Podcasts about apostle paul

Authentic ministry starts with a servant’s mindset, and Christians searching for purpose will find it in action—zeal for good works is a mark of discipleship, not a pastoral job description. John 12:26 frames service as the pathway to honor from the Father, reminding believers that following Christ means stepping into everyday ministry, wherever life places your feet. Highlights Ministry simply means “to serve,” and every follower of Christ is called into it. Jesus modeled servant leadership as the Servant King—service is imitation before function. The call isn’t to become a pastor, but to live like Jesus. Daily surrender (“die daily”) is less dramatic and more incremental—small yeses, repeated. Excuses shrink when identity grows: you serve because you are His, not to become enough. Service is worship when done in the Spirit’s power, not self-reliant hustle mode. Zealous good works expand your reach for God’s Kingdom—overflow comes after outpour. Gift Inspiration: Crosswalk's Holiday Gift Guide Looking for a meaningful way to celebrate the season? Check out our Holiday Gift Guide—from beautifully illustrated Bibles and devotionals to novels, greeting cards, and picture books, there’s something for everyone on your list. Wrap up stories for loved ones, tuck a book into your own nightstand, and join us in celebrating the wonder of giving this Christmas! Full Transcript Below: Zealous for Good Works By: Emily Rose Massey Bible Reading: “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26, ESV). “Ministry” is from the Greek word diakoneo, meaning “to serve.” At my church, our elders believe that every member of God’s Church is a minister, so obviously that would mean that every believer is called to serve- serve Jesus and serve His Body. Jesus was the servant of all. In fact, He was the Servant King. Christ shares in the gospel of John the importance of serving and following Him as He serves others. “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26, ESV). Jesus asks us as Christians to lay our lives down continually, denying our wants and desires, or as the Apostle Paul said to do, “die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Do we know how to do that? Intersecting Life & Faith: It is human nature to seek after what our hearts and flesh crave, but we do not have to give in to that kind of nature, for we have a new nature in Christ Jesus (Colossians 3:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:24). Some people have wrong thoughts about God and service, perhaps believing their service doesn’t matter because others have it taken care of. Or perhaps they see pastors as the ones who are qualified for service and ministry, so they don’t need to join in. But we are all priests to our God (1 Peter 2:9)! When we put our hands to the plow, so to speak, in ministry, we are worshiping God. Those who are saved by Christ will eagerly and joyfully serve Christ and His people. We have been clothed in Christ’s righteousness to match Him and follow Him. What clothes are you wearing- the world’s or Christ’s? No matter the excuse or wrong thinking regarding ministry and service, we can ask God to help us see the importance of serving the Lord and others. The Holy Spirit empowers us to set aside our selfishness and learn how to be selfless like Jesus, preferring others above ourselves. That kind of lifestyle starts in the mind, in the way we think, as we learn to think of ourselves less and look for ways to put others first. The Lord promises that the Father will honor the one who serves Christ by serving His people. As we learn to prefer others above ourselves, the Lord fills us with His love to the overflow to reach more people for His Kingdom. He will give us zeal for ministry. God is selfless, humble, gracious, and merciful, and as His children, He asks us to follow His example. We cannot do that in our own strength. The Holy Spirit will empower you, and with His grace, to be able to deny your own desires and selfish ambitions. We need God’s help to prefer others above ourselves. God’s Word transforms our minds so that we can learn how to think less of ourselves and seek to serve God and His people. Let us ask God to help us value the call to serve so we can look more like Him, ministering to whoever He puts in front of our path. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this episode of The Illuminated Woman, we're diving deep into 1 Timothy chapters 1–3 — and what they reveal about living a sincere, Spirit-led life in a culture obsessed with visibility, influence, and spiritual performance. Whether you've had a platform or simply lead in your home, this message is for the woman who longs to walk in quiet strength, spiritual maturity, and God-honoring purpose.I share how the Apostle Paul's letter to Timothy speaks to modern women navigating curated social media feeds, charismatic false teachers, and the confusion of “truths” offered by New Age and self-help movements. We explore modesty, character, reverence, and why God's design for women isn't outdated — it's a call to something deeper, freer, and more beautiful.If you've ever felt unseen, misunderstood, or unsure where you fit in the church… or if you've been disillusioned by loud voices that lacked love — this episode will meet you right where you are and remind you that sincere faith still matters.What you'll learn in this episode:Why sound doctrine is an act of loveWhat modesty truly means (hint: it's about the posture of your heart, not just your clothing)The seductive influence of the Artemis cult in Ephesus — and its eerie parallels with modern-day feminine “spirituality”Why “good works” don't earn you salvation but reveal who you're walking withWhat Biblical leadership really looks like — even if you're never on a stageHow sincere women are the backbone of the church — not just the ones with microphonesWhy intercession matters and how to stand in the gap through prayerA redemptive reframing of passages often used to silence or shame women*Note* I misspoke at one point. I referenced 1 Timothy 3:13 when I meant to reference 1 Timothy 3:15. The Illuminated Connection Call is a free conversation where we talk heart to heart—no pressure, no agenda. I'd love to hear what's on your heart, where you are in your life and spiritual journey, and what you're sensing God may be stirring in you. Whether you're just beginning to question the New Age path, exploring Biblical truth, are already living a God-led life, or simply feeling lost and unsure—this space is for you. Schedule through this link.

2 Timothy is the second of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 2 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!   LINKS:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

On today's broadcast we will hear the Apostle Paul's testimony and defense before the Jews. Acts chapter twenty-two contains these amazing and forceful words. We find Paul finally given his long awaited opportunity to share Jesus with his fellow countrymen, the Jews. And isn't it instructive that he does so with his testimony. 

The prophet's message in verses 18-20 finished on a high point with the prophet's reminder of Yahweh's steadfast love (chesed) and compassion. Read these verses aloud slowly. Pause and ponder.James 3 continues in a practical vein with the issues we all have in controlling our tongues. He says that teachers have a stricter responsibility, as our words will be discounted by our inconsistent conduct and speech. The only man to have perfectly controlled his tongue was our Lord Jesus Christ. In verses 3-4 two examples of small things controlling great things - the horse is controlled by a small bit in its mouth; and a ship is directed by a small rudder. The tongue is small, but seemingly uncontrollable - a small spark sets a forest ablaze; and likewise, a tiny bit of gossip creates untold havoc. How perverse we are. We praise and thank God, and, with the same tongue slander those made by God in His image. This is contrary to nature as the two examples of verses 11-12 illustrate. Verses 13-18 describe and counsel the use of heavenly wisdom. Wisdom and understanding are demonstrated by meekness (teachableness) - see Psalm 18verses20-28; 25verses1-9). Strife and bitterness, by contrast, come from self-promotion. Although purity proceeds peace (see 2 Kings 9verses19; Isaiah 57verses19-21), this is never an invitation to pummel people into submission. Read verses 17-18 aloud slowly. Pause and ponder. At the end of chapter 3 we saw one cause of strife was self-promotion; in chapter 4 he names several more. Chapter 4 warns against worldliness. He deals with covetousness in the first three verses. A covetous person has no room in their life for God. Interestingly the 10 commandments stand and finish with covetousness - the first, "You shall have no gods before me" (a person's possessions possess them); and the tenth, "You shall not covet".Hence Paul says in Colossians 3verses5, "Covetousness, which is idolatry". Hence covetousness is likened to adultery (chapter 4verses4-5). The jealousy of God for the purity and chastity of believers is captured by the ESV translation of verse 5, "He yearns zealously over the spirit (mind, or attitude) that He has made to dwell in us". Compare this with what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11verses2-3. The literal Greek of verse 4 is, "adulteresses" (since God is our groom). But for those who graciously submit and draw near to our Father He will show reciprocity in drawing near to them (see 1 Peter 5verses5-11). Humility now will bring future exaltation (compare our Lord Jesus Christ in Philippians 2 verses 1-11). The humble disciple is not one who critically compares oneself with others. From verses 13-17 James reminds us of our vain and transient nature. Therefore, he says, boasting is wrong. All plans we make are "God willing" (subject to His purpose for us). Should we focus on covetousness we have excluded Him from those plans. What we have has been given to us by Him to use in His service. Life is no more permanent than the vapour from the boiling kettle. Don't be arrogant. Place God at the forefront of all your plans.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

Series: The Heart of Worship — Part 2Episode Title: To Know HIM — Part 1Tonight, we continue our journey into The Heart of Worship. Worship is more than a song, it is a divine exchange between our hearts and the heart of God. In this message, we learn that God uses every testimony, every trial, and every moment of surrender to reveal more of Himself to us.Drawing from the Apostle Paul's bold declaration in Philippians 3:10 “That I may know Him…”  we press deeper into what it means to truly know God: His goodness, His majesty, His splendor, and His loving faithfulness. We look at the example of Moses who longed for God's presence and was given a glimpse of His glory. And we're reminded that through Christ, we are not only forgiven, we are invited to draw near to the King of glory Himself.Get ready for a word that will stir your faith, ignite your worship, and increase your hunger for Him. Because life with Jesus is a press, from faith to faith, glory to glory, and victory to victory!Welcome to “The Heart of Worship: To Know HIM.”Let's press into His presence, together.

2 Timothy is the second of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 2 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!  -------  Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Welcome to the Podcast of Southwest Bible Fellowship in Tempe, Arizona. WHO ARE WE? • We are a group of people who are committed to living the grace life as set forth by the apostle of the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul. • We come together to study our Bibles, and yes, we believe we have God's perfect Word in the King James Bible. It and it alone is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice! • We do not come together and study our Bibles for the intent of being smarter than others. We understand that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is purely vain and serves no Godly purpose. • We do come together and study our Bibles for the intent of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection. (Philippians 3:10) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that we have been crucified with Christ; nevertheless we live; yet not us, but Christ liveth in us: and the life which we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. (Galatians 2:20) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that because Jesus Christ shed His blood for us and we should not live for ourselves but for Him, who died for us and rose again. (2 Cor. 5:15) • We do not claim to have attained to these lofty goals, but we press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14) You can donate to this ministry through www.butnow.org and the PayPal button on the homepage.

Welcome to the Podcast of Southwest Bible Fellowship in Tempe, Arizona. WHO ARE WE? • We are a group of people who are committed to living the grace life as set forth by the apostle of the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul. • We come together to study our Bibles, and yes, we believe we have God's perfect Word in the King James Bible. It and it alone is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice! • We do not come together and study our Bibles for the intent of being smarter than others. We understand that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is purely vain and serves no Godly purpose. • We do come together and study our Bibles for the intent of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection. (Philippians 3:10) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that we have been crucified with Christ; nevertheless we live; yet not us, but Christ liveth in us: and the life which we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. (Galatians 2:20) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that because Jesus Christ shed His blood for us and we should not live for ourselves but for Him, who died for us and rose again. (2 Cor. 5:15) • We do not claim to have attained to these lofty goals, but we press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14) You can donate to this ministry through www.butnow.org and the PayPal button on the homepage.

