worship. Right? And we've been talking through this series. We had a little break from Pastor Taylor's excellent message taking us back to the Old Testament. But in this section in particular where we find ourselves, we're talking about speaking in tongues. And you can go back and review those. But tongues, there was a legit miracle gift. And if you study your Bibles, Speaking in tongues was speaking a known language. All right. It was an existing language, but the speaker, they didn't know that language. They didn't study, but they would. It'd be like if I got up and started speaking Mandarin. I don't know Mandarin, but I started speaking Mandarin because there were Mandarin speaking people in the congregation. That's what the gift of tongues was about. We saw. Previously, the tongues was a sign of judgment.04:04Israel had rejected the Messiah. And tongues was God's way of saying, okay, you're going to hear a language you don't understand because you've rejected me. I'm moving on to other people. And it was for the season of transition from the old covenant to the new covenant. We saw in chapter 13, verse eight, he said, tongues will cease. It's going to come to an end. It was only for a season.04:34The Pagan Practice of Tongues. In many pagan religions, there would be this ecstatic screaming of sounds. They weren't real languages. It's just screaming this gibberish. And the Corinthians brought that into church. It's chaos. There's chaos. Look at verse 26, where we left off last time. Verse 26. Paul says, What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Stop right there. That's not a command, by the way. He's describing the chaos. He's like, here's what your church service is. Everybody shows up, and everybody is like, ooh, ooh, me, I want to teach. I want to speak in tongues. I'm going to sing. And everybody was doing it.05:33And it was just this circus. He says your worship services are just chaos. You have the gibberish. You have misusing the real gift of speaking in tongues. You have the debacle that you've made the Lord's Supper. You have women preaching. You have people showing off. Your services are a complete mess. And it'd be real easy for us to look.06:03and say, wow, yeah, glad we've matured from that. But sadly, many things that are called church services are still a real mess. What have we turned worshiping our Savior God, what have we turned that into? For some churches, it's putting on a concert and giving a pep talk.06:33heresy, screaming gibberish, holy laughter, holy barking, craziness, chaos. So much being done in the name of worshiping the Lord that is anything but actually worshiping the Lord. And you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a second, hang on.07:01Who says what should happen in a church service anyways? Well, I would suggest to you God. The God that we worship has told us how we should worship. So very simply, in this passage we're looking at today, Paul is outlining here's what a worship service should be. That's what this passage is. What should happen in a church service? Paul's like, this is what should happen right here.07:31So, on your outline, how to have a church service God's way. Number one, first thing has to happen, absolutely has to happen. He says it first because this has to be the primary drive. Number one is build up believers. Build up believers. Look at the end of verse 26. He says, let all things be done.08:01For building up.08:07Here's a philosophical slash theological question for you.08:11Who is church service for?08:13Is it for believers or for unbelievers?08:19Biblically, church service is for believers.08:23Now listen, if you're here today and you're not a believer and somebody invited you, we're so glad that you're here.08:29But we're going to tell you to receive Christ. We're going to tell you to believe what the believers here believe. That we are, by nature and by birth, we are alienated sinners from God. And God reconciled us to himself through the death of his son, Jesus Christ. And he commands us. He commands us to turn from our sin and to believe in Jesus Christ. And when you do, you are saved. You are a child of God. That's the gospel.08:59The goal biblically in our worship service should be building up believers. Like, what parts of the service? Well, your Bible says the same thing that mine does. Let all things, all things be done for building up. It's teaching God's truth and teaching believers how to apply God's truth. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this because we have talked so much about this through 1 Corinthians chapter 14.09:29Church is where you go to give, not go to get. Over and over and over and over and over. Paul says edify, build up, edify, build up. It's just been the theme of this whole chapter. Paul says when you go to church, you should go to church ready to serve other people. That should be your mindset. I'm not here to get, I'm here to give. You're like, well, what about evangelism?10:01I'll study the book of Acts. When believers are built up, they are prepared to reach the lost in their lives. There's lost people in your life, in your sphere of friends, influence. You need to be built up here so you can go to them and share the gospel of Christ. The church is not what's in it for me, but.10:29Everything we do here has to have the mindset of what can we do to build up believers. That's what he says. So number one, how to have a church service God's way, build up believers. Number two, he says, eliminate the chaos. You've got to eliminate the chaos. Here he talks about two gifts. Just for that day that were not used appropriately in Corinth. Tongues, even the legit, They weren't doing that right. And prophesying. And understand again, the New Testament was being written during this day. So prophets were getting new revelation from God. We don't get that now that the Bible is complete. Right? Those blank pages in the back of your Bible aren't for you adding to Scripture. That's not what that's for.11:32But there were two gifts in that day that were being wildly misused, and it was contributing to the chaos. Tongues and prophecy. First, he addresses tongues. Okay? Legit gift of speaking in tongues. How do we do it? How do we do it? Look at verse 27. He says, and let someone interpret.12:02But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.12:10First of all, speaking in tongues.12:12They're assuming here, Paul's assuming, that someone is present in church who speaks a foreign language.12:19And you see his guidelines.12:20He goes, okay, two or three of you, not everyone, and take turns and you have to have an interpreter for the sake of the people there that don't speak that language. Right? If somebody's here that speaks Mandarin and I got up and spoke Mandarin, like the rest of you are like, what's going on? You need an interpreter to say, here is what is being said. That's how the gift works. Again, we studied all that several weeks ago. But then he says, if you don't have an interpreter, just sit there and pray silently.12:59So let me ask you.13:01If you've been to or seen a Pentecostal or Charismatic church service, is that how it's done?13:07Is that typically how speaking in tongues happens?13:12You're afraid to say, aren't you?13:15All right.13:16No, that's not how people do it.13:20It's chaos.13:22And that's what Paul's saying.13:23Are you going to knock that chaos off?13:25Right? Then he talks about prophesying. Look at verses 29 through 31. Prophesying. He goes, let two or three prophets speak. Let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one so that all may learn and all be encouraged.13:55Stop there. Again, prophesying. Prophesying. He's like, just again, two or three. Right? And let the others discern if what is being said is actually from God. Weigh it. Right? And again, some people were preaching already revealed information. Maybe preaching something from the Old Testament. And in this day, as the New Testament was being written and God was giving revelation, There'd be somebody sitting there in church that God would give a revelation to. And Paul says, if that guy has a revelation, the guy that's speaking the old information, have him sit down. Let new revelation guys speak. Right? Then look at verse 32. He says, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.14:55What in the world does that mean? It means this. The church was chaos, right? So you pull a guy aside that is a... He just can't help it. He comes to church and he's belting it out. I'm going to prophesy. And he's contributing to the chaos. And it's like, you're not supposed to do that. Remember, two or three...15:25What's he gonna say? Here's what he's gonna say. He's gonna say, I can't help it. I can't help it. Oh, and the spirit comes on me. I just can't help it. I just it just comes out. I can't control myself. And and that's why, you know, you want me to be quiet, but I can't be quiet. Because when the spirit's on me, I just can't be quiet. And verse 32, Paul's like wrong. The spirit of prophets are subject to the prophets, meaning this.15:55He's saying, every spiritual gift is used under the complete control of the one who has the gift.16:03The Holy Spirit does not come upon a person and make that person lose control of themselves.16:10That does not happen.16:12Okay?16:13That does not happen.16:15Paul says, your gifts are under your control.16:20Right?16:21So the exact ways these two gifts were used were Corinth specific, but there's a principle that certainly holds for us today. And it's look at verse 33. The first part, he says, for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. Paul says a service to worship God should represent God's care.16:52God is a God of peace. He's not a God of confusion. He said, listen, church cannot be a free for all. So you have to eliminate any chaos. Worship has to be orderly because otherwise people will not get built up. And that is why we're here is to build each other up. So that's what he's saying here. Eliminate the chaos. You've got to eliminate the chaos.17:20So how to have a church service God's way, build up believers, eliminate the chaos. Number three, he says, women don't preach. Women don't preach. Look at what he says. Now, the second half of verse 33, it actually goes with this section, not the previous section, right? In my Bible, it's actually indented as a new paragraph, and that's appropriate.17:51He says, As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the law also says.18:08All the churches.18:10All the churches.18:11Do you notice that?18:13All the churches.18:14Was it just a problem in Corinth?18:17Apparently not.18:19All the churches.18:21Was it just a problem in the first century?18:25All the churches.18:26Today.18:27Today.18:29Look, I never.18:31I can't remember a period of my life.18:39Where we as a culture have been so messed up about gender issues.18:43I just don't understand that.18:46One of the first things little kids learn.18:50We're so confused about gender stuff, right? Look at our culture. Gender is fluid. I was born one way, but now I can be another way, right? We have people in prominent positions that can't define what a woman is. And some of the same people saying that men can get pregnant. We have trans men or trans women. I can't ever remember.19:18The man who's dressed like a woman playing woman's sports, whatever that is. We're just so mixed up over gender things. And we in the church are like, well, we're not mixed up over gender issues. We have a big one. Let's talk about it. You know, the big gender issue in the church, can women be pastors?19:49It's a hot button issue. But I want you to hear me. The Bible is clear and it has not changed. Women are not to preach in church. And listen, I want you to hear me out, okay? You put your church clothes on and you showed up. So can you just stay and hear me out? I am not anti-woman. I'm married to one.20:19Without a doubt, my absolute most favorite human on the planet is a woman. And there's not even a close second. Okay, I'm not anti-woman. I'm not anti-woman. My mother, rest her soul, my mother was a woman. My sister, also a woman. We have so many faithful servants of Christ here in this church.20:48at this church.20:49I am not anti-woman.20:51I am not anti-woman.20:55But I'm also very much pro-Bible.21:00And the Bible straightforwardly says that the role of pastor, elder, preacher, shepherd, all the same thing.21:10The Bible clearly says that role is for men.21:17It's not my opinion.21:19That wasn't the consensus of the elder think tank. That's what the Bible says. Now you said you'd hear me out. There are so many arguments for pro-women pastors. So many arguments. I'm just going to share a few of them. Some people argue pro-woman pastor. Some people say, hey, hey, hey, look, Women are equal.21:49All right.21:50That's awfully sexist of you.21:52Women are equal.21:53Yes.21:54Yes.21:56Women aren't equal, but equal does not mean the same.22:02Equal does not mean we all have the same roles.22:04Where you work, I'm sure that you're equal with your boss.22:09But you have different roles.22:11Okay.22:13So yes, equal.22:15Not same.22:18Here's another pro-woman-pastor argument I've heard several times. Like, I know this woman pastor and she's fantastic. I went to this church and they had this woman pastor. She's fantastic. It just doesn't matter how good of a speaker you thought she was. A woman pastor is not a thing. Study your Bibles. There is no teaching in the Old Testament.22:45for installing a woman as a priest. And there's no teaching in the New Testament on how to install a woman as a pastor. In fact, all of the instructions for priests in the Old Testament, for pastors, shepherds, elders in the New Testament, it's directed towards men. Titus 1.6 says that elders, pastors should be the husband of one wife. Assuming, Paul was assuming that this was a, role for men.23:18But as soon as you say that, as soon as you say, well, there's no example of women pastors in the Bible.23:25As soon as you say that, some of you might already be thinking it.23:31Somebody thinks they got the trump card on that.23:33They're like, ah, what about Deborah?23:39You heard that one?23:39What about Deborah?23:43Deborah?23:43If you're unfamiliar with the story, I'll paraphrase it for you. Judges chapters 4 and 5. God called a man named Barak to serve him in leading Israel, and he wussed out. And Deborah had to step up and lead, because the man that God called was a chicken.24:16Oh, by the way, this is in the book of Judges. Deborah wasn't a pastor. All right. She wasn't even a priest. She was a military leader. That's what a judge was. Oh, and by the way, if you're looking in your Bible for examples on how to faithfully love and serve and obey and follow the Lord, I would not suggest going to the book of Judges for examples of that. Have you read the book of Judges? It is the craziest book of the Bible. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. The stuff that happens is just crazy. But somebody comes along and says, well, Deborah. Deborah wasn't a pastor. Deborah wasn't a pastor. But then our more New Testament minded people, say, oh, I know who, you say no woman pastors, but what about, what about, what about Tequila and Priscilla? And I'm like, well, it's Akila and Priscilla, but I know who you're talking about. Acts chapter 18. These two together taught Apollos the way of the Lord more excellently, but it doesn't say anything in that passage about Priscilla being a pastor. It just doesn't say that. It'd be like if a newer believer came to church today, all fired up, all fired up, and their theology is a little off. And I'm like, hey, why don't you go to lunch with the calls? And Matt and Lexi take this person to lunch and teach them the Word of God. That doesn't make Lexi a pastor, all right?26:13A disciple maker, yes, but not a pastor. Neither was Priscilla. But here by far is the biggest objection that you hear. You know it's coming. When you say, well, you shouldn't have women pastors. The Bible says you shouldn't have women pastors. You know what the number one objection is to that. Well, that was just cultural. You hear that one? That was just cultural.26:43back then. What you have to understand in the first century Corinth culture, the first century Ephesian culture, what you've got to understand about the first century culture is they really hated women back then. Look at what Paul told Timothy, 1 Timothy 2. We're not going to unpack all this, but I just want you to see one thing here. Paul says, I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man. Rather, she is to remain quiet. Exactly what he says here. 1 Corinthians 14. Look, for Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Now, we're not going to unpack all that, but just one thing I want you to note. Paul's reasoning. Paul's reasoning that the woman is not to teach, or preach in church? His reasoning, is it cultural or is it theological? What's his reason? It's theological. And I've had people come at me hard wanting to argue this, and I show them this passage, and their answer is, well, it looks theological, but, but, no, no, no, Corinthian culture. Like, no, no, no, but, look, his reasoning is theological. You can study that yourself. Look at verse 34 again.28:11Back in 1 Corinthians 14. Look at the last phrase here. He says, they are not permitted to speak, but look at this, but should be in submission as the law also says. As the law also says. Again, is his reasoning culture or theological? Like, well, what law? Authority was established at creation. Genesis 3, verse 16.28:43Women are not to be in authority over men, but in submission. And as soon as you say submission, people ready to throw down. Cash me outside, right? You're ready to fight. Because people think that when we say submission, what we mean is weakness. And we've preached this, we've taught this so many times, submission is not weakness.29:11Jesus Christ was in perfect submission to his father for every single thing that he did. You would not dare call him weak. Submission is strength. It takes strength to trust God by submitting to God's established authority. That takes strength. So we talk about women pastors, women not being pastors. We're not talking about issues of equality or talent or ability. We're just we're talking about roles. It's just roles.29:41God says, here's things that I want men to do, and here's things I want women to do. It's just that. And I got to tell you, church, I agree with the late, great John MacArthur, who many times I've heard him teach. The most obvious evidence that a church has abandoned the Word of God is when they have a woman pastor. He goes on. Look at verse 35.30:13He says, if there's anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home.30:19For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.30:26It's shameful for a woman to speak in church.30:28The word shameful means it's a blemish on the church.30:32Not what it says.30:33Speak in church.30:34Speak.30:36Look at the context of the passage.30:37That's why we study the Bible in its context.30:40When it says speak, It's not like a woman walks in the door here. Hi, hi, where's your bathroom? It's like, keep your mouth shut, woman! Take your pagan ways out of here! You are not to speak. Look at the context. What's he talking about? He's talking about teaching and preaching in the church service, right? That's the obvious context. Yes, women can teach women. The Bible says, Titus chapter 2. Children.31:11He's talking here that a woman should not be up here preaching to the whole congregation. You have questions? He says, don't just shout them out in church. Men, don't do that either, all right? If you have questions, ask them in small group, ask them in Bible study, ask them in precepts, ask them whatever. Just not during church service, right? He says, ask your husbands. So husbands, You may be ready to answer some questions, especially after this sermon. If you don't have a husband, if you don't have a husband, a brother, a parent, a small group leader, an elder, yeah, if you're not married, I'm sure any of our elders would be glad to take a phone call from you and answer a question. See, God has a plan for order.32:10roles in the church. Faith means I trust God by doing things His way. And I know, look, I know. I know I'm going to get some texts and I'm going to get some emails because people are going to want to argue this. Right? And in Paul's day, as he wrote this letter and sent it off, He knew that people were going to want to argue this. Which is why I can honestly say I'm so thankful for this last section. Number four, Paul says none of this is up for debate. He knows as soon as you say, look, women should not be pastors. Women should not be preaching in church. People want to fight. And Paul says it's not up for debate.33:09liberal, church-minded, charismatic, feminist objections. And he goes pretty hard in the paint in the end of this. All right? So brace yourself. Look at verse 36. He says, or was it from you that the Word of God came? Or are you the only ones that has reached? See, Paul knew there were people going to read this, and they're like, I really think we should all speak in tongues. And I really think women should be pastors. And Paul's like, oh, oh, are you the authority? Oh, I'm sorry. Did somebody die and make you the expert? That's what Paul's saying. No. Look at verse 37. He says, if anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a commandment.34:09of the Lord. Listen, if you're spiritual, if you're really mature in your faith, you're going to acknowledge that this is from God. It's not cultural. It's not man's opinion. It's not something to be argued. Paul says God is commanding all of this. Verse 38. Pretty straightforward verse. Look at verse 38. He says, if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.34:41Paul says, if you refuse to accept this, we refuse to accept you.34:50That's pretty straightforward.34:53Paul's saying, listen, a woman pastor is not a pastor.34:58And you're like, well, I think she is.34:59Paul's like, well, we don't recognize you.35:05Paul says, a church without order is not a church.35:08You can call yourself what you want.35:10But if you're calling yourself a church, but you're not having a worship service that follows an order and follows these biblical guidelines for teaching and for roles, because you're just not a church.35:27If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.35:30So, verse 39, so my brothers, Earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues. That's the call back to everything that we've talked about in this section. Prophecy, tongues, they were legit gifts in those days. The way that God used them. And that's what Paul's saying here. He goes, yeah, there's legit gifts here. Do them appropriately. Do it right. Do it right. And verse 40.36:04All of this was the introduction. Here's the sermon. Verse 40 is really the thesis of the whole passage. Paul says, but all things should be done decently and in order. Decently. The word decently means beautifully. It means in order. You're like, well, how are, What does that mean? You know, it would be like a man looking at his wife. Say, you know, you're put together perfectly. Everything is just in the right place. And you, everything is just, you're beautiful because there's just such an order and structure to you. Man, don't say that.37:05Everything just fits together on you. Maybe not, but you see the point. Everything fits together. Like, it's all working. It's all in harmony. It's so beautiful. That's what he's saying your worship service needs to be. Everything should fit together. Everything should be harmonious, beautiful. Your Bible might translate it decent.37:34It says, in order, in order, sequence, not chaos. Sequence, not chaos. God is beautiful. God has perfect harmony. And God rules the universe with clear order. So a worship service absolutely must reflect the God that we worship.38:04So our worship team makes their way up. I'd like you to bow your heads with me please. Father in heaven, sometimes your ways are hard to explain. But you haven't commanded us to explain you. You've commanded us to obey you. And your word is very clear.38:35that when we come together to worship, there are things that must happen, there are some things that must not happen.38:46And I'm sure as we go through this, I'm sure some point of this message, for every single one of us, probably each of us have experienced some point of tension.39:01Father help us to be like the Bereans look closely at your word are these things true and resolve that we're all called to submission ultimately Father we're called to submission to you and your word so I pray Father for Harvest Bible Chapel that as we gather for worship I pray Father that there is building up I pray that people are encouraged and edified.39:35And I pray, Father, that you look at all of this and you would regard it as beautiful.39:45You deserve everything we can give you.39:50You deserve so much more than that.39:53But let our hearts, Father, worship you in spirit and in truth.39:59We pray in Jesus' name.40:01Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 14:26-40What was your big take-away from this passage / message?All things must “be done for building up” (1 Cor 14:26). List some ways “building up” happens in church.What arguments have you heard for having a woman pastor? What does 1 Cor 14:33-35 say about women preaching in church?BreakoutPray for one another.