2 Timothy is the second of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 2 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!  -------  Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Building Tomorrow Through Today's Tasks #RTTBROS #Nightlight"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." — Colossians 3:23You know, as a dad to nine kids and a foster parent to many more over the years, I've watched this pattern play out more times than I can count. Kids rolling their eyes at chores, convinced it's just meaningless busy work. But here's what I've learned, and I'm too soon old and too late smart on this one: the way we do the things we have to do prepares us for the things we want to do later.There's a beautiful story about a young missionary named Jim Elliot. Before he went to Ecuador to reach the Auca Indians, before he became known worldwide for his martyrdom, he was just a college student. His roommates remembered him as the guy who made his bed with military precision every single morning, who kept his side of the room spotless, who showed up early to everything. One friend asked him why he was so particular about such small things. Jim's answer was simple: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."You see, Jim understood something profound. Those mundane morning routines weren't just about a tidy room. They were training ground for discipline, faithfulness in small things, doing what needed to be done whether he felt like it or not. When he stood before those Auca warriors years later, the character that held him steady in that moment had been forged in a hundred ordinary mornings of making his bed when he'd rather have slept in.The Apostle Paul put it this way: "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23). Notice he didn't say "whatever great things you do" or "whatever ministry tasks you accomplish." He said whatsoever, whatever you do. That includes the dishes, the laundry, the homework, the job you don't particularly like, the task that feels beneath you.Here's the thing we miss: God uses the ordinary to prepare us for the extraordinary. David wasn't fighting bears in the wilderness for fun, he was protecting his father's sheep. But every time he defended those sheep, he was developing the courage and faith he'd need to face Goliath. Joseph wasn't trying to become prime minister of Egypt when he faithfully managed Potiphar's household, but God was preparing him for exactly that.The skills you develop in doing well what you have to do today become the foundation for what you'll want to do tomorrow. So whatever's in front of you today, whatever task feels mundane or meaningless, do it heartily, as unto the Lord. Because history is just His story, and He's writing your character in the margins of ordinary days.Let's pray: Father, help us see today's tasks not as interruptions but as training ground. Give us the grace to be faithful in small things, knowing You're preparing us for greater things. In Jesus' name, Amen.#Faith #Character #DailyDevotion #ChristianLiving #Faithfulness #BiblicalWisdom #SpiritualGrowth #RTTBROS #NightlightBe sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe—it helps get the word out.https://linktr.ee/rttbros

Alreadywe talked about the office of apostleship. Thespiritual gift and office of evangelists means that these are those in thechurch who “bear the good news”. That's what evangelist means. “Evangel”, “Abearer of good news”. Someone who takes the good news of the salvation that'savailable through Jesus Christ to the world that's lost and dying and on itsway into an endless eternity to a terrible place called hell. This gift iscrucial to the outreach and expansion of the church.  As I have looked at this passage and thoughtabout the spiritual gifting of the church, I want to remind you every gift, those17 gifts that were given to the baby church, that listed in Romans 12, 1Corinthians 12-14, and here in Ephesians 4, were all necessary for the localchurch, so that it could be a healthy and growing church that fellowships, thatworships, that evangelizes, that disciples, that builds up one another,ministers and cares for one another and changes the culture and the world inwhich it's placed. Oh, how awesome that is.  Ipersonally believe that every believer has at least one primary gift. I believethese primary gifts are the seven that are listed in Romans 12. You have atleast one of those as your primary gift. But in some since we call all practicethe gift of serving, the gift of giving, the gift of ministering. We all canpractice most of the gifts, but we have that one primary gift.  Ithas also been very interesting to me that the way we look at things in thechurch, and respond to challenges that the church might have, will be based onthe spiritual giftedness that God has given to each one of us. But all thegifts are necessary. They are very necessary for the church to be a healthychurch. Every member exercising their particular gift. When you're exercisingyour gift, instead of wearing you out, there's something that energizes you,that frees you, that gives you fulfillment and contentment, and a sense ofpurpose in the church. It is vitally necessary and very important for you toknow your spiritual gift.  Whenwe look at spiritual gift and office of the evangelist, we might think ofpeople like Peter who on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, who preached and 3,000souls are saved. He is the main spokesman for the church in the early chaptersof Acts. He is sent to Cornelius in Acts 10 and wins the first Gentile to the Lord.We even think the Apostle Paul had must have had this gift of evangelism. Laterhe would write to the church at Corinth how, “some plant and some water, butGod gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7-8).  Paultold Timothy, who I believe had the gift of pastor, serving in the office ofpastor in many of the churches that Paul planted, and yet he told him do thework of an evangelist. In other words, all of us can be witnesses for JesusChrist. At the same time understanding and exercising our individual Spiritual gifts. Ithink of men in days past, like my dad, J. O. Grooms, D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday,Baily Smith, and Billy Graham, and today men like Rick Via and Steeven Kumar, whoobviously have that Spiritual gift, and fulfilled the office of evangelist, andhave been used to spread the Gospel around the world. We need these wonderfulmen of God as they go forth, and they bring new believers into the Kingdom.Then the pastors and teachers come in, and disciple and grow them. What awonderful thing it is to see God functioning and working through the localchurch of believers to glorify His son Jesus Christ.  Whata wonderful passage of scripture reminding us that each of us has a place inthe church. May the Lord help us to discover our spiritual gifts, and then alsoexercise them today in the body of Christ. Godbless!

2 Timothy is the second of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 2 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!  -------  Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Discover why the gospel is more than just your entry point into Christianity in this powerful exploration of 1 Corinthians 15. Learn how the Apostle Paul reveals three crucial dimensions of the gospel in every believer's life and why even mature Christians need constant gospel reminders. This message explores the true meaning of salvation, sanctification, and the ongoing work of Christ in our lives. Understand what it means to hold fast to the gospel and why Paul calls it of first importance above all other Christian doctrines. Get a clear, biblical definition of the gospel message including Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, plus discover the overwhelming eyewitness evidence for the resurrection that convinced early Christians to die for their faith. Learn from Paul's dramatic conversion story how God can transform anyone's past, no matter how dark, into a powerful testimony of grace and redemption. This teaching addresses common misconceptions about Christian maturity and challenges believers to live in the gospel's present reality rather than just its memory. Perfect for anyone seeking to understand the foundation of Christian faith, the nature of salvation, or how to apply gospel truth to daily life. Whether you're a new believer or have been following Christ for years, this message will deepen your appreciation for the gospel's ongoing work in your life and equip you to share it clearly with others.

It's Thursday, December 4th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark European country of Monaco expelled Swiss evangelist Evangelical Focus reports officials in Monaco recently detained and then expelled a Swiss evangelist without much explanation. Monaco is a sovereign city-state in Western Europe, bordered by France to the north, east, and west, with the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Stephan Maag has shared the gospel on streets across 28 European countries. He's known for carrying an 80-pound collapsible cross, generating conversations about Jesus. His evangelistic walks were well-received until he visited Monaco, a microstate in south-eastern France. Police detained Maag, telling him what he was doing was not allowed there. They even told him his cross was too big! The evangelist said, “Nothing like this has ever happened to us in Europe.” In Romans 1:16, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” Germany beefs up security for iconic Christmas markets German cities are tightening security in preparation for opening their iconic Christmas markets this year. Renardo Schlegelmilch with Germany's largest Catholic radio station said, “There are more than 3,000 Christmas markets every year in Germany, with around 170 million visitors — more than twice the population of the country. They set the tone of Advent, even for people who are not active in the Church.” The security cost for this centuries-old tradition has skyrocketed in recent years. Security concerns have risen since 2016 when an Islamic extremist drove a truck into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people. Mississippi evangelist makes case before Supreme Court The U.S. Supreme Court heard a case involving a Mississippi evangelist yesterday. Gabriel Olivier is an evangelical Christian who desires to share his faith with others. However, the City of Brandon, Mississippi passed an ordinance to effectively silence his evangelism. Lower courts sided with the city. Now, First Liberty Institute is representing Gabriel before the U.S. Supreme Court. The group noted, “Gabe's case could overturn decades of bad precedent in the lower courts. A clarifying opinion from the Supreme Court will bolster the rights and religious freedom of millions.” More U.S. soldiers identify with Christ while U.S. more secular U.S. military members are becoming more religious even as America becomes more secular. That's according to a study by Ryan Burge, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis. The study compared 18- to 45-year-olds in the military and outside the military. Members of the military are more likely to identify as Christians than the rest of the population. Military members are also more likely than civilians to attend church. And church attendance in the military has actually increased over the past 12 years. U.S. military abortions are down The Dallas Express reports that military abortions are down to their lowest level in five years. The military's TRICARE health service program covered five abortions this year as of June, down from 49 abortions in 2021.  This follows efforts by President Donald Trump to cancel abortion-related policies.  Although taxpayer-funded abortions at military facilities are down, the general use of medication-induced abortions has skyrocketed in recent years. Republicans won Tennessee special House of Reps. election The Grand Old Party won the special election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District on Tuesday.  Republican Matt Van Epps beat Democrat Aftyn Behn by nine percentage points with 53.9% of the vote, reports the Nashville Banner. The victory means Republicans will have a 220-213 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Listen to comments from Epps, thanking God and his supporters for the victory. EPPS: “We did it. Thank you all. This is just an incredible win. Tonight, you've sent a message, loud and clear. The people of Middle Tennessee stand with President Donald J. Trump. First and foremost, I want to thank God for His guidance and grace every step of the way.” Martyred U.S. medical missionary in Congo featured on Time in 1964 And finally, medical missionary Paul Carlson appeared on the covers of Time Magazine and Life Magazine on December 4, 1964, sixty-one years ago today. The successful doctor left a comfortable life in California to be a missionary in Africa. Carlson arrived in the Congo with his wife and two children in 1963. He continued to care for people despite political unrest. However, communist-inspired rebels eventually arrested him and falsely accused him of being an American spy. On November 24, 1964, the rebels opened fire on a group of prisoners, including Carlson. He died helping other prisoners escape the onslaught. Carlson's wife, Lois, carried on her husband's work, supporting medical care and education in the area. His tombstone bears this inscription from John 15:13, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, December 4th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Delve into Psalm 19, where King David eloquently describes how the heavens declare God's glory and His word revives the soul. Discover the power of biblically informed persuasion as we examine the Apostle Paul's missionary journeys through Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. Learn how Paul skillfully used both nature and Scripture to share the Gospel, adapting his approach for different audiences. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

1 Timothy is the first of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 1 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!  Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Welcome to the Podcast of Southwest Bible Fellowship in Tempe, Arizona. WHO ARE WE? • We are a group of people who are committed to living the grace life as set forth by the apostle of the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul. • We come together to study our Bibles, and yes, we believe we have God's perfect Word in the King James Bible. It and it alone is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice! • We do not come together and study our Bibles for the intent of being smarter than others. We understand that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is purely vain and serves no Godly purpose. • We do come together and study our Bibles for the intent of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection. (Philippians 3:10) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that we have been crucified with Christ; nevertheless we live; yet not us, but Christ liveth in us: and the life which we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. (Galatians 2:20) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that because Jesus Christ shed His blood for us and we should not live for ourselves but for Him, who died for us and rose again. (2 Cor. 5:15) • We do not claim to have attained to these lofty goals, but we press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14) You can donate to this ministry through www.butnow.org and the PayPal button on the homepage.

It doesn't take a degree in rocket science to see that there's been a decline in parental sideline behavior over the course of the last few years. I recently watched a viral video where a referee had to stop a girls' soccer game to address a parent who was allegedly heckling him over his calls. The video caught him saying this: “Do I look like I should be doing seven games in twenty-four hours. No I don't. You know why I'm doing seven games in twenty-four hours? Because there are fewer and fewer people who are willing to do this. Do you understand that? And most of the time people that are unwilling to do it is because of you people.” He ended with this: “So why don't you just grow up.” Parents we need to take seriously the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans twelve eighteen: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Are allowing the good gift of youth sports to become an idol in your life? If so, take steps to change your priorities!

1 Timothy is the first of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 1 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!  Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal  Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

The Apostle Paul, writing from prison in Philippi 1:7–8, expresses deep joy and affection for believers who share in the work of the gospel. Despite hardship, his confidence and gratitude reveal a fellowship rooted in Christ. This episode explores spiritual joy as a gift of the Holy Spirit, the enduring bond of Christian fellowship, and how Christly affection sustains believers beyond circumstances.

1 Timothy is the first of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 1 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!   Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal  Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Join Southwest Radio Ministries on 'Watchman on the Wall' as Dr. Kenneth Hill and Larry Stamm discuss effective ways to share your faith boldly. In this episode, they explore insights from Larry Stamm's book, 'Live Out Loud: Witnessing Wisdom from the Apostle Paul.' Learn about the importance of living out your faith, facing opposition with spiritual resources, and the power of prayer in evangelism. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on faith, perseverance, and courage to proclaim the gospel.

On the broadcast today we meet up with the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter twenty, and he's convening a pastor's conference of sorts. Paul gathers the elders of the Church and encourages them in their calling. Perhaps you need some encouragement in your calling - we all do from time to time.

This week we are concluding our series in the book of Acts as Pastor Alex preaches a sermon centered on Acts 28:11-31. In his sermon, Pastor Alex shows us how, like the Apostle Paul, we too must be faithful to proclaim the gospel to the world. Regardless of how others respond to our gospel call, we must remain steadfast, trusting God for the results.

When you go on vacation, you’re intentional about what you pack in your suitcase. When people want to slim down or bulk up, they’re intentional about what they put into their bodies. When we want to relax, or focus, or put our brains on auto-pilot, we intentionally choose content to help us achieve our mental goal. This week in our series Unshakable, the Apostle Paul teaches us how to curate our thoughts so Jesus can form our inner voices in his image.

How many resurrections are there? It’s an intriguing question and the answer is even more intriguing. Michael Rood explains, in detail, how the end-time resurrection sequence unfolds in the Book of the Revelation, thanks to the teaching of a celebrated ancient Pharisee-turned-believer we know as the Apostle Paul. Join this channel to get access to perks: / @aroodawakening Watch more on the Michael Rood TV App! https://bit.ly/2X9oN9h Join us on ANY social media platform! https://aroodawakening.tv/community/s... Your Donation keeps these videos going! Thank you! https://aroodawakening.tv/donate/ Support us by visiting our store! https://roodstore.com/ Support us with purchases on Amazon!* https://amzn.to/3pJu9cC Have Questions? Ask us Here! https://aroodawakening.tv/support/con... "PLEASE NOTE: This is an affiliate link. This means that, at zero cost to you, A Rood Awakening! International will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Timothy is the first of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 1 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!   Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

In this episode of Being Human, Lisa Cuss explores how anxiety and stress push us outside our God-given window of tolerance. With monthly co-host Clarissa Moll, Lisa unpacks how the nervous system reacts to overwhelm, the difference between hyperarousal and hypoarousal, and practical tools for grounding, breath prayers, embodied faith, and reconnecting with God's presence. This conversation on emotional health, trauma, and Christian spiritual formation can help you stay rooted in God's presence, reduce reactivity, and remain human-sized in stressful situations. Episode Resources: Learn about Dr. Daniel Siegel's work Learn more about the Window of Tolerance  How to recognize Hyper arousal and Hypo arousal  30 30 Grounding Techniques to Quiet Distressing Thoughts Book recommendations on the Apostle Paul and His work as community Builder Read John 1:14 (ESV) Mark 12:28-31 (ESV) More From Clarissa Moll: Clarissa Moll's The Bulletin podcast Explore Clarissa Moll's website Read Clarissa Moll's substack Sign up for Steve's Newsletter & Podcast Reminders: Capable Life Newsletter New Candles, Advent Prayers, and Journals: https://www.stevecusswords.com/ Join Steve at an upcoming intensive:  Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Success in life, especially for the Christian, involves perseverance, faith and staying on course. The life of the Apostle Paul reflects these qualities, and so we'll look today at Acts chapters nineteen and twenty.  Paul was a single-minded man after his conversion. His single motivation was Jesus Christ.

True contentment isn't found in having more, but in finding satisfaction in Christ alone. The Apostle Paul, writing from prison, reveals that contentment must be learned through experience and intentional practice. Three main contentment killers destroy our peace: consumerism and materialism, comparison with others, and complaining with ingratitude. Instead of pursuing more possessions or circumstances, we can develop contentment by rejoicing daily with thanksgiving, replacing anxiety with prayer, and reordering our priorities around Christ. When we find true contentment in Jesus, it naturally overflows into generous living and open-handed giving to others.

I Corinthians 4:9-16 St. John 1:35-51 In this homily for the Feast of St. Andrew, Fr. Anthony contrasts the world's definition of success with the apostolic witness of sacrifice, humility, and courageous love. Drawing on St. Paul's admonition to the Corinthians, he calls Christians to recover the reverence due to bishops and spiritual fathers, to reject the corrosive logic of social media, and to return to the ascetical path that forms us for theosis. St. Andrew and St. Paul's lives reveals that true honor is found not in comfort or acclaim but in following Christ wherever He leads — even into suffering and martyrdom.  Enjoy the show! ---- St. Andrew Day, 2025 The Orthodox Church takes apostolic succession very seriously; the preservation of "the faith passed on to the apostles" is maintained by the physicality of the ordination of bishops by bishops, all of who can trace the history of the ordination of the bishops who ordained them back to one or more of the apostles themselves.  You probably already new that.  But there is another part of that respect for the apostles that you may not know of: the ranking of autocephalist (i.e. independent) national Churches.  The Canons (especially those of the Council of Trullo) give prominence to the five ancient patriarchates of Rome (Sts. Peter and Paul), Constantinople (St. Andrew), Alexandria (St. Mark), Antioch (St. Paul), and Jerusalem (St. James).   St. Andrew travelled into dangerous barbarian lands to spread the Gospel, to include the Middle East, and, most notably, then North to the lands around the Black Sea; Ankara and Edessa to the south of the Black Sea in what is now Turkey, to the East of the Black Sea into the Caucuses, and up to the North of the Black Sea to the Scythian lands into what is now Ukraine.  That was his first journey.  After this, he returned to Jerusalem and then went on his second journey to Antioch, back up into the Caucasus, out to the land of the dog-headed people in Central Asia, down through what is now Afghanistan to the Arabian Sea, and then back up through Persia and finally into Greece, where he was martyred. He sacrificed so much for the Gospel and brought so many souls to salvation through the Christ he himself knew, both before and after His glorious Resurrection.  His virtue and sacrificial service allow God's grace to flow into the world and he serves as the patron of several countries, cities, and all Christians who bear variations of His name such as Andrew, Andrei, and Andrea. As Orthodox Christians, we should know his story, ask for his intercession, and imitate his witness.  And everyone, whether Christian or not, should respect his virtue.  But does it?  Does it even respect virtue?  Do we? As Saint Paul points out in today's Epistle, many of us do not.  And don't think the problem was just in Corinth; St. John Chrysostom's homilies on this epistle show that the people there were at least as guilty.  And that was in the center of Eastern Orthodoxy, during the time of alleged symphonia between the Church and State.  Should there be any doubt that we, too, allow the world to define the sorts of worldly things we should prioritize? After all … What is it that the world respects in a man?  What is it that the world respects in a woman?  Think for a second what it is that impresses you the most about the people you admire – perhaps even makes you jealous, wishing that you had managed to obtain the same things. I cannot read your minds, but if you are like most Americans, the list would certainly include: A long, healthy life, without chronic pain or major physical injury A life free of indictment, arrest, or imprisonment The respect, admiration, and popularity of their peers Money, a big house, a vacation house, and the ability to retire comfortably (and early) These are some of the things that many of you are either pleased to enjoy, regret not having obtained, or, if you are young, are currently striving for. The Apostles Andrew and Paul, gave up the possibility for all these things to follow Christ.  Not because they wanted to; not because God made them; they gave up the life of worldly comfort and respect because – in a culture and time as messed up as theirs was – this is the only Way to live a life of grace and to grow in love and perfection. A long, healthy life, without chronic pain or major physical injury? Nope – gave it up. A life free of indictment, arrest, or imprisonment? Nope – gave it up. The respect, admiration, and popularity of their peers? No again. Money, a big house, a vacation house, and the ability to retire comfortably (and early) I don't think so (unless a prison in Rome and martyrdom count!). Because St. Paul is writing as an Apostle, instructing a parish that he was called to lead, it is tempting to put his sacrifices into the category of "things that clergy do".  And clergy certainly should follow their example.  While my example is not so bright, you may know that I gave up a life of wealth, admiration, and the possibility of a comfortable retirement so that I could serve as a priest.  God has blessed that and protected me from harm, but the opportunity costs are real, nonetheless.   And while I am a pale shadow of him (and he of Christ), I, like the Apostle Paul, did these things not because I wanted to (I liked my life then!) and not because God made me, but because in a culture and time as messed up as ours is, such a life of simplicity and complete service to others is the only Way I can live a life of grace and to grow in love and towards perfection in Christ. I have made some sacrifices, but I know other clergymen who – in our time – have given up more.  Their entire lives given over to sacrificial servce to Christ.  Who have become experts in both academic theology and the real theology of constant prayer.  Who have and continue to lead their dioceses and Churches through such difficult times.  And yet, who, like St. Paul, are not only reviled by the world, but even by Orthodox Christians.  Yes, to paraphrase St. Paul, we are so smart and educated that we can criticize and heap piles of coal on their heads because we know so much more than they do – because they, like St. Paul, are fools.  We can trash-talk them on social media and applaud others who lead the charge against them because they are so weak and we are so strong. How long does it take for a Patriarch's priestly ministry to make him respectable in our sight?  For us to respect him, or at least to forebear him? It must be more than 55 years, based on the things I have heard and read us saying about Patriarch Kyrril who has been leading his Church and people through an incredibly difficult time, as he believes the West works to undermine his people's faith and traditional Christianity everywhere. It must also be more than 55 years, based on the things I have heard and read us saying about Patriarch Bartholomew, as he works amidst the persecution of the government in the place he lives to bring Christians and Christians who have long been divided into and towards the unity for which we pray daily and which our God desires us to work towards. It must be more than 42 years, based on the things I have heard and read us saying about our own Patriach John, who has seen his people and Church crucified and persecuted and who seeks to encourage the local authorities to protect the weak and the Church and people he serves (while leading the people he serves in the West to avoid the excesses of liberty).   I hope you feel the shame, if not your own personal shame for having participated in slandering and judging our bishops and patriarchs, then feel shame for seeing the world and those Orthodox Christians who are living by its rules attacking them and questioning their virtue. This is the same shame that St. Paul was trying to elicit in Corinth.  Do you feel the shame?  If not, then the world, probably through social media, has deadened your noetic senses.  It is time for repentance.   And like St. Paul, I have to tell you that – while few of you may be called to priestly or monastic service – all of us are called to reject those things that the world has led us to value, because all of these things are like barrier between us and the eternal joy and perfection we were called to enjoy. Listen to me, my brothers and sisters, as I repeat the words of St. Paul we so desperately need to hear:   "For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.  Therefore I urge you, imitate me."   We do not have St. Paul as our father, but we have one of his successors, Patriarch John, and those whom he has assigned to us, such as Metropolitan Saba, Bishop John, and even this, your unworthy servant.  Let's stop giving attention to those who attack Orthodox clerics and thereby sow division within the Church and undermine its witness to others. Let's give up our attachment to this world and its ways.  Let's give up everything worldly we love, follow Christ, and gain the things that are really worth our love, admiration, and sacrifice.