God has more for every believer than most of us have ever stepped into. Receiving the gospel and learning the basics of the faith are not finish lines; they are doorways into a lifetime of discovering God. Three key postures position us to receive what He has in store. Being teachable like Apollos, being hungry and thirsty like the twelve disciples in Ephesus, and being expectant rather than limited by past experience are the pathways into the deeper life God intends. Pride, complacency, and a tendency to box God into familiar patterns are the things that keep us in the shallows. God is always doing something new, and He invites every believer to step into deeper water with Him.

Keeping us down is impossible because we're UNSTOPPABLE with the gospel. Unstoppable Volume 5 is part 5 in a study through the book of Acts where we are getting a front row seat on how to spread the gospel like the early church. In this message, Pastor Andy will teach through Acts 18:18-28 which describes the end of Paul's second missionary journey, his brief stop in Ephesus with Priscilla and Aquila, his return to Antioch, and the introduction of an eloquent speaker named Apollos. Learn the key take away of this passage on how we can all grow in our faith together and not separately.

Paul gives the Corinthians a loving but direct diagnosis: their arguing and division is a sign they haven't grown up yet. They're still on a spiritual milk diet when they should be eating solid food. He wants them to see their leaders — Paul, Apollos, whoever — not as rivals but as teammates on the same construction crew. God is the one building something, Christ is the only foundation worth building on, and everyone needs to be careful about the quality of what they're contributing to that building.