Send us a textWhat if death itself is destined to die? The Apostle Paul shows how the resurrection reveals a future so astounding it reshapes everything we do now.HOME | PLAN YOUR VISIT | BLOG | DIGITAL BULLETIN

Nowwe are looking at the unity that especially needs to be there because of thegifts of the Spirit which differ for individuals in the church. In the body ofChrist, the Church, we have different gifts, but we should still have unitybecause we need each other, with each other's Spiritual gifts to be built up inthe body of Jesus Christ. We're going to see that this is what Paul is talkingabout in these verses.  So,in these verses 7-11, Paul moves on from what all Christians have in common tohow Christians differ from each other. He's discussing the variety andindividuality within the unity of the Spirit because God has given eachbeliever at least two to three gifts. You find this taught in 1 Corinthians12:4-11: “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And thereare differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there arediversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. Butthe manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal…..Butall these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every manseverally as He will.” Didyou notice that the “Holy Spirit gives to each man severally as Hewills." I believe that's speaking of at least maybe two to threegifts. I believe we have one primary spiritual gift along with a few others. Ialso believe we can still all practice many of the Spiritual gifts such asserving, giving, faith, and so on. You find these Spiritual gifts listed inthree main passages in the New Testament: Romans 12; here in Ephesians 4, andalso in more detail in chapters 12 through 14 in 1 Corinthians. There you'llfind the list and the discussion of Spiritual gifts by the Apostle Paul tothese three churches: The church at Rome, the church at Ephesus and the churchat Corinth.  Rememberthat the church at Corinth was having major divisions over the use and purposeof Spiritual gifts. It is also very important that we understand from 1Corinthians 12 and from this Ephesians 4 passage of Scripture that the HolySpirit gave the gifts for the unity and the building up of the body. One of thebest definitions of a Spiritual gift I have found is that: A Spiritual Gift is aGod-given ability to serve God and other members in the church in such a waythat Christ is glorified and believers are edified. Which means when the giftsare being exercised properly in the Church, they build up the others as theybuild up the body of Christ.  Thisis what Paul really keys in on here in this passage before us. We'll be lookingat these verses the next few days and how we have a wonderful Christ Who hasgiven these gifts because He's “ascended”. The Holy Spirit has beengiven to the church. He is the “gift of the Spirit” (Acts 2:38-39). Youreceive this “Gift” at the moment of your salvation. But then there are the differentgifts of the Spirit that build up the body of Christ. You personally also receiveyour specific particular gifts at the moment of your salvation even though youmight discover them at a later time. This is what we will be studying overthese next few days.  Today,do you know what your Spiritual gifts are? Godbless!

Introduction: Humble Yourself: 4 Truths to Help You (1 Corinthians 4:1–13) Only GOD'S OPINION of me matters. (1 Cor 4:3–5) I've RECEIVED all that I HAVE. (1 Cor 4:6–8) God wants to SHOW everyone how I SUFFER. (1 Cor 4:9–13a) John 15:20 – Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you... 1 Peter 2:21–23 – For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. The WORLD thinks I'm SCUM. (1 Cor 4:13b) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 4:1-13What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Paul is once again admonishing them on their divisiveness over “who is the best minister”. Why do you think there is so much content on this subject in 1 Corinthians?How would you define humility? Why does the Bible say that you must “humble yourself”, i.e., that job is on you to do?In 1 Cor 4:6, Paul tells them not to “go beyond what is written”? What specifically does he mean by that? How does this principle apply to Bible study in general?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Good morning. My name is Jeff and let me tell you a little bit about myself.That's such an interesting thing, isn't it? Like, let me tell you a little bit about myself.Or when you ask somebody, "Hey, hey, tell me about yourself." It's an interesting thingbecause the first thing that comes out of their mouths is the thing that they want to be knownas, right? Or known for. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. Do you know where you see this a lot?Game shows, right? Let me tell you a little bit about myself. Or if you've ever watched Jeopardy,it's such a cringy moment. You know, they come back from commercial break and some of us remember AlexTrebek, who's the guy now? Ken Jennings, okay? Like, "All right, we're going to meet our contestantsand tell me a little bit about yourself." I'm always so fascinated with the way they identifythemselves, right? It's so fascinating because some are cool, but some are just really, reallyweird. And I'm like, "You're on TV and this is going to go to syndication and this is going to beseen by millions and this is what you came up with." You know what I'm talking about? Like, youknow, this is our challenger Bill. Tell us about yourself. And Bill's like, "Yeah, one time I showedup to work and I had my pants on backwards." "Oh, what'd you do?" "Well, I just kind of stepped intothe bathroom and turned him around." I was like, "Okay. All right, let's meet Glenda." And I'm like,"What was that? Let me tell you a little bit about myself. How do you want to be known?"Well, I was thinking about that a lot this past week as we get to 1 Corinthians chapter 4,because if the Apostle Paul was on Jeopardy and the host says, "All right, well, tell us a littlebit about yourself, Paul." I think we know exactly what he'd say, because it's here in 1 Corinthianschapter 4. Look at the first couple of verses. He says, "This is how one should regard usas servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is requiredof stewards that they be found trustworthy." Tell us a little bit about yourself, Paul. He goes,"Okay, I'm a slave of Jesus Christ." Actually, this word for servant in the Greek is "the lowest slave,"like bottom rank slave. And then he says, "Stewards, what's a steward?" Well, in those days,wealthy people would have someone who was like their house manager. They were in charge ofdistribution and spending and inventory. And you know who got that job? It was one of the slaves,still a slave. Why is he saying this? Well, we've seen throughout 1 Corinthians, the issue wasall of this exalting leaders, putting Paul and Apollo, Sisyphus up on pedestals and all thesefactions. And Paul here in 1 Corinthians is saying, "Look, look, look, you're regarding us as worldchangers. You're regarding us as these elite Christians. You're regarding us as celebritychurch planners." And Paul here is like, "Ah, here is how you should regard us."I'm a slave. That's it. I'm a slave.They had this terrible problem exalting the ministers, and it resulted in them exaltingthemselves. We've seen that. The pride with their alignment, like, "Yeah, I'm one of Paul's guys."Oh, yeah, that's nothing. I'm one of Apollo's guys. And they were proud of their alignment,and they had disdain towards others. Like, "Oh, you must be one of those Paul people."Paul here is saying, "Why are you making so much of us? We're just slaves. All we're trying to dois be trustworthy." That's it. We saw back in chapter, I'm sorry, verse 18, rather, in chapter 3,look back there. Paul says, "Let no one deceive himself."We are so self-deceived. And Paul's like, "Oh, Corinthians, you think you're so wise. You thinkyou have it all figured out. You think you're on the right team. You're so full of pride."Again, that's the issue. You looked down to verse 21 in chapter 3. Pastor Taylor covered this lastweek. He says, "So let no one boast in men." That shouldn't be happening. Not Paul, not Apollo's,not Jeff, not Taylor, not your favorite podcast or YouTube's preacher. We shouldn't be exalting anyone.And when we get to this section here in chapter 4, here's what we're going to see. Paul is giving atrue biblical assessment of himself. And he tells the Corinthians, "Look, you have to takean honest assessment of who we are, and, Corinthians, you have to take an honest assessment of yourselves."So here in this passage, Paul's going to be serving up some humble pie. All right? So,strap on your helmet. This isn't going to be a very comfortable message, because Paul's like, "Hey,stop with the pride. Stop exalting people. Stop exalting yourselves. Here's a reality check. Andharvest, we need a reality check." Because it's real easy for us to point to the Corinthians and belike, "Wow, look at all the pride they have. Look at all the problems they have." That's...Pride is in every one of us problem. You realize that. Every single human has a problem with pride,has a problem with self-exaltation. And it's real easy to do that in a church identity. It was forthe Corinthians, and it's easy for a harvest Bible chapel to begin to exalt ourselves.We can look at some of the nonsense that's happening around us in other churches ororganizations that call themselves churches. And it'd be real easy for us to say, "Well,we're the only ones that are faithful. We are more mature than the other Christians.I don't know what their problem is, but I follow this guy or I listen to this guy.That means I'm one of the smart ones. I'm one of the enlightened ones." Andit's real easy to get on the path of pride.That's what we're going to see in this passage of Bible telling us to humble ourselves.Like, "Hey, hey, knock it off. Stop thinking so much of yourself.You've got to humble yourself." You know, so much in God's Word, we see things that the Holy Spiritdoes in us and through us. Yes, but from what I've studied in God's Word, the command to humbleyourself, that's on you. And that'd be a whole other sermon series, but you and I are commanded.We are commanded to humble ourselves so we don't get carried away in our pride.Because humility is the number one characteristic that God's looking for in people. You're not goingto come to Jesus unless you're humble. You're not going to live a victorious Christian lifeunless you're humble. You're not going to have a fruitful ministry unless you're humble. If you'regoing to be humble, it's on you. So on your outline, I want you to jot some things down.Humble yourself. You're like, "Well, how do I do that?" Paul's like, "Well,here's four things that will help you do that." All right. So I hope you had a good Thanksgivingand I hope you're not too full because you're about to have four slices of humble pie.And I don't feel bad at all because I've had to eat this all week. All right.So pray for me and I'll pray for you. All right. Just pause for a second. Please pray for meas I pray for you. Father in heaven, as we come to your Word, let us not be deceiving ourselves.Every single one of us have this drive to put the spotlight on us, to make much of us,to think too much of ourselves. And Father, this passageis certainly going to give us the attitude that you've called us to have.Father, I pray through the wisdom of your Word, by the power of your Holy Spirit,that you would give us the faith to make the choices that we need to make, to humble ourselvesso we can see the greatness of Jesus Christ manifest in our lives.We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Humble yourself. Here's four truths that will help you.These are four statements that Paul made about himself and that we would commend to you tomake about yourself. Number one, only God's opinion of me matters. Only God's opinion of me matters.Look at verse 3. Paul says, "But with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by youor by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself." Now, quick review when we talk aboutjudge, that's like everybody's favorite verse in the Bible. "Don't judge, don't judge." It'severybody's favorite because they don't understand it. Judging does not mean like, "Hey, don't callme out on sin or you're judging me." That's not what that means. Judging doesn't mean that like,"I can be a jerk and I can't care what other people think of me because of my jerking. Just don't callme out." That's not what judging means at all. Actually, this word for judge in the Greek couldbe translated cross-examined. He's talking about people, listen, he's talking about people judgingyour walk with Christ. That's what he's talking about. Judging your, as he mentioned in verse 2,judging your trustworthiness. Some Bibles say faithful or faithfulness. That's what he's talkingabout. People judging your faithfulness, your trustworthiness. And well, what does that mean toyou, Paul? He says, "Well, that's a very small thing." And in the Greek, do you know what thatmeans? That means the smallest. Your opinion of my spiritual walk does not matter for bad or for good.It doesn't. Here's what I mean. After service, if I was a guest receptionand you walk by and you're like, "Jeff, I think you're a bad pastor."Like, well, sorry, I feel that way, but your opinion doesn't matter. And right now, there's some ofyou that are like, "Yes, I can get on board with that." Your opinion doesn't matter.That's not really my main concern, though. You know what the bigger danger is?It's the guy that walks your guest reception and says, "Jeff, I think you're a great pastor."That's the bigger danger, because then that stuff can start going to your head.Right? You can start to think, "You know what? Yeah, they're right. I am pretty awesome.They nailed it. Come back. Tell me more."But the reality is for bad or for good, the opinion doesn't matter.And that's where there's a danger. I've been talking about this with our ministry team andour conference speakers of these conferences coming up.Yeah, people's opinion of your trustworthiness, your faithfulness, doesn't matter good or bad.But watch out for the compliments, because they're much harder to dismiss becausethey're much easier to go to my head. Look at verse 4. Paul says, "For I'm not aware of anythingagainst myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me."See, Paul says, "What other people think of me doesn't really matter.Neither does what I even think of myself." It doesn't matter either.Right? You need to have the funeral.I realize I'm probably not as great as my grandma thinks I am.And I'm probably not as horrible as my critics think I am.Either way, it doesn't matter. Because a slave only cares about one thing.That's pleasing his master. Look at verse 5. He goes on,"For therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comeswho will bring delight to things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of theheart, then each one will receive his commendation from God." Okay, here's what he's driving at.At the end of the day, there's only one opinion that matters. Who's is it?God's, right? That's it. All that matters is what God thinks of me. He's going to make the final judgments.On your heart. Listen, this verse should knock every single one of us down a peg.Because you see what God's word is telling us? God sees what you do. Yes, yes, he does. Butmuch deeper than that. God sees why you do what you do. Your motives, your thoughts, what no oneelse knows, everything that you do in the dark, God is going to drag it to the light. Understandit with God. There are no secrets. You might have secrets from your family, you might have secretsfrom your spouse, you might have secrets from your boss, you might have secrets from your parents,but you do not have any secrets from God. So are you pretending? Are you pretending in yourwalk with Christ? Well, you might fool me, but it doesn't matter. You're an open book to God,and he's going to judge. Are you sincere? Like, look, I'm not perfect, but I'm sincere. I amsincerely seeking to know and honor the Lord. Jeff, I really am seeking to know the Lord.That's great because the Bible says someday you're going to receive your commendation.As far as humbling yourself, my friends, you will never humble yourself until you get to the placewhere only God's opinion of you matters. You've got to get there.Number two, not only do I need to reckon with only God's opinion of me matters. Number two,write this one down. I've received all that I have. I've received all that I have.Verse six, he says, "I have applied all these things to myself and apollos for your benefit,brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written,that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another." There is a lot going on inthat verse. All right, let's break it down here because this is so crucial in so many ways. Firstof all, he says, "I've applied all these things to me and apollos for your benefit." You're like,"I've applied what things?" Everything so far that he's been saying about pride and humility,all of this stuff. He goes, "I'm applying all of this to apollos and I for you." In other words,look, all this stuff that he's talking about, this isn't just a preacher thing and it's not just achurch member thing. This stuff about pride and humility, this is an all of us thing.You get that? He says, "Excuse me, we all need to learn not to go beyond what is written."Like, what does that mean? Listen, this is a principle that carries over in everything.You need to learn that you must not, excuse me, you must not go beyond what the Bible says.You must not go beyond what the Bible says.Like, well, what's he talking about? Here's his point. He's telling the Corinthians and he's tellingus harvests because they were exalting others and they had disdain for others and Paul's like,"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You need to view people only the way the Bible describes people."That's what he's saying. You need to view people only as the Bible describes. That's it.How does the Bible describe people? Every single one of us were born with a sin nature. We inheritedthat from Adam. The Bible says Adam brought sin into the world and he passed it on to his kids,he passed it on to his kids and he passed it on to us. We were born with a sin nature. We arerebellious against God by birth and by choice and we deserve hell. That's what the Bible says aboutpeople. But Jesus came, God in the flesh came, he died on the cross to take away our sins. Herose from the dead to give us the promise of eternal life and he has commanded us to turn from our sinand to believe in him. And when we do, the Bible says that you are born again. When you do the HolySpirit, God's Spirit Himself comes and empowers you to be who God called you to be. And every singleperson who is saved is saved that way. Spoiler alert. If you're going to heaven, you're going to hearthe same testimony a lot. Like, how'd you get here? Jesus! Look, how'd you get here? Jesus! I'mgoing to go ask this lady, how'd you get here? Jesus, you're going to hear that not a lot. You'regoing to hear that exclusively. Paul's point here is, look, you guys are all messed up aboutexalting people. Look, you need to have a biblical perspective of who we are. Don't go beyond that.Or, did you see that at the end of the verse? If you do, you will start exalting yourself, right?He says, you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. Go beyond what the Bible says,you're going to start having pride. You're going to start to think that you're better than others.And then Paul gives them the Dutch uncle. Look at verse 7.He says, he has three questions. Paul says, "For who sees anything different in you?"Like, we're all the same. The Bible describes this is who man is. And he goes,"Who sees anything different in you?" Like, what, you're something different?You're something special? You're a little snowflake?Like, all you're like, "I know what the Bible says, but I'm different. I'm special. Grandmathinks I'm special." He says, "Who sees anything different in you?" Like, what makes you thinkyou're so special? Right? Next question. What do you have that you do not receive?Get back to that in a second. What's that question, Marinette?What is it that you're in possession of that wasn't given to you?All right? Then he drives it home with this third question. He goes, "If then you received it,why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"Paul's like, "Why are you so fully yourselves? Anything and everything about you,you received that." I mean, think about that. Just think about that for a minute.That's true physically, right? Everything about you physically, you received thatgenetically from your parents.You know, occasionally, I'll meet somebody or whatever, and they're like, "How old are you?"I'm like, "Well, I'm 50." And people say, "Well, you look young for your age."And I say, "Have you been to the eye doctor lately?" No, I don't say that. I don't say that.I just smile and say thank you, or like, you know, I got good genes from my mom. But you know what I'mthinking when people say that? Like, that's very nice of you to say, but I contributed nothing to that.Like, this is what I got. That's just what I got. I received this. You're like, "I'm sorry." Well,I received this. This is what I got. This is what was given to me.You're like, "Well, doesn't that upset you?" It doesn't matter how I feel about it. This is what I got.This is the shade of my skin. This is as tall as I'm going to get. But that's true for you.Everything you have was given to you. But I don't really think that's Paul's mainpoint here. I think mainly he was talking spiritually, right? Everything that I havespiritually has been given to me. Salvation? How is a gift from God? God gave me that.What about spiritual giftedness? Where did I get that?The Holy Spirit. God gave me a spiritual gift. He gave you a spiritual gift that was given. That'swhy it's called a spiritual gift. He gave it to you, right? Oh, by the way, your talentsare given to you by God. You know, the Bible says those are given to you by God.You're natural, what we call natural talents. The Bible says those were given to you by God.Look that up. It's in Exodus.Everything about you has been given to you from God directly or from God through your parents.And you're like, not me. I work hard.Who gave you the ability to work hard?You see, why are you acting like you earned anything?And then Paul gets sarcastic with them. Look at verse 8.Obviously, dripping with sarcasm here, he goes, "Already, you have all you want.Already, you become rich. Without us, you would have become kings."That you did reign so that we might share the rule with you.You see the sarcasm? He's condemning their pride. He's like, "Oh, oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realizethat you were these spiritually elite and wise people. I didn't realize that youattained a level of spirituality all by yourselves. You didn't need us, Madam President.Oh, I beg your pardon for thinking different."What Paul's doing here is he's pulling them back down to earth. He's like, "You guys think you're sosuperior with your pride. Knock it off. Get off of your high horse. Stop it."Because everything you have has been given to you. How in the world can you boast about that?You know, just imagine this scenario. Imagine that five of our kids from Harvest Academy,imagine I gave them each a quarter. Like, "No, don't spend it all in one place."But I gave five kids a quarter. And as you're walking out church, you see the five of those kids.Those five kids are sitting at a table up here by Harvest Academy. And you stop and listen for asecond and they're all bragging. And one kid's like, "I got a quarter. I got a quarter. Lookhow awesome I am. I have a quarter." And then the little girl beside him is like, "I got a quarter.You think you're great. I got a quarter. I'm awesome. I got a quarter." And then the next kid's like,"I got a quarter." And like, wouldn't you be like, "What are you guys bragging about? Like, Jeff justgave you all a quarter. Like, how does that... Why are you so boastful?" And that's what Paul's sayinghere to the Corinthians. You're like a bunch of kids bragging because somebody gave each a quarter.Knock it off. We're all equal in God's eyes. And equal does not mean the same, but equal does meanequal. You're never going to humble yourself until you get to the place where you recognizeevery single thing that you have was given to you. All right? Humble yourself and here'sfour truths that will help you. Number three, this is a hard truth. All right?Number three is God wants to show everyone how I suffer.God wants to show everyone how I suffer. Pick up in verse 9. Paul says, "For I thinkthat God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death,because we have become a spectacle to the world to angels and to men." Paul says,"God put us on display." He says, "We're like the lowest people on the earth." You see the picturethere? Paul says, "You know what we're like? We're like men on death row being escorted to the electricchair while TV cameras all around recording us for the entire world to turn on the TV and watch us."Like, hey, look, there they go. Off to be killed. Look at them. Everybody watch.He says, "That's how God put us on display."And you see in verse 10, Paul gets back into some more sarcasm.He says, "We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong.You are held in honor, but we in disrepute."What's he talking about here? It's more sarcasm.See what Paul's saying? Paul's like, "We're out here suffering serving the Lord. We're out hereactually suffering and you're sitting in your little pews patting yourselves on the back."Like, what's going on? Like, well, suffering how? How are you suffering, Paul? Well, he tells usto the present hour, we hunger and thirst. We are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless.And we labor working with our own hands.What is there to brag about again?Paul's reminding them the following Christ means suffering.I don't really care what the health and wealth church down in the street says about that.And I don't really care what the prosperity preacher on TV says about that.All I care is what the Bible says about that. And do you know what the Bible says?The Bible says if you follow Christ, you are going to suffer.Jesus himself said this, John 15.20. Jesus said, "Remember the word that I said to you,a servant is not greater than his master." Jesus said that a bunch.A servant is not greater than his master. What are you saying, Lord? If they persecuted me,they will also persecute you. See what Jesus is saying?God allowed his only begotten Son to suffer. So you think as an adopted child of God thatyou're exempt from that? You think that because you're adopted that you get a pass on suffering?Listen, God doesn't keep you from suffering. He puts you on display in suffering.Why would He do that? Why in the world would God do that? Are you telling methat God is allowing me to suffer so everybody can watch me suffer? That's what He said.Like why would He do that? He tells us.Continuing verse 12 here, He says, "When reviled, we bless. When persecuted,we endure. When slandered, we entreat."So why in the world would God lead us to suffering?So God can show everyone who's watching how we suffer.So He talks here about being reviled and persecuted and slandered. Have you everseen worldly people react to those things all the time? Right? What does the world do whenthey're reviled or persecuted or slandered? The world reactions are on display everywhere.It's retaliation. It's temper tantrums. I'll get even with you. You can't do this to me.It's pity parties. And oh, what was me? And that's how the world reacts. Listen,God wants you to walk through the same kinds of suffering so that you can exhibit the life ofChrist. Do you realize how awesome this is? That God is going to allow you to suffer so the worldcan watch, so God can point to you and say, "Look at how my people suffer." Oh, you see how the worldsuffers and how they retaliate and how they're bitter and how they're angry. And look at my people.When they suffer, they reflect the character of my son.Look at my people. When they're reviled, they turn around and they look for ways to bless thepeople that hate them. Do you see my people do that? God says, "Look at my people." When they'repersecuted, they don't pack it up. They don't boohoo. I quit. I can't take it anymore. Look at my people.When my people are persecuted, they endure. They are not going to give up.God says, "Look at my people." When they're slandered,they don't slander back. They don't hate the people that speak negatively about them. God says,"Look at what my people do." They entreat. They're trying to reach the people that hate them withthe gospel of my son. Look at my people. This guy sounds familiar, doesn't it?Probably because Peter said something almost identical. Look at 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 21.Look at this. Same thing. Exact same truth. For to this, you have been called because Christalso suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might fall in His steps.Here's the example. Jesus committed no sin. Neither was deceit found in His mouth.When He was reviled, He did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten,but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.You're going to suffer. The only real question is, how are you going to suffer?Meaning, what is going to be your attitude during your suffering?You're going to lash out because your pride was hurt? You're going to humble yourselfand show them the example that Jesus gave you.But you'll never humble yourself until you understand that you are called to respond tosuffering like Jesus. One more slice of humble pie, are you full?You're like, you know what, Pastor Jeff, I think I'm just the right amount of humble.Can we sing and get out of here? There's one more.Number four, something to tell yourself when you start to think that you're so important.Number four, the world thinks I'm scum.Look at the last part of verse 13. We have becomeand are still like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.Yeah, we're scum. We're garbage. You know that. We are garbage people.To the lost, they think our message is foolishness. You realize that.You realize that to the lost, they would come in here and hear what we're doing,see what we're doing, and they would say, literally, what a bunch of morons.Look, if you're here for a little ego boost, I'd just like to remind you what the Bible says,you're trash. We're all just trash in the world's eyes.You know, when I was a kid, my dad used to say that he had this little saying that he said allthe time. And as a kid, I never understood what it meant. It was this, anytime somebody was actinguntowardly, somebody was acting like a hog or insulting you or being cruel towards you orspeaking perversely or anytime somebody was acting like that, my dad would just say,well, you got to consider the source. I never knew what that meant until I became an adult. Now I'mOh, I get what he's saying now. And I think that little saying of dad certainly applies here.It's like, hey, hey, you know, the world thinks you're scum.Now consider the source. The brilliant world crucified Jesus Christ.This world who was giving their opinion of me took God in the flesh and publicly executedhim in the most humiliating and painful way. All they think I'm scum, huh? Well,I guess I should just consider the source. You're never going to be popular with the world. If youfollow Christ, you're never going to be popular with the world. It's not going to happen. Theythink you're scum. And the truth is, I'm actually much worse than they think I am.I am. My sin is so bad it took the blood of the spotless Son of God to wash my sin away.That must mean my sin was pretty bad.So it takes us back to point one, right? God's opinion is really the only one that mattersanyways. But you're never going to humble yourself until you're okay with the world regarding youas scum. All right. So if our worship team would make their way back to the platform,I just want to leave you with this. If you're ever a contestant on jeopardy,not likely for most of us, or you start to think that you're pretty important,which is actually very likely for all of us, I'm going to give you your speech.When someone says, "So, tell me a little bit about yourself. If you want to be biblical,here's your speech." Like, my name is, I'm only here to please God. Everything I have has been givento me. God wants me to suffer so that the world can see Jesus. And the world thinks I'm scum.Tell me a little bit about yourself. Let's pray. Father in heaven, I just ask again that you woulduse your word to humble all of us. Our sin is so self-exalting, and we start tothink that we have things figured out, or we reached a level that other people should aspire towhen your word says that we should humble ourselves. Father, remind us of these truthsthat someday we're going to stand before you, and on that day,we will learn the truth that it is only your opinion that means anything.Increase our faith, Father. Give us the drive to humble ourselves. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Send us a textIn this continuation of the look at 1 Thessalonians, we are dealing with the position we have as the members of the Body of Christ. There is a clear distinction with the message given to the Apostle Paul.