In their 500th episode, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb celebrate a decade of The Reformed Brotherhood by diving into one of Scripture's most overlooked parables — the Parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4:26–29. Exclusive to Mark's Gospel, this four-verse passage packs a theological punch that is, as Tony and Jesse argue, unmistakably Reformed in its emphasis. The man scatters seed, goes about his life, and the earth produces — by itself — without his understanding or intervention. From this, the hosts draw out rich implications for evangelism, sanctification, ecclesiology, and eschatology. They argue that the kingdom of God advances by divine power alone, hidden from human sight, moving toward a certain consummation. The episode pairs deep theological reflection with the hosts' characteristic warmth, humor, and 10 years' worth of shared history. Key Takeaways Monergism is embedded in the parable itself. The growth of the seed is entirely God's doing. The man scatters and rests; the earth produces by itself — a picture of divine sovereignty that requires no human management or comprehension. The evangelist's only obligation is to scatter. This parable relieves believers of the anxious burden of producing spiritual fruit. Faithfulness in proclamation is the call; growth belongs to God. Sanctification is gradual, hidden, and God's work. The progression — blade, ear, full grain — mirrors the believer's sanctification, which proceeds by degrees imperceptible to the individual yet certain in God's design. The Kingdom of God is not dependent on any individual. Whether it's a ministry leader, a financial contributor, or a worship musician, no single human agent is load-bearing for the advance of God's kingdom. Primary and secondary causation work together without contradiction. God uses means — the farmer still sows, the earth still functions — but the means are instrumental, not efficient causes. God's providence encompasses and exceeds them. The harvest belongs to God, not the evangelist. Just as the man did not direct the growth, he is not the agent ultimately putting in the sickle. The consummation of the kingdom occurs in God's time and by God's initiative. This parable resists reduction. It cannot be flattened into a simple evangelism lesson or a single eschatological statement. It holds together personal sanctification, corporate ecclesiology, and cosmic eschatology within four verses. Key Concepts The Earth Produces By Itself: Monergism in the Parable The theological center of this parable is the Greek word automate — the earth produces "by itself," without external compulsion or human assistance. Tony and Jesse argue this is not incidental language but the thesis of the entire passage. The farmer is genuinely active — he scatters the seed — but his agency recedes almost immediately from view. He doesn't monitor the soil, apply nutrients, or trace the growth. He simply lives his life. This picture coheres precisely with the Reformed doctrine of monergism: that in regeneration and kingdom growth alike, the decisive cause lies entirely outside human capacity. As Jesse puts it, the mechanism of growth "belongs to God alone." The farmer's ignorance is not a failure — it is the point. We are not meant to understand the how; we are meant to trust the Who. Scatter, Then Rest: A Theology of Evangelism Without Anxiety One of the episode's most practically rich applications concerns the posture believers are called to adopt in evangelism. Tony observes that this parable is rarely preached as an encouragement to evangelists, yet that is precisely what it is. The sower's only active verb is scattering. After that, he sleeps and rises — the rhythms of ordinary life — while God does the work that no human strategy, method, or persistence can accomplish. This directly addresses what Tony calls the "anxiety around trying to ensure some sort of production." The Reformed vision of evangelism is not passive indifference but liberated faithfulness: scatter the seed of the gospel without bearing the impossible weight of manufactured outcomes. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:6–7, "Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." Blade, Then Ear, Then Grain: The Patience of Providence The threefold progression Jesus describes — blade, then ear, then full grain — is not decorative agricultural detail. It is a theological statement about the character of God's work in the world and in the soul. Growth is gradual, ordered, and unhurried. Jesse draws the direct application to sanctification: the believer cannot fully trace the work of grace in his own heart, yet it is real and it is God's doing. This ought to produce, as Jesse summarizes, "patient confidence rather than human striving or anxiety." The church, too, matures through stages. Neither impatience with slowness nor despair at imperceptibility is warranted — both misread the nature of divine providence. God is not behind schedule. He is, as always, working through means, in His time, toward a consummation He has already appointed. Memorable Quotes The earth produces by itself — we might even say the kingdom of God produces by itself. It's not dependent on anything except God's sovereign will and his sovereignty to execute all that he desires. - Tony Arsenal The mechanism of growth is strangely hidden from the human agent, and it belongs to God alone. - Jesse Schwamb The kingdom of God advances by God's own hidden power toward a certain appointed consummation — and this ought to produce patient confidence rather than human striving or anxiety. - Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to the 10th Pentacost episode of the [00:01:00] Reformed Brotherhood. It's number 500. I'm Jesse Tony Arsenal: and I'm Tony, and this is the podcast that's been going for 10 years. Hey, brother.  Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. A happy 500th episode to you.  Tony Arsenal: I know, man. It's kinda crazy. It's kinda crazy, and we're not gonna do anything special 'cause we don't do that, but it is crazy that this is the 500th episode. That's a lot of podcasting.  Jesse Schwamb: It's absolutely wild.  Podcast Memories And Mishaps Jesse Schwamb: And as with any milestone, as I was thinking about this one occurring, it did draw my mind to all the crazy things that have happened on this podcast, some known, some unknown. Of course, there is the very infamous time that I spilled a whole bottle of kombucha on the desk while we were recording, but everybody knows about that. But I was, I was also thinking about the, the lesser-known ones, like the time you and I sat in the downstairs church, like so close to each other on the same side of the table- Yeah ... to record a episode, or the time [00:02:00] that a tow truck showed up while we were recording and I had to go run out and direct the tow truck 'cause I'd called it for the car. Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Jesse Schwamb: And you paused the episode so that we could go do that, or the time that we had our favorite Lutherans on the podcast in what I think was, like, the hottest environment, and I just remember the sweat trickling down Chad Bird's beard. Like, like, like air being- Like the oil gloss ... mixed with oil. Yeah. It was so hot. So those are the ones that come to my mind. I don't know if there are any ones that come to you. We- we've had some great episodes, and by the way, they all live out for free in the world on reformedbrotherhood.com. So don't take our word for it. You can go all the way back to the beginning if you really want to, and you can hear this incredible journey that God has had us on these some 10 years. So I'm curious, like, do any episodes, topics, conversations, weird things come to your mind after all this time?  Tony Arsenal: Uh, the one I remember is when we recorded with Dad and we were waiting for the snow, the [00:03:00]snowplow- ... and we had to, like, wrap the episode up real quick because the snowplow was there and we had to go move cars. That's right. So there's been a fair amount of episodes where it's like something has interrupted us and we need to just get it over with real quick. That's right. Um, hopefully the listener doesn't hear that too much.  Patreon Support Check In Tony Arsenal: The other thing I was thinking about, you know, just as we're kinda thinking about the back catalog, we're not great at this. Uh, we tend to do our, what, what's they call the call to action. The experts call it the call to action. We do it at the very end of our podcast episodes, which is the worst place to do it. Uh, but we're gonna try to land it in the beginning here. So we, we've been supported by a number of, of people, uh, for basically the entire podcast. I don't remember exactly how early on it was that we started doing Patreon, but it's, it's been a long time. And what I noticed the other day, I went in to, to check on a couple things and make sure everything was working the way it's supposed to. There was some, like, account merge I had to do, and I've noticed that several people who've been supporting us, um, pretty much since the beginning- have their accounts listed in a declined status. [00:04:00] And what that means is that their, probably their credit card that they use, uh, has expired, and so now they're not, no longer supporting the show even though they think they are. So if you are a person who believes you're supporting the show, particularly if you've been supporting the show for a long time, and you wanna continue to support the show, uh, we would really appreciate if you took a minute to go into your Patreon account, double-check that the, you know, that you've been, um, contributing for the last couple months. Uh, double-check that the credit card you have on file is not, uh, expired or suspended or anything like that. Um, again, if you've made a decision that it's time to stop, uh, stop the show, or if this is the point where you realize, "I don't care enough to re-support to the show," um, that's fine. We love you. We've appreciated your support. We hope you keep listening. Uh, but if you do wanna continue to contribute, please do check that. And if you've never taken a chance to think through whether or not you want to support the show, uh, Jesse and I are so thankful for all the support we have.  Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  Tony Arsenal: Uh, but things are getting more expensive, and, um, you know, that's, that's [00:05:00] just a reality for all of us, and that includes things like podcasting hosting fees. Um, the cost of our, our editing software that we use has gone up. That's a subscription. Uh, the cost of hosting space has gone up. Um, all of that, uh, all of that has gone up, and so even though we've had steady supporters, it's kinda like we have lost supporters, um, financially because the money doesn't go quite as far. So if you've ever thought, "Maybe I should, uh, maybe I should contribute to the podcast," please do think about it. Even if just, uh, half of our audience went in and contributed $1 a month, um, that would be a substantial amount. That would really help us to keep the podcast going. And there's actually a number of projects and things Jesse have I, and I have wanted to do, um, that we would love to be able to, you know, to take a step on. Uh, we just don't have funding to do it, uh- Right ... because the funding we have is enough to keep the podcast going but not enough to stretch to something else. So I don't wanna, like, preload that too much, 'cause who knows if it's gonna happen, but there's some things that we wanna do [00:06:00] that would involve a little bit of upfront capital that we would need- Right to get some contrib- contributions on. So please do consider that. We appreciate you so much if you've been a supporter. We appreciate you so much if you've even considered it. Uh, and we appreciate you so much just for listening, uh, especially- Yes ... if you've been with us, you know, this is episode 500. That's a lot of podcasting- Yeah, it is ... directly in your ear hole. So thank you so much for that.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, we're so grateful.  Why We Keep Doing This Jesse Schwamb: It's fun just to think how many episodes we recorded, but also how many interesting conversations and topics, all the inside jokes. It really is a community. That's in part why we started this, is to sit down together and to bring other brothers and sisters into the fray, as it were, or maybe to bring us into your fray a little bit and to encourage and edify the church, the brothers and sisters, the saints around the world. And it is an around the world kinda podcast, which is remarkable too. So- Yes ... we're just gonna keep being here. As long as the Lord tarries and He allows us to do this, we'll just keep doing it. And again, we've recorded in closets, in cars on the way to things. We've done it at [00:07:00] the beach, and we've done it in cold environs, and we've done it in hot environs. And you're right, you reminded me of that time where we were desperately waiting as we were getting snowed in for the plow to come. And then it was all hands on deck, and we just dropped the recording equipment and said, "We gotta get out of here." And more often than not, the p- joy of this podcast is it just kinda finds its way into our normal rhythm of life. But it- Yeah ... comes out of our life, and out of a life that's been transformed by Christ. And so that's really what we come back to.  Mark Only Parable Preview Jesse Schwamb: In fact, that's the whole thing that we're in right now. We're going through all these parables. And this episode, we can't stop, won't stop. We're gonna continue to hit you with the content that we love, which is talking about Jesus. And so we're in one of the few... Well, it's a Markan parable that only appears in Mark. That's why I called it Markan, I guess. So extra bonus points to you, that's both extra and bonus, if you know which one it is before I say it. But there's a lot for us to talk about- ... because we're getting into this really, really short little story, but it's really chock-full, of course, as Jesus likes to do with all [00:08:00] kinds of spiritual truth. It's about a farmer chucking a seed on the ground, and then he goes about his business. He eats, he sleeps, he binge-watches the Jane equivalent of Netflix. He sleeps again, he wakes up. And while he does this, the seed is doing entirely its own thing without his help or understanding. He didn't make it grow. He can't explain how it grows. He just shows up at the end with a sickle to collect what God has already finished. Man, if there isn't a Reformed theological parable, I don't know what one is. Yeah. So we're gonna get to all of that on this 500th episode. I mean, it's something to be saying that even the US is only 250 years old, and- we've already recorded twice as many podcasts as there are years of experience in the US. But besides all of that, it wouldn't be- It's like- ... Reformed Brotherhood-  Tony Arsenal: I don't know if you've seen this. That reminds me of those things online where it's like, like, "Elon Musk is a billi- is a trillionaire. That means he could give every person on earth $1 billion- Oh, yeah and still would be a multi-billionaire." And you're like, "That's, that's not mathematically true." 'Cause when [00:09:00]you said that, I was like, "You mean the podcast is older than the country?"  Jesse Schwamb: Oh, math. I have a feeling we're gonna come back to that. Oh, math.  Tony Arsenal: Oh, math.  Affirm Or Deny Segment Jesse Schwamb: Now, of course, if you listen for any length of time, you know it wouldn't be an episode if we didn't have a time of affirming with or denying against. Of course, that is that time where we pick something that we like, we think everybody should be a part of, that we wanna recommend, and we affirm with it. Or on the opposite, instead we say, "We deny against this thing because it's just no good." So Tony, on this 500th episode, I'm just gonna keep saying it over and over again, so lest the listeners forget, what are you affirming with or denying against? Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Scammer Payback Recommendation Tony Arsenal: I'm affirming, um, a little YouTube channel that I found. Uh, it takes a little bit of setup to explain it, but the, the channel is called Scammer Payback. Ooh. Um, and it's, it's a... I think most people have probably seen, like, the Gene Fieith- Gene Veith, um, like, where he, he gets a, some sort of scammer on the phone, and he sorta just, like, [00:10:00] trolls them and makes, kinda makes them sound dumb and, you know, pretends to play along just to see how long he can keep them on the phone. Those are really funny. These are funny, but they're on a whole different level of seriousness, which is a weird sentence. Um, basically what this is is a group of professional hackers, um, and there's, this is a serious kinda sting operation they have going. They don't use their real names on the channel. Um, there's one, there's one, um, where they interview, like, a social, um, a social engineer whose job is to... Her- she is a person who basically, uh, does social hacking, and she helps companies who, who their security people think, like, their executives are, um, susceptible to social engineering, social hacking. She'll actually call and, like, mess around with the CEOs and socially hack them. Um, they interviewed her, and the first thing she said when she sat down was the person she was talking to's first name, and the guy was just stunned. He's like, "I- we- we've never used my first name on the channel before." So they're very serious, and what they do is they identify [00:11:00] a scam or a g- usually a group of scammers, and they'll actually hack into and infiltrate the computer systems that they're using. And so they show you everything that they're doing. Um, they're, they're explaining the scam and how it's run. Um, and a lot of times they're actually actively intervening in, uh, in a scam, trying to stop a scam that's in progress because somebody is about to lose a lot of money. I mean, I think one of the things that's important about this is our audience, you know, mostly, mostly guys probably, like, age, I don't know, late 20s, early 30s, maybe early 40s, we kind of grew up and lived, lived in a world most of our adult lives or all of our adult lives where, like, fishing schemes and other kinds of, like, um, data s- data theft, like, that was just in the air. It was just normal. So we're... It's not like we're immune to it, but we're used to it, and we're ready for it, and we're looking for it. That means that most of us have parents that are in a generation who are particularly susceptible to this. [00:12:00] So I think it would be worth, worth people's time to take a look at this, uh, just as a educational piece, and then, yes, share it with your family members who are in this era. People get taken for a ton of money. Yeah. The reason that these older generation sort of bu- builder Boomer generations are targeted is not just because they're somewhat soft targets, but they also have the money. Um, most of, most of the wealth in our country is possessed by people in that generation. It's just an economic fact in a lot of places and a lot of areas, and so that's why they're targeted. So take a little bit of time, watch the show. It's... And it's entertaining. It's really well produced. It's funny. These are non-Christians, you know, who are, are being non-Christian, so there's a fair amount of salty language, especially when they're interacting directly with the scammers that they absolutely hate. Um, but it's, it's worth watching. And, and it... I think it'll... I think it's entertaining. Most of the time it's like a 15-minute video, so it's not too much of your time. Pop that on two times [00:13:00] speed on YouTube and, and you're all set.  Jesse Schwamb: And when you say salty you're not talking about Salty the Singing Songbook, right? Tony Arsenal: Correct. Yeah. Not P-S-A-L-T-Y. S-A-L-T-Y.  Jesse Schwamb: Just in case. I wouldn't want any of the loved ones to go and just be waiting for Salty to show up, like, in the mid- Which would be kind of epic in the midst of this, like, scamming shutdown, the sting operation. Like, Salty s- pops up and starts singing about restorative justice and- Yeah what it means that God restores all things. I mean, that would have a good place in this, but I just want that just to be clear. We don't, we don't want anybody to, to at us on that.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah, for sure. Well, Jesse, what are you affirming or denying tonight?  Jesse Loves Algebra Jesse Schwamb: I'm going to return to that beautiful intro you gave about mathematics and the whole Elon Musk thing. And so my affirmation is simply, like, just do... Just enjoy all the math you can. Use all the math that you know. So my wife and I were watching some kind of program on YouTube, and it was a program in which there are a couple [00:14:00]people competing in this kind of escape room situation, and as escape rooms are want to do, there came some kind of small math problem. And it goes something like this, is the best I can remember it. It was what number between one and nine when it is tripled and five is added to it is the same as that number being doubled and having one added to it? Now, as soon as that problem was read, we were watching intently, and I turned to my wife and I said, "Why do they need to say it's between, like, one and nine?" And she goes, "Well, how else would they know what the number was?" And I was like, "Well, like, this is a beautiful little algebra thing, like se- series of equations. Like, you have two equations here." And she's like... Just gave me a blank look. So I was like, "Oh, man." So she's like, "Okay. Do it then. Do it." So I was like, "Give me a piece of paper." So I, I was just like, this is gonna be such a beautiful thing. So I was like, "All this is, is, like, it's basically 3x minus five equals 2x plus one. You're solving for whatever this missing number is, and they've given you this beautiful setup, [00:15:00] which you rarely get in real life, but this beautiful setup is a system of equations. We have two things you know are gonna turn out to be the same. They've just been said in different ways, and that allows you enough space to figure out how to solve for them using a little bit of algebra." So I realized then this is why they said between one and nine, because the contestants then proceeded just to iteratively pick numbers until they found the answer, which is not a bad way. Like, that's a way to use, like, all the math you have. Certainly, that's a way. But I showed her how it was like, this is the answer, six, and you don't even need to know where to start because you don't need to start anywhere. You can actually figure this out. Still not really impressed. And then she said something to me that just, like, kind of rocked my world. I said, like, "Well, I'm sure this is familiar to, with, to you." And she's like, "Oh, yeah. Like, I learned algebra." And she goes, "Yeah, I, I know algebra. I just don't do it anymore. I just don't use it anymore." And I was like What, what I heard was, like, basically her saying to me, "I used to brush my teeth, but I just don't do it [00:16:00] anymore." 'Cause I was like, "This is such a beautiful thing." So then I got it in my head, well, well here's the problem. It's just a matter of seeing the results. So I was like, "Well, here's the amazing thing is yes, these are abstract concepts. Yes, it's like each of those is a function. It's, it's a representation of what he just said in the problem. But," and this is my grave mistake, Tony. But I was like, "Really, Descartes showed us that we can think about these not as abstractions, but we can plot them geometrically as lines on a Cartesian plane." And so I was like, "Really we can show that these are two lines and they have a relationship together." And then I was like, "Guess where they intersect? Guess where they intersect?" And she's like, "I w- that's impossible to even know. I have no idea where they intersect." I was like, "No, no. Just, just based on what we're saying, the beauty of this is they have a relationship. They're gonna come together at some point, like you and I in life. They're gonna, they're gonna come together. Guess where that would be?" And she's like, "That would be impossible to know." And I was like, "It's not, actually." So I showed her that, you know, left and right, up and down, X and Y, however you wanna speak [00:17:00] about it, those two lines are gonna intersect, at least on the X. The X spot is gonna be the number six. It's the same thing. Still nothing. So after all of that, I just appreciate my wife is such a brilliant lady, that she just doesn't need algebra. She goes through life just, like, crushing problems without... Like, because she'd like to do it, I think, just the, the more challenging, difficult, iterative way. And, uh, she doesn't use algebra anymore. Just no need for it. So in many ways I respect that. In other ways, again, the affirmation is like, use all the math you have available to you because it's a beautiful thing. I think basically at the end of that I ended up in, like, a very supreme place of doxology, and my wife was like, "Can we just go back to watching TV now?" So but I, I have to say, like, and I, I know you, you share my appreciation for math and stuff like this. Like, it's not even just puzzles. It's just the beauty that, like, we can do this, and that there's such a created order, like a supremely created order, that these rules of ma- mathematics aren't just impounded. They're like the fabric in which God has, [00:18:00] has basically woven all of reality such that we can do this kind of thing, and that even a simple problem in escape room can lead us to appreciate how intensely ordered and beautiful the world is, that we can go after knowledge and solve for explicit things that seem abstract beyond our comprehension and reason to begin with, but have been brought to a place we might understand them. That is, like, an insanely glorious thing to me. So algebra is great, loved ones. I've recommended before, but the side affirmation is go to Khan Academy if you wanna brush up on your algebra skills. I think algebra is, like, some of the most beautiful and intensely practical math ever. I love calculus, but calculus you don't get a lot of, like, use. You can use algebra to solve all kinds of things, whether it's like tips or... Like, it's gonna save you so much time. If you're ever in escape room, I'm just telling you, do not do this iteratively. Just get the, your system of equations down, and you will be, like, tearing out of that room, and then you'll look like a hero. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  Math In Everyday Life Tony Arsenal: I mean, I think, like, even the f- even the, the... How do I wanna say this delicately? Uh, [00:19:00] even the idea that we, quote, "don't use algebra" means people don't actually understand that we're using algebra all the  Jesse Schwamb: time.  Tony Arsenal: Exactly. Right. Like, I could buy I don't use calculus or I don't use trigonometry- Right or even I don't use geometry. Um, but to say I don't use algebra, like just basic. I mean, I know like basic equations are, I guess, technically arithmetic, but like how many times does someone have to, have to go, "All right, the tip, the, the bill is X number of dollars. The bill is-" Right ..."$100, and I wanna give a 15% tip, so what's the outcome?" Like, that's an algebraic equation, right? That's right. Um, or a more, I think a more common one would be like, "All right, the bill is this amount. I want my, uh, my final amount that I give billed to me to be an even number."  Jesse Schwamb: Right. " Tony Arsenal: And I also want to give at least 15%, 20%, whatever percent, so what's the number I need to use in order to get to a bill that is, or a [00:20:00] tip that is both 15% or higher and results..." Like, all of those things are algebraic equations.  Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  Tony Arsenal: So I think, yeah. I mean, even like, "I need to get to work by such and such a time. What time do I need to leave?" Right. "I know it takes-" Exactly. "... a certain amount of time." Right. So I think we, we all use algebra a lot more than we, we probably realize, and I think you're right. Like, when people say, "Well, I don't use my math anymore," what they're saying is like, "I don't use, I don't use the stuff that I had to show my work on anymore." Right. "I don't use the stuff that I have to do on paper anymore." But, um, it's funny, we had a, a conversation, by the way, Reformed Tele- Reformed Brotherhood Telegram chat is a thing. Uh, we had a conversation in the Reformed Brotherhood Telegram chat a little while ago. One of our members was trying to figure out some sort of, like- And it was a problem having to do with like a, an air conditioning throttle or whatever it's called. Some sort of like programming in an air conditioner. And we went through it, we figured out that one of the like relatively complex parts of the equation that he was trying to figure out actually no matter what values you [00:21:00] put in, uh, equated to one. And then the other one was like it was ti- and then it was times one. So it was like whatever you put in ended up to that times one was the rest of the equation. It was like a huge, or like a relatively large equation that resolved down to one. So it was like you're trying to figure out all this complicated math and really like that entire, uh, that entire complicated equation was doing nothing in the rest of the equation. Nice. It was doing absolutely nothing. Um, so we were able to sort of like figure out, all right, well now all we need to do is figure out what, what this relationship does. Right. Um, and even something like in that particular situation, there were some values that the equation couldn't possibly balance. Which again, you could plot that on a graph and see like there's a spot... I don't, I'm, I'm making this up, but I think this is probably not wrong. There's a spot where it's like this is a parabolic equation, and so at some point the parable, or the par- parable, I didn't even mean to do that. There we go. At some point the [00:22:00] parabola goes back up, and so like there is no point- Right ... when it reaches this number. So values that would be in that, in that zone or in that range- Right ... they, they don't work in the equation. So yeah, I think math, uh, algebra is, uh, you know, basic arithmetic obviously is, is relatively straightforward. Algebra's probably the most simple, uh, form of math that your average person uses on a regular basis.  Jesse Schwamb: For sure.  Trigonometry And Design Tony Arsenal: But it's funny, I remember the first time, um, the very first time that I realized trigonometry was not just some abstract thing that we would never use. And it's so funny, 'cause it's like the nerdiest, the nerdiest example. I was playing a tabletop RPG with my friends, we were in high school, and we were, we were learning trigonometry at the time. I was playing a tabletop RPG, and we were trying to figure out- Um, it was a, it was like a futuristic tabletop RPG, so we were using like, like laser guns or something like that that have a certain range. And we were trying to figure out if the thing that was flying in the air from us was within range or not.  Jesse Schwamb: Nice.  Tony Arsenal: And what we realized [00:23:00] is that's just a quadratic equation, right? Right, it is. I just need to calculate. I know how far away it is from me in a straight line, I know how high in the air it is, so I need to just- Right now I need to... Or not, not the quadratic. That's Pythagoras' theorem, right? Yep. I need to calculate the Pythag- or the, um, the hypotenuse.  