In this episode the Apostle Peter describes one of the most dramatic encounters he had with Jesus when he and James and John were taken up a mountain one night by Jesus where they literally heard the voice of God declare that Jesus was the Son of the God! Yet he goes on to say that there is something even more persuasive for anyone — if they would open their hearts and accept it. The two New Testament epistles ascribed to the Apostle Peter are lesser known by most Christians than the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Some scholars believe that First Peter may have been written to young Christians and may have even served as a 'catechism' for those about to be water baptised. In this episode, we look at how Peter presents God as Father, Son, and Spirit, and how Christianity commences with becoming 'born again'. But this is not where Christianity ends - and that aged Apostle Peter gives instructions on how a new believer is to grow in the faith by exploring what the knowledge of God and HIs grace requires. For more Biblical teaching via podcast subscribe to Messages That Matters with Dr. Andrew Corbett on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/messages-that-matter-by-dr-andrew-corbett/id1059252114 For Biblical Thinking Resources - https://www.andrewcorbett.net/ Read “The Most Embarrassing Book in the Bible -understanding the Book of Revelation” on Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/MOST-EMBARRASSING-BOOK-BIBLE-ebook/dp/B0081RZ91O/ Read “Authentic Apostolic Leadership - Structure For the Church” https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Apostolic-Leadership-Structure-Church-ebook/dp/B003GIRESO/

Discover the life-changing secret to true contentment that our consumer culture doesn't want you to know. Learn why Black Friday deals, perfect family gatherings, and material possessions will never satisfy the deep hunger within your soul. This powerful message reveals the biblical truth about contentment that the Apostle Paul learned during his most challenging circumstances. Find out why consuming won't fill you, family won't complete you, and how to stop treating contentment like a recipe that requires the right ingredients. Explore Paul's prison letter to the Philippians where he shares the secret to remaining satisfied whether facing abundance or need. Understand how Christ becomes your ultimate source of strength and satisfaction, transforming your perspective on money, relationships, and life's challenges. Learn practical steps to shift from constantly seeking more to finding deep satisfaction in what you already have. Discover how true contentment creates a generous heart and impacts your relationships with others. This message includes inspiring stories of people who found contentment during history's darkest times, including a pastor who wrote hymns of gratitude while conducting thousands of funerals during a plague. Perfect for anyone struggling with comparison, materialism, financial stress, or feeling like nothing is ever enough.

1 Timothy is the first of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 1 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!   Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Welcome to the Podcast of Southwest Bible Fellowship in Tempe, Arizona. WHO ARE WE? • We are a group of people who are committed to living the grace life as set forth by the apostle of the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul. • We come together to study our Bibles, and yes, we believe we have God's perfect Word in the King James Bible. It and it alone is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice! • We do not come together and study our Bibles for the intent of being smarter than others. We understand that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is purely vain and serves no Godly purpose. • We do come together and study our Bibles for the intent of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection. (Philippians 3:10) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that we have been crucified with Christ; nevertheless we live; yet not us, but Christ liveth in us: and the life which we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. (Galatians 2:20) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that because Jesus Christ shed His blood for us and we should not live for ourselves but for Him, who died for us and rose again. (2 Cor. 5:15) • We do not claim to have attained to these lofty goals, but we press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14) You can donate to this ministry through www.butnow.org and the PayPal button on the homepage.

Welcome to the Podcast of Southwest Bible Fellowship in Tempe, Arizona. WHO ARE WE? • We are a group of people who are committed to living the grace life as set forth by the apostle of the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul. • We come together to study our Bibles, and yes, we believe we have God's perfect Word in the King James Bible. It and it alone is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice! • We do not come together and study our Bibles for the intent of being smarter than others. We understand that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is purely vain and serves no Godly purpose. • We do come together and study our Bibles for the intent of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection. (Philippians 3:10) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that we have been crucified with Christ; nevertheless we live; yet not us, but Christ liveth in us: and the life which we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. (Galatians 2:20) • We do come together and study our Bibles to understand that because Jesus Christ shed His blood for us and we should not live for ourselves but for Him, who died for us and rose again. (2 Cor. 5:15) • We do not claim to have attained to these lofty goals, but we press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14) You can donate to this ministry through www.butnow.org and the PayPal button on the homepage.