Jesse Schwamb: I'm with you. I  Tony Arsenal: knew where you were going. Yeah. So, like, I remember distinctly, I, I mean, I remember where I was sitting in my friend's basement going, "Oh, my goodness, trigonometry actually has a practical application here." Um, you know, whether that's figuring out how much rope I need to be able to, to attach to a tree and still be able... Like, all of these different things ultimately are math, and, or as the, the Brits say, are maths. And, uh, the, it, it's just a beautiful thing. And I think you're right, like, this is evidence that the universe has a structure- And a designer because- Right you can describe the universe using this- Nice ... sort of universal numerical language that, um, in, for the most part, describes everything we can [00:24:00] see. I mean, obviously, like, they're still learning things. They're still figuring things out. But what we can see with our senses, we can also describe with math on some level. Even something like the colors that we see can be reduced to a, a number, a frequency, a wavelength. So yeah, I'm with you. Use your algebra. Find ways to use it.  Jesse Schwamb: Use it. It's the... I like what you said, that we're using it. We just don't realize it. There's a spiritual lesson in there, I think, as well, that it's, it's present all around us, and it's... I like what you said. It's, like, the, the most, like, grabbable. It's the thing that's pretty easy to grasp, yet has, like, some beautiful outworkings that are super complex. All the time I love to, like, mess with people, even people who are, like, say, like, "Oh, I'm not into math." I'm like, "That's okay." Like, it's... You're, you're living in a mathematical world, and you're certainly using it, but that, that's okay.  Imaginary Numbers Wonder Jesse Schwamb: But like, sometimes I'll just say to somebody, like, "How do you know, like actually know that, like a negative number times a negative number is a positive number?" Like, who came up with that, and how do you know? And why are we just trusting him? Why can't somebody just say, "You know what? For me, it's not. I'm gonna make that a [00:25:00] negative number"? And w- the reason is because algebra provides... There's a lot of proofs, but algebra provides the most simple, beautiful proof. And then once you, once you basically contravene that law, like, everything falls apart. I- it's... And the question we should be asking is why does everything fall apart if we contravene one simple law, wh- which is two negative numbers multiplied, the product of them has to be, must be, is always a positive number. And that's, like, not even getting into, like, the more crazy things. Like, everybody should go look up, like, what imaginary numbers are. That will kind of mess with your mind, but then we found ways to use imaginary numbers, which are exactly what they sound like- Yeah ... to solve, like, incredible problems. Where does that come from? It comes from the Lord. It comes from God's, like, creative ability that He's placed in mankind to go after and to take a dominion over the knowledge and the creative order in such a complex and creative way. It mimics and mirrors the creativity of our Heavenly Father, and it is altogether beautiful. So on this- Yeah ... 500 episode that has a lot of numbers associated with it, I [00:26:00] say go love the numbers. Go enjoy them. Wherever you are in life, whatever your enjoyment of math is, big or small, go try to find some way to enjoy it today. Tony Arsenal: Can I, can I throw in a, a weird relevant sub-affirmation to your affirmation? I  Jesse Schwamb: mean, please.  Tony Arsenal: This is our show, so I'll do what I want to. You can do what you want. First, when you say we live in a mathematical world, all I could think of was some Perry song of Material Girl. Material  Jesse Schwamb: World?  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Odd Squad Math Tony Arsenal: I am a mathematical boy, and I live in a ma- Anyway, um, there is a show that I watch with August, my son, who is almost five. Uh, he'll be five in March. And, um, it's called Odd Squad. And what Odd Squad is, is it's a sort of a s- like a spy-themed kids show with a touch of like, uh, almost like Twilight Zone. Like, there's so- It's they manage odd. Like, they're the Odd Squad because they, they respond to odd emergencies, so it's a lot of like weird monsters and aliens and like time travel paradoxes and strange stuff. But the answer [00:27:00] to the problem is always related somehow to a math principle. So they will talk about how like multiplication is just addition like many times over.  Jesse Schwamb: Sure.  Tony Arsenal: And that's actually why multiplying a negative number times a negative number is a positive number or, you know, like, or multiplying by a negative number is a negative number, right? And that's because like really what you're doing if you multiply two, uh, two times negative three is you're subjecting, you're subtracting two from two from two, which gives you, you know- Right ... a negative number. So it's, it's not, uh, it, it's for kids, but I actually have realized that I understand math better- because of watching the show.  Jesse Schwamb: I  Tony Arsenal: love it. And it's because they break it down in, you know, the, the audience- Yes ... the target audience is a little bit older than August. I think the target audience is probably like six to seven, maybe eight years old. Um, and so they're talking about math principles geared towards those groups. But they'll talk about things like [00:28:00] using a number line to be able to understand math, and so like visualizing it. Or they'll talk about how multiplication is really just groups of things. So yeah, check it out.  Why Math Matters Tony Arsenal: And again- Algebra is probably the most, uh, easy to grab of the disciplines, but that's because that's the one we are using every day all the time. Tony Arsenal: And we don't realize it. But again, like, calculus is a beautiful, a beautiful thing. Um, and there are some amazing things that exist in the world that can really only be understood and described in a certain sense by something like calculus or trigonometry. Um, my favorite, I, I wish I had, like, kept it up, but one of my favorites is geometry 'cause I think a lot of it is, that's, like, the closest to puzzles. Yes. Um, uh, so, like, I, I used to love doing proofs and axioms and stuff. So, and then of course logic is technically related to math. It's a related discipline to math- It is ... in that it, it's, it's actually, like, the language that underlies a lot of the mathematics is [00:29:00] logical formulas. So it's all relevant. It's all beautiful. It all describes God's creation, and it all redounds to His glory.  Jesse Schwamb: You got that right.  Mark Growing Seed Jesse Schwamb: And speaking of both His creation and His glory, and Jesus teaching of both of those things, we are, as we promised, hanging out in the Book of Mark, and we've got just four sentences. And what I love about this parable that we're about to read is it fits in so perfectly with something I think you and I have been saying from the very beginning, which is it's tempting when we think about the parables to consider, like, a single element or to distill them down to, like, a single word and say, "We hear the kingdom of God is this thing, this noun, this object, this person." But instead, the case we've been making is it's actually generally a series of verbs, or in this case, it's the whole four verses that Jesus is gonna give to us here. So let me just read Mark 4:26-29. That's all it is, loved ones. And it's a good thing because we're already knee-deep into this 500th episode. So this goes by various names. I've heard it called, [00:30:00] like, the Parable of the Growing Seed, or sometimes people call it, like, the Parable of the, The Secret Seed. I'm not sure that's really secret, but I suppose the increase is secret in a way, and that's really what Jesus is communicating to us in these verses. So Mark 4:26: "And Jesus was saying, 'The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil, and he sleeps and he rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, how he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself, first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.'" Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, this is, um, an interesting parable, and I'll be the first to admit, like, when you said, "Well, why don't we do the king- the parable of the growth next?" I was like, "I don't actually know what Jesse's talking about." So if you're in the same boat as I am and [00:31:00] you, uh, you are like, "Wait, there's the... This is a parable? Like, this exists in the Bible?" Um, you're not alone, and I think part of the reason is that, one, it's so short, but it also sort of, like, connects into the next parable thematically. I don't know necessarily- Hmm ... about the content and the meaning, but thematically it sort of blends into the next parable, which is the parab- Mark's version of, um, of the parable of the mustard seed. So it's, it's hard to delineate unless you're really thinking about it, but I'm glad that we're talking about it because I think this is probably one of those parables that doesn't get a lot of attention because it's so short and because it is, um, it is sort of thematically in a spot where I think it does sort of, I don't know, like seep into the next- Right parable.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, there's a tendency because you're right, it's sandwiched between the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Mustard Seed, both of which we've talked about from Matthew's perspective, that it seems like maybe the theme is redundant, but [00:32:00] it is altogether different with the emphasis. Uh, there, it's true I guess that all three of these parables are addressing that same underlying question the disciples in the early church were asking, which is, if Jesus truly inaugurates the Kingdom of God, then why does it seem so impressive? Why is it so slow or hidden in contrast to all the expectations that the Jews had for what they thought would be this dramatic, immediately visible rain? And so I like that there is a lot said within four verses. And again, from our perspective, this thing seems so distinctly reformed in its under- Yeah of course the whole Bible is that way, but maybe nothing more so than this, especially because we'll get to it, but the center of this parable being, and there's various translations, that this guy doesn't even know. He doesn't understand. He's totally ignorant to what is going on, and isn't that... I, I mean, I can only speak for my own test- that's the story of my life, uh, spiritually and otherwise. That again, if you wanna talk about God doing all the verbs, I guess Mark had it first. I thought maybe I coined that, but [00:33:00] turns out that Mark, well, actually Jesus, the Son of God himself, says it best here. So let, let's get into this because the beautiful thing is you and I can handle theoretically in the time allotted here, like three or four verses. That, that's theoretically possible for us to do, but we, we're only gonna h- see how far it goes. Um-  Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  Hidden Kingdom Growth Jesse Schwamb: I think the first thing to say here is that we get that beautiful characteristic, like formula, like the controlling paradigm. It's that Kingdom of God again. And a- as I kinda set up, it's the Kingdom of God, though, launched into a bunch of, uh, verbs. Uh, this idea of like him casting, and then him sleeping, and then him waiting, and then him getting up, and then the growth happens, and then he comes again at the end, this character, this farmer, into kind of the consummation of that kingdom. And I think there's a lot here that's maybe to explain that tension. The kingdom is real and active. It's irresistibly moving towards some kind of fixed end, but it does not appear in its final glory, and that is something you kind of get with the other two parables. [00:34:00] But here it's just like so lovely. It's right in front of you. That, that's like the whole emphasis and thrust of what Jesus seems to be saying in this. Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think this one's interesting because, you know, generally in the parables, at least in, in... I, I would have to do a little bit more study to know if this is, like, distinctly Markan or whatnot. But in the, the, um, Matthew's parables, um, or Christ's parables reported in Matthew, um, primarily the main figure of the parable is, uh, is generally is God or, or more specifically is often Jesus himself. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? But in this parable, it wouldn't make sense for us to say that somehow g- you know, God or Jesus scatters seed, and then He doesn't know that it sprouts. Right. Right? So, so the, the parable implies that the one scattering seed, and again, we don't wanna over-interpret parables. Generally speaking, parables are teaching kind of a principle of some sort, a comparison of some sort, not, it's not an allegory. [00:35:00] In, in most cases it's not an allegory where each element has a direct representation of some sort. But it wouldn't make sense for this to be talking about God's perspective on scattering or Christ's perspective on scattering, 'cause obviously God and Jesus, even, even if we're talking about Jesus according to His humanity, um, has some sort of awareness of the workings of the Kingdom of God that is not the ignorance that the parable here seems- Right to present of the one scattering.  Scatter Then Rest Tony Arsenal: So I, I really do think this parable has more to say to us about- Our own perspectives on evangelism and on how the Kingdom of God will propagate. And I think, um, both in terms of, like, evangelism, there's an element here, an encouraging element of, you know, all your s- your job... And what's really funny is I, I don't recall this parable being used in my experience to sort of [00:36:00] encourage people that all, your own, your job is just to scatter. You don't need to worry about the growth. Mm-hmm. There's a, there's a passage in Paul about one person scatters, one person waters, and God brings the growth that is often used to sort of say, like, it's not your responsibility to make sure that the, the, the, um, the bud is, you know, c- comes to flowering and to fruiting. It's just your job to be faithful to scatter or to water or whatever step it's on. This, I think, has even more encouragement for us in that the one who scatters, um, i- is obviously God, but there's also this element that, like, we're scattering. The one scattering is not omniscient. But the one scattering, uh, he doesn't even know how or why or even that, I think, that the, um, that the f- the growth is occurring, and that's the most- Right remarkable part of this. Like, we're not talking about a normal farmer who is aware of how growth [00:37:00] occurs, is aware of the timing. He's constantly checking. He's making sure that he's checking the soil, that he's applying manure, that he's watering the crops. This is literally like some dude who just throws seed out, and then, then just goes back to his daily business of sleeping and rising and going about his day. And then all of the sudden, the earth, quote, "by itself produces." And I think that's the real key here is- There's something about the Kingdom of God and the seed that the Kingdom of God scatters. It's almost like the Kingdom of God itself is the one scattering here.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Yep. The Kingdom of God and the seed that is scattered in and as a result of the Kingdom of God, it produces the outcome autonomously. It doesn't require us to input into it, at least in the context of this parable. Now, again, the Parable of the Talents would be very clear to us that we can't just rest on our loyals- laurels. God expects us to work and to be fruitful for the kingdom. [00:38:00] But there is this element here of, like, you are not the one responsible for the production of the seed and the fruiting and flowering of the seed. In fact, you're not even responsible for being aware that it occurs or how it occurs. Your only responsibility, the only active verb in this whole thing is... Well, there's a couple. The, the, the main active verb is the scattering. The other active verb is the sleeping. So, like- Right ... we, we scatter, and then we, we rest and we trust that God is going to do His work. Jesse Schwamb: Right. Even on the face, there's so much in this that does seem mysterious. Like, if you just take this parable and think about the act of agriculture, and I sometimes think about this because I do love plants, and we have a bunch of plants in our house, and I'm horrible at trying to get them to grow. And I think about what still a mystery it is. With all we know about science, just that you can still plant something, a seed, and water it, and the sugars will break down, and the seed will take root, and that something will grow and flower, and you think, "Oh, who is doing that?" And, and w- [00:39:00] I think we'll get into this, the first and second principles, first and second causes here, which are, I think, certainly something that Christ intends for us to consider here. But there is this idea that the man's action is simple and passive relative to what follows. He, like you said, just scatters the seed. And he's a real agent, but as the parable unfolds, it's almost like his entire agency recedes entirely from view. And that's what kind of sets for me, like this whole trajectory of the parable. It's that the mechanism of growth is strangely hidden from the human agent, and it belongs to God alone. And so you already stole it from me, but I'm gonna read 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, which is, coheres directly with what's happening, I think, in this parable. And this reads, or Paul writes, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." And so there is like an extension, I think, of that application inward though as well. Kind of like when you were speaking about that, what occurred to me is that we see in the [00:40:00] farmer's like day and night unawareness, this picture, I think, of this often gradual, imperceptible work of grace in our own hearts, in every believer's heart. Like that, that sanctification process, it proceeds by these degrees, and the Christian cannot fully trace even in himself, yet it is definitely real, and it's definitely God's doing. And then I think as well we might pull out a thread of this, you know, ecclesiological truth. You know, the church's growth is God's work, not the fruit of human strategy. And then by application even further into that, it's based upon a soteriological one, which is like the ordo salutis, which is maybe half of every episode we've recorded talks about the ordo salutis in some ways. That too is unfolding by this divine power, and it's hidden from the creature's full comprehension, and that's consistent in this parable and in all of Scripture, that this regeneration precedes and produces faith rather than the reverse. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, and I, I think too there's also an element in this passage, you know, when you think about... Uh, [00:41:00] I'm not a farmer, uh, and I, I don't know that many farmers, but when you think about how f- how modern farming works, it's very different than, uh, ancient farming, right? Historically, ancient farming was, uh, I think probably a lot of just trusting the world to do what the world does and, and trusting God to do what, what God does. A- and I think that's probably why a lot of like- When you look at, um, pagan religion, the, the fertility cults and the sort of goddesses and gods of the harvest were all related because there was this mystery to it. And so the reason that there's so much, uh, cultic worship around fertility and harvest is because it is so mysterious, and you just kinda have to, like, trust that it's gonna happen. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? You sow your seed in, you sow the seed of your field in, you know, the fall, uh, and, or in the, the, you know, the summer, and then you wait several [00:42:00] months and just hope that the crop comes in. And our modern agricultural world is not all that different. We have better tools and we can measure things that, like the soil, the nutrients in the soil. We can, you know, we can do all sorts of different imaging to see of what's happening underground. But at the end of the day, even with all of the advances we have, the farmer still can't make the crop come in.  Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  Tony Arsenal: Either the crop comes in or it doesn't. And I, I think there's this element of trust here that I think is really useful for us. And again, I think you're right. This is like, uh, it feels almost wrong to say it this way, but it's like this is a super distinctively Reformed parable. Like, of all, all of the parables in the, the Gospels, this one is like, on the face of it, a Calvinist parable. Yeah. Exactly. Like, it's like God just grows the kingdom- Yes and nobody does anything about it.  Jesse Schwamb: Amen.  Tony Arsenal: And I don't need to go into more details than that. But there is this element for us, I think, as, uh, as those [00:43:00] who want to share the gospel, there can be an anxiety around trying to ensure some sort of production, some sort of produce, uh, and productivity from that, that is just not healthy. And I think, you know, we, we have a responsibility as Christians, um, to be faithful and diligent in doing what God has called us to do. But if, if we read this parable as the one who scatters is sort of like the evangelist, then the only responsibility we have as evangelists, and all of us are evangelists, right, lowercase E evangelists, um, all of us, the only responsibility we have is to scatter the seed of the gospel. Jesse Schwamb: That's  Tony Arsenal: right. And we're not responsible for the growth. We're not responsible for even really understanding how growth happens, uh, or even, even doing much about it until it's time to harvest that growth. And I think that's, we need to talk about what that means too, because again, like [00:44:00] this is a parable that I think is maybe not as, as clean and clear as some of the, uh, Methanian parables where it really does seem like there's a pretty clear symbolic representation on some things. This one feels like it's maybe a little muddier in that, um, the main character and the role of the s- the one who's scattering seems to sort of almost shift throughout the parable, which is crazy to say because it's only like four verses long.  Tony Arsenal: But it, it does seem like at some points the scatterer is God, at other points it can't be God, and then it seems like, well, who's harvesting? It's not really us, so it's gotta be God. So I think it's, it's important for us to hold this parable as more of a general principle about the Kingdom of God than it is about any sort of like really direct one-to-one teaching on the, on the Kingdom of God.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. That's a interesting distinction.  Providence And Causes Jesse Schwamb: Here's what I would say about that, I think, is let's equate this to, like, coffee. You like a good cup of coffee. I do. I like a good cup of coffee. I think if we were to take, let's [00:45:00] say, the Parable of the Prodigal, that would be for me like a big Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Like, it's delicious, mild-bodied, maybe a little bit light. This parable is like two shots of espresso- Yeah ... 'cause there's a lot in there, and we could probably take a lot of time even t- speaking about, like you're saying, the more shadowy eschatological truths that appear in verse 29 because those, this idea of, like, a sickle in the harvest, I mean, that's imagery drawn from Old Testament eschatological judgment texts. So that could be pretty heavy in its own right. I think what's critical, before we get to that, is to, like, tease out something you said, which is there is a lot in here about this doctrine of providence, like, this spontaneous self-originating action apart from external human causation. And we've talked a lot, like, we distinguish between primary and second causation. You know, the Earth is genuinely or generally has second- secondary causes, like an ordinary means through which God's ordinary providence operates, but the ultimate primary [00:46:00] cause of growth is God himself. And so here we see that. Like, there's no exclusion of the farmer's agency as an explanatory cause. The soil does what it does because God has ordained the natural order to function in this way. That is his prerogative. And so that threefold progression then, blade, ear, full grain, which by the way I had to look up because my understanding of, like, all kinds of different types of grains is very thin and I'm out of my depth here. But- ... I'm led to believe That that development is gradual, and of course it's ordered, but it's not instantaneous. And so the application here, I think, has traditionally been applied in this corporate individual spiritual growth we're talking about. Like, the church advances through stages of maturity, and so does the individual believer's sanctification, without warranting either impatience or despair at the process's slowness. This is how God works. He does it in His gracious and kind way. And again, He's using this, all of this agriculture to illustrate that purpose. So there's, like, this buildup, I think, [00:47:00] in verse 28 about the incredible providence of God, both like corporatively, personally, in His world, how He is the primary cause, but also uses secondary causes, not in a disjointed or divorced way, but in a way that encapsulates and magnifies His glory. And that is then what leads to or will lead to the reemergence in verse 29 of this whole deal of, like, well, if farmer comes back in, and now he returns, but only at the point of consummation, not at the point of growth.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Harvest And Timing Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and, you know, we won't go into all of the ways that this ties into the other parables, but it's worth, uh, it's worth mentioning that in, in both, uh, the parable of the mustard seed, which follows this, and then also the parable of the sort of sower or the seeds, um, there is this element of this, the one who is sowing seeds is not fully cognizant or aware or, and, and absolutely not in [00:48:00] control of the outcome, right? In the parable of the sower, um, he scatters the seed promiscuously, right? And the- Right ... the outcome depends on what kind of ground the seed falls on. And in the parable of the mustard seed, it, it's more of a, like, idea that the, uh, the sower sows a seed that seems so small, but it, the growth of the seed is explosive and expansive because of the nature of the seed, not because of the skill of the sower. Jesse Schwamb: That's  Tony Arsenal: right. Right? In this instance, um- The only thing, again, the only thing that initially the sower is responsible for is the sowing of the seed, the scattering of the seed. But what I also think is interesting is then there is a point where the one who scatters the seed is now responsible to act once he's observed the seed coming to fruition, right? Now, now what exactly that means and how exactly that applies, I think there's a lot of different things we could talk about. Um, but again, [00:49:00] this is a parable that we have to be careful not to, uh, not to restrict just sort of crassly to, like, evangelism. Right. Exactly. Or, or even just to sort of, like, the eschatological harvest. Right. That's what's tricky about this parable, I think, that bears ... And I don't think we'll do it, we'll do it necessarily on the show. It'd be worth having more conversations about. But for our own personal study, it bears deeper reflection because this parable cannot be simply reduced to an eschatology parable about what God does in the end. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: And it can't be simply reduced to a parable about evangelism because strictly speaking, like, we're not really the ones that harvest when the harvest comes in, right? I've, I have heard this parable, um, preached, you know, like I said, although I acknowledge that I, um, like forgot that it existed. I have heard this parable preached as though, like, "Well, our responsibility is to scatter seed. We're not responsible for [00:50:00] making it grow or making it take root. But when we see that it's taking root, we're responsible for jumping in and harvesting at the right time." I don't think we should draw that conclusion here. Although the, the harvester does see that the ear is ripe, that the grain is ripe, and he harvests it, it would be a weird sort of like shift in the parable to go from the person who scattered seed isn't responsible for its growth, doesn't even know that the growth is happening, but is actually responsible for knowing exactly when to harvest the grain. Right. So we have to think about this again in gen- in terms of general principles of how the Kingdom of God functions. And w- how it functions is it's mysterious, it is, uh, consistent, it happens on a, a scale and on a predictable outcome that we as individuals don't understand and don't have visibility to, and the harvest will occur in its [00:51:00] time, and it will h- occur consistently and reliably. So again, like this is... I hope that maybe like the one or two non-Reformed people that listen to the show aren't terribly offended at this, but like this just is Reformed theology, right? There, there is a seed that is sown, God is responsible for the growth, and the harvest necessarily will help it happen when it's supposed to happen, right? When the r- when the fruit is ripe, it will be harvested. That doesn't mean I'm responsible as the one who sows seed or scatters or m- witnesses to people from making sure that the, quote, "sickle is put in at the right time," or anything like that.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: The fact is that the sickle will always come in at the right time. The person who has the final kinda piece of the puzzle in evangelism, I think that's how it often happens. Someone hears the gospel repeatedly from multiple places. They have contacts and relationships that tie into how they [00:52:00]ultimately come to accept the gospel and trust Christ. But ultimately it's the Holy Spirit who brings all that into some sort of coherent, um, execution and application of redemption That will happen in God's time. So I wanna be careful not to, like, put too much responsibility on us. Right. And again, this is just a parable that I think bears a lot more reflection, that I think because, um, I think Mark in general, because it's so short, uh, gets, it gets overlooked by Christians. I think we would all do well to spend a little bit more time in Mark. But especially some of these really short pericopes. I think we just read through it, and it's like we read a chapter of Mark, like Mark 4 comes up in our Bible reading plan. Right. And if we're reading the Bible in a year, like, Mark 4 is one of three or four chapters that we read, and this is four verses of that. Right. We just read over it quick and we c- we just, we don't appropriate any of it.  Jesse Schwamb: Right. It sounds like he's just reiterating a point or he's recapitulating something that he's already said or is about to say, and you're like, "Okay, get on with it." But I'm with [00:53:00] you. This parable, like all of them, is for us. It's for our joy. It's for our satisfaction and our comfort. And I think from this, there is, like, a single controlling point that's emerging from our conversation, which is the Kingdom of God advances by God's own hidden power toward a certain appointed consummation. And this ought to produce, like, patient confidence rather than human striving or a- anxiety. In order to give us a sense of calm, a reminder that God's providence is real in all areas of life. Remarkably, we've gotten this far in the conversation, and neither of us has just, has used the M word, which just came to me, and I think we're contractually obligated to say it as a Reformed podcast, and that is this is a prime example of monergism and the sovereignty of grace. And as in regeneration, the decisive cause of kingdom growth lies outside human capacity and comprehension. I think sometimes the latter part of that seems wrong to us. It makes us fearful because we don't understand it. But the former part should make us feel very happy and [00:54:00] relieved, that the capacity belongs to God and God alone. That doesn't depend on me or you or anybody else that we know. And this parable, I think, is often been paired with John's image of the wind blowing where it wishes as this picture of the Holy