A Day of Distinction Please turn to Malachi 3:13-18. That is on page 955 in the Pew Bibles. We are in the home stretch of Malachi. Next week will be our last sermon. By the way, Malachi has often been used for an Advent series. It is the last book of the Old Testament, and, as we saw 2 weeks ago, it promises that the Messiah will come soon. Next week will be another advent prophecy. Our sermon this morning concludes the pattern of (1) God's accusation, (2) the people questioning God, and (3) the Lord explaining. After that, we will we hear a surprising turn. There were some who did fear the Lord and responded to him. Listen for the contrasts between those who questioned the Lord, and those who feared him. Reading of Malachi 3:13-18 Prayer How do you justify sin in your life? I know that question presupposes an understanding of sin. I'm simply referring to breaking God's commands as he has revealed in his Word. ·      Do you find yourself saying, “well, this is a small thing. It doesn't really matter.” ·      Or, “everyone else does it, so what's the big deal.” ·      Or “At least I'm not as bad as he or she is.” ·      Are you tempted to make the ends justify the means? You think, “well, the results will be good, so it doesn't matter how I get there.” ·      Or maybe you are angry with God or wonder if he is even there? You think, “why does it even matter?” ·      Maybe you have been sinned against and therefore are tempted to respond likewise. ·      Or do you think that nobody will know. ·      Or do you tell yourself, “It feels right, how can it be wrong?” How do you justify sin? Really, the more important question is, will you respond to God's Word? These verses give us a contrast between two responses. 1. Those who justify and continue in their sin and 2, those who repent and respond. All throughout Malachi, we've seen different ways that the priests and the people have justified their sin. Often it was about their situation. They were poor and didn't want to bring their unblemished male animal to offer at the temple or bring their required tithe. Or they didn't love their spouse anymore, so why not get a divorce. Why not marry someone who didn't know Yahweh if they could get ahead economically. Based on their experience, they didn't even believe that God was just, so why did it matter what they did or didn't do. Verses 13-15 are the climax to their dismissal of God and how they justified their sin. The Lord said, “your words have been hard against me.” And they asked once again, “how” “How have we spoken against you?” And the Lord responds… you have said, , “it is vain to serve God. What is the profit of keeping his charge?” They didn't see any value in continuing to honor God. Why bother? It was so bad they didn't even want to mourn before the Lord because of their situation. They had gotten to the place where they weren't even sure God existed. In verse 15, we learn they'd been saying that “the arrogant were blessed.” “Evildoers not only prosper, …but they put God to the test and they escaped.” In other words, good things were happening to bad people. Why would God allow that and leave them to flail in their situation? You see, the people were feeling despondent. They didn't think God cared about them. In fact, to them, God seemed to care more about their enemies. And so, they responded by not caring themselves. They didn't care about God, and they didn't care about his commands. They felt defeated and wondered if God was even paying attention. Do you ever feel that way? You see other people seemingly doing well or prospering. Many of whom you don't believe should be prospering. And you are struggling with health or with finances or in relationships or in a career. And it brings you to a place of despondency - hopelessness and asking why. I've found that in those moments, I have been very susceptible to temptation. You know, you get down about something and feel discouraged and disconnected from the Lord. And then, you wonder if trying to honor God is even worth it. Just like the people were saying, it is vain… you know, it seems worthless to pursue the Lord. You then ask yourself, why not just do what I want? Why not just take matters into my own hands? And then, you do. That's exactly what the exiles who were back in Jerusalem were doing. They justified their sin. More and more, they rejected God. It was like a downward spiral of complacency and disillusionment that was leading them away from God. Instead of drawing closer to God, they were pulling away from him. Instead of seeking to honor him, they were dishonoring him. And then along came Malachi, the prophet. And he spoke God's very words to them. You have done this, and this, and this. You have questioned my justice. In your hearts and in your actions, you have walked away in defiance from my commands. You have been faithless. I think of all the accusations that the Lord has leveled against them, calling them faithless was perhaps the worst. They no longer trusted in the God who loved them, as he had just reminded them. What would they do? Really, they were at an inflection point. They were at a fork in the road. God had just called them to return to him. The question is, would they return? Would they renounce their ways and their thoughts against the Lord and return? The Lord's arms were open for them to come back to him. The question was, would they before it was too late? You know, I love our church family. I love you. We love each other and we love our neighbors. And I believe that each of us honestly want to honor the Lord in our lives. I know my glasses are a little rosy. But I know that there are secret sins in this room. There are dark closets. There's heart adultery, for sure, but statistically speaking, there's likely actual adultery happening, too. Other sexual sin as well. There's also a range of anger and prejudice and heart idols that turn our attention away from the Lord. Some sin we are blind to, but other sin we simply justify. It may be hidden from one another, but it is not hidden from God. Let me ask, How have you been responding to God's word in Malachi? It's been pretty intense. Have you felt convicted and have you been responding to the Lord in repentance and faith? …Have you renewed yourself to pursue the Lord and his commands? Will you forsake them and turn your heart back to the Lord? What would they do and what will you do? And that brings us to verse 16. This is the first time, in the entire book of Malachi, that we are given a glimmer of hope.. in regard to their hearts. Verse 16 – “then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another.” It's talking about people who with reverent awe and faith submitted themselves to the Lord. They were there. One question that people disagree about is whether this is a totally separate group from the Israelites who had been questioning God. Or whether some of those who had been questioning God repented and returned to him. Most think that it is one or the other. But I think what is more likely is that it's both. God has always had his remnant from among the people. But God also draws people away from their sin and back to him. Malachi was prophesying God's very Word. Of the thousands who had returned to Jerusalem, certainly there were some who upon hearing God's word, repented and returned as he had called them. We don't know for sure, but whatever the makeup of this group, the point is that there were some who by faith reverently trusted God… and as it says, sought to serve him. We don't even know what their conversation was about, but we are told that whatever it was God was pleased. They had in some way affirmed God's word and encouraged each other in that affirmation. And, they esteemed God's name. Rather than questioning God, they exalted the Lord God. This is God's very Word. Will you hear and respond to it by faith? Or will you react in defiance against it? What will you do? I want to take a brief tangent. Some of you will know this. The Protestant Reformers were very concerned NOT to bind someone's conscience. You know, someone's internal sense of right and wrong and truth and error. Martin Luther in his famous speech at the diet of Worms said that to go against one conscience is neither right nor safe. When we hear that, it's easy, I think, to mistakenly apply our culture's understanding of conscience. We might think Luther meant that we should never tell someone that what they believe or do is right or wrong. But that is not what Luther nor John Calvin nor the other Reformers meant. They meant that only the Word of God should bind someone conscience. Luther even said in that same speech, “my conscience is bound by the Word of God.” The Roman Catholic church was trying to bind the conscience of people to believe things that were contrary to Scripture. That is what they were opposed to. The Reformers believed that our consciences are marred by sin. Even as redeemed people, we need to submit our minds and hearts to God's word so that our inner sense of moral right and wrong will be transformed to God's standard. We absolutely can and should challenge one another. When we see a brother or sister do something or believing something contrary to God's Word, we should call it out in love. That is not wrongly binding someone's conscience; rather, it is directing someone's conscience to God's Word. Some churches and Christians today will justify lifestyles and beliefs so as not to constrain someone elses conscience. Some will say, “my conscience is clear,” as if their conscience is the final moral authority rather than Scripture. No, rather, as we each mature in our faith and in our knowledge of God's Word, our conscience will become more and more aligned with God's standard and THUS sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Our conscience should never replace what God has revealed in his Word. I bring this up because it is a common way to justify sin today – to appeal to a “clear conscience” even when it contradicts Scripture. Ok, back to Malachi 3 – the conscience of these people who feared the Lord were captivated by God through his Word. God had either convicted them of their sin and they repented and returned… or they has been in the minority, as a remnant, faithful to God and his Word all along. Likely, as I mentioned, both. And because they feared the Lord, God wrote their names and their faithful works in his book. It's called here the book of remembrance. A common practice at that time was for kings to write down significant events and significant people. It was their history. In fact, Persian kings were meticulous at this task. They preserved their records in the royal archive. Remember, it was the Medo Persians who, at this time, ruled over the region. So, this reference to the Lord keeping a book would have been understood even beyond the Israelites. The point is that God would not forget them. He would not forget his remnant who fixed their hearts and minds on him. Who esteemed his name. They shall be mine, he says. By the way, there is a little tiny phrase there in verse 17 that has huge significance. It's the phrase “in the day.” Do you see it? “In the day,” it says, “when I make up my treasured possession, I will spare them.” It is looking forward to the judgment day. It's looking forward to that day when God, in Christ, will fulfill his just judgment. That day will happen when Christ comes to judge. For us, we know that the final judgment will come when Jesus returns. In his first coming, Jesus came to save – he came to bring salvation. In his second coming, he will come for the final judgment. And on the day when Christ comes to judge, God will make his people his treasured possessions. I love that description. They had feared the Lord and honored him… and God wrote their names down in his book of life. We all have treasured possessions. If your house or apartment is on fire, what are the things that you would want to risk your life and run back in to save? Certainly, family members. Maybe a pet. Maybe your great great grandmother's pendant. Or maybe that jersey signed by your favorite athlete or coach. I'm not telling you to run back into your house for things. Let the firemen do that. But on that day, those who fear God and keep his commandments will be God's treasured possession. He will save them. That phrase “treasured possession” is a reference back to Mount Saini. God had rescued his people from slavery in Egypt. He had brought them across the Red Sea. He was about to give them his commandments, and he says, and listen to this… “if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, I will make you my treasured possession among all people of the earth.” In Malachi, at the end of verse 17, Lord says that he will “spare them as a man spares a son who serves him.” Back when I was about 14, my sister and I wanted to surprise our parents and clean the garage. Isn't that very nice.  However, there was still a car in the garage. So, I told my sister, ok, you get in the car. I'll push it back, and as soon as it gets out of the garage, put it into gear. It was a manual transmission. Every time my parents parked the car, they would put it in gear, so I thought it was like a parking brake.  So, I pushed the car out of the garage, but when my sister tried to put it in gear, it wouldn't go. Neither of us thought about the brake pedal. Well, our driveway was sloped, so the car started to pick up speed, and I was running alongside of it, but my sister couldn't stop it. Then the steering wheel locked up. We were both panicking. Then the car smashed into the stone wall next to our driveway. We both thought, oh no, we're going to get in big trouble with our dad. But when he got home, he wasn't angry at all. No, he was just glad we weren't hurt. We were spared. But I can tell you, if we had been one of his employees, the story would have ended differently. You see, a father spares a son. A father loves his children. They are his treasured possession. God the Father has done the most amazing thing for those who fear and honor him. He has spared them from his judgment. And he's done that by not sparing his only Son. God has rescued us from the fire of his wrath by sending his only son who endured his wrath on our behalf. And because of it, on that day, on that judgment day, God will spare his children. To put it in terms of Jesus first and second coming. God sent his son, Jesus Christ, into the world, to be judged so that when he comes again as judge, those who fear and serve him will not be judged. All of this has all been leading up to verse 18. On that day, there will be a distinction, it say, between the righteous and the wicked. By the way, let me mention, this is like a two-part sermon. Malachi 4 continues explaining what will happen on that day. I've titled today's sermon A Day of Distinction. Next week will be A Day of Deliverance. So, we won't spend any more time on that coming day. But come back next week to hear about the “sun of righteousness.” Rather, we'll spend the rest of our time today on the distinction spoken of in verse 18. At the heart of the distinction is whether someone fears and serves God. The first words at the beginning of 18 are pretty telling. It says, “Then once more… you will see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked” Malachi's entire prophecy has focused on (1) how God's people had walked away from him in disobedience. And (2) how he calls them to return to him in faithfulness in their words and actions. Those who did not return are included in verse 18 with the wicked. Those who did return are included with the righteous. The two words used to describe the righteous are those who fear and serve the Lord. Fear in verse 16, which we already discussed, and the word serve, here in verse 18. Let me put it this way: At the heart of serving the Lord is a heart that fears the Lord with reverence and awe. Those two distinguishing marks cannot be separated. There is no fearing the Lord without serving him. …AND, no one truly serves the Lord without fearing him. When someone comes to fear the Lord, they will desire to honor him in their lives. Let me put this in some New Testament terms. ·      True faith in Christ will result in the fruits of righteousness. ·      Or as James put it, faith without works is dead. Our works, meaning our obedience to God's Word, testifies to our faith in him. Works do not lead to faith, faith leads to works.·      Or as the Apostle Paul put it in Romans 6 “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” To use theological terms. We are justified in Christ. We receive Jesus' righteousness by faith in him which leads to sanctification in our lives. More and more through God's Spirit, we die to sin and live to righteousness. So, fearing and serving the Lord IS faith and works which IS trusting and obeying God. It describes the righteous. The wicked do not fear the Lord nor honor him. They do not hear his Word. They do not return to him. Rather, they have rejected the Lord by dishonoring him in all his ways… including, of course, they ways that Malachi had prophesied. They questioned God… and to bring this back around, they justified their sin. As they said up in verse 14, “it is vain to serve God.” In closing, we all struggle with sin, but let me ask: As you search your heart, do you fear the Lord by faith in Christ? Are you seeking, by God's Spirit, to hear God's Word, see your sin, and respond by serving and honoring him? If you are, then on that day, God in Christ will spare you as a father spares a son. If that does not describe your life, then God is saying to you, “return to me.” No longer justify your sin but fear me and honor me. Come to me by faith in Christ. And when you do, the Lord says, you will be my treasured possession. On that day, may we all be described as the righteous. Not because of our righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ. A righteousness that we receive by faith AND which we demonstrate by serving and honoring him.