1 Corinthians 4:1 (NLT) – “So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God's mysteries.”   In this episode of Daily Devotions, Pastor David Sumrall teaches on the proper biblical perspective regarding men and women of God, countering the modern "celebrity preacher" concept. Using the words of the Apostle Paul, he emphasizes that pastors should be viewed as mere servants of Christ who are entrusted as managers to explain God's mysteries.   Pastor Sumrall explains that God's primary requirement for a leader is faithfulness, rather than popularity or business success. He encourages pastors and church members alike to focus on God's evaluation rather than human judgment, reminding us that only the Lord can truly examine the private motives of the heart and give the praise that is due. ---- Don't forget to like, subscribe to Cathedral of Praise TV https://www.youtube.com/c/cathedralofpraiseTV/?sub_confirmation=1,and hit the bell icon

Prepare for Tribulation Harvest (2) (audio) David Eells - 8/5/26 Raging Battle in the Second Heaven Shelly Lynch - 04/20/2013 (David's notes in red) This was given to me in answer to Paul's prayer that we would be given night visions: I woke up at 5:00 AM and prayed for the brethren and much in the Spirit. Then I was caught up in the Spirit to the second heaven. I saw and heard a 'man' to the left, whom I knew was Satan, as he railed and reviled and verbally slandered continuously. I did not listen to the words, but I knew they were vile and every form of violent anger, hatred, and slanderous accusations. As I was caught up to the second heaven, there was a strong flash of lightning and the ground shook violently, and the heavens thundered, and I could hear hail falling and pounding the ground violently. I thought it was an earthquake happening. I felt fear and dark oppression so much that it was almost suffocating. I tried to speak, but I could not. I thought the words, 'the blood of Jesus', but I could not speak them. Finally, I sobbed out the words, “the blood of Jesus!” and I was back in my bed in my room, where it was calm and still. (Claiming the deliverance of the sacrifice of Jesus is power to save.) I was shocked. I looked at the clock, and it was 6:00 AM. I was surprised there wasn't an earthquake, as it seemed so real. I prayed, asking the Lord about this because I had asked the Father for a strong anointing of the latter rain to fall on the Man-child and then to the Bride. I was not prepared for what happened. He said, “I wanted you to have a glimpse of the battle raging in the heavenly realms”. I am surprised it is a battle of words, and I realize even more how powerful the blood of Jesus is and the Word of God is to save us! I also realize how important it is that we intercede more in prayer, as our words are powerful against the battle that is raging in the heavenly realms. I know that we have an enemy who is intent on our destruction and rails against us continuously! Yet, “greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world”. I was kept safe in my Savior's arms! Praise the Lord! (Rev.12:7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; (8) And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. (9) And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. (10) And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. (11) And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. (12) Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time. (13) And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man [child]. (14) And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Notice the dragon could not make war on the Man-child but turned on the woman or little ones just before she was saved from the serpent in the wilderness tribulation.) After the house-cleansing from the apostates, we will begin to see the fruit of revival. We will be prepared as a Bride joined to her Man-child. The flow of the Spirit will come. We will be safe to begin to receive the little ones.   You Can Witness: Jesus Lives in You G.W.- 12/06/2008 (David's notes in red) Does the flesh attack your mind when you try to witness to others? I had a dream where I realized that I was right in the middle of a war with people being held captive at gunpoint all over the place. I could only focus on one guy who looked like an African soldier from the Congo. (This is your flesh, the old, sinful man of darkness.) I began to try to speak to help the people and persuade the soldier, but he would get angry and would shoot me in the face with his gun. (This attack against your face is to deface you to yourself. This is what the flesh does when you want to witness to someone.) I could even sense the bullets hitting my flesh, and I wondered why it didn't hurt or even kill me. In my mind, however, I began to think that it was about to do enough damage to kill me. (Don't listen to the old man, and the Lord will give you strength and wisdom.) After about two or three times of this, I found myself with the captives. (The demons want you captive to himself.) It was like we were in a Bible study, and I could tell that they wanted to hear some teaching of the Bible. Before I started talking, the thought came: “I need to have grace but need to season it with salt” (Col.4:6) Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one). I then thought and reasoned, “These people had been through too much; they needed only grace.” I began to preach to the people (2Co.9:8) And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work, but it wouldn't flow out. (This is probably because of the attacks of demons through the flesh [bullets]). These verses and advice are first of all meant for you and only then for others.) I felt like people were trying to talk about their doctrines, which I knew were wrong and the Bible study began to be disruptive. (I work in a halfway house with recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, etc.) (Yes, these people need grace to overcome bondage, not arguing over doctrines, which is a trick of the devil sometimes to destroy the word they need.) As I kept teaching, the people began to fall asleep. I then tried to pick up the huge mess they had made to gain favor with the people who had held them captive. (Pleasing the flesh makes a mess of our lives.) I then looked in a mirror and all I could see were all these bullet holes where the African man had shot me. (Looking at the damage the old man has done to the image of how we perceive ourselves is hindering many people's ministry. Look away from past failures and accept your perfection in Christ. (Php.3:13) Brethren, I could not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing [I do], forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, (14) I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you. (2Cor.5:17) Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. See Jesus in you, and all that implies, and the grace and power will come from Him. (2 Cor.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. (Php.4:13) I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.)   Tribulation Surprise Mark Fritts - 11/28/2005 (David's notes in red) I had a dream last night, which I thought may be showing me the surprise of the tribulation appearing suddenly to unaware Christians. I was on a small boat on a river, being shown the sights along the river by a tour guide, I believe. (Representing other Christians and me, casually just enjoying life.) Suddenly, I noticed that the back of the boat where I sat began to fill up with water. In a matter of seconds, the boat had sunk, and we were all swimming for shore (it was like  sudden tribulation). I found myself living in an unfamiliar place and felt like I was being watched by others for being a believer in Christ. The next thing I saw was that I was in jail and had a device put around my neck like a collar, and also something was put into my ears, like headphones, but I could not take any of it off. (Christians in bondage to the enemy by influencing their hearing. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.”) Next, I found myself in a room in a government building with others. We were being shown new surveillance equipment that they were going to put on us if we said we were Christians. (Increasingly, our electronics pick up keywords to spy on us.) I told them that I was a believer in Christ. The next thing I can remember is that the government or those in charge said that they were taking us Christians (the ones wearing surveillance equipment) on a cruise. Many of us were excited, but I knew we were going on a death cruise. A few miles out, I noticed we were being carried on a troop mover boat like the ones that drop soldiers off on a beach. I also noticed that our driver was using surveillance equipment. I believed he was working for the government and was evil. We suddenly came up to this island, which had huge cargo containers containing many bags full of something. One of the bags opened up, and the contents fell out. What fell out scared many, including me, even though I knew what was in them. The bags that fell into the water had heads inside. (Many will be beheaded for the testimony they have in Christ.) (A painless way to enter fully into the Kingdom, which was not accomplished before this time.) (In light of the fact that our government is taking its prisoners offshore in order to torture confessions out of them, this is a very real possibility.)   Last Outpouring & Gathering Amos Scaggs - 02/01/2011 (David's notes in red) I kept sensing, 'Don't go to sleep; something great is about to happen'. Then this: In a dream, I was working for a very wealthy individual (God) who owned a place on top of a mountain (the mountain of God). We were building platforms over corrals, from which you could see forever, stocking up on a large quantity of medical supplies (for unbelievers), and rounding up cattle in the surrounding fields and hills. (Cattle could represent the beastly Christians who have partaken of grass or fleshly teachings. Peter said, “All flesh is as grass.”) (Mal.4:2) But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Representing bringing in the harvest or revival and treating the spiritually sick. Bringing them into the presence of God on spiritual Mount Zion.) There were two moderate rain showers during the roundup, but the latter rain turned out to be such an outpouring that we had to run for shelter. The three of us seemed to be on horseback (resting on the subdued flesh) when the rain turned into a downpour. However, when we ran up the mountain for shelter, we were on foot. The mountain was extremely steep and difficult to climb; the strongest one ran straight up the steep part, but the other two circled around a slower, easier elevation and all met at the top. (We need to visit the Lord for strength and guidance.) (The mountain of the Kingdom of God will be easily taken by those filled with the latter rain. On top of the mountain is His temple and presence.) As the day cleared, we were talking to the owner, who instructed us to go again to gather in the roundup. We were working on a very small marble table with a small hole that you couldn't see, but you knew it was there. We said, “You fix the hole in it, and we will go”, and he said, “I will take care of that”. (God will fix the hole in the table of your heart so the Word will never leak out again. Man can preach the Gospel, but God can cure.) So our guide and the two of us went to round up the cattle of the largest roundup ever with a renewed strength. (God's provision is being stolen by the curse and the devourer, which is normal to most, but by the grace of God through the latter rain, we will see things last, and the blessing will not be wasted. The largest ingathering harvest of the saints by far is coming.) I saw the globe of Earth sectioned off in four pieces, like cutting a pie --north to south and west to east. (After the last great roundup will come the greatest division of the earth and the greatest wars that have ever been, at the time of “the great and terrible Day of the Lord”. This is when God judges the Beast and Harlot for their treatment of the saints.)   A Great and Fast-Growing Harvest M.L. - 03/03/2013 (David's notes in red) This is a dream where I am planting seeds in a flat and dry area. I wore a long, light-colored dress and a head covering of the same material. The sleeves were long but rolled up, so even though the day was quite warm, I was comfortable. I had a sling-type pouch that was put on over the head, resting on the shoulder, across the front. It very much reminded me of the front sling that some women use for their newborn. The pouch was full of seed as I began the planting. (Full of the Word of God.) Now the soil was sandy and different from what I would normally think it would be for planting. I saw the soil blow in the wind in the distance but gently, not like a sandstorm but peaceful. There were acres of flat land to be planted. (The land represents the dry hearts of the people of this world. The much land to be planted speaks of the beginning of the planting season or tribulation to come.) I bent over at the waist, and my bare feet were on each side of a long row that had already been prepared for the seed I was planting. Then I would gently cover the seed with the tips of my fingers. I didn't need to water, as it was somehow watered after I had covered it. (The seed of the Word is also the washing of the water of the Word.) There was a knowing that I should not look back, but just keep focused on the row. (Sow your seed and walk by faith and not sight.) Then there was a side view of the row where I could see a progression of growth from the one I had just planted, which was about to break through the sand, and the first one I planted, which was about five feet tall. (There will be much fruit and many will grow very fast by grace.) As I looked at this view, a sense of accomplishment and joy came over me. (1Co.3:6) I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. (7) So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (8) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. In this dream, there were no other trees, except those that were in the distance, far from me. Also, I was alone. I saw no other person, yet I knew that I was never really alone. Somehow, my seed never ran out, and the seeds were then watered as they needed to be. And I don't remember ever being thirsty; I was also being watered. (These seeds are sown in the hearts of men, like the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.)   Eat with the Mature and Bear Fruit K.H. - 05/17/2007 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was visiting my grandparents one afternoon because they were going to take me to dinner. Before I got to their house, I started feeling a little strange but just brushed it off. When I got to their house, I began to notice that I felt like I was pregnant. There was absolutely no way for me to be pregnant, and this reality perplexed my conscious thoughts as this dream progressed. I decided to go to dinner even though I was still feeling a little off. All throughout dinner and during the ride back to their house, I kept thinking, How can they not see that I'm pregnant? The night went on, and I kept feeling more and more pregnant. Although I kept feeling more and more pregnant, one could not physically see that I was pregnant, so I believe it was spiritual. (pregnant with the seeed of Jesus, the Word) My mom came to pick me up shortly after my grandparents, and I got back to their house. When she looked at me, I could discern that somehow, she knew that I was pregnant. As we left my grandparents' house, my dream ended. The grandparents represent God and the more mature church of many years past. They were taking K.H. to feed on their food/Word that truly brings forth Christ. From them, she brought that fruit to her mother, who represents the church of today, which needs to see the manifestation of the fruit of Christ in her. It is a virgin birth, having nothing to do with man. In this way, the grandparents are the parents of her parent, too. Her grandfather, God, is the Father of her spiritual Father, Jesus, Who sowed the seed of the Word in her heart. Her grandmother is the mother of her more immature modern-day mother. By studying the pure Word, you can eat with your grandparents. The food they serve is much more mature for growing up.   Breakfast with the Lord  Shelly Lynch - 04/30/2013 (David's notes in red) I went back to bed to rest this morning, as I had awakened earlier at 5:00 AM with the first dream given to me. As soon as I lay down and prayed, I was caught up in the Spirit to have breakfast with Jesus. (We can always feed at the Lord's table -- breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks in between.) I saw Him in the kitchen, preparing scrambled eggs and bacon. I could smell the aroma of good food, and it made me hungry! I sat down at the table and we had a conversation. I asked Him to make my love for Him as strong and as passionate as His love for me. He agreed that this is the way we shall be one in the Spirit. I could hear Jesus sharing about how people keep coming to Him, wanting to follow Him. He barely spoke a word, and they came and followed Him. He was so happy to see them come! I didn't want to forget the lessons He was teaching me, but He reminded me that the Holy Spirit will bring them to my remembrance. It was glorious to eat breakfast with the Lord. He fed me with His Words. I was satisfied and felt so loved in His presence. I asked Him if we could have breakfast every morning and He replied, “Dinner too? What about lunch?” I said, “Yes, Lord!” He laughed and said, “Absolutely!” Then He added, “You can come and have a snack, too!” I laughed and felt so blessed by His Words. When I woke up, I felt pregnant and told the Lord, “I feel very pregnant”. He replied, “You are. For my seed has been sown in you!” I am waiting on the Lord to bring it to birth in me, making me into the image of my Lord. (Joh.21:12) Jesus saith unto them, Come and break your fast. And none of the disciples durst inquire of him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. … (19) Now this he spake, signifying by what manner of death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Later in the day, as I was working in the garden, mulching strawberry plants with rabbit fertilizer and straw, I meditated on the breakfast conversation. I thought about how the woman is given two wings of the great eagle to go into the wilderness. I thought about how eaglets ride on the backs of the eagle that carries them while they are resting. I thought that was how it was this morning to have breakfast with Jesus. I rested while He cooked breakfast and fed me His Words. I thought about how the multitudes are drawn to Him and follow Him because they are hungry for His Words. He only, has the Words of Life that feed our hungry souls! He reminded me that is how it will be for those He gives unto me to feed them the Word, that they will be drawn by the Father to come because they see Jesus living in me! Hallelujah! Later, as I finished in the garden, He asked, “Are you ready to set the table?” I said, “Yes, Lord. How many places shall I set?” He said, “Many. For multitudes are coming!” Hallelujah! (A revival of the pure Word is coming.) I believe it is almost time for the Marriage Feast to begin!   Harvest of Baby Christians G.M. - 8/18/19 (David's notes in red) As I was in the garden gathering produce this evening, the Lord reminded me of a dream I had this morning about a baby boy. (Gathering produce from God's garden is what this parable of the baby boy fruit is about. (Son.6:2) My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. … (11) I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, And the pomegranates were in flower.) I was in a home; I don't know whose home it was, or if it was even my own. (It is the Bride's Spiritual Home to raise up children. As a type of today's corporate Man-child, Jesus, the Man-child, raised up the Bride to take care of His garden. John the Baptist, seeing the first disciples of Jesus, the Man-child, with Him said, “He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom.”) I was walking rather quickly through the living room. As I was about to walk past a recliner, I saw a small baby boy, 2-3 months old. (The spiritual age of an incoming harvest of God's garden who have the maturity of the Baby Jesus, not the mature Jesus. We all have a measure of Jesus living in our lives. The outer man is the spiritual mother of the Baby Jesus within. (Mat.12:50) For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Col.1:27) to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: When this baby Jesus is born, it begins to be manifested to the world outside. Mary, as a type of us bearing the fruit of Jesus, the Word, was told (Luk.1:45) And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. What was spoken to Mary and us? That we would bear the fruit of Jesus.) I saw the Baby nearly fall off the footrest of the recliner. (Representing the fruit of the Man-child Jesus in a new harvest of immature Christians coming to the “living room” of the Bride to be raised up. The immature are in danger of falling from the rest in the troubles to come now so we must care for them. The D.S. is invading with an army of antichrist people to persecute the Church and especially the apostate leadership, their houses, and houses of worship. The Lord showed us that this is to prepare the Church to come out of Babylonish religion and follow the Man-child reformers into the wilderness tribulation, as in Rev.12.) I caught the baby before he hit the floor. (Our prayers and teachings of the Word will uphold them.) This little baby had the prettiest blue eyes. (This speaks of the Heavenly discernment of Christ growing in them). He had a bright smile as I cuddled him. (This speaks of their great joy to be finally getting their eyes opened to the truth.) My thought was to find a diaper for him as he was totally naked. (Needing the Word to be dressed up with the works of Jesus.) I just had the thought about finding a diaper, and he peed on me. I decided he was just excited and happy for me to cuddle him. No problem. (They will need love and nurturing from the Bride, led by the Man-child. Without this, many will fall away.) That was all that I saw in the dream. The baby and I were the only ones in the dream. There was no one in the recliner, so I don't know how the baby got on the footrest of the chair. (It's a foot - rest. They are learning to rest by faith from their old walk.)  I asked for a verse for this dream by faith at random. (This text speaks of the people of God coming out of Babylonian religious and beast captivity because their Babylonish land had been destroyed and Cyrus had freed them to go to Zion, the Bride. There they are, the blocks of the building of the restored Kingdom of God.) I was given Isaiah 43:7; my finger was on the word, formed. Since this sentence begins in V-5 I am giving it in context 5-7. (Isa 43:5) Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; (6) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth; (7) every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made. (This is speaking of Israel, a type of the Church, coming out of Conquered Babylon to go to their Man-child/Bride reformer leadership in Zion. (Isa 49:12-26) Lo, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. (13) Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted (in Babylon). (14) But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me. (15) Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget thee. (16) Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (17) Thy (Zion's) children make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste (Babylon's factions) shall go forth from thee. (18) Lift up thine eyes (Zion, the Bride) round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and gird thyself with them, like a bride. (19) For, as for thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy land (Babylon) that hath been destroyed, surely now shalt thou be too strait for the inhabitants, and they (Babylon factions of state and Church) that swallowed thee up shall be far away. (20) The children of thy (Zion's) bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too strait for me (i.e. we gotta spiritually get out of Babylon); give place to me (In the Promised Land) that I may dwell. (21) Then shalt thou (Zion) say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, (Notice the children who come from Babylonish captivity will be different in nature from those who departed from the Bride to go there.) and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they? (In Babylon's training to show them what apostasy is.) (22) Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples; and they shall bring thy (Zion's) sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. (23) And kings (Like Cyrus / Trump and those like him) shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame. (24) Shall the prey (The Church) be taken from the mighty (Babylon), or the lawful captives (They were in bondage for sin) be delivered? (Delivered from Babylonish leadership) (25) But thus saith Jehovah, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee (Father will bring judgment against Babylon, but then He will bring them to their Red Sea.), and I will save thy children. (26) And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, (The factious Edomites in Church and State will be devastated) as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Back to the text in Isaiah 43, we find out what happens to those factious Edomites in Church and State who persecuted and killed Father's people. (Isa 43:14-21) Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, (As a chastening for sins so they may repent) and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing. (15) I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. (16) Thus saith Jehovah, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; (The Church is coming out of Babylon, like Israel came out of Babylon and Egypt.  There is still a Red Sea for the captors.) (17) who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as a wick): (18) Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. (Forget the persecution complex, for the Blessing now comes) (19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. (This is Father's provision out of heaven in the wilderness Tribulation) (20) The beasts of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen, (21) the people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise. After receiving this dream, I felt it concerned household salvation for my family and the families of others. (Many of these and others will be coming out from under Babylonish Christianity and into the true Bible Kingdom because of our prayers of faith for them.) This is an awesome chapter of deliverance and redemption. He alone is our Savior, Who has already met all our needs. PTL for His faithfulness! I asked for a verse concerning the recliner and the footrest. I was given Romans 8:28; with my finger on “all things work together for good”; (in context 26-30) (Rom 8:26) And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: (It is the Spirit of God speaking through us that brings us into the rest from our own works. (Isa.28:11) Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; (12) to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.) So, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how we should pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered; (At the beginning of the wilderness tribulation, the Spirit will be poured out like it was for Israel in the cloud.) (The Baby is in the Spirit of the Lord's hands. We must rest in Him and His ability to change hearts.) Back to (Rom 8:27) and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (28) And we know to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. (29) (a reference to the Baby?) For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son (The Baby), that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: (30) and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. It is faith in the promises that keeps us in the rest because, as we see in our texts, Father has prophetically already delivered us and provided for us, so why worry? REST in faith. Redemption from the curse on Father's people for their sin is truly finished! In fact, God's “works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb.4:3) when He spoke the plan into existence. The only thing left is for the true sons of God to enter into those works by faith, believing they have received. Since the works are finished, we should believe and rest from our own works to save, heal, and deliver ourselves. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest. Notice it is not the one who ceases on Saturday or Sunday but the one who believes who enters the New Covenant Sabbath rest. (9) There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, meaning “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. This constant “keeping of rest” every day, not one day a week, through the past tense promises is our spiritual Sabbath. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. This rest is to believe these past tense promises and rest from our own works to save ourselves. Our faith in each of these promises brings us into more of the rest. We should be diligent not to leave out even one of these promises for our own good. (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. (2) For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. This is true faith and always brings the answer. Through believing the promises, we enter into rest from our own works. For a child of God to say that they believe they have received and yet continue seeking to receive, usually through worldly methods, is to be double-minded. (Jas.1:6) But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; (8) a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. Those who continue to work for what God has freely given believe in salvation by works. (Heb.4:10) For he that is entered into his rest, hath himself also rested from his works. (Heb.3:19) And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. Since the promises of deliverance from the curse are past tense, when we believe them, we must stop working. It is an evil heart of unbelief to not rest. God was angry with Israel because they would not believe His Word in their trial in the wilderness (Heb.3:8-10). (Heb.3:11) As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. (12) Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God. ... (14) We are become partakers of Christ (His health, holiness, and blessing) if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end. When we “believe we have received,” as Jesus commanded, we are put in a position of weakness because we cannot do anything to bring the desired result to pass. This weakness is rest in our wilderness experiences because there is no help from Egypt or the world. Only God's power saves in the wilderness. God says, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor.12:9). If we refuse to be weak, God refuses to be strong in our behalf. Our weapon against our enemies who try to talk us out of our covenant rights is the two-edged sword of these past tense promises (Heb.4:11,12).

(This podcast was previously published on September 13, 2021)   Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...   The Old Testament and the children of God:   Moses selected men from the tribes of Israel and they assisted him in judging the people.  There were 600,000 men (plus women and children) in the wilderness so it became too much for Moses to do all the work alone.   Moses' father-in-law suggested another plan for Moses in dealing with the people.   Exodus 18   8 And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.   9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom HE had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.   10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, WHO hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.   11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly HE (God) was above them.   12 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.  

Saint Paul reminds us that the Church is God's building, founded on Jesus Christ alone, and that each of us is called to build our lives with materials that will endure. Drawing on St. John Chrysostom's homilies on this reading, this sermon explores how small acts of faithfulness—or neglect—shape the kind of people we are becoming. God's goal is not merely that we obey His commandments, but that, stone by stone, we become His holy temple, a dwelling place for His presence. Enjoy the show! --- Gold or Straw? Building a Life That Lasts I Corinthians 3:9-17 In today's Epistle, Saint Paul gives us two images. First, he says that we are God's building. Then he says something even more astonishing: we are God's temple. Those two images belong together. Buildings are not assembled all at once. They are built stone by stone, beam by beam, choice by choice. That is the Christian life. Notice that St. Paul does not say, "You are Paul's building," or "You are Apollos's building." He says, "You are God's building." Paul planted. Apollos watered. Others continued the work. But the Church belongs to God. That means the Church was never meant to gather around personalities, no matter how charismatic, convincing, or popular. It gathers around Christ. Then St. Paul says something even stronger: "No one can lay any other foundation than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." Chrysostom piles image upon image from Scripture. Christ is the Head, and we are the Body. Christ is the Vine, and we are the branches. Christ is the Bridegroom, and we are the Bride. Christ is the Foundation, and we are the building. Every one of those images teaches the same thing: there can be no gap between Christ and us. Because he is remembered as such a great theologian, it is easy to forget that St. John Chrysostom was also a pastor who understood the daily struggles of his flock. In his homily on this Epistle, he shares a piece of deeply practical wisdom. We often think the greatest danger comes from great sins, but he warns us about little ones. Going back to the image of the building, a tiny crack in a wall becomes a collapsing building. A small tear in a garment becomes a ruined cloak. A branch cut off only a little while from the vine quickly withers. Small acts of neglect, if ignored, soon become great ones. That is why the spiritual life requires attention—not because God is keeping score, but because love is either growing or shrinking. Then Paul changes the image. Now he says every one of us is building with different materials. Some build with gold, silver, and precious stones. Others build with wood, hay, and straw. What does that mean? Chrysostom says he is talking about the life we build. Some habits endure forever—we carry both them and their fruits into the age to come. Others prove empty. They cannot withstand the testing fire. Patience, mercy, faithfulness, prayer, and truthfulness become like gold. Resentment, vanity, bitterness, and self-indulgence are straw. They may seem substantial now, but they cannot sustain us in this life, and they have no place in the life of the Kingdom. That raises an important question: what are we building today? Because we are always building something. Every conversation, every decision, every act of forgiveness, every refusal to forgive, every prayer, every excuse, every generous act, every selfish act—another stone is being laid, or another bundle of straw. Finally, Paul says, "Do you not know that you are God's temple?" Notice the progression. We begin as a building. We end as a temple. God is not constructing a monument. He is preparing a dwelling place. His purpose is not merely that we behave better. His purpose is that He Himself may dwell within us. That is why holiness matters—not because God needs better rule-keepers, but because God desires a home in the human heart. And that changes everything. We do not practice patience simply because patience is a rule. We practice patience because it prepares the heart to receive Christ. We forgive because resentment has no place in God's temple. We pray because prayer is how the living God is welcomed into His temple. We come to church week after week because God is still building us—stone by stone, prayer by prayer, act of repentance by act of repentance—until the building truly becomes what it was always intended to be: the dwelling place of the living God.  

Asst. Pastor Melvin Gaines

Asst. Pastor Melvin GainesAugust 2, 20261 Corinthians 4:1-13#Paul #1Corinthians #Christ #God #Jesus #JesusChrist #Christ #church #Apollos #servant #mystery #peson #manager #faithful #matter who #evaluate #human #authority #judgment #Conscience #clear #right #examine #secret #motive #illustrate #Leader #gift #kingdom #prisoner #spectacle #motivation #patient #garbage #trash 

Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos reveal a church built through shared leadership, discipleship, humility, and multiplication. This final week prepares Axiom for the next season by emphasizing formation over platform and movement over personality.

Two of Paul's friends, Priscilla and Aquilla, meet a man who is preaching about Jesus. However, he is missing a big piece of the story! Uniting kids with the good news of the Gospel through adventures and foundational, biblical truths. Subscribe to the U-Nite Radio Podcast, so you don't miss any of our episodes! U-Nite TV Uniting kids with the God's Word in a fun, engaging way to help kids understand and apply biblical truths to their lives. Stream animated adventures, music videos, missionary stories, and more! Available on Android, iOS, Android TV, and Apple TV. https://www.cefonline.com/unitetv/ Copyright © 2026 Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Biblical Teacher: Why the Church Desperately Needs Sound Doctrine – Foundational Issues Part 7 | KIB 541 Kingdom Intelligence Briefing Description Welcome to Kingdom Intelligence Briefing Episode 541 with Dr. Michael Lake and Mary Lou Lake. What does Scripture teach about the biblical office of the teacher? Why is sound doctrine so critical in an age of deception, AI, and increasing spiritual confusion? In this episode, Dr. Michael Lake continues the Fivefold Ministry series by examining the biblical calling, character, and responsibilities of God's teachers. Drawing from the ministries of Jesus, Ezra, Apollos, Timothy, and the Apostle Paul, this teaching reveals that biblical teachers are called to do far more than transfer information—they are commissioned to bring believers into spiritual maturity through faithful exposition of God's Word. Mary Lou opens the program with a timely discussion on overcoming spiritual strongholds, breaking ungodly influences, and remaining firmly established in Christ rather than the counterfeit systems of the world. Together they examine the importance of discernment, the dangers of occult influence, the proper use of technology, and why believers must continually renew their minds with Scripture. If you desire to grow deeper in God's Word and develop biblical discernment for the days ahead, this teaching will provide a strong scriptural foundation. In this episode, you'll discover: ·       The biblical office of the teacher ·       Why Jesus was called "Teacher" more than any other title ·       The responsibilities of a biblical teacher ·       The difference between information and transformation ·       Why sound doctrine protects the Church ·       The importance of study, obedience, and faithful teaching ·       How false teaching spreads in the last days ·       Biblical principles for evaluating AI and modern technology ·       Why discernment is essential for every believer ·       How teachers help equip the Body of Christ for spiritual maturity

Our 4th and final NT norm is the centrality of prayer in the life of the early church. Listen in as we share 4 "P" observations on prayer - It was a Priority; It Preceded the filling and work of the Spirit; It was the church's response to Persecution; and it was Personal and Persistent. 4 P's: 1-Priority. Begins the book of Acts—“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers" (1:14).  In Ch. 2, the church was praying when the Holy Spirit filled them.  Acts 2:42- he church was devoted to prayer. It was one of the first things that marked them out—alongside the apostle's teaching, breaking the bread, and fellowship. Acts 6: We see the priority of prayer even more strikingly when the apostles single out prayer alongside of the ministry of the Word as their primary responsibility. “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” “I stand here to confess frankly that from my inmost heart I attribute the large prosperity which God has given to this Church vastly more to the prayers of the people than to anything that God may have given to me. I know it is so.” - Charles Spurgeon 2-Precedes the filling and work of the Spirit.  Acts 2 begins with the believers all together in one place, praying. And we know what happened next—the sound from heaven like a mighty rushing wind, filling the house where they were.  Acts 4- The believers are gathered together praying in the midst of persecution—praying specifically for boldness. “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness" (4:31). Acts 13- The prophets and teachers of the church in Antioch were gathered and they were worshipping the Lord and fasting. Just then the Holy Spirit calls out Barnabas and Saul. And after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.  These are pretty pivotal moments in the history of the gospel—especially in Chapters 2 and 13. And we see that God's people had been devoting themselves to prayer in the time leading up to these great events—these experiences of the Spirit's work. Prayer had paved the way for these people to respond when the Spirit showed up.  3-Persecution- Prayer was the church's consistent response to persecution. Acts 4- Peter and John have just been threatened by the high-priestly council. "When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord. . .” (4:23-24). Their immediate reaction to the threat of violence from the ruling authorities was to pray. And hear what they prayed: “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  Acts 12- Peter is in prison and miraculously rescued by an angel of the Lord. When he is rescued, it says “he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.” Again, the response of the church to the persecution of her people is to pray.  Acts 16- Paul and Silas in prison. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” In the midst of persecution, we find these two workers praying and singing hymns.  Prayer is what we do when we are persecuted. It is the response of God's church to the threats and persecutions. In each of these moments, God miraculously answered. 4-Personal and Persistent. In Acts, we don't get much details about the personal prayer lives of the apostles. Many references are to the church praying corporately. However in Paul's epistles, we find Paul talking about his own prayer life all over the place – way too many to reference, will just name a few- Eph. 1:16- "I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers…" and we see his personal prayer for the Ephesian believers.  Eph. 3:14-19. Paul's prayers were important enough for him to write out for them and for us. A few examples from 1st Thessalonians: 1 Thess. 1:2- "We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers." 1 Thess. 5:17- "Pray without ceasing." 1 Thess. 5:25- "Brothers, pray for us."  Paul was not voicing prayers for believers every moment of every day. He was sometimes preaching the gospel; he was sometimes sleeping; he was sometimes eating or traveling. But he had such a habit of prayer that he described it as day and night, constant.  Eph. 6:10-20- Paul teaches us that we are in a spiritual battle and prayer is an essential weapon. Paul commands us to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. The Word, The Spirit, and constant prayer. As we've found these 4 NT norms, we have seen in a new way for us how intertwined they are. The Word bears fruit by the power of the Spirit. The Spirit honors and responds to the preaching of the Word and obedience to the Word and prayer. Prayer is what invites the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, and there is no real prayer without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Prayer was seen as part of the work of the church. It was at the center of their ministry. We have a saying among our teams here that prayer is the greater work. We believe that because we ultimately believe that this work we're doing is His work. It doesn't move forward unless He moves and the Spirit grants repentance and life. Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gives the growth.” Prayer is an admission of our helplessness and a plea for God to do what only He can do. That's why we see the early church devoting themselves to it. Prayer was necessary to them—it was just a part of their lives, and of their gathering together. If you are listening and feel like you're a terrible pray-er, don't give into discouragement or paralysis or accusations --- just start! Read a good book on prayer. Make sure you're spending daily time with God alone in the Word and in prayer. Use your drive or shower to pray. Post a prayer list by your bathroom mirror and pray as you brush your teeth. Set a timer for a certain time each day. 12:12, 3:10. And ask God for help!  This concludes our series on NT norms – daily ministry, the Word, the Spirit, and prayer.  