In this concluding sermon on the book of Acts, we explore the relentless journey of the Apostle Paul as he takes the Gospel to Rome, despite facing numerous trials and hardships. The sermon emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in the early church's expansion and challenges modern believers to embrace a faith that is bold and risk-taking, rather than comfortable and safe. Through Paul's experiences, we are reminded to seize every opportunity to share the Gospel, recognizing that our mission is ongoing. The message calls us to be active participants in God's unfolding story, urging us to step out of our comfort zones and invite others to experience the transformative power of Jesus. Join us as we reflect on the call to live out our faith with courage and conviction. For more information about our church, visit npfcc.org To help support the ongoing work of NPFCC and our mission partners around the globe, you can make a donation at npfcc.org/give

1 Timothy is the first of two letters written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor and leader at a growing church in Ephesus. This letter is filled with lessons and tools that apply to every believer and to pastors alike, and has been used for centuries to guide the lives of believers and ministries.   Join Jerry as he dives into 1 Timothy, helping us see how we can apply this book, and to "fight the good fight of faith" today.   You can take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann—so grab your Bible and let's get started!  Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below:  « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Subscribe for more Videos: http://www.youtube.com/c/PlantationSDAChurchTV Theme: The Gospel narratives recorded that Roman nailed only two "things" to Calvary's cross that fateful Friday. However, the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians introduces a third and important element that was nailed to the cross by Jesus Himself, who was the substance of the shadows of the Old Testament salvation paradigm. Speaker: N. Abraham Rose Title: He Nailed It! Key text: https://www.bible.com/bible/59/2CO.2.14.esv Bulletin/Notes: http://bible.com/events/49527651 Date: November 29, 2025 Tags: #psdatv #cross #forgive #forgiven #gospel #nail #types #shadows #symbols #assurance #salvation #NoMoreTypes #AssuranceOfSalvation #TheyAreNailedToHisCross #RelationshipOverRituals #ImForgiven For more life lessons and inspirational content, please visit us at http://www.plantationsda.tv. Church Copyright License (CCLI): 1659090 CCLI Streaming Plus License: 21338439 Support the show: https://adventistgiving.org/#/org/ANTBMV/envelope/startSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Todaywill continue to look at Ephesians 4:4-6 where we talk about the ground of ourunity. Remember in verses 1-3, Paul was talking about the grace of our unity.We have longsuffering, gentleness, and humility. We bear with one another inlove. That's the grace of our unity and now we need the basis of our unity.What gives us unity? Oneness in Jesus Christ. Oneness in our church. Unitywhere there's diversity and yet we have a unity of love and kindness and gracewith each other.  Theworld should see this love and oneness that Jesus prayed about in John 17 becausewe are one with Christ and in Christ. Because we are one with God we can loveone another despite our differences. Oh, my friend, how the church needs thatunity today. The local body of Jesus Christ caring for one another, praying forone another, working together as we serve the one Lord and God of our Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ.  SoPaul writes about the seven spiritual realities that we in verses 4-6. Thefirst five being: one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith. Now, thelast two of these spiritual realities are one baptism and one God and Father inverses five and six.  “Onebaptism”.I believe the baptism here that the Apostle Paul is writing about is thebaptism that takes place at the moment of our salvation. In 1 Corinthians 12:13Paul wrote, "For by one Spirit we are baptized into one body."For sure there is a difference of opinions when it comes to the teaching of thebaptism of the Spirit in the New Testament. I personally believe that there wasan initial, unique, one time in history experience, that took place when the120 disciples in the upper room praying in one accord (Acts 2:1-3).  Thishappened on the day of Pentecost, (that's 50 days after Passover), when theHoly Spirit came down on these disciples with tongues of fire and they werebaptized into the body of Christ and the church was birthed. Jesus had toldthem to: "Tarry in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father, theHoly Spirit", in Acts 1. For 10 days they had waited and prayedtogether. Then on that tenth day, a one-time historical event took place as the120 were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. Laterthat day, when Peter preached, 3,000 souls were saved. At the moment of eachsalvation of those 3,000 people, each one individually was baptized into thebody of Christ. If you want to read details about this, read Acts 1-2. Anotherpassage that speaks of this spiritual experience that takes place in the lifeof each believer when they get saved, is 1 Corinthians 12. Paul speaks of the diversityof gifts but “the same Spirit”. There are differences of ministry orservice but “the same Lord”. In verse 6, he says there's diversities ofactivities, but “the same God” who works all in all.  Youwill see this theme throughout this chapter, one spirit, same God, one God, oneLord Jesus Christ. And remember Paul is writing to the church at Corinth that'shaving tremendous divisions amongst themselves. He's reminding them when onebody, one spirit, one God, one Father. And now he is doing the same with thechurch at Ephesus.  Sotoday, we need to remember this baptism he is speaking of in Ephesians 4:5 isnot a second experience, third, fourth, fifth, sixth experience of baptism.This baptism only takes place at the moment of your salvation. You're baptizedat that moment into the body of Christ. Read Romans 6:3, where Paul speaks ofwhat takes place at this baptism of the Spirit. "Don't you know that asmany of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, we were baptized into Hisdeath?"  Again, this takes placeat our salvation.  So,there is only “one baptism”, and you don't need to look for asecond, third, or fourth, or fifth baptism. It's already taken place. Surely, aswe dwell on these things and think about what God has done for us in Christ, wecan have true unity one with another. Godbless!

Today, as we close out this week, we will listen to a powerful and popular passage from the Apostle Paul. Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. What is you biggest dream in life right now? What is the most outlandish thing you could wish for someone you love? With that in mind, listen again to Paul's closing blessing. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. What if we make our daily prayer for ourselves and those we love be “Lord, accomplish infinitely more than can ask or think”. This is not a genie in a bottle request. Not a guarantee that everything will go the way we want. It is a blessing that God will use all of everything in our lives to surprise us because of Him working all things together for good. Let's pray together: “Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Please give me the boldness and the wisdom ask You to do more than I could ask for or imagine through me, for your glory. As above, so below.” 

Date Preached: November 18, 2018Selected ScripturesFor more information, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Grace To You Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠!Our Best Premium Study Bibles:ESV MacArthur Study Bible with Premium Leather: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/477cP10⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spurgeon Study Bible: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3RN6nIh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle version of NASB MacArthur Bible: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4aXU6YP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hand-picked Must-Read Books for Every Christian:Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World (3rd Edition): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/470VU0e⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3NurHj0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gospel According to Jesus: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3RuefwT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3NwP8Zb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Holiness of God: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3Rpex8e⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3NqnmO0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Saved Without a Doubt: Being Sure of Your Salvation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3tmNcLU⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4738Tyc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hand-picked Must-Read Books for every Pastor/Elder:Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3RLyp6X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3tke1QL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/41nFNsn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/41oX3gK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Preaching: How to Preach Biblically: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3tmOIxv⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3thWo4d⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3RMiNQG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3RK34RQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Best Books on Evanglisem:Hell's Best Kept Secret: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/472oGxr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3v2DS06⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Scientific Facts in the Bible: 100 Reasons to Believe the Bible is Supernatural in Origin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/481rCLS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3GM5GbD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3uWNN7k⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindke Version: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/48ftLnD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angels: What the Bible Really Says About God's Heavenly Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3v9flX8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle Version: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/481rhZB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Demons: What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/48kZt29⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle Version: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4alWpVr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All the above links are affiliate links, which means we get a small commission if you use any of our links to buy these books. We'd be grateful if you used any of our links to buy these books. Thank you!Copyright Notice:© Copyright 2024 by John MacArthur. Used by permission from Grace to You.Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠ gty.org⁠⁠⁠⁠Phone: 800-55-GRACEThis sermon is being shared in accordance with⁠⁠⁠⁠ Grace To You copyright policy⁠⁠⁠⁠, which allows for the reproduction and distribution of audio and video messages digitally. We have followed all copyright policies set by Grace To You Ministries to ensure the lawful sharing of this sermon. For any questions or concerns regarding this episode, please feel free to contact us at expositorysermons@gmail.com.Learn more about Grace to You's copyright policy here:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.gty.org/about#copyright

Have you ever had a passion to do something for God that was so big, the very thought of it just overwhelmed you? I'm talking about breaking out of our boxes. I believe far too many of us Christ-followers miss the good things God has for us to do because we see ourselves as unqualified and inadequate for the job. Here's the amazing, good news: You are unqualified to do what God wants you to do. The Apostle Paul told us why this is true: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). Your recognition of your inadequacy is a good thing, because it will force you to depend on God, to be humble, to be teachable, and you will always know it was all about God. Earlier this week I told you how God opened doors for me to begin this radio ministry, even though I had no experience with radio, no mentor to help me, no book telling me how to do it. I was totally not qualified to start a radio program, but it was God's vision for me, so I just kept walking through the doors he opened, and now for many years I've been privileged to be a part of what he is doing through this ministry. Some of you have similar stories, and you're in that good place of doing what God put you here to do. But here's what I'm discovering: There's more. I can't be satisfied with where I am; God keeps pushing me out of my box. For example, I played a part in starting a ministry for sexually trafficked women, and that vision overwhelmed me. I had to break out again and pursue a vision that moved me way beyond my abilities and giftedness. God chooses to use unqualified people who are willing to break out of their boxes, trust God, and move forward. Let me hasten to say breaking out of your box certainly does not mean you can make foolish or quick decisions. You must do the homework and due diligence required. But I pray you'll stop telling God all the reasons you can't do it and ask him what the next step is. I hope you'll stop making excuses and ask God to help you break out of your box!

Gary and Kim Burgess conclude their discussion of 1 Corinthians 15. In verse 52, the Apostle Paul mentions "the last trumpet" and in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 he also connects the last trumpet with a "shout." Trumpets and shouts should remind us of Jericho, and Kim brings up many other verses in the Old and New Testaments that help us to understand what Paul is teaching in 1 Cor 15.