Drop us a note about the podcast. “Don't put your confidence in powerful people.” Psalm 146 doesn't whisper that line, it insists on it, and we take it seriously. We start with praise, then trace what happens to a heart and a nation when hope gets misplaced into leaders, celebrities, and the next big plan that dies the moment a person breathes their last. If you've felt anxious, angry, or numb from the news cycle, this is a return to steady ground: God keeps His promises, lifts the weighed down, and reigns forever.From there, we read Acts 18 through 19 and sit with a model of correction that's rare today. Apollos is gifted and sincere, but he needs fuller truth, so faithful believers take him aside and explain “more accurately.” That becomes our reminder to always go back to Scripture first and foremost. Explanations and commentaries can help, but they cannot replace the text, contradict it, or invent what isn't there. We also hear Proverbs 18 call out a habit that ruins conversations fast: caring more about airing our opinions than gaining understanding.We then wrestle with how people use the Old Testament in debates like illegal immigration, and why biblical compassion can't be separated from surrender to the Lord. We honor Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sergeant Alvin P. Carey, and we challenge the way entertainment and sports can turn into false gods that crowd out gratitude, memory, and discernment. Finally, we talk civics, the American founding, and why the Founders warn against democracy as mob rule while arguing for a republic anchored in virtue.Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part challenged you most?#FoundingFathers #Democracy #ChristianNation Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribeCountryside Book Serieshttps://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2 America's Christian Heritage Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2622483

July 1, 2026 - Wednesday Bible Class In this episode we study Aquila (Acts 18) and his wife Priscilla, exploring their role alongside Paul and their influence across Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. David builds on recent teaching about Apollos, references contributions from Dale, and promises a short, pre-recorded segment from Neil on-site in Ephesus. Using Acts 18 and related New Testament passages (1 Corinthians, Romans, 2 Timothy), the talk surveys biblical facts about Aquila and Priscilla and draws practical lessons for believers today. Topics covered include: Aquila's background as a Jew from Pontus who fled Rome under Claudius, his trade as a tentmaker and partnership with Priscilla, Paul's year-and-a-half ministry in Corinth while working with them, and their decision to travel with Paul to Ephesus and remain there to strengthen the church. The episode highlights how their home became a meeting place for congregations and how their hospitality and industry supported ministry work. Key moments discussed are Priscilla and Aquila's tactful correction and mentoring of Apollos—listening first, taking him aside, and teaching the “way” more accurately—and the theological details implied by those episodes (the role of baptism, belief in Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit, and entrance into the kingdom of God). The speaker also draws attention to scriptural references showing the couple's ongoing influence: house church leadership, greetings in Paul's letters, and Paul's gratitude for their service and willingness to risk for his life. Takeaway lessons emphasize partnership in marriage and ministry, being open to discussing faith at work, the courage to both go and stay for the sake of the gospel, the importance of tactful and knowledgeable correction, and the power of hospitality and local leadership. The episode closes with practical reflections for contemporary Christians and a promised visual clip from Ephesus to bring the biblical scenes to life.   Duration 42:44

Pastor Steve shares a powerful message about moving from simply knowing God's Word to experiencing the fullness of what He has for us. Through the story of Apollos, he shows how a humble, teachable heart opens the door to deeper faith, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and a life empowered to impact others.

1 CORINTHIANS  Correction With Confidence Because of The Faithfulness Of God Toward  His Saints!1 Corinthians 16:5–12 (ESV) I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.  10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers. 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.MAKE PLANS FOR THE WORK OF THE LORD, TRUSTING THE PROVIDENCE OF GODPLAN INTENTIONALITY FOR THE WORK OF THE LORD (V5-9) PURPOSE YOUR LIFE AROUND THE WORK OF THE LORD (V5-12) PERCEIVE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR PLANS AND GOD'S PLAN (V12)

In this Bible study we continue through Acts chapter 18. Paul arrives in Corinth, meets Aquila and Priscilla, and works with them as tentmakers. He reasons in the synagogue every Sabbath, testifies that Jesus is the Christ, and faces opposition before turning to the Gentiles. Crispus the chief ruler of the synagogue believes along with many others. The Lord encourages Paul in a vision, and later Aquila and Priscilla instruct Apollos more perfectly in the way of God.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260715dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 Only Servants Paul worked as a missionary bringing the good news about Jesus to the people of Corinth for the first time. He spent a lot of time there teaching the basics of the Christian faith. He faithfully and diligently shared how Jesus forgives sins by his death and resurrection from the grave. After Paul left, another gospel worker came to Corinth: a man named Apollos who was a gifted and passionate preacher. He watered the seed that Paul planted. Both Paul and Apollos were talented in their own ways, but the people in Corinth had picked their favorites. One said, “I like Paul.” Another, “I like Apollos better.” Still another, “I like this other teacher best.” The Corinthians were doing what people still do today. They made too much of the messenger and too little of the God who sent the message. Paul brings them back to reality. He and Apollos are only servants. They did not make the seed grow; only God could do that. It is natural to have preferences for preachers. Some are fiery, some are thoughtful. Some make you laugh; some make you think. Some are great storytellers, and some preach verse by verse. But the best preacher is the one who faithfully shares God's Word with you. A preacher’s style cannot save you. A preacher’s personality cannot forgive your sins. A clever illustration cannot raise the dead. Only God can make faith grow, and God does that through the Word of Christ. When the Word is preached faithfully, Jesus gives you what you need most. He gives you the law that exposes your sin. He gives you the gospel that forgives your sin. He gives you himself. One servant plants, another waters, but God makes it grow. Prayer: Lord God, thank you for faithful servants who bring me your Word. Help me listen past human style and hear the saving voice of Jesus. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260715dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 Only Servants Paul worked as a missionary bringing the good news about Jesus to the people of Corinth for the first time. He spent a lot of time there teaching the basics of the Christian faith. He faithfully and diligently shared how Jesus forgives sins by his death and resurrection from the grave. After Paul left, another gospel worker came to Corinth: a man named Apollos who was a gifted and passionate preacher. He watered the seed that Paul planted. Both Paul and Apollos were talented in their own ways, but the people in Corinth had picked their favorites. One said, “I like Paul.” Another, “I like Apollos better.” Still another, “I like this other teacher best.” The Corinthians were doing what people still do today. They made too much of the messenger and too little of the God who sent the message. Paul brings them back to reality. He and Apollos are only servants. They did not make the seed grow; only God could do that. It is natural to have preferences for preachers. Some are fiery, some are thoughtful. Some make you laugh; some make you think. Some are great storytellers, and some preach verse by verse. But the best preacher is the one who faithfully shares God's Word with you. A preacher’s style cannot save you. A preacher’s personality cannot forgive your sins. A clever illustration cannot raise the dead. Only God can make faith grow, and God does that through the Word of Christ. When the Word is preached faithfully, Jesus gives you what you need most. He gives you the law that exposes your sin. He gives you the gospel that forgives your sin. He gives you himself. One servant plants, another waters, but God makes it grow. Prayer: Lord God, thank you for faithful servants who bring me your Word. Help me listen past human style and hear the saving voice of Jesus. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

June 17, 2026 - Wednesday PM Bible Class In this episode the speaker examines the life and character of Apollos as introduced in Acts 18 and referenced throughout Acts 19, 1 Corinthians, and Titus. Using Acts 18:24–28 as the primary text, the episode explores Apollos's background (a Jew from Alexandria), his strengths (eloquence, scriptural competence, fervent spirit), and the pivotal moment when Priscilla and Aquila privately corrected his understanding of baptism. The conversation covers practical themes and biblical takeaways: be strong in the Scriptures, use your gifts for God's glory, cultivate zeal, do not let fear silence you, be humble enough to learn, accept correction with grace, welcome unexpected teachers, keep growing, and encourage other believers. The host ties these lessons to the episode's central thesis: with God there is guaranteed success — but we must be willing to get off the launch pad and act. Scripture passages discussed include Acts 18 and 19, 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 3, and Titus 3:13. The speaker also draws on vivid analogies and anecdotes (the Apollo space-launch metaphor, a 350-mile ultramarathon example, a bursting sourdough jar, a large local insect, and John Ford's Battle of Midway footage) to illuminate courage, zeal, and the willingness to risk failure for a greater purpose. The episode highlights key biblical figures who interact with Apollos — Priscilla and Aquila who teach him, Paul whose ministry context provides contrast, and the Corinthian church where tensions about followership arise — and shows how Apollos's response to correction models a faithful balance of boldness and humility. Listeners can expect a mix of expository teaching, pastoral application, and memorable illustrations aimed at encouraging Christians to step into service despite the risk of mistakes, to receive correction with grace, and to let God receive the glory for spiritual growth and fruit.   Duration 41:19

In this message from Acts 18, we see how God strengthens weary servants so they can strengthen others. Through Paul, Priscilla, Aquila, Timothy, Silas, and Apollos, we are reminded that a healthy church is built through mutual encouragement, faithful discipleship, and ordinary believers helping one another keep going.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260715dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 Only Servants Paul worked as a missionary bringing the good news about Jesus to the people of Corinth for the first time. He spent a lot of time there teaching the basics of the Christian faith. He faithfully and diligently shared how Jesus forgives sins by his death and resurrection from the grave. After Paul left, another gospel worker came to Corinth: a man named Apollos who was a gifted and passionate preacher. He watered the seed that Paul planted. Both Paul and Apollos were talented in their own ways, but the people in Corinth had picked their favorites. One said, “I like Paul.” Another, “I like Apollos better.” Still another, “I like this other teacher best.” The Corinthians were doing what people still do today. They made too much of the messenger and too little of the God who sent the message. Paul brings them back to reality. He and Apollos are only servants. They did not make the seed grow; only God could do that. It is natural to have preferences for preachers. Some are fiery, some are thoughtful. Some make you laugh; some make you think. Some are great storytellers, and some preach verse by verse. But the best preacher is the one who faithfully shares God's Word with you. A preacher’s style cannot save you. A preacher’s personality cannot forgive your sins. A clever illustration cannot raise the dead. Only God can make faith grow, and God does that through the Word of Christ. When the Word is preached faithfully, Jesus gives you what you need most. He gives you the law that exposes your sin. He gives you the gospel that forgives your sin. He gives you himself. One servant plants, another waters, but God makes it grow. Prayer: Lord God, thank you for faithful servants who bring me your Word. Help me listen past human style and hear the saving voice of Jesus. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Apollos was eloquent, passionate, and powerful in the Scriptures, but he still needed someone to help him understand the fullness of the gospel. In Acts 18, Aquila and Priscilla humbly guide him, and he becomes a great blessing to the church. This episode reminds us to know the Word deeply, remain teachable, and make ourselves fully available for God's use.

A young woman Cynthia discipled in Nepal went on to lead a friend to Christ — who became a church planter among a people group that had never had a gospel witness before. In this episode, Cynthia breaks down the four specific things she did that let that chain keep multiplying, traces the same pattern through Paul, Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos in Acts 18, and makes the case that most discipleship in the West never gets the chance to multiply because it never leaves the classroom.

Are you living in the shallow end of your faith without even realizing it? Acts 18 and 19 reveal a powerful truth: it is possible to love God, know Scripture, and still be operating with an incomplete experience of who He is and what He has made available to you.Apollos was one of the most gifted communicators of the early church. He was educated, fervent, and accurate in his teaching about Jesus. But there was a gap. When Priscilla and Aquila recognized it, they did not shame him. They invited him in and explained the way of God more fully. Growing deeper in faith is not about starting over. It is about letting God build on what He has already placed in you.In Acts 19, Paul meets disciples who had believed in Jesus but had never heard of the Holy Spirit. When Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. This moment points to something that many believers have never fully explored: the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a deeper dimension of relationship with God, a greater filling and empowerment available to every believer.Isaiah 44:3 says God will pour out His Spirit on the thirsty. Not the talented. Not the impressive. The thirsty. Hunger is the qualification. Jesus confirmed it in Matthew 5:6 when He said those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.This message also explores the gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy, healing, miracles, words of knowledge, and discerning of spirits. These gifts are not reserved for a select few. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12 that he does not want believers to be uninformed about spiritual gifts, and he urges them three times to earnestly desire them. The gifts are meant to build up the whole body of Christ and must always be governed by love.Practical steps covered include making yourself available to God, cultivating genuine hunger for the things of the Spirit, exercising faith in small steps of obedience, and staying rooted in love as the foundation for everything.John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came so we could have life abundantly, meaning overflowing, beyond measure, uncommon. Not just the basics. Not just enough to get by. So why settle for ankle deep when God is calling you into waters deep enough to swim in?Topics covered include the baptism of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, growing in faith, the story of Apollos, Acts 18 and 19, how to go deeper with God, spiritual maturity, hunger for God, Holy Spirit empowerment, gifts of the Spirit explained, and how to walk in the Spirit.

Continuing through the book of Acts, Pastor Luke focuses on the beginning of Paul's third missionary journey, where the emphasis shifts from simply planting churches to strengthening the disciples already in them. The big idea driving the sermon is that the gospel doesn't just save — it transforms every part of our lives. Pastor Luke illustrates this first through the story of Apollos, a brilliantly educated man from Alexandria who nonetheless lacked a full understanding of the gospel. When Priscilla and Aquila — ordinary tentmakers — took him aside privately and explained the way of God more accurately, Apollos humbly received their correction. That humility, Pastor Luke argues, is what made him teachable, and his teachability is what made him wise and ultimately one of the most impactful teachers in the early church. The second half of the sermon turns to the Ephesian believers and the contrast between genuine and counterfeit spirituality. When the seven sons of Sceva tried to invoke Jesus's name as a spiritual technique without any real relationship with Him, they were overpowered and publicly shamed. The Ephesian believers, by contrast, responded to what they witnessed with deep repentance — publicly confessing their practices and burning their magic books, valued at the equivalent of several million dollars. Pastor Luke draws a clear line between syncretism — treating Jesus as one spiritual resource among many — and true discipleship, which declares Jesus as Lord alone. He closes by calling the congregation to ongoing repentance and surrender, reminding them that transformation isn't a one-time event but a lifelong process powered by Christ Himself.

The mission of the church is to WIN, BUILD, and SEND people for Jesus Christ. In a word: discipleship. In this section of Acts we see Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla, and Paul living this out. They show us that we must have the humility to be discipled, that everyday people can be disciple-makers in everyday ways, and that we must always be seeking to win people for Christ. Pastor David Horner preaches from Acts 18:24–19:7.

We can learn from others

Acts 18 takes Paul to Corinth — where he meets Aquila and Priscilla, preaches to Jews and Gentiles, and stays a year and a half longer than he wanted to. But the real story is what that investment quietly produced: the discipleship of Apollos, one of the most gifted men in the early church. Carlos shares what that looks like today — including a trip to Dubai that changed how he understands what it costs to actually walk with someone. Find us at thpshreveport.com Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro & What's Coming to the Podcast 1:45 – Acts 18: Paul in Corinth, the Tent Maker, and a Year and a Half He Didn't Plan 5:00 – Apollos: Gifted, Eloquent, and Missing Something 6:20 – How Aquila and Priscilla Discipled Apollos (And What That Cost Them) 7:45 – The Fruit You Plant That Someone Else Gets to See 9:50 – Carlos's Story: Being an Apollos at The Healing Place 12:15 – The Dubai Trip: What Discipleship Looks Like When It Gets Real 17:00 – How Being Discipled Changes How You Invest in Others 18:30 – Who Has the Authority to Speak Into Your Life? 19:30 – Practical Discipleship: A Marvel vs. Capcom Game and What It Really Means 21:00 – Closing Thoughts: Pour It Out

In Matthew 28:18-20 Christ says the mission of the church is to go to all people groups and 1) baptize or submerge the people in relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and 2) teach the people to do the things Jesus wants them to do. The focus of this sermon is on the responsibility of immersing fellow believers in the presence of fellow believers, especially of believers admonishing one another. The story in Acts 18:24-28 of Aquila and Priscilla taking Apollos aside and explaining “to him the way of God more accurately” is an example of discipling a fellow believer. According to Romans 15:14, ordinary believers are qualified to admonish. To admonish means to warn based on instruction. According to Galatians 6:1-5, admonition requires meekness and willingness to bear another's burden and address “a man overtaken in any trespass.” A trespass is a fault or misstep. A person who is spiritual can restore someone who has committed a trespass. According to I Thess. 5:14-15, different needs require different kinds of admonition. The unruly (insubordinate, undisciplined) should be warned, the fainthearted (timid) should be encouraged, and the weak should be supported. Matthew 18:15-22 says that those who do not receive admonition or discipline after being approached three times should be excommunicated. I Cor. 5 and II Cor. 2 also speak about excommunication and restoration. How can we best approach our responsibility to admonish and receive admonishment? I have observed that in general people do not like to be admonished, and neither do people like to admonish others, which results in the ordained doing most of the admonishing. Amidst these challenges it is important to remember that the level of love, humility, and secure belonging and attachment present in our relationships determines to a large extent how we share and receive admonishment. The post Making Disciples in Christ appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.

In this encouraging message from Acts 18, Pastor Brandon Smith reveals that God is not looking for perfect people—He's looking for faithful people. Through the examples of Paul, Aquila and Priscilla, and Apollos, this sermon explores how believers can remain faithful through opposition, ordinary seasons, and times of growth. If you're walking through hardship, feeling overlooked, or wondering if your faith is making a difference, this message will remind you that faithfulness is what God honors.

Send us a message!We read Acts 17 and 18 and watch the gospel collide with jealousy in Thessalonica, careful study in Berea, curiosity in Athens, and conflict in Corinth. We end by asking what kind of listener you are when God's Word challenges you, especially when the message feels familiar instead of new. • Paul reasons from Scripture that Jesus is the Christ • Thessalonica erupts in jealousy and political accusations • Bereans examine the Scriptures daily as a model for discernment • Paul confronts idols in Athens and preaches the Creator and resurrection • Mixed reactions to the resurrection and a few believe • Paul's work and ministry partnership with Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth • God's encouragement to keep speaking without fear • Gallio dismisses the charges and the case fizzles • Apollos grows through humble correction and becomes a powerful advocate  At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you're there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.Support the showCheck out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

https://youtu.be/KO73WzejTXI https://www.uncommen.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/June-19-fixed.mp3 There is a silent but devastating epidemic spreading through the modern church, and it has absolutely nothing to do with a lack of access to Scripture. The crisis is happening on bedside tables, in glove compartments, and on phone screens across the country — Bibles owned but unopened, reading plans downloaded and abandoned, chapters started and never finished. Far too many men own the Word. Far fewer live inside it. We hear the same confession from men everywhere: “I know I should be reading more.” They intend to engage. They mean to get back to it. But the gap between intention and discipline keeps widening, and the cost shows up in their marriages, their leadership, and their faith. Building a consistent bible reading plan for men is not a spiritual luxury reserved for pastors and seminary students — it is the baseline infrastructure of every man who wants to lead well and stand firm when pressure arrives. The modern definition of spiritual maturity has tricked men into measuring themselves by church attendance, by grace before dinner, by the Bible verse they post on social media. But a real bible reading plan for men goes far deeper than surface performance. It is a daily, aggressive, intentional encounter with the living Word of God. In this article, we are breaking down seven ways a real bible reading plan for men actually works — not in theory, but in the daily grind of a man's real life. Quick Answers What is the best bible reading plan for men? The best bible reading plan for men is one you will actually stick with — and one that includes accountability. Whether you read chronologically, book by book, or topically, pairing your structure with daily devotions for men and at least one other man who will ask you where you are in the Word makes all the difference. Structure without accountability is just good intentions stored in an app you will delete in three weeks. How do I build a consistent bible reading plan for men? Start small and start with someone else. Two chapters per week in a men's Bible study outperforms ten chapters per day in isolation every single time. The men who stay consistent in their bible reading plan for men are not the ones with the best apps or the most natural discipline — they are the ones who made the Word a shared commitment rather than a private intention. Escaping the Checkbox Trap: When Bible Reading Becomes Empty Religion The number one enemy of a sustainable bible reading plan for men is not busyness. It is treating Scripture like a task to complete rather than a God to encounter. Men are wired to accomplish things — check the box, close the app, move on. That same efficiency that makes men effective in the boardroom becomes a catastrophic liability in their walk with God when it reduces daily devotions for men to a spiritual obligation with zero actual transformation. The checkbox trap looks like this: you open your bible reading plan for men app, read three chapters in seven minutes, tap “complete,” and close it before your coffee cools. Nothing changed. No prayer was prayed over what was read. You technically stayed in the Word, but you may as well have read a user manual. Spiritual performance — the appearance of discipline without the substance of encounter — is one of the enemy's most effective tools against men who actually want to grow. A bible reading plan for men is not a reading goal. It is a relationship tool. The men in Scripture who were shaped by the Word wrestled with it, prayed before they opened it, returned to the same passages repeatedly, and brought the text into direct conflict with their actual lives. That is what a real bible reading plan for men requires — and it starts by killing the checkbox entirely. Pray Before the Page: The Nehemiah Model Nehemiah contains one of the most powerful models in all of Scripture for what a bible reading plan for men actually produces in practice. When Nehemiah received devastating news about Jerusalem — the walls destroyed, his people in disgrace — his immediate response was not a to-do list. It was prayer.  Nehemiah 1:4 (ESV) records it directly: “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Sustained, serious, grief-driven prayer — not efficient prayer. But here is where the Nehemiah model goes further than most men expect: prayer was not the substitute for action. It was the preparation for it. After his sustained season of prayer, Nehemiah walked into the throne room of the most powerful king on earth and asked for permission to rebuild what was broken. He prayed, and then he moved. A bible reading plan for men that is genuinely rooted in prayer does not produce passive men who offer “I'll pray for you” as a polite exit from someone else's pain. It produces men who are ready to act when the moment comes — because the preparation has already been done on their knees. Men's Bible Study: Why You Cannot Stay Consistent Alone No bible reading plan for men survives in isolation. This is not an opinion — it is a biblical pattern. The disciples traveled in pairs. Paul always had a companion. David had Jonathan. Elijah had Elisha. The mythology of the lone spiritual warrior who grows deep in God without community around him is a fantasy that leaves men alone, stale, and inconsistent. Men's Bible study is not a soft option for men who need emotional support. It is a combat tactic. Men's Bible study works for the same reason a workout partner works: you show up when you do not feel like it because someone is counting on you. Your bible reading plan for men stops being a private intention and becomes a shared commitment. When you read together, things happen that never happen alone — someone spots a connection you missed, asks a question that cracks the passage open, or brings a real-life application from their week that makes the text land in a completely different way. Most men who fall off their bible reading plan for men do so because no one ever asks where they are. Build accountability into the structure. Two chapters a week in a men's Bible study far outperforms ten chapters a day in silence. Reading Through the Dark Seasons: What David and Elijah Teach Us Here is exactly where most bible reading plans for men break down: the dark season. The health scare, the business failure, the marriage conflict, the month where everything goes wrong at once. Men who were reading consistently hit a wall of pain and quietly stop — because the last thing they feel like doing is opening the Word when God feels absent or the circumstances feel impossible. David did not have that option. When Absalom launched a coup against his own father and David fled Jerusalem in humiliation, the Psalms he wrote during that period are some of the most honest, raw words in all of Scripture. He cried out. He questioned. He accused. And then, in the same poem, he praised:  Psalm 18:2 (ESV) — “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.” His daily devotions for men were not performed during easy seasons. They were forged in the hardest ones, written from the middle of betrayal and exile and fear. Elijah provides the other side of the same coin. One day after his greatest spiritual victory — calling fire from heaven, publicly dismantling the idol worship of an entire nation — he ran into the wilderness and asked God to kill him. The spiritual high had crashed into an emotional trough he could not climb out of. God's response was to feed him, let him sleep, and tell him to get back up. The men who sustain a bible reading plan for men through the dark seasons are the men who built the habit during the good ones, before the bottom dropped out. Your Bible Reading Plan for Men Has a Mission Bigger Than You One of the most convicting threads in Scripture is the concept of planting seeds. Paul wrote it plainly in 1 Corinthians 3:6 (ESV): “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” Most men evaluate the effectiveness of their faith by results they can measure — decisions made, prayers answered on schedule, people they personally watched cross a line of faith. But a mature bible reading plan for men shapes you to be a planter, not a harvester on demand. What you read this week is building something in you that will emerge in a conversation six months from now that you cannot predict. Your daily devotions for men are not just personal — they are missional preparation. The man who stays consistently in his bible reading plan for men is the man who, when a colleague gets the diagnosis or a friend calls at 11 PM with nowhere to go, has something real to say. He is not scrambling. He has been sitting in the Word long enough that it comes out of him naturally, without performance. Men's Bible study and consistent daily devotions for men do not just make you more spiritually literate. They make you more useful to God, because the enemy never knows when the seeds you have been quietly planting are going to bear fruit. Read What You Have Never Read: Explore the Whole Bible Most men who drift from a bible reading plan for men are actually drifting from the same ten chapters they have always read. They know Matthew, Proverbs, a handful of Psalms, and maybe Romans. The rest of Scripture — Nehemiah, the minor prophets, the pastoral epistles, First Kings — remains almost entirely untouched. And the untouched portions of the Bible are consistently where the richest, most specific application is found. A real bible reading plan for men moves through the whole counsel of God. It reads Nehemiah and finds a complete model for prayer and decisive action. It reads First Kings and stands inside the most extravagant construction project in human history — a temple so covered

This episode highlights 1 Corinthians 3:8-15 to show believers as co-laborers with God in His Church—both as His “husbandry” (field planted and watered by Paul and Apollos) and His “building” (with Paul as the wise master builder who laid the sole foundation of Jesus Christ). Believers must take heed how they build on that foundation, using rewardable materials of gold, silver, and precious stones (faithful, grace-based service that abides the testing fire) rather than wood, hay, and stubble (carnal or mixed works that burn), so that at the Judgment Seat every man's labor will be revealed, rewarded if it endures, or cause loss if it does not—yet the believer himself will still be saved “yet so as by fire.” https://bereanbiblesociety.org/tbg-episode/329-building-to-win/ Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Lh3EXTw8c Buy episode on DVD: https://store.bereanbiblesociety.org/shop/dvd-transformed-by-grace-single-episode-1-dvd-301-313/?attribute_pa_episode=329-building-to-win Buy series on DVD: https://store.bereanbiblesociety.org/shop/dvd-transformed-by-grace-series-winning-and-losing/

What happens when Christians start choosing sides?In this episode of Corinth Conversations, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb and Dr. Fredrick J. Long explore one of the earliest leadership crises in the church.Why were believers saying, "I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas"? Was this simply a disagreement—or something deeper?Together they unpack 1 Corinthians 1:12–13 and discuss church division, leadership, baptism, status, Christian celebrity culture, and why Paul's response remains surprisingly relevant today.

Pastor Troy Dobbs' sermon from Acts 18 focused on how God helps His people stay the course when they are weary, discouraged, or tempted to quit. After years of hardship, opposition, and exhausting travel, Paul arrived in Corinth worn down, yet God strengthened him through five key means: community (Aquila and Priscilla), timely encouragement (new believers coming to faith), divine assurance ("Do not be afraid, for I am with you"), unexpected provision (Gallio protecting the church), and a renewed sense of mission. The sermon emphasized that God often sustains us through relationships, small victories, His Word, and circumstances we never would have planned ourselves. Pastor Troy reminded the church not to overlook the importance of deep spiritual friendships and godly partnerships that help us endure difficult seasons. He also highlighted that God's work continues beyond any one person, as seen when leaders like Apollos carried forward the ministry Paul began. The central takeaway was that endurance in the Christian life comes from trusting that God's mission belongs to Him, not us — and He always provides what we need to keep moving forward.

Pastor Troy Dobbs' sermon from Acts 18 focused on how God helps His people stay the course when they are weary, discouraged, or tempted to quit. After years of hardship, opposition, and exhausting travel, Paul arrived in Corinth worn down, yet God strengthened him through five key means: community (Aquila and Priscilla), timely encouragement (new believers coming to faith), divine assurance ("Do not be afraid, for I am with you"), unexpected provision (Gallio protecting the church), and a renewed sense of mission. The sermon emphasized that God often sustains us through relationships, small victories, His Word, and circumstances we never would have planned ourselves. Pastor Troy reminded the church not to overlook the importance of deep spiritual friendships and godly partnerships that help us endure difficult seasons. He also highlighted that God's work continues beyond any one person, as seen when leaders like Apollos carried forward the ministry Paul began. The central takeaway was that endurance in the Christian life comes from trusting that God's mission belongs to Him, not us — and He always provides what we need to keep moving forward.

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If you've ever wondered what the best way might be to share your faith and defend it in the modern world, it might help to look at past examples.In the Bible, the husband-and-wife team of Priscilla and Aquila shared Christ with Apollos, who would become a famous early evangelist. In colonial England, the abolitionist William Wilberforce shamed his own government into freeing slaves.Jude 1:3 says, “Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.”Today more than ever, it's truly important that Christians prepare to defend our faith. The world is hurting and dying. People the world over desperately need the love of Christ, and they will have questions. They might wonder about the divinity of Jesus, or ask you specifically how to be saved.You should be ready to answer, and do so with a heart full of love and compassion. And don't be afraid to be bold!Let's pray.Lord, give us a spirit of courage in this chaotic world. Help us to love as you love. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

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While the unity of believers is stressed throughout the New Testament, division has often stymied the growth of the church and the fellowship of Christians, and the beginning verses of I Corinthians chapter three tell us of two areas that fueled those divisions. Join Dr. James Boice next time on The Bible Study Hour as he looks at carnal Christianity and whether some believers are “more saved” than others. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29?v=20251111

Apollos speaks authentically about Jesus, but he humbly accepts further instruction from Priscilla and Aquila. (Lectionary #296) May 16, 2026 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

It has never been easier to consume someone else's faith. With a podcast in our ears, a devotional feed on our phones, and a favorite teacher's voice filling our commute, we can absorb an enormous amount of Christian content without ever spending quiet, personal time with God ourselves. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, our spiritual lives begin to look less like deep-rooted plants and more like transplanted flowers — imported from someone else's garden, struggling to survive in soil that was never their own. Paul saw this same tendency in the church at Corinth. Believers were forming camps around their favorite teachers — Paul, Apollos, Cephas — as though the worker was responsible for the growth. Paul was quick to correct them: the teachers were only servants. God was the One making things grow. And the only foundation that could ever truly hold was Jesus Christ Himself. That warning speaks directly into our age of faith influencers, online pastors, and Christian celebrities. Their insights can be genuinely helpful — but they cannot replace what only a personal relationship with Jesus can give. Second-hand faith will only take us so far. If we want to thrive rather than wither, we need roots that go all the way down into Christ Himself — the One who died to give us life, and in whom alone we are invited to truly boast. Interested in creating something new with us!? Take Our Newsletter Survey! Bible Verse "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." — 1 Corinthians 3:11, NIV Ponder Today Consuming Christian content is not the same as communing with Christ — no teacher, pastor, or influencer, however gifted, can substitute for a personal and growing relationship with Jesus. Paul's warning to the Corinthians applies directly to us today — when we align ourselves too closely with a human worker, we risk placing our trust in the servant rather than the One who causes all growth. Second-hand faith — borrowed from the experiences and practices of those we admire — will eventually begin to wither, because it was never rooted in our own encounter with the living God. Teachers, authors, and pastors can be genuinely helpful tools in our growth, but they are only ever planting seeds or watering — God alone is the One who makes things grow. Jesus Christ is the only foundation that can hold — His death and resurrection are not just the starting point of our faith, they are the center around which everything else must be built. Today's Prayer Lord, I confess that I sometimes spend more time listening to what others say about You than I do communing with You personally. As helpful as many teachers and pastors are, their words are not what bring true growth — only You deserve that glory. When I am tempted to build my faith around a favorite voice rather than around You, redirect my heart. Remind me that You are the reason I am saved, the foundation that cannot be moved, and the only One in whom I should boast. Deepen my roots in You, Lord, so that my faith is my own — grown in the soil of a real and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In His name, Amen. Enjoy Today's Prayer? If this episode encouraged you, we'd love to stay connected! Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and faith-filled content delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss an episode — subscribe and share with someone who needs encouragement today. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.